Case Alumnus Winter 2022

Case Alumnus

The Magazine of the Case Alumni Association since 1921

Winter 2022

POLYMER POWER

Case science is creating new products and jobs

STEINER HOUSE TURNS 50

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A BRIDGE TO BEHOLD

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FIGHTING COVID WITH CHEMISTRY

FEBRUARY 20 to 26 Case School of Engineering student groups have planned a series of fun, insightful, and safe activities to celebrate national Engineers Week.

Join live or tune into the live stream of one of several blended events: • The Engineering Game: Student-alumni-faculty showdown • The SWE Luncheon featuring keynote Kirsten Bowen ’96 • The WISER lightbulb drop

Find dates, times and registration information for all Eweek events at casealumni.org/e-week.

Dean’s Message

Case impact is wonderful to see I often talk with pride about the research and academic missions of the Case School of Engineering. I don’t always have the chance to share how these missions connect to the outside world. On that front, there is so much good news to share. We at Case are driving industry innovation and workforce development through the integration of our research and academic expertise with private and public partners.

And we can prove it. Case Western Reserve ranks 21st in the world for attaining U.S. utility patents.This winter, Zheng-Rong Lu, the M. Frank Rudy and Margaret Domiter Rudy Professor of Biomedical Engineering, was elected to the 2021 Class of Fellows of the National Academy of Inventors, the highest professional distinction accorded to academic inventors. His election to this prestigious group is a demonstration of the quality of his research and its potential to enhance medical imaging and drug delivery.

Professor Lu, along with our other NAI members — Fellows Professor Anant Madabhushi and Professor Emeritus Hunter Peckham; and Senior Members Professors Rohan Akolkar and Umut Gurkan — are outstanding examples of our faculty’s translational efforts and the impact those efforts have on driving innovation.

Innovation doesn’t occur in a vacuum. Through their experiences in the classroom and in the lab, our undergraduate and graduate students are trained to become the top-flight engineering leaders industry needs to be successful. Student preparation, workforce development, faculty innovation, and entrepreneurship are interdependent on our campus, a feedback loop that brings engineering advancements from our labs to modern life.

The national impact of our academic mission is clear. After completing their degrees, our graduates secured positions at top firms in Ohio and across the country. This spring, we once again have the chance to watch our graduating students launch into the real world. I can’t wait to see what they will do. Thank you for your continued support of the Case School of Engineering and Case Western Reserve University.

Best regards, Venkataramanan “Ragu” Balakrishnan Charles H. Phipps Dean, Case School of Engineering

Winter 2022

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Applying science, creating jobs The difference between Peak Nano’s new plant in suburban Cleveland and the Polymer Processing Lab on the first floor of the Kent Hale Smith Building could not be more striking.

At Peak Nano, technicians in white lab coats move about an immaculate “clean room” on slippered feet, tending to machines that barely hum as they churn out ultra-thin layers of polymers for advanced scopes and binoculars.

The polymer lab on the first floor of KHL resembles an old-school machine shop. Researchers in sneakers and jeans navigate a hard, boxy space crowded with hulking machines and a confusion of wires and tubes, the guts of extruder systems that spin out polymer strands like pasta.

Yet from this no-frills lab came the technology that helped launch Peak Nano’s state-of-the-art foundry. As you’ll learn in a story in this magazine, the polymer science developed at Case is leading to new production lines and new high-skill jobs near campus.

Industry partners are not the only ones interested in the discoveries made in this humble lab. The U.S. Army has teamed up with the Department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering and its visionaries — Professors Gary Wnek and Eric Baer — to seek better protective gear for its soldiers.

Case does an excellent job training engineers and scientist for careers.

But as the Peak Nano story illustrates, it’s also advancing new industries.

That’s a story as old as Dow Chemical, Parker Hannifin, and Lubrizol Corp., of course. But we thought you would like to know about an enticing new chapter.

Also in this issue, we introduce a new feature we’re calling Student Life.

It’s a Q&A with a Case student that lends insight into the kind of young men and women Case attracts today. We begin the series with the remarkable Anika Washburn, an all-American on the soccer field who invests equal amounts of energy into her quest for a computer science degree.

I hope the new year finds you healthy and ready for a fresh start — and includes a visit to Case Quad in 2022!

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 Joe Fakult ’90, President Brian Casselberry ’95, 1st Vice President Matt Crowley ’08, 2nd Vice President Curtis Grant ‘11, MEM ’12, 3rd Vice President Frank Merat ’72, MS ’75, PhD ’78, Treasurer Hillary Emer ‘07, MSE ’07, Assistant Treasurer Steve Simmons ‘79, MS ‘82, MBA ’86, Secretary

STAFF Stephen Zinram, Executive Director Thomas Conlon, Chief Financial Officer Emily Speer, Director of Gift Planning and Grants Compliance Robert L. 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 Manager Melissa Slager, Manager, Executive Office

CASE ALUMNUS Robert L. Smith, Editor Lillian Messner, Art Director Steve Toth, Toth Creative Group, Layout and Design Master Printing

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

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

THE MAGAZINE OF THE CASE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION SINCE 1921 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.

Winter 2022

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A bridge to behold Championed by a Case professor, an innovative bridge gains landmark status.

Student Life 12 All-American girl In this new feature, a Case scholar

athlete explains how she excels on the pitch and in the classroom.

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Polymer power Case science is leading to new jobs and an emerging industry in Greater Cleveland.

Mi casa, su casa For 50 years, Steiner House, one of the oldest co-op communities in the nation, has given international students a home away from home at Case.

Alumni Adventures 24 Jazz man Pioneering roboticist Brian Taylor

finds that engineering and jazz share a tempo.

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DEPARTMENTS 1 2 4 6 9 20 22 25 26 31 32

Dean’s Message Editor’s column Letters, posts and emails Around the Quad Alumni Newsmakers Case Memories NewsBytes Engineering + Class Notes In Memoriam Long We'll Remember

On the cover: Professors Gary Wnek and Eric Baer in front of the Kent Hale Smith Building. Photo by Lillian Messner.

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VISIT WWW.CASEALUMNI.ORG FOR THE LATEST NEWS AND EVENTS!

The best way to stay connected to the Case Alumni Association between magazine issues is to follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. Please join our sites today for the latest news on alumni, students, faculty and innovative research and projects.

Winter 2022

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Letters, posts and emails Our Case Memories photo section again rekindled fond memories.

It was fun seeing the photo captioned “Serenading the Class of ’43 in 1973” (page 22, fall Case Alumnus). I remember all the guys in the Glee Club. Indeed I am standing in the back row, second from the right. It's just that I couldn't say the names of them all anymore.

The Club was planning a spring tour to Disneyland and I was in my 5th year of membership (CompEng BS ’72, CompSci MS ’73). The previous year, the Glee Club had taken its spring tour of Europe. I think the members of the Glee Club actually attended more reunions than most alumni because we started off with 4 years of reunions before we even graduated!

It is sad to me that our director, Bill Appling, was not caught in the photo. And though I don't begrudge the Class of ’43, we were singing to a whole lot more classes too!

Don Huff ’72, MS ’73 Seattle, Washington dnhuff@gmail.com The picture of several fellow members of the Class of 1967 at their 25th reunion (p. 22, fall Case Alumnus) includes my wife Dianne and I in the back row. Dianne attended Western Reserve and we recently celebrated our 53rd wedding anniversary.

We’re the two tall ones wearing glasses. The couple in the first row on the right are Tim Bittel and his wife, Pat. Both Tim and Pat were in the class of ’67. I also believe that Alexander Ho is the first classmate in the upper row on the left.

William Haskell ’67 Chandler, Arizona haskellwilliam887@gmail.com

A recent graduate sent this letter of gratitude to the board of the Case Alumni Foundation.

On May 1, 2017, the day by which I had to make my college decision, I was notified that CWRU had awarded me a scholarship and I immediately returned home to accept the offer, foregoing the other college offer I was planning to accept. It was, by far, the best decision I've made in my life.

Four years on, I am blessed to have graduated summa cum laude with two degrees in fields I never would have pursued but for CWRU. Because of CWRU's embrace of interdisciplinary study, an interest in neuroscience and the nervous system led me to biomedical engineering. That research — working toward a bladder pacemaker that can reduce incontinence for veterans with spinal cord injury — led me to electrical engineering and computer science.

Along my undergraduate journey, I was allowed to pursue my passion of serving others. I started an emergency 4

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fund to aid students through the COVID-19 pandemic, and eventually earned the confidence of my peers to serve as their student body president.

Through Holy Rosary Parish and the Center for Civic Engagement and Learning, I discovered the ministry of St. Philomena's Church in East Cleveland, which serves the food and clothing needs of the least among us. By the time of my graduation, I was a manager of the center. It is through all of these pursuits that I was able to strengthen my interest in novel approaches to solving ancient maladies, like Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's, and I became confident in my resolve to enter medicine.

For most folks, leaving a place is difficult because it means leaving the familiar.

For me, leaving CWRU is so difficult as I feel that a short 4 years has left so much more to explore. Case Western Reserve and the Case School of Engineering, with

the support of so many faithful alumni like yourselves, are able to provide an experience unmatched, I believe, by any university in the United States.

Thank you so very much for the humbling honor of being granted the Adler Award. While I feel unworthy of it, I am incredibly heartened that my reception of the award signifies that my efforts have had some positive impact on those around me.

Blessings to you all.

Hunter Stecko ’21 Hunter.Stecko@case.edu Hunter received the 2021 Robert J. Adler Award, given to the undergraduate engineering student who demonstrates high scholarship, technical creativity, and service to his or her peers in the spirit of Professor Robert J. Adler.

Or by mail to:

SUBMIT YOUR LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Case Alumnus

Send by email to: Casealum@casealum.org

Tomlinson Hall, Room 109 10900 Euclid Avenue Cleveland OH 44106

A matchmaking pioneer responded to recent news of the university’s “first” dating website, and more.

In 1968, friends and I put together a similar questionnaire and made best matches between participating Jewish students connected to the Case Western Reserve Hillel Foundation. We used the Case Univac computer to find the matches and then did some tweaking, since we knew many of the participants.

There was a fee, since fundraising for Hillel was urgent that year. Perhaps because our algorithm was invented by Case nerds, some were upset by the matches.

We did not hear from those for whom we made a positive difference. My point is that while this new computer-based matchmaking is notable, there was at least one (less sophisticated) predecessor.

In 1970, classmate Jim Kutz and I started the A. E. Van Vogt Club, which received funding from the Case Student Government. This was before email and cell phones, but had the premise that students could self-organize into popup groups to do a social activity of their choosing. The idea was born of jealousy of the ski club and other student-government funded groups and asked why any set of

The Univac 1107 may have powered the university's first online dating service.

students could not be subsidized for activities of their own choosing. This idea had very little success, probably because most Case students were nerds like us. A. E. Van Vogt, by the way, was an amazing science fiction writer of the Golden Age of science fiction. I am convinced that the “club” would have been a total success given the availability of Internet-based social media.

What Jim and I really wanted to do was bring together people with common short-term goals, like to see an offcampus movie. Jim was a long-distance commuter who had little interaction with students who were not in his classes, so he was conscious of the impediments to social networking.

As you are aware, our class saw the

merger of Case Tech with WRU and the introduction of co-ed dorms, pass-fail courses, January intercession, and more.

The last issue of Case Alumnus mentioned Professor Jonathan Reichert. He embodied, as much as anyone, the forwardlooking atmosphere of the time. Just like the polarization of today, many had doubts that change was for the good. He was a wonderful progressive who, looking back, was right about so much.

An earlier issue of the magazine described how another of my teachers, Don Schuele, saved Case by instituting merit scholarships. Until I read about what he did, I had been very much against them, since Case prided itself on finding sufficient aid to allow all admitted students to attend. I felt that merit-based aid would take away opportunity from needy but not exceptionally brilliant students. Keep telling us stories like that to increase our understanding of the key elements behind CWRU success.

Marty Greenstein ’70 Sudbury, Massachusetts mgreenstein@gmail.com

Our story on the passing of Professor Maurice Adams prompted this memory.

One of the living legends of mechanical engineering. I once walked into his office and asked about turbines…the man laid down knowledge of under-lubricated systems and thin films that changed my perspective of machine design.

I would love to hear more from alums about their interactions with him.

George Dante Ricco ’02 • Kent, Ohio • via Facebook

An alumna liked our Achievement Report story on the new labs at the Case School of Engineering, especially the one she helped cement.

I’m proud to be featured in this article — and excited to see the concrete lab becoming a reality after all these years.

Gina Beim, MS ’87, MSM ’04 Shaker Heights, Ohio via Facebook Winter 2022

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Around the Quad Galileo was right

And physicists know how to have fun.

The annual Pumpkin Drop returned to Case Quad this fall after a one-year hiatus because of Covid. On a bright, brisk

afternoon Nov. 1, hundreds of students paused to watch as pumpkins were dropped from the roof of Strosacker

Auditorium and splattered on a tarp below.

The Department of Physics stages the Halloween-season spectacle to recreate Galileo’s famed experiment of 1590, when he supposedly dropped brass weights from the Leaning Tower of Pisa to prove that the acceleration of a falling body is independent of mass.

True to Galileo’s findings, the falling gourds of different sizes seemed to explode in sync. Students cheered. The sun beamed. The cider was free.

“We do this because it really does show students that the laws of physics work and have real-world applications,” said Professor Corbin Covault, co-chair of the Department of Physics.

Covault directed the proceedings in a pirate costume, claiming Galileo was a swashbuckler.

“But really, we do this because it’s fun," he said.

Shaking off the rust

Case faculty hope to help local factories adopt new technologies.

Northeast Ohio is peppered with small to medium-sized manufacturers that churn out parts and products critical to the region’s economy and the relatively high quality of life here. But many do not have the resources to adopt to new technologies they need to remain competitive.

Some see a role for Case expertise.

A faculty team led by Robert Gao, PhD, Chair of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, has launched a project to help small and medium-sized manufacturers retool and modernize. He wants to bring smart systems and technologies to their shops and foundries.

“There’s a negative association with the phrase ‘Rust Belt,’ but the truth is that we 6

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made — and continue to make — good things here in Northeast Ohio,” Gao said in a press release issued by CWRU. “The problem is that there are a lot of new technologies that many SMMs can’t acquire as easily as [larger] companies. That’s where we come in — by providing one way for those companies to compete.”

Gao’s factory team, which includes faculty from Cleveland State University and Lorain County Community College, is supported by a three-year, $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Its assistance will include developing and presenting case studies to manufacturers showing how to use some of the tools associated with the Internet of Things (IoT) — including artificial intelligence (AI) and sensors — to radically update their machinery.

The group also hopes to forge partnerships that will enhance regional workforce development and talent

retention. Collaborators include Lincoln Electric, Dan T. Moore Co., the manufacturing advocate MAGNET and Team NEO, the state-sponsored economic development agency.

Greater Cleveland has the highest concentration of small manufacturers in Ohio and the group’s NSF proposal asserts that the success of so-called “legacy factories” is critical to the region’s well-being.

“So, in a very real way, if we can help these manufacturers improve, become more efficient, and successful, it will directly help their home community,” Gao said.

Around the Quad Covid fighter

Chemistry professor helped discover a way to block the spread of the coronavirus.

With the Delta variant surging and Omicron emerging in late November, the news from CWRU reminded people that scientists are on the job.

A cross-collegiate team of researchers announced they had discovered compounds that can slow and even block the spread of the coronavirus inside the body.

The discovery could lead to new, more effective medicines for people battling Covid-19.

Blanton Tolbert, PhD, the Rudolph and Susan Rense Professor of Chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences, and one of the lead researchers, expressed hope that the discovery will lead to new “small molecule” virus-fighting drugs. Although Covid vaccines are widely

available, drugs that help people survive and recover from infection remain limited.

Tolbert and his colleagues, who include researchers from Duke and Rutgers universities, have a patent pending on their method and plan to modify the chemical compounds to make them more powerful.

Their collaboration began at an informal February 2020 meeting at Duke among members of the three main research groups — just as the first novel coronavirus cases arrived in the United States, according to a press release from CWRU. "We laid out the first steps to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 because the group anticipated that the virus might become a bigger public health concern than it was initially perceived," Tolbert said.

The coronavirus works by breaking

into a body’s cells, delivering genetic information in the form of RNA, and then hijacking the body’s molecular machinery to build new copies of itself, the news release said. Existing medications — such as remdesivir and Paxlovid — fight the virus by binding proteins. A small-molecule antiviral, in contrast, works by binding to RNA itself.

“This is a new way to think about antivirals for RNA viruses,” Tolbert’s colleague Amanda Hargrove, a chemistry professor at Duke, said in a statement.

“This is a new way to think about antivirals for RNA viruses.”

Other members of Tolbert’s lab involved in the discovery were post-doctoral student Le Luo and graduate students Christina Haddad, Jesse Davila-Calderon, and Liang Yuan-Chiu. Their findings were published in the journal Science Advances.

Van Horn’s legacy

Scholar athletes grow in number at CWRU. Frank Van Horn, PhD, served as athletic director of Case Institute of Technology from 1900 to 1926 and laid the foundation for the modern sports program at Case Western Reserve University.

He hired the first football coach, built a football stadium (later named in his honor) and helped launch varsity programs for basketball, swimming, and wrestling.

An acclaimed professor of geology and mineralogy, Van Horn sought to shape scholar athletes, a tradition that is stronger than ever at CWRU. In December, the university inducted a record 76 members into the 2021 Van Horn Society, which recognizes student-athletes who have achieved a cumulative grade point average of 3.8 or higher and have junior or senior academic standing.

In the 1920s, Van Horn Field was thought to have the finest grandstand in the Midwest.

The 76 inductees surpassed the previous program-high of 63, set in 2020.

Thirty-nine of the honorees, or more than half, are STEM majors.

Previously known as the CWRU Scholar-Athlete Award, it was renamed in honor of Van Horn in 2015. The scholar athletes were honored December 6 at an induction ceremony where they were congratulated by CWRU President Eric Kaler.

2021 Van Horn Society Winter 2022

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Around the Quad Super-duper computer coming

Case researchers will soon have access to way more computing power.

When he came to Case in 2020 as the inaugural chair of the Department of Computer and Data Sciences, Vipin Chaudhary, PhD, cited a goal of bringing advanced computing power to the School of Engineering.

Mission accomplished.

This summer, the university will begin installing an Artificial Intelligence SuperComputer, or AISC, the largest and most powerful computer ever offered to CWRU researchers. The new system is

expected to accelerate machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) tasks by at least 10 times current capabilities, according to a news release from the university.

Chaudhary led the effort to secure funding from the National Science Foundation and the Ohio Department of Higher Education Action Fund for the nearly $1 million system. As part of his NSF proposal, he surveyed faculty and student researchers and learned of their needs for more computing power for projects ranging from photovoltaic research to financial fraud protection and cybersecurity.

“To solve large problems and to create

solutions that will have an impact, you have to have the infrastructure to do the work,” Chaudhary said. “I believe this will boost a lot of ongoing research and enable a lot of new work.”

Dean Venkataramanan “Ragu” Balakrishnan expressed excitement.

The AISC will offer researchers “the power to explore further and faster than ever before, and will prove catalytic in advancing breakthroughs in disciplines across the university,” the dean said in a statement.

The supercomputer will be housed in at least five refrigerator-sized computers in the university’s data center.

New Covid precautions

A surge in cases shaped a cautious start to spring semester.

In light of a rising wave of Covid cases regionally and nationwide, Case Western Reserve introduced new pandemic protocols and prevention strategies to start the spring semester Jan. 10.

Among the measures: • The semester began with online classes • Booster shots became required • A testing mandate was re-imposed • Vending machines dispensed free Covid testing kits • The university converted a sorority house into Covid housing 8

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The December 2021 coronavirus surge brought the highest number, by far, of new cases and hospitalizations that Ohio has seen since the pandemic began in March 2020.

University President Eric Kaler expressed optimism that the new prevention strategies would be enough to weather a wave attributed to the highly-contagious Omicron variant and the more lethal Delta variant.

The semester started on time with residence halls open.

“Unless infection rates remain exceptionally high, remote teaching for inperson courses should not extend beyond the first two weeks of the semester, and our goal is that testing and other data will allow us to return to in-person classes even sooner,” Kaler and Provost Ben Vinson III announced in a Dec. 23 email to students and faculty.

The university’s Covid-19 Response Team took several steps to over the holiday break to promote prevention and prepare for outbreaks.

Students returned to find vending machines dispensing free Covid testing kits at about a dozen sites across campus, and good thing: testing was required of all staff and students each of the first two weeks of school.

In a more dramatic step, the university transformed the Delta Gamma house on Murray Hill Road into an “isolation space” for students who catch Covid-19. Sorority members were relocated to other campus housing to create the space that will be managed by University Health and Counseling Services staff. Administrators said they selected Delta Gamma after reviewing occupancy rates for university-owned fraternity and sorority residences.

Meanwhile, all members of the campus community were required to receive a booster shot by Jan. 7. To speed that process, roomy Adelbert Gym was converted into a vaccine clinic.

For the latest information on Covid protocols at CWRU, go to case.edu/covid19/.

Alumni newsmakers

ALUMNI

newsmakers

Designing a better rover

Alumnus is helping NASA launch a fleet of mini rovers to explore new worlds.

Bristling with cameras, the Perseverance rover has spent much of the past year scouting Mars for signs of life. Yet there are plenty of nooks and crannies on the Martian landscape where the bulky rover, about the size of a small SUV, dare not go. A rover stuck on Mars is stuck for good.

For future missions, NASA is considering a fleet of nimble, robotic mini-rovers that can work together to complete a task. If one fails or is lost, the others would carry on.

Alex Schepelmann ’09, MS ’10, PhD, a robotics and computational modeling engineer at the NASA Glenn Research Center, described the Cooperative Autonomous Distributed Robotic Exploration (CADRE) project to MIT Technology Review. He said he and his colleagues are designing shoebox-sized rovers that will collect data in hard-toreach places, like craters and caves. They hope to test one in the coming years on

the moon.

“The idea there is that [if] we have two or three rovers that we could send, one of them could potentially go down into a lava tube,” said Schepelmann, who earned two mechanical engineering degrees at Case. “And we would basically know that that rover would have a hard time getting back out.”

That’s not a catastrophe, Schepelmann said. Even if one rover gets stuck in a lava

tube, it can still relay information to other members of the team — who will motor on.

The new rovers are being tested at Glenn’s Simulated Lunar Operations (SLOPE) Laboratory, which simulates the powdery soil of the moon and the rocky Martian surface. As they allow us to explore areas that otherwise are out of reach, they may make the solitary rover like Perseverance obsolete.

Setting the standard

Alumna Joannie Chin will lead the Engineering laboratory at NIST. The National Institute of Standards and Technology has its duties enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. The Founding Fathers saw the need to apply universal engineering standards to weights and measures. The task has become far more complex with the emergence of new technologies and capabilities, like blockchain, artificial intelligence, and unmanned delivery services.

A Case-trained materials scientist will help to see that the vast job is done.

The NIST has selected Joannie Chin ’86, PhD, to lead its Engineering

Laboratory, the U.S. Commerce Department announced in December. She’ll oversee an $83 million budget and lead a team of about 800 staff members who foster universal engineering standards while applying them to new challenges and even catastrophes.

For example, Chin’s lab is leading NIST’s two current National Construction Safety Team investigations into the impacts of Hurricane Maria on Puerto Rico and the collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium, in Surfside, Florida.

Meanwhile, her lab covers a wide range of research on engi-

neered systems. It includes programs focused on the development of measurement science for critical national needs, including infrastructure renewal, building performance, and energy efficiency.

Chin has been at NIST for 26 years as a materials research engineer, most recently serving as acting director of the Engineering Lab. Earlier in her career, she was a research scientist with Gould’s Foil Division in Cleveland and consulted for Babcock & Wilcox. She also interned at Dow Chemical and the Standard Oil Co. while earning her bachelor’s degree in polymer science and engineering at Case Institute of Technology.

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newsmakers

Alumni newsmakers

No pain, her gain

Investors pour millions into alumna’s Medtech company.

People who want alternative treatments for pain are turning to SPR Therapeutics, which is enjoying the surge in interest.

This fall, the medical device company founded by Marie Bennett, MS ’98, reported raising $37 million from investors who back the potential of its neurostimulation platform for pain management.

The fresh cash will fund additional

clinical research and allow the 12-year-old company to market its pain treatments to a wider audience of people who want to avoid drugs and surgery.

“There is clear interest from physicians and patients in avoiding the use of opioids and permanent implants to relieve pain,” Bennett said in a press release. “Our goal is to ensure that all patients have access to our SPRINT System as an effective, non-opioid treatment.”

SPR Therapeutics developed a device that delivers soothing stimulation to a pain site via wires implanted temporarily

beneath the skin. Use of its nerve stimulation system more than doubled in the past year, Bennett said, and the company has now treated more than 6,500 patients.

Bennett, the company president and CEO, earned her master’s degree in biomedical engineering at the Case School of Engineering. She worked for Boston Scientific and NDI Medical before launching SPR Therapeutics in 2009. Headquartered in the Cleveland suburb of Highland Hills, the company now has nearly 100 employees, including scientists, physicians, and business professionals.

The Kranzusch way

A computer science visionary is helping his alma mater join the big leagues.

In 2019, Kevin Kranzusch ’90 helped launch the Department of Computer & Data Sciences at the Case School of Engineering with a $5 million gift. This fall, he doubled down on that bet with a second $5 million gift.

The encore commitment will endow professorships and help the department recruit top graduate students, to be known as Kranzusch fellows. It will also help to foster collaboration between the new department and other schools and disciplines at CWRU. “The thing that attracted me to Case Western Reserve was the collaboration that happens across the university,” Kranzusch told The Daily, the university’s online newsroom, which announced his second gift in October. “And when you talk about

the things we wanted to introduce to the computer sciences department — things like AI and machine learning and big data — those elements are perfectly lined up for cross pollination.”

Kranzusch earned his bachelor’s degree in computer engineering at Case and soon after joined NVIDIA, a startup focused on computer gaming.

Today, the Santa Clara, California-based tech firm is the world’s largest maker of video game chips. As Vice President of System Software, Kranzusch leads software teams working on autonomous vehicles, robotics, and gaming devices — teams that often collaborate.

His latest gift creates the CDS Initiative

Fund, which is designed to encourage collaboration and innovation across university schools and departments. The ultimate goal, Kranzusch said, is to lend students insight into how advances in technology can impact many fields — including medicine, law, and social sciences.

Department Chair Vipin Chaudhary sees an alumnus who is leading the department to new heights.

“He has shown repeatedly that he has an uncanny ability to see the correct areas of growth and catalyze them,” Chaudhary told The Daily. “His close and continuing involvement with the department is truly appreciated.”

Academic pioneer

Case-trained materials scientist will lead Ohio Northern University.

Melissa J. Baumann, MS ’86, PhD ’88, a top academic officer at Xavier University in Cincinnati, will become the 12th president of Ohio Northern University this summer. A Case-trained material scientist, she will be the first woman to hold that position in the college’s 150 years.

Ohio Northern is a private college of about 2,100 students in the village of Ada, Ohio, about an hour’s drive south of Toledo.

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Notable alumni include Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and farmworker organizer and MacArthur Fellow Baldemar Velasquez.

A native of Mansfield, Ohio, and a first-generation college student, Baumann earned master’s and doctorate degrees in materials science and engineering at Case Institute of Technology.

She began her faculty career at Michigan State University, where she taught

materials science, conducted research into biomaterials and tissue engineering, and became an associate dean of the Honors College.

She went on to Auburn University as an assistant provost, head of the Honors College and a professor of mechanical engineering. In 2017, she joined Xavier as Provost and Chief Academic Officer.

She’s scheduled to begin her new job in Ada on July 1, succeeding a retiring President Daniel DiBiasio.

A bridge for an engineer Thanks to the efforts of a Case professor,

CLEVELAND’S MAIN AVENUE VIADUCT is now a national landmark.

The Main Avenue Viaduct is the northernmost of the Cuyahoga River bridges.

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hen you cross the Cuyahoga River Valley on the Main Avenue Viaduct in downtown Cleveland, you’re driving upon a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. That’s thanks to some mighty engineering beneath your wheels, but also to the passion of Dario Gasparini, PhD, an emeritus professor of structural engineering at the Case School of Engineering.

Gasparini championed the span as landmark worthy and built the case: • Constructed in 17 months in 1938 and 1939, the Viaduct was the longest bridge America had ever seen — and for decades the longest elevated structure in Ohio • Stretching about 8,000 feet from end to end, it carried the Memorial Shoreway over roads, railroads, factories, and the river to speedily connect the east and west sides of the city • Innovative engineering built a complex crossing that accelerated Cleveland’s industrial might • The northernmost of the Cuyahoga River spans, it offers magnificent views of a lakefront city “At the time it was built, it was extremely innovative,” said Gasparini, an expert in the history of structural engineering. “That span was a U.S. record when it opened in 1939. Nothing had been built longer in this country.”

What’s more, Gasparini argues, the design was a marvel of efficiency. It was the Great Depression and money was tight. Yet Cleveland needed a better way to move people and commerce across the Flats separating downtown from the west side.

Chief Project Engineer Fred Leroy Plummer, a professor of civil engineering at the Case School of Applied Science, took leave to accept the challenge. He and his team of more than 30 engineers designed a “continuous structure” that minimized materials and maximized economy.

Some of the viaduct's notable features include 10 spans of continuous cantilever trusses and overpass plate girders that were the longest ever built in the U.S. The various and distinct structures make it a viaduct, something more than a bridge, and a model of engineering innovation.

“That is often not recognized, the amount of engineering that went into that bridge,” said Gasparini, who retired from fulltime teaching in 2015. “And they didn’t have computers. All the calculations were done by hand.”

To cut costs, the designers left out decorative embellishments, which may account for the bridge’s relative anonymity. There are no Guardians of Traffic lording over the Main Avenue Viaduct like there are on the Lorain-Carnegie Hope Memorial Bridge upstream.

Still, it now belongs in the same pantheon as the Brooklyn Bridge, the Golden Gate Bridge, Hoover Dam, and Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (enshrined in 1979). The Viaduct was christened a national landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers on October 6, 2021, the 82nd anniversary of its dedication.

Gasparini, who had the honor of unveiling the plaque affixed to the bridge’s southern pier in the Flats, is not too concerned about the Viaduct’s lack of fame.

“Any knowledgeable engineer would love that bridge,” he said.

Winter 2022

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Student Life

Soccer star,

STEM enthusiast

By Hannah Jackson ’24

A conversation with an All-American Anika Washburn is a star on the soccer field and in the classroom. In November, she was named the 2021 University Athletic Association Offensive Player of the Year after posting one of the best years in the history of CWRU women's soccer. A senior midfielder, she led the UAA with 40 points on 15 goals and 10 assists.

In December, she was named First Team Academic All-American for Division III Women's Soccer for the second year in a row, becoming the first player in program history to earn first-team honors in multiple years.

Washburn carries a 3.96 cumulative grade point average as a computer science major in the Case School of Engineering while pursuing minors in math and Spanish. She’s also a Junior Senior Scholar, a Peer Advisor for the School of Engineering, and co-president of Girls Who Code, a STEM enrichment group for local teen girls.

Here are some excerpts from an interview with the senior from Brookfield, Wisconsin.

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How do you juggle both a successful academic and athletic career at Case?

Soccer helps me with time management. I know when I need to get work done between practices, travel trips, and games.

It’s made me efficient with utilizing my time and figuring out my best study schedule.

How do soccer and engineering overlap for you?

Engineering and soccer are very similar. You problem solve as an engineer by collaborating with your team. In soccer, it's about identifying a problem that you face on the field and working with your teammates and coaches to solve it together.

“I was looking at Division III schools that offered good academics and a good soccer program and with Case being a great engineering school, I knew it would be a perfect fit.”

What are your plans for the future? Do you wish to continue your education, go into the workforce, or continue your soccer career somehow?

I’ll be graduating in the fall of 2022, so I will be playing one more soccer season here at Case. I’m interning at Microsoft this summer as a software development engineer. I’ve interned there the past two summers, but it's been remote, so I’m hoping to get the in-person experience this summer in Seattle.

If I like it, then I’ll pursue that job full time starting in January of 2023.

What’s it like interning for Microsoft?

Overall, it was a really good experience. I worked on Azure Storage, which is cloud storage, with two different teams the past two summers and I’ll be interning with a different team this summer. I really like all the opportunities that Microsoft gives you and the ability to change teams within the company to get entirely new experiences.

How long have you played soccer?

I started playing soccer when I was four or five years old. My older brother plays soccer and he’s the one who got me into it.

Did you know you wanted to play soccer in college?

I wasn’t sure I wanted to play soccer at the collegiate level, as academics always comes first for me. I started reaching out to different schools in the UAA conference, because they’re strong academically and athletically, and that led me to Case. I was looking at Division III schools that offered good academics and a good soccer program and with Case being a great engineering school, I knew it would be a perfect fit.

Any role model players?

My brother is a big role model for me. I grew up playing with him and my neighbors, who were all guys, so I think that’s how I got to where I am now, just playing with the quicker, more athletic people around me and learning to adapt to those situations.

What do you love about your sport?

I love soccer because it puts me in a different world. I can forget about everything going on in my life and just focus on that soccer game with my teammates, who are my best friends.

Tell us about your experience with Girls Who Code.

Girls Who Code is a club that introduces computer science to high school girls in the Cleveland area. We have started doing online sessions with COVID, but it’s really nice to see any girl become interested in STEM through our classes. A lot of them aren’t introduced to coding in high school, so knowing that we’ve influenced them to go the same route that we’ve gone, and let them know that it’s great to be a woman in STEM, is something that I’ve really enjoyed.

What do you do as a Peer Advisor for the Case School of Engineering?

We have a group of 12-15 students who are all different engineering majors and we offer advice to students. We offer guidance in selecting courses, opportunities for internships or co-ops, and direct them to the right resources. We have scheduling parties. It’s just being someone they can talk to about studying engineering. It’s my way of giving back to the engineering community.

Winter 2022

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The clean room at Peak Nano's new foundry is where advanced lenses are crafted. (Photo by Roadell Hickman)

Tiny tech,

big opportunity

Using science developed at Case, a technology company aims to make Cleveland a hub of polymer manufacturing.

By Zachary Lewis

J

ust as a giant redwood starts as a tiny seed, the future of an emerging industry in Northeast Ohio lies in a tiny plastic pellet.

Tens of millions of the beads sit in giant boxes at Peak Nano’s two factories outside of Cleveland. They’re the stuff from which dreams born at the Case School of Engineering will be made, the essence of high-grade lenses, powerful batteries, and other practical nanotechnology for tomorrow.

“We’re batting a thousand right now,” said Michael Ponting, PhD ’10, a polymer scientist, entrepreneur, and the Chief Science Officer of Peak Nano. “Others have pushed the existing technology to the limits of what it can hold, but this is a whole different approach. No one has walked this way yet.”

On tours of Peak Nano’s state-of-the art foundry in Macedonia, it’s tempting to recall Willy Wonka’s Chocolate 14

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Mike Ponting, PhD '10, is part of a patent awarded for applying nanolayered lens technology to virtual reality goggles.

Professors Gary Wnek and Eric Baer, pillars of macromolecular science at the Case School of Engineering, help create new products from polymers.

Factory. White-coated techs in bright, sterile labs pour pellets into hoppers and melt them down before passing the substance through elaborate metal strainers and pulling out clear iridescent sheets. Lights blink and monitors display all manner of tables and charts as workers wind the taffy-like material onto spools of assorted sizes.

These, though, are no sweets for children. These are ultrathin layers of clear polymers carefully crafted by temperature, thickness, and composition to have specific properties related to energy storage and light refraction.

Some sheets will be compressed by the thousands into translucent pucks and shaped into lenses for high-end scopes and binoculars with uncommonly wide fields of vision. Others, after leaving Peak Nano, will be tightly wrapped and cut to make highly-efficient capacitors for use in in everything from computers and electric cars to aircraft carriers.

If the company lands an electric car manufacturer, whose battery capacitors could depend on nanolayered film, it will have to grow by leaps and bounds.

They represent the potential of polymers to create advanced new products and skilled jobs in the region.

If all goes as planned, Peak Nano will be producing some 50,000 lenses a year and up to 100,000 pounds of capacitor film by the end of 2022. At the moment, the company employs about 60 men and women, including several Case graduates.

Jim Welsh, the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Peak Nano, recently said he envisions growing to 250 or 300 employees over the next few years through an investment deal with Connecticut-based Squadron Capital.

And that’s just the beginning. Peak Nano is already producing lenses commercially, but if the company lands an electric car manufacturer, whose battery capacitors could depend on nanolayered film, it will have to grow by leaps and bounds, and film output will have to escalate dramatically. Pledges by state and federal governments to commit to electric vehicles only make that future more likely, given that Peak Nano’s products are ready for the real world and its manufacturing capability is scalable.

“We’re going after those specialty applications, the ones that really need a boost right now, and we’ve moved to the front at the product-ready level,” Ponting said.

Something similar is also going on at the Case School of Engineering. Indeed, Case is the soil from which Ponting and Peak Nano sprang.

The Polymer Processing Lab in the basement of the Kent Hale Smith Building is smaller, older, and distinctly less glamorous than Peak Nano’s bright new facilities south of town. But the work professors and students are performing there is no less complex or potentially useful. There are a couple of giant boxes of plastic pellets and several multi-layer extrusion systems churning out coils of clear, impossibly thin sheeting.

This lab was started in 1995 by Ponting’s mentor, Professor Eric Baer, founder of the Department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering at Case and a legend in the field. Both lab and legend are part of a fresh mission.

In June 2020, the department received a five-year grant from the U.S. Army to explore lighter, stronger, mass-producible plastics for armor and equipment used by the military. The Army’s commitment, initially $5.4 million, could grow to $11 million if the science pans out.

Young researchers here are not crafting lenses or capacitors.

Instead, they’re taking those sheets of polymer and layering them in different combinations to form the next generation of body armor; stronger, lighter protective gear that could replace Kevlar.

Winter 2022

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Gary Wnek in the Polymer Processing Lab in the Kent Hale Smith Building.

From tiny polymer pe llets spring new materials.

“We see tremendous opportunities for improving the performance of protective systems and weapons,” Joseph Lenhart, chief of the polymers branch at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, said in a statement. “Longer term, we are excited about the applications we have not even imagined.”

The ‘genesis’ of an industry All of this, as it happens, began with a quest to extend the shelf life of food. Before Baer came to Case in 1962, he worked for DuPont as a polymer scientist and helped to develop airtight plastics for food storage.

His work expanded significantly on Case Quad. In partnership with his future wife, the late Anne Hiltner, PhD, the first female engineering faculty member at Case, Baer and students set up the polymer lab still in use today and began exploring the potential of layered polymers.

“He always promotes that forward-looking aspect in individuals here,” said Andrew Olah, PhD ’85, a former director of research and development at Lubrizol Corp. who is now consulting for Baer at Case. “He’s always moving onto something new, teaching lessons to others.”

Many successes ensued over several decades, but the largest was a $40 million grant in 2006 from the National Science Foundation that allowed Baer to found the Center for Layered Polymeric Systems (CLIPS).

By that point, Ponting was a graduate student beginning to imagine commercial applications of the science. After earning his doctorate in Macromolecular Science and Engineering, Ponting teamed up with Baer and another recent graduate, Deepak Langhe, PhD ’12, and formed PolymerPlus to commercialize the technology. They set up a lab in the 16

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former CRADLE innovation center of Sherwin-Williams Corp. in the Cleveland suburb of Valley View.

Work on lenses came first, in 2011, with support from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

After that, with PolymerPlus now in a warehouse in Valley View, came interest and progress in capacitors, with funding from the U.S. Department of Defense. Between those two areas of focus, PolymerPlus practically defined the cutting edge of layered plastics research.

“That’s what’s so exciting about [polymer] technology,” Baer explained. “It feeds into many areas that are very different.”

“I feel it’s a good project, a great spin-out….We can only be the genesis.”

– Professor Eric Baer

Everything changed again in 2016, when a Texas company called Peak Nanosystems, attracted by Cleveland’s factory space, broadly skilled workforce, and the polymer research underway at Case, leased a space adjacent to PolymerPlus in Valley View.

A partnership blossomed. In 2020, Peak Nanosystems acquired PolymerPlus and consolidated both operations under the name Peak Nano. The company wanted the products that PolymerPlus had conceived.

“To have something that far forward, that’s very good,” Olah said from experience. “In industry, they want something that is deliverable. That’s what has to happen in the translation process.”

Baer is happy with what became of the startup he co-founded.

“I feel it’s a good project, a great spin-out,” he said. “They have a different market. We can only be the genesis.”

A second, larger plant in nearby Macedonia held its grand

Chung-Fu Cheng guides a multi-layered polymer sheet off an extruder in the Polymer Processing Lab in the Kent Hale Smith Building.

opening in July 2021. Peak Nano converted a 40,000-square-foot former steel warehouse into a foundry it calls one of the most advanced optical design and manufacturing facilities in the world. The plant includes a 10,000-square foot positive pressure clean room to make the lenses.

Ponting said he had never considered starting or running a company, but that’s essentially what he finds himself doing now.

Peak Nanosystems picked up both of the product lines he and his colleagues had been studying for production and brought him on as chief science officer. His years of theoretical work became a physical reality and set the stage for the next phase of his career.

Army seeks better protection Meanwhile, back on Case Quad, the Polymer Processing Lab continues to perform. Professor Gary Wnek, Chair of the Department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering, is leading the research team that is working with the U.S. Army to explore the protective potential of multi-layered polymers.

One afternoon in December, Chung-Fu Cheng, PhD, a post-doctoral researcher from Taiwan via the University of Akron, guided a warm sheet of polymer material off a roller attached to one of the lab’s six extruders. As light as shrink wrap, the translucent belt was 128 layers thick — and maybe the start of a lightweight bullet-proof vest.

“It’s a first step,” Cheng said.

Even through the pandemic, Wnek said, he and his students managed to proceed with experiments and make progress toward

materials that are robust, lightweight, and easy to produce.

They’re looking at ballistics protection in particular, but they know their research also could have a major impact on the auto and aerospace industries.

“Getting the best out of all of those properties, that’s the tricky part,” Wnek said. “That’s what keeps us on our toes. But that’s also where we’ve been seeing encouraging signs that we’re on track for further improvements.

“On this campus, this is probably the most impactful operation in manufacturing,” he added.

None of this is happening in separate silos. Academic researchers and industry professionals are working side by side. Ponting remains in contact with his old colleagues and, in fact, will be in a position to manufacture products the Case lab develops for the Army.

“We’ve kept that lifeline to Case,” Ponting said. “We’re able to work together really well. It’s a really nice back and forth…I am regularly processing research formulations [on] layered films for the team at CWRU for characterization and analysis to support this effort.”

The feeling at Case is mutual. Even as they discuss their own research and the promises it holds, the pride in the voices of Baer and Wnek is unmistakable as they reflect on the success of PolymerPlus.

“There’s a lot of parallel activity,” Wnek said. “There’s a lot of cross-talk and fertilization. A lot of what they learned here is what we’re leveraging. The work is constantly building on itself.”

What they’re all learning together is that Northeast Ohio has a promising future in nanotechnology. Once a hub for steel, Cleveland now stands poised to emerge as a giant in polymer manufacturing.

Zachary Lewis is a Cleveland freelance writer and a former award-winning reporter for The Plain Dealer. To comment on this story, please email casealum@casealum.org.

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HOME AWAY FROM HOME Many international alumni look back fondly on Steiner House, which is celebrating 50 years XXXXX of cooperative living on campus.

By Hannah Jackson ’24

E

lliot Holzhauer ’21 stretches across the stove for spices while simultaneously stirring a large, bubbling pot. The smell of homemade pasta sauce fills the kitchen and drifts into the dining room, slowly attracting residents to the big dinner table. He could be studying for a civil engineering exam or preparing elements of his master’s portfolio, but tonight he’s on cooking duty for nearly two dozen hungry graduate students.

Holzhauer is a resident of Steiner House, a cooperative housing community for Case Western Reserve students on Bellflower Road, near the heart of campus.

It has historically attracted a diverse, often international group of residents, many of them science and engineering majors.

As they share meals, chores and bills, the house’s 20 residents are also sharing an historical moment.

Steiner House turned 50 years old in 2021, making it one of the oldest continuously operating cooperative housing communities on an American college campus. During the anniversary year, past residents returned to share dinner, stories and memories. The encounters helped today’s residents to not only learn about the history of their unusual home, but to better understand why it has continued to thrive on the CWRU campus.

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Elliot Holzhauer, an aspiring engineer, prepares dinner for 20 using his mother's pasta recipe.

Many of Steiner House’s residents, both past and present, fondly call the co-op their “home away from home,” as many of them have traveled across the world to pursue advanced degrees here.

Syeda Nur-E Saba, an aspiring physicist from Bangladesh, said Steiner House engenders a special connection that can’t be found just anywhere.

“It’s the same journey for international students, all living in one place,” she said.

“It creates a sense of belonging.”

Adriana Velazquez Berumen, MS ’86, a top executive for the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, affectionately recalled her Steiner House days when

she returned to campus in 2019 to keynote the Engineers Week Reception. She knew no one when she came to Cleveland from Mexico to study biomedical engineering, she said. At Steiner House, she found an oasis. She fondly recalled the shopping trips with her housemates and cooking one of her family’s recipes once every three weeks.

“You get to know people. You get to share,” she said. “Everyone’s a foreigner, so you don’t feel like a foreigner. It was a great place to land.”

Yufu Liao, a mechanical engineering major from Hunan, China, says the house’s “classic feel” fuels its charm.

Steiner House is a rambling old shingle-

sided mansion with a big front porch. The interior of the home opens to a warmly lit entryway that leads into the dining area and the living room, both of which are covered in the flags of each resident’s nation.

A vintage piano is covered with trinkets collected over the years by residents and board members.

The floors creak and the walls are cracked, but the most prominent feature of the gathering space is a portrait painting of Oscar Steiner above the fireplace. He appears to fondly watch over students as they enjoy movie nights and birthday parties.

Steiner was a graduate student when he helped to establish the cooperate housing program during the Great Depression, when many students could not afford a place to live. Its first housing options were a variety of small, scattered residences before the co-op bought a house on Cornell Avenue, called Roosevelt House, which was incorporated into university housing in 1945.

In 1971, the co-op swapped that building for the larger house at 11408 Bellflower. They named it Steiner House in honor of Steiner, who went on to become a Cleveland industrialist and philanthropist.

Steiner House is the only residence hall at CWRU operated by the Cleveland Student Housing Association, Inc. Room and board is about $545 a month and includes utilities and parking. New residents must be approved by the collective agreement of the current residents.

A place to grow The house seeks residents who will add cultural or degree diversity, said co-op president Maia Garbett, a Nashville native pursuing her master’s degree in finance at the Weatherhead School. She said an application is rarely rejected.

The strength of the connections and memories made at Steiner House can be traced back to its early foundation. Holzhauer, who hails from Seattle, noted that his favorite memory was the opportunity to speak with a 100-year-old house alumna from the 1940s, Janet Nakashima, and learn what had changed and what had lasted the test of time. He was astonished to learn she

Celebrating 50 years of Steiner House. Current and former residents took a group photo on their front porch in September 2021.

left Hawaii for Western Reserve the day World War II ended.

Overall, the house has changed little in its bones. The rooms are the same and so are some of the amenities, but the fresh, new perspectives of today’s STEM residents have given it a new life.

“You grow as a human being when you live in Steiner House,” said Nur-E Saba, who moved in two years ago. She noted that this growth is doubled, as both one’s

“

“At the dinner table, we get to talk about everything under the sun,” observed Siddhesh Ambhire, a graduate student from Mumbai, India, who is pursuing a master’s degree in physics. Sitting around the long, wooden table in worn and mismatched chairs, the students talk about their science classes, highlights of the day, and favorite memories from home.

In honor of the 50th anniversary, alumni were invited back to the house

You get to know people. You get to share.

Everyone’s a foreigner, so you don’t feel like a foreigner. It was a great place to land.

perspectives and tastes expand. One of her favorite parts of Steiner House life is the homemade meals that students take turns cooking using recipes from home.

“You enjoy food and recipes that you would never be able to get the tiny details of without Steiner House,” she said.

Good food means a crowded table.

The lively dinner conversations were unanimously voted as one of the highlights of the co-op experience.

Maia Garbett and Kathryn Coburn, the president and vice president of Steiner House, like its comraderie and international flavor.

”

September 18 to share dinner and memories. The evening included a Zoom call with former resident Nakashima, who resides in Hawaii. Meanwhile, there are plans to promote the cross-cultural relationships the house has historically fostered. Some of the students celebrated the winter holidays together. They shared family traditions and favorite winter activities to learn more about what the holidays mean to their friends’ families.

Liao, the engineering student from China, particularly wants to learn how to ice skate with his Steiner housemates.

Seated around the dinner table, passing plates and serving food to one another, it is apparent that each of Steiner House’s residents brings a unique perspective to the living space. But at the end of the day, they view themselves as one big family, living an exciting, unorthodox graduate experience that will be remembered for a lifetime.

To learn more about Steiner House, go to steinerhouse.org/.

Winter 2022

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Case Memories Here's another selection of photos from our archives. If something or someone triggers a memory, please write and share it with us: casealum@casealum.org

Chemistry lab, '60s

mlinson, '50s Game Room To

Greek Week Bed Race, circa 197 0 Chemistry lab, '70s

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Graduation, 1979

Computer class, '90s

Egg Drop, 1980s

Winter 2022

21

NewsBytes Smartest QB ever?

The sports crew at WKYC-TV in Cleveland set out to list the top 75 players in the history of the Cleveland Browns. Coming in at #23 was a quarterback Case alumni know well.

“Frank Ryan had a PhD and was an assistant professor at Case Institute of Technology, which was fitting because he approached quarterbacking like a seasoned academic,” the broadcasters observed. “Doc” Ryan won three division titles and started three Pro Bowls while teaching advanced mathematics. He also led the Browns to the 1964 NFL Championship. How smart is that?

Modern builder

What an encore The West Campus of CWRU is growing — dramatically.

In October, the ribbon was cut on a 65,000-square-foot addition to the Maltz Performing Arts Center at The Temple-Tifereth Israel. The beautiful new home of the Department of Theater includes a 250-seat proscenium theater — and lends another reason to visit an everchanging campus.

Kirsten Bowen ’96, one of the region’s most impactful civil engineers, made the cover of the spring 2020 Case Alumnus after leading the dramatic redesign of Cleveland’s Memorial Shoreway.

She’ll share her road to success February 25 when she keynotes the annual Engineers Week luncheon of the Society of Women Engineers. Find details at casealumni.org/e-week/.

Making invention fun In a listing of “30 Great Cleveland Inventions and Innovators,” Cleveland Magazine included Ian Charnas ’05, co-founder and director of the university’s acclaimed maker space, Sears think[box]. The entertaining engineer videotapes projects and posts them to his YouTube channel to showcase a technology and to raise money for charities, the magazine noted.

His favorite project? A roller-skating jetpack inspired by old Wile E. Coyote cartoons.

“What I love about using creativity in math and science is being able to show that science, engineering, and building stuff are really fun,” Charnas said.

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Research superstars Anant Madabhushi, Donnell Institute Professor of Biomedical Engineering, and Daniel Scherson, the Frank Hovorka Professor of Chemistry and Director for Electrochemical Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences, are two of CWRU’s leading researchers. The university recognized their impact in December, bestowing upon each a coveted Faculty Distinguished Research Award.

Our kind of athlete

Postcard from the South Pole NASA’s “Astronomy Picture of the Day” December 11 captured physics graduate student Allan Foster (far right) waving “Hi” with the crew from the South Pole Telescope during a partial solar eclipse. Foster is part of a multi-university team operating the giant radio telescope as it explores the early universe. He blogs about the experience at frostyfoster.travel.blog.

Elizabeth White was named a First Team Academic All-American in Division III Women's Soccer, and no wonder. The senior defender helped the team shutout 13 opponents while attaining a perfect 4.0 grade point average as a civil engineering major. Helping her to achieve as a scholar-athlete was a Junior-Senior Scholarship from the Case Alumni Foundation.

That’s motivation In welcoming Zheng-Rong Lu to the National Academy of Inventors in December, the NAI lauded his work advancing cancer detection and treatments for rare, incurable diseases.

The professor of biomedical engineering said the honor is gratifying but he does not lack for motivation.

“I get emails every week, most often from people who are desperately looking for some hope, some news about what we are finding and when there will be clinical trials,” he told The Daily. “This reminds me that our work has real meaning, not just to write papers and do more research, but to really help people.”

Winter 2022

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Alumni Adventures

Jazz man

Brian Taylor, a trumpet-playing biological engineer, finds that jazz and engineering share a tempo.

By John Canale

B

rian Taylor’s passions have pulled him in two different directions — between science and music.

Thanks to the Case School of Engineering, the three-degree alumnus managed to pursue successful careers in both fields.

Taylor ’05, MS ’09, PhD ’12, is an assistant professor of biology at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. He’s the principal investigator for UNC’s Quantitative Biology and Engineering Sciences Laboratory. There, his team is studying how animals are able to navigate using the earth’s magnetic field, and how that insight can be applied to engineering designs.

He’s also a professional trumpet player who minored in music at Case Western Reserve and writes and arranges jazz music. In 2016, Taylor formed a group and recorded an album that includes some of his original compositions.

He’ll tell you that music and engineering complement one another, as each craft demands many of the same skills.

“Music and engineering, to me, are both very similar,” he said. “They both have a very analytical side and a very creative side.

You have to be analytical when playing when you need to get from point A to point B. And you need to be creative to figure out a lot of engineering problems.”

Taylor was introduced to musical instruments in elementary school in Long Island, New York. It was a stroke of fate that led him to the instrument he’s played ever since.

“I actually wanted to start off playing saxophone,” Taylor said. “But they told me they had too many sax players, so they gave me a trumpet. And it turns out, that was the best thing that ever could have happened.”

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Science had always been a big part of his life, too, and that was what drew him to the Case School of Engineering. On Case Quad, he studied under renowned robotics professor Roger Quinn. He earned his bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering and two advanced degrees in mechanical engineering.

“Music and engineering, to me, are very similar.

They both have a very analytical side and a very creative side.”

As good fortune would have it, he also got to study with another well-known professor, Paul Ferguson, director of jazz studies in the CWRU Department of Music.

“Paul Ferguson has been a really big influence, even beyond the physical stuff he taught,” Taylor said, “It was the way he taught us to think about things, too.”

After graduate school, Taylor continued to play and eventually found fellow musicians to play alongside. This led to paying

gigs as he composed and arranged music in his spare time. It was during his time playing at the Velvet Note, a jazz club in Atlanta, Georgia, that he felt ready to take the next step and record an album.

“It wasn’t nearly as stressful as getting a PhD,” Taylor said. “But I call it my second graduate project.”

In 2016, he recorded Spirito Sereno with a number of his musician friends. The album consists of three original compositions and three arrangements of standards.

As graduate projects go, it’s highly accessible. You can find the album, and give it a listen at www.engineeringmusician.com/.

John Canale is a freelance writer in the Cleveland area. If you wish to comment on this story, write to casealum@casealum.org.

Have an alumni adventure to share? Email casealum@casealum.org

ENGINEERING + Tools and ideas to sharpen your game

MINOR PIVOT, BIG IMPACT How a non-traditional software engineer made her minor a career.

By Abigail Walker ’16

A

s jobs in computing and information technology continue to grow, it makes sense that engineers without a traditional computer science background are taking an interest. I’m one of those people.

I entered Case as a biomedical engineering major but realized more than halfway through that I was more interested in computer science. It was too late to completely change course, so I partially shifted — to a minor in computer science. I graduated with a small foundation of knowledge that included an introduction to object-oriented programming, data structures, algorithms, and operating systems.

I didn’t have the time to take other fundamental computer science courses, such as databases, networking, and software design. Not surprisingly, I had trouble finding a job — despite my 4.0 GPA. At the few interviews I landed, I struggled with the traditional, code-on-the-spot software questions because of my limited programming experience and lack of confidence.

But one company gave me a chance, opening the door to rapid learning and growth in the software industry.

Here’s what led to my success in a field I joined late and now love.

GAINING A CS FOUNDATION My CS minor course of study included these classes, ranked in order of importance to my career: • Intro to object-oriented programming (in Java) • Data structures • Algorithms • Operating systems • Discrete mathematics • Linear algebra The course in object-oriented programming was most important because it helped to solidify my interest in computer science when I was still tentative. The concept of a Java class hierarchy finally clicked for me as I completed the classic “shape“ design problem (where concrete classes representing circles, triangles, squares, etc., descend from abstract parents like “shape,“ “rectangle,“ “oval,“ and so on). My junior mind was blown. I was proud of what I had finally understood, and I realized the design possibilities were endless. This course's content is also what I most frequently utilize in my job today, where I work on designing a Java model for an electronic health record web application.

OTHER KEY SKILLS Outside of computer science fundamentals, there were additional general engineering skills that helped me to succeed in a software career. These include critical thinking, continuous improvement, and above all, communication skills.

Oral communication skills are critical to quality interactions with managers and mentors, status reporting in scrum meetings, conversing with non-technical team members, and understanding their point of view.

“I feel that my own communication skills are the single most important factor in my growth as a computer science professional” Written communication is crucial for participating in code reviews, writing good documentation of software, and engaging in message-based discussions in today's increasingly remote and digital environment.

Another aspect of good communication is understanding your audience — I meet many engineers who can describe a brilliant design strategy but fail to realize that the group they are speaking to may not understand the relevancy.

I feel that my own communication skills are the single most important factor in my growth as a computer science professional, and I consciously continue to work on them as I advance in the field.

A NURTURING ENVIRONMENT Not every workplace is the same, and some cultures and teams foster a young developers' success while others may stall it. I was lucky that my first job out of college was in a growth-friendly environment, with solid role models, kind mentors, and a caring manager.

Coworkers at my company always placed an emphasis on learning. I received frequent book recommendations, and senior developers hosted group lunch-and-learn presentations. All of this combined to expand my knowledge and keep me humble.

A strong education can help a young engineer land her first job more easily. But that same knowledge (and much more) can be gained on the job by an engineer who is motivated to learn on a team willing to foster that learning.

Abigail Walker is an application software engineer at Ontada in San Diego, California. Reach her at abigail.walker138@gmail.com. This article is excerpted from an essay she wrote for the blog of ACM.org.

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Class Notes 1950s Karl Zender ’59, PhD Davis, California Karl has published a scholarly book comparing his two favorite authors, Shakespeare and Faulkner: Selves and Others, through Louisiana State University Press (2021). A Professor Emeritus of English at the University of California, Davis, Karl began his unlikely career with a bachelor’s degree in physics from Case Institute of Technology. He went on to earn a master’s in English from Western Reserve College and his doctorate in English from the University of Iowa. Karl has published three other scholarly books, two on the fiction of William Faulkner and the other on the plays of William Shakespeare.

1960s Robert Herbold, MS ’66, PhD ’68 Phoenix, Arizona Bob in July was appointed to the Arizona Board of Regents, which establishes policy for the state’s public institutions of higher education. He is the managing director of The Herbold Group, an operations and strategy consulting business, and president of The Herbold Foundation, which provides scholarships to graduate students in engineering and computer science. Bob earned his master’s in mathematics and doctorate in computer engineering at Case Institute of Technology and became COO of Microsoft.

Alexander Ho ’67 Bridgewater, New Jersey Alex is the new chief marketing officer for Terminix, a leading provider of termite and pest control services.

Previously, he was the chief marketing officer for Cleveland’s American Greetings Corp., where he was responsible for the “World’s Toughest Job” campaign. Alex began a distinguished career in the marketing world with a chemistry degree from Case Institute of Technology.

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Marianne (Booms) Szabo ’67 Dallas, Texas

Marianne is the Principal at Ancestor Sleuther and a genealogist with a focus on Germany, Norway, and Slovakia as well as the states of Ohio, Alabama, California, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, South Carolina, and Washington. Previously she was Field Sales Engineer, Fuel Cell Technologies, for W.L. Gore & Associates. Marianne earned her bachelor’s degree in physics from Case Institute of Technology.

Shair Ahmad, PhD ’68 San Antonio, Texas Shair was honored in a special issue of the international math journal Nonlinear Analysis in December 2020 to commemorate his retirement and 85th birthday. He served as managing editor and later editor-in-chief of the journal while teaching mathematics at universities, including the University of Texas at San Antonio. Shair earned his doctorate in mathematics from Case Institute of Technology.

1970s John Bertko ’71 Pacific Grove, California John is a winner of the 2021 Distinguished Alumni Award from the College of Arts and Sciences at CWRU. As chief actuary for Covered California, he led the mathematical modeling that helped the state’s health insurance marketplace respond to the pandemic. Previously, he helped implement the Affordable Care Act before retiring from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. John earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Case Institute of Technology.

Susan Nagorney ’76 Pepper Pike, Ohio Susie and her husband, Frank Nagorney ADL ’72, participated in a dance marathon at South Park Mall in Strongsville, Ohio, to

raise money for Ohio Cancer Research. The couple performed their waltz routine twice during the November event. Suzie, a past president of the Case Alumni Association and current Case Alumni Foundation Board member, is an 18-year breast cancer survivor.

Steven Hegedus ’77, PhD Newark, Delaware Steve led a project to install a state-of-theart solar energy array at the University of Delaware that will be used for education and research. As a professor of electrical and computer engineering at UD, he specializes in photovoltaic research and applications. Steve earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Case Institute of Technology.

1980s Sally Kline, MS ’83, PhD ’86 Cambridge, Massachusetts Sally is the head of materials science at Genetech-Roche and a widely recognized leader of science-based innovation in the biopharmaceutical and chemical industries. Previously, she was director of materials science at Amgen.

Sally earned master’s and doctorate degrees in polymer science at Case Institute of Technology. She shares her insight as an alumni advisor to the Polymer Initiative of Northeast Ohio (PiNO), a conference run by graduate students in the Department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering.

Richard Simons ’83 Rochester, New Hampshire Rich has been named Senior Vice President and General Manager of Laars Heating Systems, a division of the Bradford White Corporation, a manufacturer of commercial, residential, and industrial water heating systems. In January, he was appointed to the board of directors

of the American Boiler Manufacturers Association. Rich earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Case Institute of Technology.

Ranu Jung, MS ’86, PhD ’91 Fayetteville, Arkansas Ranu is the founding Executive Director of the Institute for Integrative and Innovative Research at the University of Arkansas, the state’s flagship institution. Supported by the Walton Family Foundation, the institute aims to expand the scope of discoveries made

by UA researchers and move them to the marketplace. Previously, Ranu chaired the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Florida International University. She earned her advanced degrees in biomedical engineering at the Case School of Engineering.

Vincent Schoenig ’87 Morrisville, Vermont Vince has been named Executive Vice President and Senior IT and Operations Officer for Union Bank, a fullservice bank headquartered in Morrisville.

Previously, he was the chief information officer at Old Point National Bank in Hampton, Virginia. Vince began his career in IT strategy and financial planning with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Case Institute of Technology.

Hang Loi ’88 Woodbury, Minnesota Hang was honored by the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers with its Career Achievement Award at its national conference in November.

A chemical engineer, she is the Global Supplier Relationship Manager for 3M and an advocate for women in STEM.

Dan Dunkers ’89 Mount Airy, Maryland Dan has joined Versant Health, a national managed vision care company, as senior vice president and chief information officer.

Previously, he was the vice president of information technology at Johns Hopkins Healthcare. Dan earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Case Institute of Technology.

Michael Hill, MS ’89, PhD ’92 San Diego, California

Michael is the Global Head, Science & Technology and Innovation, at Science Innovations LLC, which partners with medical technology companies to bring therapy and technology innovations to market. Before joining the company in 2019, he worked at Medtronic for 27 years, rising to the position of Vice President of Science & Technology and Innovation.

Michael earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in biomedical engineering at Case Institute of Technology.

1990s John Skabardonis, PhD ’90 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania John was recognized by the Industrial Designers Society of America in 2021 for dedicating his “time and talents this year to the betterment of our Society and advancing the industrial design profession through information, education, community, and advocacy.” John leads Technical Marketing for North America at Covestro. He earned his doctorate in chemistry at Case Institute of Technology.

Bethanie (Hills) Stadler ’90, PhD Shoreview, Minnesota Bethanie will serve as General Co-Chair of Intermag 2023, the annual conference of the IEEE Magnetics Society, in Sendai, Japan. She is a Professor and Associate Head of Electrical & Computer Engineering at the University of Minnesota, where she also holds the CS&E Distinguished Professorship. A fellow of the Materials Research Society, Bethanie earned her bachelor’s degree in metallurgy from Case Institute of Technology and her doctorate at MIT. Marla Perez-Davis, PhD ’91 Strongsville, Ohio Marla was named the 2021 Engineer of the Year by the Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Award Corp. As director of the NASA Glenn Research Center, she leads its missions and 3,200 employees. A chemical engineer, Marla is the first Puerto Rican-born woman to lead a NASA space center. She earned her doctorate in chemical engineering from Case Institute of Technology.

Fabian Bigar ’93 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Fabian was appointed CEO of MyDigital, the government’s effort to make Malaysia a regional leader in the digital economy and attain inclusive, responsible, and sustainable socioeconomic development. Previously, he was Undersecretary of Policy and International Relations at Ministry for Health Malaysia. Fabian earned his bachelor’s degree in biology at Case.

Staffan Pehrson, MS ’93 Varnamo, Sweden Staffan has been named President and CEO of Bufab, an international trading group and supply chain partner, effective February 2022.

Previously, he held executive positions with the Nefab Group and the Ericsson Group in Sweden. Staffan Winter 2022

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Class Notes earned his master’s degree in Systems & Control Engineering at Case and an MBA from Stockholm School of Economics.

Ranjan Kejriwal, MS ’94 Springboro, Ohio Raj was appointed to a nine-year term on the Wright State University Board of Trustees by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine. He is the founder and president of AARIS, a Dayton provider of tubular, pipe, and bar products to global manufacturers. Raj earned his master’s degree in materials science at Case and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Bihar in India.

John Jakovcic II ’96 Roswell, Georgia John has been promoted to Chief Technology Officer at MedRisk, the nation’s largest managed care organization dedicated to the physical rehabilitation of injured workers. Previously he was senior vice president of technology at the firm. John earned his bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from the Case School of Engineering.

Shouresh Amir-Tahmasseb ’96, MBA ’03 Solon, Ohio Shouresh has been named the Americas Head of Engineering for ABB’s Energy Industries Division, which is based in Cleveland. He joined the global technology company nearly 25 years ago as an engineer, soon after earning his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Case and his MBA from Weatherhead. Shouresh is the former chair of the board of the Home Repair and Resource Center in Cleveland Heights, a nonprofit that helps residents to repair and maintain their homes.

Terry Collier ’97, PhD ’02 Cedar Park, Texas Terry was named one of the TOP Ten Blacks in Tech in 2021 by the Black Business Journal of Austin, Texas. He’s the Vice 28

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President for Research & Development for the Electrical Markets Division of 3M and an accomplished engineering executive. Terry earned his bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from the Case School of Engineering and followed that with a doctorate in materials science.

2000s Tim Peshek ’01, MS ’03, PhD ’08 Cleveland, Ohio Tim has been named Chief of the Photovoltaics and Electrochemical Systems Branch at the NASA Glenn Research Center, where he started in 2017 as a research electrical engineer. Tim is a former research assistant professor of materials science at the Case School of Engineering. He earned three physics degrees at Case, including his doctorate in semiconductor physics.

Lori Knous, MSE ’02 Dover, Ohio Lori is the new General Manager of the Akron materials testing laboratories of Smithers, where she oversees a team of experienced testing engineers, chemists, and technicians. Previously, she was Senior Director of Business Development at Alpha Technologies.

Lori has nearly 30 years of experience in materials and metallurgy, including 16 years in operations leadership.

Matthew Macewan ’04, MD, PhD St. Louis, Missouri Matt is the founder and Chief Science Officer at Acera Surgical, a soft tissue repair company born from his research into nanofibers and patient-focused innovation. He shared his journey as part of the CWRU Entrepreneurship Speaker Series in September. Matt earned his bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from the Case School of Engineering and his

medical and doctorate degrees from Washington University in St. Louis.

Alex Yakubovich ’07 San Francisco, California Alex was inducted into the Mayfield Hall of Fame of Mayfield (Ohio) City Schools and the Mayfield Schools Foundation.

As a student at Case, he co-founded ONOSYS, one of the world’s first online restaurant ordering platforms, and went on to co-found Scout RFP with classmate Stan Garber. Scout was sold to Workday for more than half a billion dollars. Alex, a mechanical engineer, now runs one of the segments of Workday.

Penny Walter, MS ’08 Atlanta, Georgia Penny was recognized

by Plastics News as one of the Women Breaking the Mold in 2021. She’s the Supply Chain Leader for North America at the Coca Cola Company, where she is helping to lead recycling and sustainability efforts.

2010s Marcin Citak ’11, MEM ’12 Bellevue, Pennsylvania Marcin joined Mursion, a maker of virtual reality training simulations, as a senior client engagement manager.

Previously, he was a management consulting manager for Accenture. Marcin earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and his master’s in engineering management from the Case School of Engineering.

Piper Fernwey ’11 Clifton, Ohio

Piper is coordinating a task force that aims to create a Climate Action and Sustainability Plan for Yellow Springs, Ohio. She hopes the plan becomes a model for how communities can respond to

climate change. Piper earned her bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from the Case School of Engineering and has spent much of the past decade planning and managing sustainability programs at colleges and universities.

Taneisha Deans ’12, PhD ’17 Detroit, Michigan

Taneisha is a research and technology engineer in polymers and the ARTC Lab Manager at DSM Engineering. She earned her bachelor’s degree in polymer science and engineering at the Case School of Engineering. Boosted by the Envoys program, she went on to earn her doctorate in macromolecular sciences.

Eddie Massey III ’13 Atlanta, Georgia Eddie is a research scientist at Georgia Tech Research Institute and the chief roboticist for Carbon Origins, a Case-connected startup aiming to make robots commonplace. As the founder and executive director of Kids Code Too, he has helped to teach coding skills to hundreds of youth from rural and underserved areas of South Carolina, where he grew up. Eddie earned his bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics and computer science at Case.

Peter Dixon ’14 Minneapolis, Minnesota Peter is the new chief engineer at Carbon Origins, a Case-connected startup aiming to make robots commonplace.

Previously he was a flight systems engineer at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. He earned his bachelor’s degree in aerospace and mechanical engineering at Case and his master’s in space engineering at the University of Michigan. A private pilot, he’s an assistant safety officer with the Civil Air Patrol.

Evan VanderHoff ’14 Tucson, Arizona Evan has joined Raytheon Missiles & Defense as a Senior Mechanical Engineer.

Previously he was the Design Engineering Lead at Amphenol Borisch Technologies.

Evan earned his bachelor’s degree in aerospace and mechanical engineering at Case.

Han Xu ’14, PhD Boston, Massachusetts Han joined Harvard Medical School as an Education Fellow in its Therapeutic Sciences Program. Previously, she was a post doctoral research fellow in the Harvard School of Dental Medicine. Han earned her doctorate at Boston University and her bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering at Case, where she was president of the Labre Homeless Outreach Ministry.

Arielle Bloostein ’16 Redmond, Washington Arielle joined Google as a software engineer and now describes herself as a Noogler.

Previously, she was a software engineer for Amazon. She will receive her master’s degree in 2022 in computer science from the Case School of Engineering.

Jesse Gadley PhD ’16 Newark, Ohio Jesse is a Senior Engineer of R&D at Owens Corning. He joined the company after earning his doctorate in materials science at the Case School of Engineering.

He shares his insight as an alumni advisor to the Polymer Initiative of Northeast Ohio (PiNO), a conference run by graduate students in the Department Macromolecular Science and Engineering.

Terrence Mathis ’16 Cleveland Heights, Ohio Terrance focuses on marine renewable energy as a project engineer at PMI Indus-

tries in Cleveland. He earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at the Case School of Engineering, where he was an engineer coach and math tutor for the Envoys program.

Shuang Zhao, PhD ’16 Kokomo, Indiana Shuang is a radar systems engineer for Aptiv, formerly Delphi Automotive. She is developing advanced radar signal processing algorithms for autonomous vehicles. Fluent in English and Chinese, Shuang earned her doctorate in Systems and Control Engineering at Case, where she has offered her skills as a research volunteer.

Quentin Baker ’17 Lakewood, Ohio

Quentin is a research and design engineer at Lincoln Electric, where he supports the development of retail and commercial welding equipment. He earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at Case. In his free time, he enjoys playing the saxophone.

Richard Akrobetu, MS ’17 San Francisco, California

Richard has joined Apple as a materials engineer. “I help create beautiful coatings in ways previously unimaginable,” he says.

Previously he was a process engineer for Ionbond IHI Group and a researcher at the NASA Glenn Research Center. An immigrant from Ghana, Richard earned his master’s degree in materials science and engineering at Case.

Elvis Cudjoe, PhD ’17 Strongsville, Ohio Elvis is a Senior Research and Development Engineer at PolyOne, where he works for the Color, Additives, and Inks business unit.

He earned his doctorate in macromolecular science and engineering Winter 2022

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Class Notes at Case. Every MLK Day since 2013, Elvis has staged polymer science demonstrations for children and their families at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

Khailing Neoh ’17 Simpsonville, South Carolina Ling covers 11 states as Territory Manager and VMI specialist for Parker Hannifin. She earned her bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering at Case, where she was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority and was named to the Homecoming Royalty court.

Marlena Praprost ’17, MS ’18 Denver, Colorado Marley is a research engineer for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado, where she develops and analyzes models of the national building stock to evaluate the impact of energy conservation measures. She earned her degrees in mechanical engineering at Case, where she was a ThinkEnergy Fellow with the Great Lakes Energy Institute.

Sam Guadagnino ’18, MS ’19 Portland, Oregon Sam joined Under Armour as a biomechanics analyst. He conducts biomechanics testing on footwear and apparel to develop future products. Sam earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biomedical engineering at Case, where he was a member of the varsity track and field team.

Turner Montgomery ’18 Boston, Massachusetts Turner has been promoted to Senior Field Service Engineer at Neocis, a robotics company focused on dental surgery. Previously, he was product manager for the Ventilator Project, a volunteer effort by engineers to help solve the ventilator shortage at the start of the coronavirus 30

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pandemic. He earned his bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering at the Case School of Engineering.

Shelby Ovrom ’18 Seattle, Washington

Shelby is a hardware development engineer at Amazon Lab126.

She recently played a role in the development of the Halo Band, Amazon’s first wearable health and wellness band. Shelby earned bachelor’s degrees in electrical and computer engineering at the Case School of Engineering, where she was a student assistant for DELPP, the Division of Engineering Leadership and Professional Practice.

Anshul Dhingra ’19 Chicago, Illinois Anshul is an analyst at Accenture focused on strategy and consulting in the healthcare field.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering at the Case School of Engineering, where he was a Michaelson-Morley Scholar.

Aaron George ’19 Cleveland, Ohio

Aaron is founder and COO of SupplyNow, a startup that provides a procurement platform for the restaurant industry and allows clients to explore market prices using auction technology. He earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering as an international student from the United Arab Emirates. In October, SupplyNow was invited to compete in Shark Tank 2021 at the Youngstown Business Incubator.

Matthew Trowbridge ’19, MS ’20 Newburyport, Massachusetts Matt is a Research Associate in the Science and Technology Division of the Institute for Defense Analyses, a nonprofit corporation that operates federally funded research and development centers addressing U.S. security and

science policy. He earned his Case degrees in mechanical engineering.

2020s Muriel Hook ’20 San Diego, California Muriel is a software engineer at Qualcomm, one of the world’s leading innovators in wireless technology.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at the Case School of Engineering, where she was a member of the Case Rocket Team and a recipient of the George J. Goudreau Sr. ’25 Scholarship from the Case Alumni Association.

Yeji “Wendy” Kim ’20, MS ’21 Chicago, Illinois Wendy is a structural engineering associate at Sargent & Lundy, a firm that provides engineering and business consulting for new and operating power plants.

She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering at Case, where she was a graduate teaching assistant.

Rebecca Lalk ’20 Los Alamos, New Mexico Rebecca, an intern at Los Alamos National Laboratory, plans to pursue her doctorate in materials science and engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, beginning this fall. She was awarded a prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, which supports outstanding graduate students in STEM disciplines who are pursuing research-based advanced degrees.

Rebecca earned her bachelor’s degree in physics at Case, where she was a member of the Symphonic Winds and a founding member of the Women in Physics and Astronomy Club.

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

Hannah Messenger ’20 Boston, Massachusetts Hannah is pursuing her master’s degree in music at the New England Conservatory of Music. She earned bachelor’s degrees in music and physics at CWRU, where she co-founded the Women in Physics and Astronomy Club. Hannah plays the French horn.

Cindy Pan ’20 Cleveland, Ohio Cindy, an Instrumentation and Controls Engineer at Nexus Engineering Group,

recently passed her Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam. She earned her bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering at Case, where she was a member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority and helped expand STEM outreach to middle school students as a volunteer for Public School Connection.

Oluka Okia ’21 Ann Arbor, Michigan Oluka is pursuing a doctorate degree at the University of Michigan, where he is researching photovoltaics and nanoman-

ufacturing. He earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at Case. As a ThinkEnergy Fellow, he co-founded the student startup EnvironFlo, which developed oil/water separation technology to clean up oil spills.

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

In Memoriam William J. Schrenk, Jr. ’43; New York, NY; 1-23-21

Gerald R. Frei ’56; Cleveland, OH; 10-12-21

Ronald A. Sarbach ’64; Strongsville, OH; 8-8-21

Burton L. Frankel ’45; Glendale, CA; 11-5-21

Steven S. Stack ’56; Erie, PA; 10-9-21

Robert A. Schuld ’64; Brevard, NC; 9-26-21

Donald P. Moon ’46; Worthington, OH; 7-11-21

Edward J. Metzger, Jr. ’57; Youngstown, OH; 9-10-21

Leonard A. Smith MS ’64; Syracuse, NY; 6-30-21

John J. Tanis ’49; Lakewood, OH; 10-30-21

Paul d. Arbogast ’58; Brentwood, TN; 11-30-21

Robert G. Van Wingerden MS ’64; Duluth, GA; 11-17-21

Hugo H. Borneman ’50, MS ’55; Mobile, AL; 2-5-20

Dale R. Hall, P.E. ’58, MS ’61; Durham, NC; 7-9-21

Albert R. Dixon, Jr. ’65; San Francisco, CA 8-4-21

Allen E. Lepley ’50; Austin, TX; 3-24-20

Ernest T. Harris ’58; Pittsburgh, PA; 7-26-21

David M. Gayle ’65; Silver Springs, MD; 5-27-21

Andrew G. Staley ’50; Chapel Hill, NC; 1-10-21

Donald A. Jackson ’58; New London, NH; 8-24-21

E. Pete Contrucci II ’66; Marietta, GA; 4-4-21

James W. Wickert P.E. ’50; Cleveland, OH; 9-30-20

Frederick K. Fischer ’59; Richmond, VA 10-20-21

Robert C. Lawler, P.E. ’66; New Carlisle, OH; 7-29-21

Robert A. Chirakos ’51; Mentor, OH; 9-19-21

John E. McDowell ’59; Plainfield, OH; 9-29-21

Prosanta K. Saha, PhD ’66; Cleveland, OH; 8-10-21

John P. Rogerson, Jr. ’51; Princeton, NJ; 7-8-21

Jack B. Klein ’70; Grand Rapids, MI; 5-17-21

Donald A. Zalimeni, Sr. ’51; Ashtabula, OH; 10-1-21

Richard Bartels ’60; MS ’63, PhD ’65; San Antonio, TX; 8-18-21

Vincent F. Hlavin ’52; North Olmsted, OH; 10-5-21

Michael Kosmetos MS ’60; Cleveland, OH; 11-28-21

Frank A. Lepage ’52; Dallas, TX; 10-14-21

Bobby D. Scearce ’60; Franklin, OH; 7-11-21

Robert T. MacIntyre ’52; Las Vegas, NV; 7-4-19

Virgil A. Thomason, PhD ’60; Chattanooga, TN; 9-20-21

J. Allan Punkar ’52; Venice, FL; 7-27-21

Burton M. Judson, Jr. ’61; Willoughby, OH; 11-20-21

Percy E. Pierce ’53; State College, PA; 10-24-21

William Donald “Don” Lieder MS ’61; Toledo, OH; 10-20-21

Donald H. Hooper ’54; Glendora, CA; 11-8-21

Dennis R. Hofferkamp ’71; Bedminster, NJ; 12-17-21 John Wilkins ’72; Winston-Salem, NC; 7-8-21 Kenneth V. Hoover ’73; Boxford, MA 8-3-21 Michael A. Reiss ’73; Lore City, OH; 5-21 Lawrence W. Pruneski ‘74; Schnecksville, PA; 10-2-21 Wade C. Driscoll PhD ’75; Lima, OH; 9-15-21

Karl D. Swartz, PhD ’61; Albuquerque, NM; 4-2-21

Charles P. Anderson ’76; Cleveland, OH; 5-6-21

Robert L. Bauman ’62, MBA ’68; Willoughby, OH; 5-20-21

Reuvan R. Levary MS ’76, PhD ’78; St. Louis, MO; 6-25-21

Dennis S. Chrobak ’62, MBA ’89; Silver Lake, OH; 10-12-21

Martha Wetherholt ’76; Martinsburg, WV; 6-2-21

Richard M. Hartman ’54; Ocoee, FL; 10-7-20 Thomas K. Brichford ’55; Farmington Hills, MI; 8-26-21

Robert F. Pierret ’62; West Lafayette, IN; 10-21-21

Linda L. Makatura WRC ’77, CIT ’77; Temperance, MI; 6-1-21

Alan C. Eckert, Jr. MS ’55, PhD ’61; Landsdowne, VA; Summer 2021

William A. Spritzig MS ’62, PhD ’65; Bridgeville, PA; 5-23-21

Theodore N. Matsko ’79, MS ’82; Chesterland, OH; 5-18-20

Ronald W. Murdoch 55; Cleveland, OH; 4-27-21

Stephen P. Weisbrod ’62; Minnetonka, MN; 9-7-21

Albert M. Palenchar ’83; Framingham, MA; 9-26-21

Ned S. Rasor MS ’55; Dayton, OH; 12-31-20

Roger A. Miller MS ’63; Syracuse, NY; 10-4-21

Jeffrey R. Sadowski, Esq. ’85; Cleveland, OH; 8-20-21

James A. Sears ’55; West Chester, PA; 7-5-21

Robert S. Vukosic ’63, MS ’65; Rochester, NY; 7-2-21

William H. Foughty MS ’86; Newman, GA; 7-3-21

Franklin P. Abbott MS ’56; Strongsville, OH; 5-7-21

Edward A. Kucler ’64; Berea, OH; 11-16-21

Jeffrey P. Silverstone ’90; Takoma Park, MD; 6-3-21

Oswald L. Zappa ’52, MS ’56; Stoneham, MA; 9-27-21 Robert S. Packard ’53; Farmington Hills, MI; 8-22-21 Kurt R. Rose ’53; Cleveland, OH; 9-1-21

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“LONG WE’LL REMEMBER…” Alumnus reflects on the ROAD NOT TAKEN, and all the difference that has made.

By Karl Zender ’59, PhD

T

he mailing label on the copies of the Case Alumnus that appear in my mailbox reads “Karl F. Zender, ’59 PhD.” The label does not list my major at Case, the university where I received my PhD, nor my field of study. My major was Physics. I earned my PhD at the University of Iowa in 1970, and my field of study was English literature. On the transition across those 11 years hangs, as Shakespeare would say, a tale.

I have many fond memories of my time at Case: freshman beanies; Robert Shankland, chair of Physics, explaining why a pitched baseball really can curve; the friendships I formed on campus and in my fraternity, Theta Chi, where the other members included Donald Knuth, who even then was on his way to becoming a world-renowned expert in computer science.

In retrospect, one of the most important of those memories is of a course I took in the second semester of my senior year, an elective in American literature, where I first read William Faulkner’s The Bear. Along with many of my classmates, I found the stylistic difficulties of the story baffling. Yet something about that story (in which the central character, Isaac McCaslin, learns of his family’s shameful history) must have planted a seed, because in the subsequent 60 years I’ve returned repeatedly to reading, and writing about, Faulkner’s fiction.

“

The philosopher Kierkegaard observed that we live life forward but understand it backwards.

“

While at Case, I’d earned almost as many credits in math as in physics, so it seemed to make sense when I graduated to take a job with IBM, at its Cleveland office, where I, too intended to enter the field of computer science. Yet for a variety of reasons, not the least my father’s death in November of that year, I found myself adrift and desperately unhappy. So I quit my job at IBM, took a part-time job at Standard Oil, down in the Flats, walked across the fence to WRU, and was introduced to Shakespeare’s 32

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plays by a charismatic professor. I earned an MA in English, then the PhD at Iowa, and moved on to a career in teaching and literary research, first at Washington University in St. Louis, then, since 1973, at the University of California at Davis, where I am now Professor Emeritus.

The philosopher Kierkegaard observed that we live life forward but understand it backwards. In looking back, it’s important to avoid imposing a false clarity on an experience that at its inception may seem ill-formed and chaotic, and, in my instance, was opposed by friends and family. They had difficulty understanding why I would walk away from a promising career and instead begin study in a field where, as the joke has it, you major in learning how to become a barista.

In nonetheless making this choice, I found support in a similar decision by Jim Kincaid, who also was an enrollee in that seminal course in American literature. Jim, who majored in electrical engineering and was a genuine BMOC, also crossed the fence to WRU, earning an MA there, then a PhD at Ohio State, both in English, followed by a distinguished career, culminating in a named professorship at the University of Southern California.

I’m confident that Jim would agree that our shift in fields was by no means a clean break. I’ve carried away from my years at Case a number of benefits — an analytical cast of mind, a skepticism about the universality of the right-brain left-brain dichotomy, an appreciation of the elegance and the artfulness of a well-made proof in mathematics. I’ve taken away as well the ability to use myself as an example when I tell students, uncertain about their futures, that the road they first walk on may not be the one they later find themselves traveling.

Thank you, Case, for these benefits, and more.

Karl is Professor Emeritus of English at the University of California, Davis. His most recent book, “Shakespeare and Faulkner: Selves and Others,” was published in 2021 by Louisiana State University Press.

Do you have a Case memory to share? Let’s hear it. Email robert.smith@casealum.org

Giving Corner

The stockholder’s advantage: A gift of stock can achieve a win-win If you own stock or other securities that have increased in value since you bought them, and you’ve owned them for at least one year, you have a unique opportunity for philanthropy. When you donate securities to the Case Alumni Foundation, you receive the same income tax savings (if you itemize) that you would if you wrote us a check, but with the added benefit of eliminating capital gains taxes on the transfer — which can be as high as 20 percent.

Making a gift of securities to support students, faculty, and programs at Case is as easy as instructing your broker to transfer the shares or, if you have the physical securities, hand-delivering or mailing the certificates along with a stock power to the Case Alumni Foundation in separate envelopes. (Tip: Using separate envelopes protects your gift, as the certificates will not be negotiable without the stock power.)

Here’s an example of how a gift of stock works: Dave owns stocks valued at $25,000 that he purchased for $10,000 several years ago. He would pay $2,250 in capital gains tax if he sells the securities ($15,000 X .15 capital gains tax rate). Instead, Dave decides to donate the stock to the Case Alumni Foundation. Dave receives an income tax charitable deduction for the full fair market value of $25,000 and eliminates any capital gains tax.

Using assets other than cash also allows you more flexibility, especially if you plan your gift creatively. For example, if you aren’t ready to give up these assets during your lifetime, a gift of securities through your will or living trust allows you the flexibility to change your mind at any time. You can continue to receive dividends and participate in shareholder votes, and the securities are still yours if you need them for other expenses.

Through creative gift planning, you can secure your own financial future and help support a cause that’s close to your heart. We can work with your advisors to help you plan for tomorrow and receive maximum benefits today.

We can also help clarify and document the steps to donate stock to the Case Alumni Foundation. Simply contact Stephen Zinram, Executive Director, at 216.368.8841 or stephen.zinram@casealum.org to see how this gift can be win-win.

Disclosure Statement: The information in this article is not intended as legal or tax advice. For such advice, please consult an attorney or tax advisor. Figures cited in any examples are for illustrative purposes only. References to tax rates include federal taxes only and are subject to change. State law may further impact your individual results.

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