Case Alumnus Fall 2017

Case Alumnus The Magazine of the Case Alumni Association

Fall 2017 • vol. 29 • no. 1

Showcase Alumni are recognized for their dedication to the school and society with various awards, including the Silver Bowl

Amateur radio

Homecoming and reunion

Aim for home

casealum.org/homecoming 216-368-0635 kellie.mayle@casealum.org

Welcome home The Case Alumni Association serves the interests of more than 20,000 alumni of the Case School of Applied Science, Case Institute of Technology and the Case School of Engineering. Its mission is to serve and advance the interests of the Case School of Engineering, the math and applied sciences of Case Western Reserve University, its alumni and its students, through a strategic focus on fundraising, institutional leadership, responsive services, public relations and student programs.

Established in 1885 by the first five graduates of the Case School of Applied Science, the Case Alumni Association is the oldest independent alumni association of engineering and applied science graduates in the nation.

The Case Alumnus is a publication of the Case Alumni Association, Inc., a 501(c)3 public charity under the IRS code.

CASE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION, INC. Tomlinson Hall, Room 109 10900 Euclid Avenue Cleveland, OH 44106-1712 216-231-4567 casealum@casealum.org casealum.org

OFFICERS Marvin Schwartz ’68, Ph.D. ’73, President Ronald Cass ’84, 1st Vice President Sunniva Collins, M.S. ‘91, Ph.D. ‘95, 2nd Vice President Joe Fakult ’90, Secretary Nick Barendt ’95, M.S. ’98, Treasurer Brian Casselberry ‘95, Assistant Treasurer

STAFF Stephen Zinram, Executive Director Thomas Conlon, Chief Financial Officer John Walsh, Director of Communication Kellie Mayle, Director of Alumni Relations Ryan Strine, Manager of Annual Giving Janna Greer, Manager of Donor Relations and Grants Pamela Burtonshaw, Coordinator of Database Operations Melissa Slager, Executive Assistant Corey Wright ’11, M.E.M. ’13, IT Administrator and Webmaster

Design: J. Toth Graphic Design Printing: The Watkins Printing Co. Photography: Wetzler Studio Icons: Designed by Flaticon

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hether you last visited campus five years ago or 50 years ago, attending Homecoming & Reunion Weekend this year will be worthwhile. The spirited student tradition, combined with an alumni reunion and parents weekend, is designed for anyone affiliated with the university. The celebratory event will take place Oct. 5-8.

Homecoming offers a wide range of programs, from academic lectures to social gatherings and everything in between. Whether you’re an alum, parent or family member, student, friend, or faculty or staff member, there’s something for everyone. So come visit the growing campus in thriving University Circle, and revive your relationships within the campus community while reliving your university experience.

All alumni of the Case School of Engineering, the applied science and math programs in the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Case Alumni Association’s predecessor schools (Case School of Applied Science and Case Institute of Technology) are invited back for a special weekend of activities designed to reconnect you to former classmates and professors and let you experience the remarkable innovation happening throughout campus. Graduates from any year are encouraged to attend the exciting events, and a special welcome is extended to those celebrating their reunion – graduates of years ending in 2 and 7. As always, families and friends are welcome to attend, too.

Friday evening’s signature event, the award-winning Innovation ShowCASE, promises to be entertaining, educational and enlightening.

Alumni can meet student innovators from groups such as Robotics, the Women in Science and Engineering Roundtable, and the CWRU Baja team, as well as explore their interactive displays. Alumni will be able to watch videos and learn more about the remarkable students and distinguished alumni award winners (see page 4 for more information). The festivities will take place in the university’s makerspace, the Larry Sears and Sally Zlotnick Sears think[box], located right off the Case Quad in the former Lincoln Storage building. Additionally, the CIT grand classes lunch and social, along with the 50th reunion dinner for the class of ’67, will take place Saturday.

The Case Alumni Association is excited to celebrate this special time with alumni, family and friends. To view the complete event schedule and register for any and all of the events planned during the weekend, or if you have any questions about the celebration, visit casealum.org/homecoming, or contact me, at 216-368-0635 or kellie.mayle@casealum.org.

Welcome back!

Kellie Mayle Director of Alumni Relations

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Around the Quad Association elects new president Marv Schwartz ’68, Ph.D. ’73, was elected as the new president of the Case Alumni Association. The rest of the new board of directors includes Ron Cass ’84, first vice president; Sunniva Collins, M.S. ’91, Ph.D. ’95, second vice president; Joe Fakult ’90, secretary; Nick Barendt ’95, M.S. ’98, treasurer; and Brian Casselberry ’95, assistant treasurer. Schwartz, whose two-year post started in July, succeeds Jeff Herzog ’79, MBA ’86.

Schwartz, who has had a lengthy career in software development with companies such as Chi Corp., In-Flight Phone Corp. and Noteworthy Medical

Systems, has been actively involved – including serving on the board – with the CAA since the 1970s. Schwartz, who taught undergraduate computer science programming at Case Western Reserve University, was the chief scientist of the Case Connection Zone, a research project with the goal of bringing one gigabit of internet connectivity to the neighborhoods surrounding University Circle and CWRU. Schwartz’s main objective is to tweak the CAA strategic plan, making it more in line with the strategic plans of the Case School of Engineering, the College of Arts and Sciences, and CWRU overall. He

will advise the CAA to continue to support faculty and students of the CSE and CAS. Funds raised by the CAA will help support the objectives of Interim Dean James McGuffin-Cawley, Ph.D. ’84, and Dean Cyrus Taylor, Ph.D. Other areas the CAA will support include lab setup and special projects, such as those with the Baja Team and the astronomy department.

“I also would like alums to come to campus and see us any time they’d like,” says Schwartz, who received the CAA’s Meritorious Service Award in 2012.

“We have an open-door policy that’s extended to everyone.”

Schwartz can be reached at mss@case.edu.

Interim dean named for engineering school In June, the Case Western Reserve University Board of Trustees approved the appointment of James McGuffinCawley, Ph.D. ’84, as interim dean of the Case School of Engineering, effective July 1. McGuffin-Cawley, a member of CSE’s faculty since 1991, assumed the interim role after the departure of Jeffrey Duerk, Ph.D. ’87, who became executive vice president and provost of the University of Miami on July 1.

“Jim’s breadth of experience in the Case School of Engineering, along with his extensive external engagement, make him particularly well suited to lead during this time of transition,” says Bud Baeslack, provost. “I’m grateful to him for taking on this responsibility and

Research roundup

Biomedical engineering researchers at CWRU are applying drug-delivery technology to agriculture to control parasitic roundworms, or nematodes, more effectively and safely. Nematodes cause $157 billion of crop failure worldwide annually, other researchers estimate, mainly because they’re beyond the reach of pesticides. Chemicals disperse poorly in soil, while the parasites feed at plant roots 2

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confident he’ll do an outstanding job of maintaining the great momentum the school has achieved recently.”

McGuffin-Cawley, the Arthur Holden Professor of Engineering, is an accomplished researcher, teacher and liaison with industries throughout Northeast Ohio. In the mid-2000s, he served as CSE’s associate dean for academics for five years, then spent nine years as chair of the materials science and engineering department, where he led significant curricular reform. Last year, Duerk named him the school’s associate dean for research. McGuffin-Cawley also has served as the university’s governing

board representative and executive committee member of America Makes (previously known as the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute) since its creation five years ago.

After receiving his undergraduate degree in ceramic engineering from Alfred University, McGuffin-Cawley earned his doctorate in ceramic science from CWRU in 1984. Then he spent two years working in Northeast Ohio at NASA before joining the engineering faculty at The Ohio State University.

He returned to CWRU in 1991.

The university is conducting a national search for the school’s next permanent dean.

well below the surface. As a result, farmers apply large amounts of pesticides, which can increase the chemical concentrations in food or runoff and damage other parts of the environment. Ph.D. student Paul Chariou and Nicole Steinmetz, Ph.D., the George J. Picha Professor in Biomaterials appointed by the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine, are using biological nanoparticles (a plant virus) to deliver

a pesticide. They tested the plant virusderived nanoparticles with a nematicide called crystal violet, which has been used to kill nematodes on skin but not in agriculture. Researchers capitalized on surface chemistry to load positively charged crystal violet molecules into the negatively charged channel of the virus nanoparticle. Chariou and Steinmetz are testing the delivery

system using chemical pesticides approved for crops and developing a computer model to better understand and optimize the nanoparticle’s ability to diffuse through soil.

Research by Anant Madabhushi, Ph.D., has potential to lead to new frontiers in personalized cancer diagnostics. Madabushi’s team is developing algorithms that can quickly scan a pathology image – extending beyond what the human eye can see – and determine the aggressiveness of a breast cancer diagnosis, allowing oncologists to make more appropriate treatment plans. That means a patient could avoid the damaging effects of chemotherapy. Last year, the National Cancer Institute supplied a five-year, $3.3 million grant for Madabhushi’s research team, which includes academics from throughout the country. Madabhushi is a professor in the departments of biomedical engineering and electrical and computer engineering and the division of general medical sciences, urology, radiology, pathology. He’s also the director of the Center for Computational Imaging and Personalized Diagnostics.

Case Western Reserve University and Instantaneous Catalytic BioMarker Medical signed an exclusive license agreement to further develop biosensor technology to provide low-cost, rapid patient screening and monitoring for a range of critical clinical conditions, from prostate cancer to concussions.

Licensing, issued through CWRU’s Technology Transfer Office, is part of a multistep, multiyear process to develop and commercialize promising university-based technology. Last fall, CWRU and ICBM Medical signed a one-year, option-to-license agreement for the technology. ICBM Medical was established to develop technology invented by Distinguished University Professor Chung Chiun Liu ’68, the Wallace R. Persons Professor of Sensor Technology and Control in the chemical engineering department. Liu is also a founder, board member and the company’s chief technology officer.

Student spotlight Janet Gbur, a doctoral candidate in the materials science and engineering department, was named president-elect of the newly formed student council of the Microscopy Society of America. The society created the council to improve the level and sustainability of student input and provide leadership opportunities for society members at the earliest stages of their careers. Gbur works in the Nitinol Commercialization Accelerator Laboratory and Advanced Manufacturing and Mechanical Reliability Center under John Lewandowski, Ph.D., the Arthur P. Armington Professor of Engineering II. Gbur also is a member of the HAPTIX iSens project team under Dustin Tyler, Ph.D., the Kent H. Smith Professor of Biomedical Engineering, in the Functional Neural Interfaces Lab. Her research focuses on the robustness and reliability of wires and cables used in biomedical applications. Gbur took over as president of the student council at the Microscopy and Microanalysis meeting in St. Louis in August.

Suraj Srinivasan, a junior at Strongsville (Ohio) High School, earned a First Award in biomedical engineering at the International Science and Engineering Fair for research he completed under the mentorship of Andrew Shoffstall, Ph.D., in the lab of Associate Professor Jeffrey Capadona, Ph.D. Shoffstall is an adjunct assistant professor in the biomedical engineering department. Using the proboscis of a mosquito as a model, Srinivasan designed a guide that significantly reduces the collapse of flexible microelectrodes when inserted into tissue. He earned grand prize recognition at the Northeastern Ohio Science and Engineering Fair in March, qualifying him for an allexpenses-paid trip to Los Angeles to participate in the International Science and Engineering Fair.

Michaela Cooley, a senior studying biomedical engineering, won the Student Research Award from Society for

Biomaterials Drug Delivery Special Interest Group. Cooley has conducted research in the Bio-inspired Engineering for Advanced Therapies Laboratory for 2.5 years under the guidance of Anirban Sen Gupta, Ph.D., associate professor of biomedical engineering.

Three of the 25 winners of this year’s Infosys Foundation Infy Maker Awards have roots at Case Western Reserve University LaunchNet. CWRU’s honorees were: • Matthew Campagna, a junior studying computer engineering, of Reflexion Interactive Technologies LLC; • Pavel Galchenko, a junior studying studying biochemistry and applied data science, of RVS Rubber Solutions; and • Nathan Swift M.S. ’16 of Hedgemon.

Launched in 2015 by the Infosys Foundation USA, the Infy Maker Awards honor makers and highlight the impact making is having on education, communities and entrepreneurship. This year, the contest was geared toward innovative solutions to challenges in the fields of education, health environmental sustainability and food.

Faculty focus Frank Ernst, Ph.D. – the Leonard Case Jr. Professor of Engineering, chair of the materials science and engineering department, director of the Case Center for Surface Engineering and faculty director of the Swagelok Center for Surface Analysis of Materials – received the 2017 John S. Diekhoff Award for Graduate Teaching. Ernst makes sure his students know he considers them his colleagues in science by making himself approachable and seeking their most creative ideas. His open-door teaching method stems from his experience in a hierarchical teaching system in Germany.

Ernst developed his collaborative style since joining the CWRU faculty 17 years ago.

For more information about what’s happening on campus, visit casealum.org.

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Showcase Ten alumni are recognized for their dedication to the school and society with various awards, including the Silver Bowl

By John Walsh

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uring homecoming and reunion weekend this year, the Case Alumni Association will honor 10 alumni with seven awards at the 132nd all-classes celebration on Oct. 6 as part of the Innovation ShowCase and awards presentation. The awards are the Silver Bowl, Gold Medal, Lifetime Service, Meritorious Service, Samuel H. Givelber ’23, Young Alumni Leadership and Past President.

The Silver Bowl

The Case Institute of Technology once presented a Case Achievement Award and Silver Bowl Award to outstanding alumni who provided exemplary service to the institution at graduation. Wishing to resurrect these awards, the awards committee created a new Silver Bowl Award in 4

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2007 for distinguished service and achievement. The first Silver Bowl was presented to Gregory ’66 and Lynn Eastwood, M.S. ’66.

Barbara Snyder, president of Case Western Reserve University, received the award last in 2013. This year, Robert Herbold, M.S. ’66, Ph.D. ’68, president of the Herbold Foundation and former Microsoft chief operating officer, receives the award.

Herbold, who won the Gold Medal Award in 1998, honed his expertise assessing data during 26 years at Procter & Gamble, the last five as senior vice president of advertising and information services. After arriving at Microsoft in 1994, he worked quickly to standardize

the company’s data and processes, which dramatically increased the timeliness and availability of reliable, actionable information. During his seven-year tenure at Microsoft, the company’s revenue quadrupled, and its profits increased sevenfold. Today, Herbold serves on the Silicon Valley Think Tank, a group of alumni leaders who advise the dean and electrical engineering and computer science department about the demanding and ever-changing technology and data landscape. He’s also an emeritus trustee of CWRU. Herbold has made multiple gifts to support programs and faculty at the university. His most recent gifts include an endowed professorship of informatics and analytics at the Case School of Engineering and support for fellowships for students pursuing master’s degrees.

The Gold Medal Award

Recipients of the Gold Medal must be alumni of Case School of Applied Science, Case Institute of Technology or CIT as part of CWRU. Graduates of the Case School of Engineering and the sciences at CWRU also are eligible. To qualify for consideration, candidates should’ve received extraordinary distinction and made a significant contribution to the field of science, engineering or management that adds to the welfare of the United States and reflects credit on the university. This year, Robert Corell ’56, Ph.D. ’64, a global climate scientist, receives the award, which is the highest honor the association bestows on a Case graduate.

In 2007, Corell (with other scientists) was recognized with the Nobel Peace Prize for his work with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessments.

Corell, who’s had numerous titles and positions throughout the years, was or has been: chair of the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment, principal for the Global Environment Technology Foundation, chair of the Board of Directors of the Digital Universe Foundation, vice chancellor of the Academy of Science, member of the modeling team at Climate Interactive Initiative, co-chair of Phase II of the Global Energy Assessment, and lead author of GEA’s Chapter 3 about environment and energy.

In 2010, Corell, a former mechanical engineering major, founded the nonprofit Global Science Associates, an interdisciplinary nucleus for the world’s best science experts and collaboratories. In 2005, he led the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment and led a comprehensive study of governance issues in the circumpolar Arctic, the recommendations of which were adopted in May 2011 by the Arctic Council, which consist of the eight ministers of foreign affairs of the eight Arctic nations.

The Case School of Engineering Lifetime Service Award

The highest honor bestowed by the Case School of Engineering, this award recognizes an individual who has provided dedicated leadership, service and commitment to the students, faculty and staff of the school during a span of many years. This year, Larry Sears ’69, founder of Hexagram (now ACLARA Wireless Technologies), receives the award.

After a long career in the business world, Sears’ adjunct teaching in the electrical engineering and computer science department led to the creation of new labs and offices for the department.

His appreciation of hands-on engineering led to the Larry Sears and Sally Zlotnick Sears think[box]. Sears, who holds or co-holds more than 20 patents, is or has been a member the CWRU Board of Trustees and director of the Case Alumni Association, as well as chairman of the CSE capital campaign committee and think[box] visiting committee. Sears also is a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

The Meritorious Service Award

This award is bestowed on alumni for their exemplary service to the CAA, the engineering school, or the mathematics and science fields of CWRU. This includes faithful and continuing efforts to maintain class or alumni organizations; participation in alumni or college affairs; leadership in professional fields; making or obtaining contributions to the Case Fund; and assisting in expanding the usefulness, influence and prestige of the CAA. This year, three alumni receive the award: Lee Huff ’61, owner and retired president of Fibre Yarns and Fillers; Carl Podwoski ’61, retired partner of new Falls Fine Paper and advisory board member of the Great Lakes Energy Institute; and Michael Zink ’81, co-founder of the Colorado Cider Company and former ASEAN head for Citi.

Huff spent years in industry as a manager, director and leader in business, working for companies such as Rohm and Hass, Lubrizol, Pennwalt Corp. Even though his main passion was business and marketing, he liked the idea of thinking like an engineer and applying engineering to business. In 1975, as head of acquisitions at Lubrizol, he negotiated the acquisition of R.O. Hull, an electroplating company. In 1986, at the age of 48, the former chemical engineering major mortgaged his assets to buy Fibre Yarns & Fillers, a company that twisted paper for wiring insulation and bag handles. Huff retired in 2008.

Podwoski, who has a scholarship fund in his name at CWRU, was involved in the startup of an idled paper mill, Newton Falls Fine Paper Co., and selling its excess hydroelectric power into the grid, which included business-plan information and raising $23 million in private financing and government grants. Previous to Newton Falls, Podwoski initiated and ran steam-electric projects in the United States and Brazil for Louisville Gas & Electric. He oversaw the analysis of coal and gas economics and the negotiation of power-purchase agreements. Earlier in his career, Podwoski was director of special projects for International Paper, structuring and executing the company’s first powerpurchase contracts in New York and Maine. The former electrical engineering major also arranged $100 million in off-balance-sheet, power-project financing and entered into two energy joint ventures.

Zink, a Cincinnati native and firstgeneration college student, retired as ASEAN head and country officer for Singapore in 2016. He spent 28 years at Citigroup, joining the firm in 1988 as a corporate relationship manager. During Fall 2017

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Zink’s long career at Citigroup, he was based with his family in 10 countries on four continents. After graduating from CWRU with a degree in chemical engineering, he became a Peace Corps volunteer in Kenya, where he met his wife, Betsy. Zink – who says engineers make great bankers because they’re numerate, logical thinkers, and problem solvers – says the aspect of his career at Citi that he was most proud of was that he could look around the world at the people he helped recruit and develop.

Samuel H. Givelber ’23 Award

The Samuel Givelber ’23 Award was established in 1988 to honor a former president of the Case Alumni Association, which Givelber called the world’s greatestfellowship. A hard-working Russian immigrant with a Case degree, Givelber founded a successful business and devoted his energies to the welfare of his family, his alma mater and mankind. At his death, family and friends established an award to go to a Case alumnus who exemplifies the spirit of fellowship and human kindness that marked Givelber’s life. This year, Clyde (Skip) Walter, Ph.D. ’64, retired professor of supply chain management at Iowa State University, receives the award.

Before going to ISU, Walter taught at the University of Nebraska and Western Illinois University. A world traveler, he won the teacher of the year award from the ISU business council in 2006 and teacher of the month from the same organization in 2001. Walter, who’s earned three advanced degrees, has been active with the Presbyterian Church, local elderly housing and arts organizations, and the Ames Senior Variety Show.

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In 2014, Walter received a Governor’s Volunteer Award from former Iowa Governor Terry Branstad. The avid basketball fan recovered from a sudden cardiac arrest while playing basketball in 2006.

Young Alumni Leadership Award This award, the newest of them all, is presented to the most outstanding member of the Case School of Engineering Graduates of the Last Decade who has demonstrated invaluable service to the CAA, the engineering school and the community through leadership, participation and support. This year, Fulter ’02, ’03 and Rebecca (Steiner) Hong ’04 receive the award. Fulter Hong is a senior manager for global customer care and operations at Google, and Rebecca Hong is a pediatric anesthesiologist at Michigan Medicine C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital.

At Google, Fulter has spent the past 10 years leading large teams that supports millions of customers throughout global operations. He has conducted more than 450 candidate interviews, from entry level to senior management. He’s active in the local community, serving on the Board of Directors for Habitat for Humanity of Huron Valley and the Ann Arbor energy commission for five years.

Rebecca, who was an accomplished student-athlete (four-year varsity tennis, senior captain) at CWRU, received the Emily R. Andrews Award, which is given to an outstanding senior who makes a strong contribution to the Women’s Intercollegiate Sports Program, maintains a high level of academic achievement, exemplifies leadership, and contributes service to the athletic department and university. The Hongs, along with their three children, are very active in their church and community.

Past President Award

Additionally, Jeff Herzog ’79, MBA ’86 is recognized as the past president of the CAA. Herzog was instrumental in bringing the Oil and Gas Industry Energy Forum to campus this past spring. The event provided an opportunity for students to learn from Case alumni who are business leaders in the oil and gas industry. Herzog, who moderated the forum, helped compile the panel of experts.

Herzog spearheaded an internal audit of the programs, procedures and policies of the association and Case Alumni Foundation, as well as challenged leadership to create metrics and set goals that are in line with peer universities.

Following the lead of Ed McHenry ’67 and Michael Diamant ’68, who were key drivers behind revising the code of regulations for the association and foundation, Herzog created an ad-hoc committee, which will present suggested updates to the executive committee and alumni council this fall.

Recognizing the importance of the continued growth of the Case Fund, Herzog prioritized setting goals for increasing the number of donors, raising funds, retaining donors, and paying attention to lapsed donors.

During his tenure, the fund grew from $1.8 million to $2.4 million.

Herzog – president and founding partner of Cleveland-based Nexus Engineering Group, a full-service independent engineering firm serving the oil and gas, chemical and manufacturing industries – relied heavily on past first vice president, Jim Sadowski ’63, M.S. ’67, to help push the organization to higher levels of engagement with and among its members.

The former mechanical engineering major also was influential in bringing the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity (one of the earliest fraternities associated with Case School of Applied Science) back on campus.

Ham it up The Case Amateur Radio Club, W8EDU, is enjoying a revival

By John Walsh

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avid Kazdan, Ph.D. ’92, (and amateur radio licensee AD8Y) is excited about the recent renaissance of amateur radio. He has been enjoying amateur radio since he was in the fifth grade. His contagious excitement is seen in the members of W8EDU, the Case Amateur Radio Club of Case Western Reserve University.

Unlike their friends at WRUW, who broadcast music for the public, amateur (or ham) radio operators communicate with one another. Amateur operators, who make contacts throughout the world, use certain reserved parts of the radio spectrum for personal communication, recreation and experimentation. An amateur radio license is required to transmit. Amateur radio can be used as a teaching tool, offering a ready-made laboratory for teaching electronics, digital signal processing and electromagnetics.

The club, which is older than CWRU, is the oldest student organization on campus, Kazdan says. Founded at the Case Institute of Technology in the 1940s with the call sign W8URD, the club was located in the original Case Club building on Euclid Avenue. In the ’60s, the club moved to the basement of Old Main and relicensed as W8EDU. The club and adjacent antenna farm was moved to the roof of the Glennan building during the ’70s and has enjoyed many years of student, alumni, faculty, staff and community use since. Longtime member Bob Leskovec (K8DTS) has assembled a collection of logs, memos and old newsletters that document the club’s history.

According to Kazdan, who’s the club’s faculty advisor, every engineering school used to have an amateur radio club.

Collegiate amateur radio became less popular when the internet took off in the early ’90s. By 2010, the club at CWRU was down to fewer than 10 student members.

“It was in sleeper mode,” says club president Kristina Collins (KD8OXT), a graduate student in electrical engineering.

“Professors and alumni were involved then but not many students.”

Currently, there are about 150 licensed college and university club stations in the United States; about 20 of them are as active as Case Amateur Radio Club.

The club’s popularity has surged during the past two years. With Kazdan’s help (Collins calls Kazdan the poster child of faculty involvement), the club is thriving.

W8EDU has a strong contesting presence (yes, there’s competitive radio), an active alumni base and a team that administers regular licensing exams. The club has helped set up the electrical engineering and computer science department’s Dr. Robert E. Collin Radiofrequency and Communications Laboratory and supports special topics courses in the department. In addition to recreational and curricular use, W8EDU serves as a research resource for the department.

“We make ourselves available to everyone,” Kazdan says.

Kazdan and Collins also are working radio into the SAGES (seminar approach to general education and scholarship) curriculum, the general undergraduate writing and critical thinking coursework program at CWRU. This fall will be the

A bit of history: amateur radio equipment from days of old

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fourth semester the class has been offered.

Kazdan believes in using amateur radio for programs such as SAGES, and he says such use is unique in higher education.

“The club’s SAGES involvement really distinguishes Case from all other engineering schools in the country,” Kazdan says, adding that he thinks CWRU is one of the only schools in the country using amateur radio in nontechnical education.

Students in electric engineering already use the club for projects.

Rachel Boedicker (AC8XY), the club’s vice president and a junior mathematics major from Medina, Ohio, was introduced to the radio club via the SAGES class.

Soon after taking the class, Boedicker joined the club, which is open to faculty, alumni, or anyone else affiliated with the university. Eventually, she would like to work with radio frequency and has been helping publicize the club on campus and boost its membership.

Boedicker points to the fact that, while many people view amateur radio as antiquated, its principles can be found in newer technology such as GPS, Wi-Fi, radar, cell phones and satellites.

“Radio can be as high-tech or as low-tech as you want it to be,” she says.

Recently, the club won the collegiate

division of the School Club Roundup, a contest for school clubs. Contests are based on making as many contacts as possible, with multipliers offered for certain bands, locations or modulation modes. The American Radio Relay League, the national association of amateurs, hosts about 10 major competitions a year.

Another regular competition is ARRL Field Day, which happens during the fourth full weekend of June each year.

During the day, amateurs run temporary, simulated-emergency stations off mains on alternative power, which allows students to work on real-world problems. Students must handle the technical aspects of the station – power, antennas and feedlines – as well as handling human factors such as sleep, food, working shifts and community involvement. W8EDU hosts its Field Day party at Squire Valleevue Farm and invites the community to attend. This year, about 40 students and others participated, and the station made about 700 contacts throughout the U.S. and Canada. Club members taught classes, sent simulated emergency messages, prepared people for license examinations, administered the exams and cooked meals. Newcomers and interested passersby were given an opportunity to operate the station.

During this year’s homecoming, the club will celebrate the 130th anniversary of the Michelson-Morley experiment by setting up a special-event station on the Case Quad. Albert Michelson and Edward Morley’s 1887 experiment aimed to find the presence and properties of the luminiferous æther, the substance believed, at the time, to fill empty space.

The club plans to run the station to highlight the experiment and its impact.

Michelson and Morley built a sensitive, mercury-floated interferometer attempting to measure the influence of the æther on the speed of light. W8EDU will be on the air to discuss CWRU’s work with the world.

Excellence in undergraduate teaching After three decades of practicing medicine, David Kazdan, Ph.D. ’92, a retired anesthesiologist who has a doctorate in biomedical engineering from Case Western Reserve University, returned to his alma mater to teach a SAGES (seminar approach to general education and scholarship) course based on his passion for amateur radio.

After three semesters of encouraging and helping students pursue almost anything that interests them within and beyond the requirements of his course, Kazdan was recognized with the 2017 Carl F. Wittke Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. He, along with other award winners, were recognized during commencement ceremonies May 21.

The Wittke Award – established in 1971 to honor the former faculty member, dean and vice president of Western Reserve University – is presented annually to two CWRU faculty members who’ve demonstrated excellence in undergraduate teaching.

A student who nominated Kazdan for the Wittke Award wrote that his infectious enthusiasm – whether teaching mundane federal regulations for amateur radio, the growth and spread of newspapers under Benjamin Franklin’s term as the country’s first postmaster, or censorship and obscenity – made the student want to learn about the many peripheral topics that arise in class as much as possible.

When students seek follow-up reading for questions and discussions in class, they’re often impressed by the list Kazdan offers off the top of his head.

As part of the course, all Kazdan’s students must earn an amateur radio license and use the radio – run by the Case Amateur Radio Club – on campus. Kazdan recommends students take on as many extracurricular opportunities as possible.

Kazdan – a musician, birder, cyclist, photographer, and licensed pilot of manned airplanes and of drones – has been asked to teach a new electrical engineering course about radio communication issues, to which he’s looking forward.

For more information about the Case Amateur Radio Club, visit w8edu.wordpress.com.

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Class Notes Rodney Scherr ’49 is happily retired.

Scherr, who has been retired for 26 years, was a chemical engineer at the Savannah River Plant in South Carolina.

Charles Wilson ’57 received the Frank W. Reinhart Award from the American Society for Testing and Materials International Committee on Fasteners.

Wilson, a fellow of ASTM, was recognized for his outstanding contributions to the standardization of terminology for the fastener industry.

Donald Knuth ’60 received the 2016 John von Neumann Lecture prize from the Society for Industrial and Applied mathematics for his contributions to mathematics and computer science.

Carl Singer ’68, is the national commander of the Jewish War Veterans of the USA, a congressionally chartered veterans service organization, which has been continuously active since 1896 and advocates on behalf of all American veterans.

Gregory Stark ’72 left his position at Aurora Machine and Manufacturing to retire, but he continues his volunteer work at the Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Rochester, New York.

William Gropp ’77 is the director of the National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Kishore Kar, M.S. ’77, retired from Dow Chemical Company after 36 years.

During his career, he developed products and chemical process technologies and mentored more than 100 researchers in the core research and development division. He holds 16 patents.

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Rebecca Williams ’79, MBA ’93, is president of the Lord Corporation’s Aerospace & Defense industry group, leading the company’s global business serving aerospace and defense customers.

James Zizelman ’82, M.S. ’84, is the vice president of engineering at Delphi Electronics and Safety, a manufacturer of electronics and software for the automotive safety and information systems. He’s married to Francine Blatnik.

Their son, Matthew, attends Michigan State University.

Bob Graf, M.S. ’83, Ph.D. ’85, is corporate vice president of data science and analytics, a new position for the Lubrizol Corporation based in Wickliffe, Ohio.

Rich Simons ’83 is the vice president and general manager for Laars Heating Systems, a subsidiary of Bradford White Corp.

Gina Beim Kopelman, M.S. ’87, M.S.M. ’04, is the chair of the Northeast Ohio Report Card Committee of the Cleveland Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers Lisa Danielle (DiCicco) Koch ’90, M.S. ’98, aerospace engineer in the Acoustics Branch at NASA Glenn Research Center, received the 2017 NASA Glenn Federal Women’s Program Award and the 2017 Cleveland Federal Executive Board Wings of Excellence Award. Koch also is a graduate of the first NASA GRC Women in STEM Leadership Development Program.

Robert Zakon ’91, M.S.E. ’92, completed a year of public service in Washington, D.C., as a White House Presidential Innovation Fellow, a program

bringing the principles, values and practices of the innovation economy into government. Zakon’s tenure bridged two administrations and encompassed work with the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Department of Defense and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. At the treasury, Zakon helped develop policy and assessment strategies around financial and emerging technology innovations. As an innovator-in-residence within the treasury’s Office of Critical InfrastructureProtection and Compliance Policy, he explored ways to enhance governance around cybersecurity in the financial services sector and facilitate cross-agency innovation efforts. As an advisor to several OSTP initiatives, Zakon worked to provide government transparency and access across the open data and science communities and coordinated sharing among the government’s leading innovators.

Anton (Tony) Wallner, M.S. ’92, was named dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Webster University in Saint Louis. He began his position in July.

He previously was at Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida.

Russell Warley, M.S. ’93, was named dean of faculty and professor of chemical engineering at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Douglas Meil, M.S. ’98, was named IBM Distinguished Engineer at IBM’s Watson Health. He’s co-founder of Explorys, a medical informatics company IBM acquired in 2015.

Jennifer Thatcher’s ’98 new optometry clinic, the Beachwood Family Eye Clinic, officially opened on June 29. Earlier in her career, Thatcher was a systems and software engineer.

Dustin Tyler, Ph.D. ’99, was inducted as a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.

AIMBE fellows represent the top 2 percent of medical and biological

engineering professionals. The society serves as the authoritative voice and advocate for the value of medical and biological engineering to society.

Justin Haselton ’03, a civil engineer with R.E. Warner & Associates in Westlake, Ohio, was named one of Civil + Structural Engineer Magazine’s 2017 “Rising Stars.”

Jessica DeQuach ’07 is part of a lab team at the University of California, Berkeley that uncovered evidence that

heterochromatin organizes large parts of the genome into specific regions of the nucleus using liquid-liquid phase separation, a mechanism well known in physics; but its importance for biology has been revealed only recently.

Jaeyeon Kim, M.S. ’08, is associate director of pharmacometrics at Novartis.

Myles Murray, M.S. ’13, established a solar panel installation company, AAT Solar. After a merger with Bold R Enterprises, Murray is the communications director. He continues to help reducing PV system soft costs and educate Ohio consumers about solar energy.

Felipe Gomez Del Campo ’16 is participating in an entrepreneurship program at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont, Illinois. Del Campo is founder and CEO of FGC Plasma Solutions, which he launched in 2013 to market a device that uses plasma to make jet fuel more efficient.

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

In Memoriam Dennis J. Meyer, M.S. ’77; Metheun, Mass.; 5-28-04 James G. Halderman ’77; Cleveland; 11-3-08 Dustin J. Redmond ’42; Marion, Ohio; 9-25-12 Jay A. Wein ’62; Newmarket, N.H.; 12-27-14 Christopher J. Zuck ’79; Toledo, Ohio; 1-20-15 John P. Gartland ’52; Raleigh, N.C.; 10-3-15 Nancy C. Blemly, M.S. ’81; Washington; 11-3-15 John Semen, M.S. ’69, Ph.D. ’72; Baton Rouge, La.; 1-21-16 William S. Chow, M.S. ’63, Ph.D. ’64; Columbus, Ohio; 1-31-16 Robert M. MacDonald ’52; Idaho Falls, Idaho; 2-20-16 Douglas M. Fisher ’50, M.S. ’64; Lakewood, Ohio; 4-21-16 Peter E. Packard ’70; Grantsville, Md.; 4-27-16 Andrew A. Scotchie ’54; Asheville, N.C.; 1-1-17 Neal R. Flickinger ’52; Phoenix; 1-3-17 David F. Ross ’54; Willoughby, Ohio; 1-18-17 Ervin L. Piper ’49; Berea, Ohio; 2-2-17 Charles J. McCarty ’59; Cleveland; 2-19-17 Chester J. Brian Jr. ’56, Rocky River, Ohio; 2-27-17 David D. Collins ’66; Galesburg, Ill.; 2-28-17 William H. Kibbel Jr. ’44, M.S. ’47; Pennington, N.J.; 3-1-17 William H. Sterbentz ’43; Pleasanton, Calif.; 3-1-17 Joseph F. Thiel ’64; Austin, Texas; 3-3-17 Neil L. McIntosh ’54; Columbus, Ohio; 3-4-17 Jack A. Williams ’59; Navarre, Fla.; 3-4-17 Jerome P. Lang ’74; Dover, N.H.; 3-6-17 Rlooin H. Teare ’60; Naples, Fla.; 3-6-17 Cedrick (Rick) C. Dilsizian ’68; Peosta, Iowa; 3-12-17 Leonard H. Burrows, M.S. ’62; Austinburg, Ohio; 3-16-17 Arthur B. Larsen ’59, M.S. ’61, Ph.D. ’67; San Francisco; 3-20-17 Theodore Katsanis, Ph.D. ’67; Ferndale, Wash.; 3-23-17

Richard J. Figuly ’53; Dover, Ohio; 3-25-17 Joseph A. Voss ’40; Leesburg, Va.; 3-28-17 Dale H. Mather, M.S. ’67; North Ridgeville, Ohio; 3-31-17 Thomas M. Schmitz ’61; Cleveland; 3-31-17 Hans S. Mueller ’42; Seattle; 4-7-17 Thomas M. Kellner ’82; Parma, Ohio; 4-9-17 Kenneth C. Bell ’50; Toledo, Ohio; 4-13-17 David A. Luce ’58; Clarence Center, N.J.; 4-15-17 Stewart H. Merrill ’50; Venice, Fla.; 4-15-17 R. William Breitzig Jr. ’60; Chagrin Falls, Ohio; 4-16-17 Richard J. Sanick ’57; Valencia, Pa.; 4-18-17 Wing Y. Bow ’38; Pittsford, N.Y., 4-19-17 E. Harry Wirstrom ’49; Mansfield, Ohio; 4-19-17 Richard A. Anderson ’54; Peru, Vt.; 4-25-17 Robert O. Ringsmith ’43, Conroe, Texas; 4-25-17 Emmett F. Sindelar ’58, Chicago; 4-25-17 Ernest F. Cooke, M.S. ’66, Ph.D. ’77; Cleveland; 4-28-17 John M. Robbins, ’85 M.S. ’90; Pepper Pike, Ohio; 4-29-17 Alan C. (AC) Price ’54; Seneca, S.C.; 4-30-17 Nicholas Grossman ’42; Rockville, Md.; 5-17 Jon A. Shomer ’65, Phoenix; 5-3-17 William J. Morton ’46, Cleveland; 5-4-17 Thomas J. Baird ’67; Cincinnati; 5-6-17 William H. Roudebush, Ph.D. ’63; Ocala, Fla.; 5-14-17 Theodore A. Doolittle, ’51 M.S. ’59; Lima, Ohio; 5-18-17 Van E. Wood, M.S. ’59, Ph.D. ’61; Delaware, Ohio; 5-19-17 Alexander P. Stansen ’52; Littleton, Colo.; 5-22-17 James C. Moorhead ’63; Mesa, Ariz.; 5-23-17 Herman M. Batts Jr. ’46; Phoenix; 5-25-17 Robert M. Campbell ’49; Rockledge, Fla.; 5-25-17 Fall 2017

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Innovation and celebration Homecoming and Reunion Weekend

Highlights Annual all-classes celebration: Innovation ShowCASE and Case Alumni Association awards presentation Friday, Oct. 6, 2017 5:30-9 p.m.

Larry Sears and Sally Zlotnick Sears think[box] Richey Mixon Building • $50 per person • Food and beverage stations throughout the venue • Featuring student startups, design and innovation • Recognition of the alumni award winners • For all alumni (and guests) of the Case School of Engineering, the applied science and math programs of Case Western Reserve University, and our predecessor schools, regardless of what year you graduated

CIT class of 1967 50th reunion dinner Saturday, Oct. 7, 2017 5-8 p.m.

Tomlinson Hall Lobby • $50 per person • Includes dinner, cocktail hour, coffee and dessert, and keepsake • For all alumni who graduated in 1967 • Class photo taken promptly at 6 p.m.

Additional events Friday, Oct. 6 10-11 a.m.

Coffee & Chat with Interim Dean James McGuffin-Cawley Tomlinson Hall Lobby

Saturday, Oct. 7 CIT grand classes lunch and social Saturday, Oct. 7, 2017 Noon-1:30 p.m.

Tomlinson Hall Lobby • $25 per person • Includes lunch, beer/wine/soft drinks, coffee and dessert • For all alumni who graduated in 1967 and earlier Registration for all events, including Case Alumni Association events, is conducted through the Alumni Association of Case Western Reserve University.

Visit case.edu/events/homecoming/.

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casealum.org

8 a.m.-6 p.m.

Michelson-Morley experiment 130th anniversary special event station with Case Amateur Radio Club Case Quad 9:30-11:30 a.m.

Brunch and parade watch with Interim Dean James McGuffin-Cawley and Dean Cyrus Taylor Cleveland Botanical Garden Noon-1:30 p.m.

Tailgate and football game DiSanto Field 1-3 p.m.

Tours of Sears think[box]

Imagine your impact ...

... when you give.

Give Today casealum.org/giving/casefund 216-368-6399 ryan.strine@casealum.org

NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID CLEVELAND, OHIO PERMIT NO. 2120

CASE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION Tomlinson Hall, Room 109 10900 Euclid Avenue Cleveland, Ohio 44106-1712

COME SEE FOR YOURSELF

Las Vegas Jan. 9-12 2018

ALUMNI RECEPTION Palms Casino Resort Fantasy Tower Penthouse Jan. 9 at 7 p.m.