Editor’s column

The emotions generated by landing your first job, that thrill and uncertainty, may only be outdone by the shock of abruptly losing it.

In recent times, hundreds of Case students and young alumni have received that second phone call, the one with stomach-dropping news: A start date has been postponed, an offer rescinded, an internship cancelled.

What now?

As we learn in an article on page 12, Navigating the Covid economy, some recent graduates spent the summer in the gig economy, delivering groceries and waiting to put their engineering degrees to work. Some students searched in vain for another internship when a promised opportunity vanished, or scrambled to enroll in fall classes when a co-op collapsed.

And many, with the help of alumni and Case-connected companies, found rewarding options.

When it became obvious that internships were disappearing, the Veale Institute for Entrepreneurship at Sears think[box] became a job creator. Veale executive director and Weatherhead Associate Professor Michael Goldberg worked with the university and with CWRU LaunchNet to create the Remote Entrepreneurship Project — the REP program.

It matched CWRU students with young companies, often startups, that needed their talents. The students gained experience, a resume listing and a $500 stipend paid by the program. For some, it saved the summer.

Cooper Reif, a mechanical engineering major, interned with Folio Photonics, a startup launched by Physics Professor Ken Singer, and found himself using CAD design software to create precision parts for an optical scanner.

“I was ready to give up, and I had this amazing experience when I thought nothing would happen,” he said.

Employers expressed satisfaction, too. Chris Wentz ’13, the founder and CEO of EveryKey, tapped the program to bring two interns into his 10-person startup in Little Italy. “It sounded like a good fit for us. Most of our best people come through Case anyway,” Wentz said.

With Michael “Conor” Clark, Wentz added an electrical engineering major to a staff dominated by software engineers. Clark dove into the circuity of the company’s device and proposed ways for extending battery life.

“That could be huge for us,” Wentz said.

Goldberg hopes to relaunch the REP program this fall. Wentz hopes he does. Hopefully, he’s not the only alumnus who will take advantage of Case talent so suddenly available, affordable and ready to work.

There’s never been a better time to hire Case.

Robert L. Smith Editor Robert.Smith@casealum.org

The Case Alumnus is published quarterly for members and friends of the Case Alumni Association, which 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.

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 casealumni.org

OFFICERS Sunniva Collins, MS ’91, PhD ’94, President Ron Cass ’84, 1st Vice President Joe Fakult ’90, 2nd Vice President Brian Casselberry ’95, Treasurer Frank Merat ’72, MS ’75, PhD ’78, Assistant Treasurer Curtis Grant ’11, MEM ‘12, Secretary

STAFF Stephen Zinram, Executive Director Thomas Conlon, Chief Financial Officer Emily Speer, Director of Gift Planning and Grants Compliance Robert Smith, Director of Communications Kelly Hendricks, Director of Alumni Relations Ryan Strine, Director of Annual Giving Janna Greer, Manager of Donor Relations and Grants Lillian Messner, Manager of Digital Content and Design Pamela Burtonshaw, Database Administrator Melissa Slager, Manager, Executive Office

CASE ALUMNUS Robert L. Smith, Editor Steve Toth, Toth Creative Group, Layout and Design Duke Print & Mail Solutions

PHOTO CREDITS Wetzler’s Photography Roadell Hickman Photography Flaticon.com, Icons

To serve and advance the interests of the Case School of Engineering, the math and applied sciences of Case Western Reserve University and its alumni and students.

9 Cautious return

Students are being welcomed back to a different college experience, with lots of new rules and pandemic protocols.

12 Look who's 135

The Case Alumni Association reflects on its 135th anniversary with an eye to the future.

14 Recapturing memories

Aided by a trusty camera, physicist Michael Glinsky ’83, PhD, rediscovers his alma mater then and now.

Cover Story 16 Explorer scientist

With his expedition to Glacier Bay, Alaska, in 1890, Harry Fielding Reid helped establish the tradition of the intrepid Case professor.

22 A Covid economy

The class of 2020 graduated into a hiring freeze. It’s no better for students needing internships. Can alumni help?

Alumni Adventures

26 Climbing smart

Scaling America’s highest peak tested everything Jeff Hunter had, including his judgement. Dad would be proud.

DEPARTMENTS

1 Dean’s Message 2 Editor’s column 4 Letters, posts and emails 6 Around the Quad 10 Alumni Newsmakers 24 News Bytes 26 Case Memories 29 Class Notes 34 In Memoriam 35 Tribute — Professor Dov Hazony 36 Long We'll Remember

Cover photo: Harry Fielding Reid in Alaska in 1933, photo by Charles W. Wright for U.S. Geological Survey. Photo overlays: Reid’s 1890 map of Glacier Bay, courtesy of Hamburger Archives, Johns Hopkins University. Fall 2020 • vol. 37 • no. 1

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