Editor’s column

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!

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

The Case Alumnus is published quarterly for members and friends of the Case Alumni Association, which serves the interests of more than 20,000 alumni of the Case School of Applied Science, Case Institute of Technology and the Case School of Engineering.

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

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

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

OFFICERS 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

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

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

11 A bridge to behold

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

Winter 2022

Student Life 12 All-American girl

In this new feature, a Case scholarathlete explains how she excels on the pitch and in the classroom.

14 Polymer power

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

18 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.

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Alumni Adventures

24 Jazz man

Pioneering roboticist Brian Taylor finds that engineering and jazz share a tempo.

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DEPARTMENTS

1 Dean’s Message 2 Editor’s column 4 Letters, posts and emails 6 Around the Quad 9 Alumni Newsmakers 20 Case Memories 22 NewsBytes 25 Engineering + 26 Class Notes 31 In Memoriam 32 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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