Class Notes

1930s

James Reilly ’39 Lakeway, Texas

James celebrated his 102nd birthday April 26 surrounded by his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. He earned his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the Case School of Applied Science and went on to a fruitful career as an engineer and a patent attorney. His daughter Ann Harris wrote to say, “I like to think he may still have some classmates out there enriching the world.”

1960s

Christopher Mathewson, ’63, PhD College Station, Texas

Chris received the James Hutton Lifetime Service Award from the National Association of State Boards of Geology in recognition of service leading to the significant advancement of the profession of geology. He’s an emeritus professor of geology at Texas A&M University. Chris earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Case Institute of Technology.

Hans Biserod ’64 Raufoss, Norway

Hans flew in from Norway in early April to tour his alma mater with his cousin-in-law, Professor Sunniva Collins. He came to Case Institute of Technology as an international student in the early 1960s, working on the transatlantic liner to pay his passage. He met his late wife, Solfrid, at a Norwegian Independence Day party in Cleveland and returned to Norway with a wife and a mechanical engineering degree. The couple raised four children. Before his retirement, Hans helped modernize the Norwegian armed forces as an engineer for the government munitions manufacturer NAMMO.

William N. Hayes ’67 Danvers, Massachusetts

Bill received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Morrison R. Waite High School in Toledo. He enjoyed a 43-year career with General Electric and is now retired and serving as secretary of the Northeast Massachusetts chapter of SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives). At Case, he played football, met his wife, the late Sherrie Jansen, and earned his bachelor’s degree in management science. A lifelong learner, Bill earned his MBA at age 53.

James L. Smialek ’68, MS ’72, PhD ’81 Strongsville, Ohio

Jim retired last October as a senior research scientist after 50 years with the NASA Glenn (Lewis) Research Center. He authored nearly 200 research papers, journal articles, patents, book chapters, received two NASA Medals for Exceptional Scientific Achievement, and was elected Fellow of the Metallurgical Society of AIME (TMS), the American Ceramic Society and the American Society for Materials (ASM). Jim maintained connections with the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and often collaborates with faculty and students. Last October, he joined other CIT Metallurgy graduates from the class of ’68 (Ron Krupitzer, John Shields, Lee Swanger, Ed Gesdorf, Bill Timmons and Hank Vernon).

Arun Varshneya, MS ’68, PhD ’70 Alfred, New York

Arun, an emeritus professor of glass science at Alfred University, was honored at the 25th International Congress on Glass June 9-14 in Boston for a lifetime of achievements in glass research, education, and entrepreneurship. The "festschrift" was organized by former students. Arun joined the faculty of the Inamori School of Engineering at Alfred in 1982. He had previously worked at Ford Scientific Laboratories in Dearborn, Michigan, and GE Lighting in Cleveland. He earned his master's and doctorate degrees in metallurgy from Case Institute of Technology.

Gee-Yin “Brian” Chow, MS ’69, PhD ’69 Santa Monica, California

Brian is now an adjunct physical scientist at RAND Corporation after working as a senior physical scientist from 1989 to 2015. Before joining RAND in 1989, he was an advisor to the President's Science Advisor, the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, and the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. Brian earned his doctorate in physics from Case Institute of Technology.

Cung Khac Vu ’69, PhD Houston, Texas

Cung will be honored by the College of Arts and Sciences at 2019 Homecoming festivities for exceptional contributions to his field and to the lives of others. He distinguished himself during a 37-year career in the energy industry as a research director, exploration manager and chief geophysicist for companies like Royal Dutch Shell and Chevron. Now retired, he serves on the advisory board of the Great Lakes Energy Institute at the Case School of Engineering.

1970s

Jennie Hwang, PhD ’76 Bedford, New York

Jennie was appointed Chairman of the Board on Assessment of U.S. Army Centers of the U.S. Department of Defense. The board assesses the operational efficiency and merits of the technological programs in the Army’s research, development and engineering centers across the country. Jenny made Case history in 1976 when she became the first woman to earn a doctorate in materials engineering. She went on to an illustrious career that included executive positions at Lockheed Martin and Sherwin Williams, authorship and entrepreneurship.

Don Thomas ’77 Towson, Maryland

Don delivered the commencement address May 4 at the 143rd Commencement Ceremony of the University of Rio Grande and Rio Grande Community College. A NASA astronaut since 1991, he orbited the Earth nearly 700 times and served as a mission specialist on four space shuttle missions. A Cleveland native, Don earned his bachelor’s degree in physics from Case. He now does public speaking and makes school presentations on astronaut life.

Eugene Lozyniak ’79 Clinton, Tennessee

Eugene retired from Y-12 National Security complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, after 39 years as a senior engineering specialist. The manufacturing facility contracts with National Nuclear Security Administration's Nuclear Security Enterprise. He earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Case Institute of Technology.

Ronald C. Taylor ’79, MS ’85, MS ’91 Rockville, Maryland

Ronald is a bioinformatics advisor for The High Performance Computing and Informatic Office of the National Institutes of Health's Center for Information Technology. Previously, he was a senior research scientist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. He earned his degrees in physics at Case Institute of Technology.

1980s

Mark McConnell ’80, PhD Newmarket, New Hampshire

Mark, a noted gamma ray astronomer, addressed the Astronomical Society of Northern New England August 2, talking about “Gamma-Ray Bursts – A Scientific Detective Story.” Mark is a full professor in the Physics Department and Space Science Center at the University of New Hampshire. He earned his bachelor’s degree in physics from Case Institute of Technology and his doctorate at UNH.

Leslie Swanson ’80 Cambridge, Massachusetts

Leslie, the President & CEO of eXalt Solutions, has more than 30 years of experience in the technology industry as an innovator and an entrepreneur. In April she shared her “Secrets for Success for Women in IoT” with the tech newsletter IoT for All. Among her observations: “You will definitely fail if you don’t show up, but if you do show up you have a chance at success. My number one piece of advice for women in tech is to assume that you are welcome and show up.” She earned her bachelor’s in electrical engineering from Case Institute of Technology.

Walter Copan, PhD ’82 Monument, Colorado

Walter is the director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, or NIST, a government agency that promotes U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology. In 2017, Congress confirmed him as Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and NIST Director. After earning dual degrees in chemistry and music from Case Western Reserve University in 1975, Walter began his career in chemicals and materials research at Lubrizol Corporation. He earned his doctorate in physical chemistry from Case in 1982.

Michael Ciancone ’83 Houston, Texas

Michael is the author of Forward to Spaceflight, an illustrated bibliography of pre-1958 publications on rocketry and space travel published by Apogee Books. As an engineer for the Johnson Space Center in Houston, he serves as the Lead for Safety and Mission Assurance of the European Service Module of the Orion Program. Michael earned his bachelor’s degree in fluids and thermal sciences from Case Institute of Technology. He also earned a bachelor’s in psychology from CWRU.

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Jeen-long “Daniel” Liao, MS ’84 Shanghai, China

Daniel was appointed to the board of directors of Amkor Technology, a Phoenix-based semiconductor packaging and test services company. He’s a senior executive at Lam Research, a semiconductor processing equipment company, and serves as Chairman of Lam Asia Pacific Operations. Daniel earned his master’s in electrical engineering and applied physics from Case Institute of Technology. He has held engineering management positions at Integrated Device Technology and at Intel.

Coleen Pugh MS ’85, PhD ’91 Akron, Ohio

Coleen was named Dean of the Wichita State University Graduate School and Associate Vice President for Research and Technology Transfer, effective July 28, 2019. She’s leaving the University of Akron, where she was a professor of polymer science and a faculty member for 20 years. Coleen earned her master's and doctorate degrees in macromolecular science from Case Institute of Technology.

Randall S. Dearth MS ’89 Sewickley, Pennsylvania

Randall joined GCP Applied Technologies, a Cambridge, Massachusetts developer of advanced construction technologies, as president and chief executive officer. Previously, he was president and CEO of Calgon Carbon Corporation, LANXESS Corporation (North America) and Bayer Chemicals Corporation (North America). Randall earned his master’s degree in polymer science and engineering from Case.

1990s

Jeffrey Barkehanai ’90 Lake Forest, California

Jeff, a product definition manager for the engineering and industrial software developer AVEVA, reports that he recently attained his first patent. He gave a presentation on “OEE in the Cloud, Model Driven MES and Quality” at the 2019 Manufacturing Industry User Conference of Wonderware California. Jeff earned his bachelor’s in chemical engineering from Case Institute of Technology.

Anne E. Hines MS ’90, PhD ’94 Denver, Colorado

Anne was honored by the College of Engineering at Boston University for her career achievements and support of her alma mater and the world community. Anne and her husband are co-founders of the Colorado Nepal Alliance, a Denver nonprofit that works to enhance the lives of people in rural Nepal. She received her bachelor’s degree from BU and earned her master’s and doctorate degrees in biomedical engineering from Case.

Brian Zrimsek ’90 Aurora, Ohio

Brian is the Chief Products Officer at MRI Software, a Cleveland-based provider of software products for the real estate industry. A member of the executive leadership team, he has 25 years of experience in large-scale enterprise software. Previously, he was IT Vice President at The Irvine Company and VP of Research at Gartner, Inc. Brian earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Case.

David Vasko ’92 Hartland, Wisconsin

David, the Director of Advanced Technology at Rockwell Automation, is the host of a new podcast: State of the Industry: Your Guide to the Future of Smart Manufacturing. It’s designed to help manufacturing executives keep current with technology and trends and is available through iTunes.

Lars-Ake Norling, MS ’92 Stockholm, Sweden

Lars is an investment director and sector head of TMT at the Swedish investment firm Kinnevik, a position he assumed in fall 2018. He has more than 20 years of experience in management positions in the TMT sector in Northern Europe and in emerging markets. Previously he served as CEO of Total Access Communications (DTAC) in Bangkok, Thailand. Lars earned his master’s in systems and control engineering from Case Institute of Technology.

Tshilidzi Marwala ’95, PhD Johannesburg, South Africa

Tshilidzi was one of the keynote speakers at the 2018 Science Forum in Pretoria, South Africa, in December. He talked about the Moravec

paradox and skills needed in the fourth industrial revolution. Tshilidzi is Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Johannesburg. He earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Case, his master’s from the University of Pretoria and a PhD in artificial intelligence and engineering from the University of Cambridge. He was also a post-doctoral research associate at the Imperial College of London.

Kirsten Bowen ’96 Sagamore Hills, Ohio

Kirsten was named Member of the Year by WTS International, a trade group that advances women in the transportation industry, at the group’s annual conference in May. She’s an associate vice president for Michael Baker International, a Pittsburgh-based civil engineering firm, where she’s the Surface Transportation Lead for the Great Lakes region. Kirsten earned her degree in civil engineering from the Case School of Engineering.

Maria Bennett, MS ’98 Beachwood, Ohio

Maria was recognized as one of the top 50 business executives in Northeast Ohio with a Smart 50 Award from Smart Business magazine. She’s the founder, president and CEO of SPR Therapeutics, which uses technology she invented while completing her master’s program in biomedical engineering at the Case School of Engineering.

Send your updates, including photos, about job promotions, professional development and personal milestones to casealum@casealum.org. Send your updates, including photos, about job promotions, professional development and personal milestones to casealum@casealum.org.

2000s

Michael Straightiff ’03 Charlottesville, Virginia

Michael leads the University of Virginia’s Licensing & Ventures Group, which helps patent, license and commercialize university ideas and inventions. He learned the job at CWRU, where he worked in the tech transfer office for six years after earning his degree in biomedical engineering from Case School of Engineering.

Jeff Hunter ’05 Sunnyvale, California

Jeff recently scaled Alaska’s Mount Denali — North America’s highest peak — to honor his father and to spread awareness of a lethal brain disease. He embarked on his three-week expedition May 17, 2019, two years to the day after his father, Alliance, Ohio, lawyer Robert Hunter Jr., died from Frontotemporal Degeneration. Jeff, a software developer, climbed the 20,000-foot mountain as a fundraiser for FTD research. His climb so far has raised more than $30,000 via www.classy.org/fundraiser/1883202.

Alexander Wellems ’05 Blue Point, New York

Alex, a pharmaceutical scientist, is Director of Clinical Supplies Operations in the Small Molecule Product Development team of Allergan. He’s also active in his Long Island community, serving as vice president of the Blue Point Community Coalition. Alex earned his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering at Case.

Patrick T. Rodjom ’06, MEM ’07 Alexandria, Virginia

Pat was inducted into the 2018 class of the Spartan Club Hall of Fame for swimming. He is the only CWRU athlete in program history to be named the University Athletic Association Men's Swimmer of the Year, an honor he claimed his junior season, in 2006, when he won conference titles in the 100-yard and 200-yard breaststroke. Pat earned his bachelor’s degree in computer engineering at Case. He’s a Lead Program Management Specialist for the MITRE Corp.

Aaron C. JohnstonPeck ’07, PhD Germantown, Maryland

Aaron, one of the top distance runners ever to compete for CWRU, was inducted into the 2018 Spartan Club Hall of Fame. He won the UAA Cross Country Championship his sophomore season, the only CWRU runner to date to win the conference meet. In 2006, he was named Most Outstanding Performer at the UAA Indoor Championships after running the 5,000-meter at a winning 14:44.18, a conference and school record. Aaron is a research engineer in the Materials Structure and Data Group at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

Sarah Hosack (Gill) ’08 Mars, Pennsylvania

Sarah is a project manager for Equitrans Midstream Corp., which provides midstream services to the natural gas industry in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Previously, she was a project manager for EQT Corp. in Pittsburgh and a project engineer for Westinghouse. She earned her bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Case.

2010s

Hardik Patel ’12, MEM ’13 Oberlin, Ohio

Hardik is an analyst and Therapeutic Area Director for Datamonitor Healthcare, specializing in oncology. He earned his bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering and his master’s in engineering management from Case School of Engineering.

Vedang Kothari ’12, MEM ’13 Cleveland, Ohio

Vedang is president and CEO MeReva Phototherapy, a Cleveland biotech company he recently launched to treat a side effect of cancer treatments. He began developing the technology during an internship at Lumitex, in Strongsville, as a student at the Case School of Engineering. Vedang came to Case from San Jose, California, to study biomedical engineering and earned a master’s degree in engineering and management.

Khalid “Cal” Al-Dhubaib ’16 Lakewood, Ohio

Cal was recognized as one of the top 50 business executives in Northeast Ohio with a Smart 50 Award from Smart Business magazine. He created the data analytics consulting firm Pandata after earning one of the first degrees in data science from the Case School of Engineering.

Terrence Mathis ’16 Cleveland Heights, Ohio

Terrence is a product engineer with PMI Industries, a Cleveland provider of deep ocean cable hardware. He earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Case School of Engineering.

Austin Leeds PhD ’18 Orlando, Florida

Austin is a research manager at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Orlando, Florida. He earned his doctorate in biology at Case, where he completed his dissertation on markers of social bonding in gorillas and the implications for the care of gorillas in zoos while working for the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.

Dan Gill PhD ’19 Chicago, Illinois

After earning his doctorate in chemical engineering from the Case School of Engineering in May, Dan accepted a postdoctoral position at the Institute for Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago, where he will conduct fundamental materials research.

Anna Sklenar ’19 Cleveland, Ohio

Anna was awarded a Fulbright U.S. Student Program grant to study in Russia and continue her research into Russian perspectives on modern times and technology, the subject of her capstone project at Case. She spent a year in Russia before earning degrees in mechanical engineering and international studies.

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Donald Glaser '46 was only 25 when he created the ingenious device that won him the Nobel Prize. His bubble chamber allowed scientists to study sub-atomic particles with far greater clarity and precision.

Born in Cleveland to Russian immigrants, Glaser became fascinated with physics at Cleveland Heights High School and earned bachelor's degrees in physics and mathematics at Case School of Applied Science. In 1960, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics at age 34 — the youngest of CWRU's 16 Nobel laureates.