Rochester Engineering Society Magazine February 2016

www.roceng.org

FEBRUARY 2016

Technology and Rochester's Planetarium: Past, Present, Future

Also in this Issue:

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Save the Date: Apr. 16 th

114 RES Gala

Sponsorship Opportunities Now Available | 24

Technology The Rochester Engineer Published since 1922 by

and Rochester's Planetarium: Past, Present, Future

ROCHESTER ENGINEERING SOCIETY, INC.

Founded March 18, 1897

(cover)

Volume 94, Number 8, FEBRUARY 2016 3,500 to 4,000 Monthly Circulation ISSN 0035-7405

RES Mission Statement: The RES will become the lead organization for improving the image and influence of the engineering community in the greater Rochester area by: Demonstrating a comprehensive knowledge of the region’s engineering and technical capabilities; Providing the best clerical support and public relations assistance to our affiliates; Continually communicating the engineering and technical accomplishments to both the engineering and technical community and the public; Providing regular forums and networking opportunities for the exchange of ideas and discussion of issues; and, Providing programs that identify career opportunities to the region’s youth and develop the skills of the practicing engineer.

News items and articles are invited. Materials should be submitted to the executive director at the society’s office, 657 East Avenue, Rochester, New York 14607; Phone number (585) 254-2350, e-mail: admin@roceng.org

The web site for the Engineers’ Center is at: www.roceng.org. The deadline is the 10th day of the month prior to the issue. Unless otherwise stated, opinions expressed in this publication are those of contributors, not of the Rochester Engineering Society, Inc. Advertising information may be obtained by contacting the office of the Rochester Engineering Society or going to the website at www.roceng.org.

Published every month but July. Yearly subscription is $20.00, single copies are $2.00.

Go to www.roceng.org to join the Rochester Engineering Society. Click on the individual membership and you can submit your application on-line.

Board of Directors:

OFFICERS: President ADAM CUMMINGS, PE Barton & Loguidice, PC / ACummings@bartonandloguidice.com First Vice President JON KRIEGEL Retired / jkriegel@rochester.rr.com Second Vice President MICHAEL V. TRIASSI Optimation Technology, Inc. / mike.triassi@gmail.com Acting Treasurer MICHAEL V. TRIASSI Optimation Technology, Inc. / mike.triassi@gmail.com Past President MARY STEBLEIN, PE LaBella Associates / mary.steblein@swe.org DIRECTORS: CORNELIUS (NEAL) ILLENBERG PE Retired / nillenberg@aol.com LEE LOOMIS Retired / leeloomis46@gmail.com SCOTT GRASMAN, PhD Rochester Institute of Technology / Email: scott.grasman@rit.edu ESTHER BETANCOURT Harris Corporation / ebetanco@harris.com RICHARD E. RICE, PE MJ Engineering / rriceaquash@gmail.com CASEY DILL Arnold Magnetic Technologies / casey.dill@gmail.com JOSEPH DOMBROWSKI, PE M/E Engineering / jdombrowski@meengineering.com DIRECTOR to TBD Administrative Director LYNNE M. IRWIN Rochester Engineering Society / e-mail: admin@roceng.org

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contents

5 • The RES Tutoring Team at Dr. Walter Cooper Academy is looking for More Tutors for the 2015-16 School Year 6 • Technology and Rochester's Planetarium: Past, Present, Future (cover) 8 • Get to the Point! - How Technology is Degrading our Communication Skills 9 • What's News 9 • 2016 Engineering Symposium - Registration Now Available!

10 • The Limited Monopoly - The Patent Landscape of Bitcoin and its Crypto-Brethren

12, 21 • Professional Firms - Employee News 13, 20-21 • News From Professional Firms 14 • Continuing Education Opportunities (PDHs) 14-16 • Engineers’ Calendar 17 • Campus News 18 • Position Openings 24-25 • Save the Date: 114th Gala & Sponsorship Opportunities 44-46 • Directory of Professional Services 46 • Directory of Business Services 47 • Affiliated Societies and Corporate Members of the RES Membership Application and Advertising Rates are on the website: www.roceng.org

news of the...

• ABCD Association for Bridge Construction and Design...............27-29 • AFE Association for Facilities Engineering...........................................22 • APWA American Public Works Association...........................................26 • ASCE American Society of Civil Engineers............................................36 • ASHRAE American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers....................................................37 • ASPE American Society of Plumbing Engineers....................................35 • EA Electrical Association.......................................................................31 • GVLSA Genesee Valley Land Surveyors Association.............................38

2 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER FEBRUARY 2016

• IEC Independent Entrepreneurs Council...........................................23 • IES Illuminating Engineering Society....................................................39 • IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.................32-33 • INCOSE International Council of Systems Engineering...........................34 • IS&T Imaging Science and Technology...................................................40 • MPES Monroe Professional Engineers Society......................................41 • RES Rochester Engineering Society....................................... 3-5, 24-25 • SWE Society of Women Engineers........................................................30

index

President’s Message Adam Cummings, PE RES President 2015 - 16 Question of the Month [at least in my house…err…in my mind]: 5.1 or 7.1 Channel?

First of all, Happy 2016 to everyone! Hopefully 2015 ended with everyone able to spend time with family and friends. And some free time to set some goals for 2016. Being a Sagittarius, I am lucky enough to have plenty to celebrate every December.

This year, I decided on a new journey to expand on my limited “Entertainment Engineering” skillset.

RES has provided me with plenty of opportunities over the past few years to meet some amazing Sentosa Crane Dance, Singapore, McLaren Engineering Group people. I truly value the opportunity RES provided to hear an amazing presentation from Malcolm McLaren and his version of “Entertainment Engineering” shown to millions at the major championship games of the NFL, some of our favorite rock concerts, and show venues in New York and Las Vegas. I am also indebted to Bruce Dunn who shared a small portion of his vast sound engineering knowledge at several of our past Annual RES Galas to help the U of R Yellow Jackets and RIT’s Eight Beat Measure sound remarkable. I never really thought of any of these items to be engineering-ish, but I soon came to appreciate that these tasks all incorporated our basic engineering toolset of math, physics, mechanical properties, fluid mechanics, electrical design and controls…the list could go on forever.

RMSC Strasenburgh Planetarium res news - president’s message

Now onto my latest home improvement venture…no good home brewery would be complete without a multimedia surround sound area to help pass the time while the wort is boiling or taste testing. I am now in the process of designing my own

home theater, after laying everything out and deciding what I thought was the ideal location for speakers and the display.

Something still didn’t feel right, so I decided to perform some additional research. Luckily, our own Rochester Museum and Science Center contains one of the largest dome theaters in the world…and a new inspiration for my new system. I began to brainstorm some ideas of the ideal home theater system: 8-channel surround sound system, laser show displays, a 65-foot diameter dome screen! Memories of my past came flooding in.

I remember my first date with my wife, Diane, back in 2004.

We were two strangers that were looking for something different to do. So when we went to the Planetarium to see a great show about the Adventures of Lewis and Clark - we felt adventurous and thought that fit the bill perfectly. I can also remember going to this massive dome as a kid to see the laser light and holiday shows. It is also where I learned where to look to see the constellations in the sky thanks to the many star shows seen under that dome.

Sadly, Carl did not make any of the cuts for names for our son, Nathan. But that name still provides and instant response of the star projector we have all grown to love and admire.

Carl Zeiss Star Projector “Carl”, RMSC Strasenburgh Planetarium

I hope you enjoy this month’s publication. Be sure to peruse our feature article, compliments of Steve Fentress, Director of the Strasenburgh Planetarium. RMSC is planning some exceptional upgrades to provide a more elaborate sound and lighting capability and to provide a wider variety of shows and more detail than we have ever experienced. I for one would like to see Mummies: Secrets of the Pharoahs in full dome format. I am also looking forward to future tours of the audio and video secrets of the planetarium.

Needless to say, the 65-foot dome idea or the laser light shows in the basement were vetoed by the decision maker in my household. However, I am still vexed with the simple question… will 5.1 Channel Surround Sound suffice? Or should I move to 7.1?

Lastly, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention our upcoming RES Gala on April 16, 2016. This year we are not only highlighting our award winners, but would like to showcase how Engineers ROC! and are Rebuilding our Community. Please be sure to see our latest sponsorship opportunities for this rebuilt and exciting event.

FEBRUARY 2016 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 3

Rochester History Continuing with the historical sampling of the earlier writings on behalf of the Rochester Engineering Society, the years following "The Great War," into and through the “Great Depression,” continued to be a time of reaching out for the maturing Society, both locally and nationally. The meeting minutes describe a series of technical discussions and presentations intended to broaden the technical horizons of the membership (especially the CE's, ME's and EE's). The RES affiliated itself with a number of National technical societies, adopted local Affiliated Societies, frequently held joint meetings with them and continued taking action on a growing list of public matters.

Certain issues of standardization, some crucial to public safety, became the responsibility of the RES and its affiliates. In the pervasive economic downturn of the “Great Depression,” the magazine offered classified advertising for unemployed engineers, technicians and draftsmen and took other steps to try to deal with the crisis. Still, it continued its effort to shape the function, purpose and infrastructure of the City of Rochester, and beyond. Soon, war would again affect the Society, taking away many of its leaders while providing opportunities for others to step forward to fill these vacancies. In an effort to provide even greater perspective on the happenings and concerns of the day, a synopsis, featuring selected items from "The Rochester Engineer" has become an integral part of this series. The Second World War and the Korean Conflict are now history. These experiences have changed the face and, no doubt, the future of the community. The Rochester municipal leadership and the industrial community have become immersed in the cold-war, growth economy.

“The Rochester Engineer” (October 1962)

A joint meeting of the engineering societies of Rochester featured a presentation, “Perspectives on the Peace Corps,” by Dr. Rogers B. Finch of MIT. Serving as an advisor to Peace Corps Director, R. Sargent Shriver, Dr. Finch is responsible for projects world-wide, administered

by U.S. Universities. Editor’s note: On March 1, 1961, President Kennedy signed an executive order establishing the Peace Corps. Three days later, Shriver became its first director. Deployment was rapid: Volunteers arrived in five countries during 1961. In just under six years, Shriver developed programs in 55 countries with more than 14,500 volunteers.

A joint, Saturday morning meeting of the RES and AIEE featured a tour of the power distribution and refrigeration equipment rooms at Midtown Plaza, led by Chief Engineer, John A. Flowers. Another joint meeting (RES, AIEE & IRE) featured a presentation, “Project Telstar,” by Eugene O’Neill, director of the Satellite Communications Lab at Bell Telephone. The development, construction and testing of the power plant of the World’s first nuclear-powered merchant ship, N.S. Savannah, was the focus of “Underway," a presentation

by C.H. Lawrence of Babcock & Wilcox Company. An article by A. M. Beebee, Jr., plant engineer at Rochester Products Division of General Motors, described the possibilities for significant energy cost savings from a concerted, focused program within a plant engineering department, utilizing an energy committee-approach to HVAC and manufacturing process energy utilization. Dr. John W. Graham, Dean of the U of R College of Engineering, announced that the University’s electrical engineering department, organized in the Fall of 1957, received full accreditation from the Engineers’ Council for Professional Development. He also reported that the 80 undergraduate and 25 graduate students in the electrical engineering program would be moving into the new Hopeman Engineering Building in the Summer of 1963.

“The Rochester Engineer” (November 1962)

The Society announced the resumption of its luncheon meeting series with three programs for November 1962: “Progress on the Development of Arterial Facilities in the Rochester Area,” by Bernard F. Perry, district engineer, NYS DPW; “Rochester Metropolitan 4 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER FEBRUARY 2016

A Sampling from the Archives of the Rochester Engineering Society...1897 - 1963

by Lee M. Loomis

Transportation Study,” by Roger L. Creighton, director, Niagara Frontier Transportation Study; and, “Port of Rochester Improvements,”

by Lt. Col. Leon J. Hamerly, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

“The Rochester Engineer” (December 1962)

Dr. Wallace O. Fenn, Distinguished Senior Professor of physiology at the U of R, was named the director of the University’s new Center for the Space Sciences. This facility was believed to be one of the first multi-disciplinary space centers to be established at a university. The center was expected to facilitate work currently being carried out in separate departments, including the training of future space scientists.

The Engineering Manpower Commission reported that the demand for engineers and physical scientists would greatly exceed the supply for the next decade. Specifically, they anticipated a 47% growth in engineering employment, and a corresponding 57% growth in the need for physical scientists. Annual turn-over rates in employment in these professions were anticipated to be less than 10%, for all causes.

“The Rochester Engineer” (January 1963)

This issue, “The Automotive Number” featured an article “Pointer Gauges and Indicator Lights on Passenger Cars,” by William D. Huston, American Standard Controls Division, Rochester Instrument Plant. Mr. Huston discussed the imminent departure of the more precisely informative pointer gauge, in favor of the more noticeable illuminated indicator, or “idiot light.” His rather exhaustive argument presents the pros and cons of these two methods of providing information to motorists. At one point in his presentation, he says, “It was said by some that a bright red light is, after all, the only sure and positive danger signal that everyone will notice and react to; after all, no matter how easy to read and how boldly displayed, many drivers will not watch pointer instruments. The lady drivers, in particular, are cited here.” A joint RES/ASME meeting featuring, “The Impact of Solid State Devices in Industrial Control,” by Robert C. Berger, General Electric Company, discussed the 25 years of development in semiconductor devices and their application to industrial power control systems. A second RES/ASME joint dinner meeting, “Reliability and the Mechanical Engineer,” by D.W. Fulton of Rome Air Development Center and George Chernowitz of American Power Jet, discussed predicting the reliability of mechanical devices. U of R President, W. Allen Wallace, announced the receipt of $3.5M from the National Science Foundation to study the structure of atomic nuclei. This project would involve the construction of an MP two-stage tandem Van de Graff accelerator, the first of its type ever built. In revealing this grant, the largest single award NSF had ever made, Dr. Wallis also announced that Dr. Harry E. Gove, of Canada’s Chalk River facility, would soon join the faculty and become the Director of the U of R’s Atomic Laboratory.

Subsequent articles in this series will describe the RES' continuing outreach to other technical societies as it considered its role in this and the larger community, along with more of the activities of the RES as it moved to be of greater service to its membership, especially those suffering from the current economic crisis, and adopted a greater role in shaping the future of the City and its environs. Noted also, will be the contributions made by RES members in the struggle to meet the challenges coming out of World War II, as well as a hoped-for period of post-war growth and prosperity. These articles will also feature an impressive array of RES activities in support of post-war re-emergence of Rochester area industry.

We welcome your questions and comments on this series. res news - history

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RES News The RES Tutoring Team at Dr. Walter Cooper Academy is looking for More Tutors for the 2015-16 School Year

Bergmann Associates CEO, Tom Mitchell (aka "Mr. Tom"), Helps a Dr. Walter Cooper Academy 2nd Grader with a Spelling Lesson

Bergmann Associates, PC, joins the RES Tutoring Team.

Beginning on Wednesday, December 2nd, a team of ten professionals from Bergmann Associates began their weekly schedule of tutoring at Dr. Walter Cooper Academy. With each one working one day per month, divided into two teams, they are the equivalent of two weekly tutors supporting our #10 school students. We thank Bergmann CEO, Tom Mitchell PE (also a member of the Bergmann Tutoring Team), for his vision in encouraging this effort.

It’s time, now, to complete our Tutoring Team for the 2015-16 school year.

We have many of our 20+ RES Tutors returning, but the need is great, and we still need more. We are currently scheduling “Lunch & Learn” presentations in several Rochester area firms, to inform and inspire prospective new tutors. We need your support..can we schedule one with your firm, work group, church or family?

The RES Tutoring Team at Dr. Walter Cooper Academy currently includes full-time, employed

Professional Engineers, recently-graduated engineers, retired engineers, retired school teachers, U of R and RIT undergraduate and graduate students, local business leaders and employees using their “flex-time” to spend a few hours a week as tutors.

Whether or not you think you have the time to commit to it right now, please contact us and

learn about this successful program and the opportunity it offers us to “make a difference” in Rochester’s City Schools. Let us come and meet with you, your business associates, family members, friends, or neighbors. Even just two hours a week of your time can make a big difference in the life of a student. Hear about the training each tutor will receive. Please contact the RES office, and let us know you’re interested in tutoring at Dr. Walter Cooper Academy - School #10, 353 Congress Avenue (in the 19th Ward, one block North of Genesee Park Blvd., between Post Avenue and Virginia Avenue).

Questions??? Reach out to RES Past President Lee Loomis and the RES Tutoring Team at…

Rochester Engineering Society, (585) 254-2350 via website: www.roceng.org or via email: leeloomis46@gmail.com (585) 738-3079 (mobile & text) res news - tutoring

FEBRUARY 2016 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 5

Technology and Rochester’s Planetarium: Past, Present, Future by

Steve Fentress, Director, RMSC Strasenburgh Planetarium Today, the Star Theater of the Rochester Museum & Science Center’s Strasenburgh Planetarium includes the following equipment (fig. 1): • Zeiss Mark VI star projector, built in Oberkochen, West Germany, installed for the building’s opening in 1968. In planetarium lingo, this is classified as an “optomechanical” star projector because the stars are projected images of tiny physical holes in opaque plates.

Fig. 1 The Strasenburgh Planetarium Star Theater

• 65-foot-diameter hemispherical perforated aluminum dome surface, about 35 percent gray with 1/16-inch perforations on 1/8 staggered centers, a common configuration, installed 1995 • Red, blue and white dome illumination from approximately 230 forty-watt incandescent lamps in the cove around the dome springline • Motion picture projector in 8-perf 70mm format with a single fisheye lens installed 1995, one of only 29 remaining in the world and 12 in North America that use this film format (according to a survey by the trade newsletter LFExaminer) • Video projection system using three Panasonic 1k projectors to produce a 2728-by-768-pixel image, displaying content from Dataton Watchout compositing software, first version installed 2007 • Approximately 57 Kodak slide projectors in panorama, all-sky, and multi-image groups • Various special effects projectors for auroras, volcanic plumes, etc., developed by the Planetarium technical staff over the decades • Theater control software from East Coast Control Systems running on its own MS-DOS computer • Laser show system based on small solid-state lasers controlled by Pangolin laser display software, installed in its current form in 2014 • Eight-channel sound system, amplifiers and speakers installed 1995, with a variety of inputs including Tascam HS-8 digital solid state players installed 2014 • Approximately 220 useable seats, installed 1985, reinstalled when carpeting was last replaced in 1995 6 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER FEBRUARY 2016

The Strasenburgh Planetarium stands out as one of the largest. According to Loch Ness Productions, a Coloradobased planetarium show producer and distributor, there are 4138 dome theaters worldwide, including 1680 in the U.S. In the category of 18 meters dome diameter and larger (Strasenburgh is 19.8 meters), there are 246 worldwide including 39 in the United States.

A renovated Strasenburgh Planetarium could include, depending on choices made among the many possible tradeoffs: • Digital fulldome system such as Sky-Skan Digital Sky, Evans & Sutherland Digistar, Sciss Uniview with Zeiss Powerdome, or RSA Cosmos Sky Explorer. “Fulldome” refers to the practice of filling the dome with a single video image projected through one or more digital projectors. A dome the size of Strasenburgh’s typically uses two to seven of them. Projectors in use in recently renovated large planetariums include the Sony T615, JVC SH7, and Christie Boxer.

The software allows an operator to “fly” at will through a threedimensional model of all the structures in the known astronomical universe, from the surface of Earth to the limits of the deepest galaxy surveys, as well as any other three-dimensional model in a standard format, including molecular models and artistic creations.

• Optomechanical star projector such as the Goto Chiron (fig. 2), Ohira Megastar, or Zeiss Starmaster ZMP. (Some planetariums now omit Fig. 2 Goto Chiron star projector the central star projector, in the Sudekum Planetarium, using the fulldome system Nashville, Tennessee for stars and accepting the tradeoff of slightly fuzzier star images and a slightly gray night sky in exchange for lower cost and more seating in the center of the theater.) An interesting installation for comparison is the Fiske Planetarium at the Fig. 3 Ohira Megastar star projector University of Colorado, on the former Zeiss VI elevator, Fiske Boulder (fig. 3), which Planetarium, University of Colorado, is nearly identical to Boulder

cover article

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Strasenburgh in physical size, shape and age. Fiske recently replaced its Zeiss VI projector with an Ohira Megastar optomechanical projector and Sky-Skan fulldome system.

• Sound and house lights controlled by the fulldome software

for different operators (fig. 4b). So, for example, a program presenter who wanted to show basic constellations to a Brownie troop could call up a custom control panel with only the buttons needed, and would not be confronted with, say, whether to turn the Sloan Digital Sky Survey galaxies on or off.

• New carpeting and new seats, possibly in a different arrangement for easier access or a better view, with some seats possibly removable for certain special events

• Simplified operation for guest performances, such as a visiting speaker playing sound from his or her own laptop or a musical ensemble bringing their own mixing board

The Watchout video system and laser show system produce excellent results now, have been trouble-free, and will probably stay.

• With new seats, new carpeting, and new colors on the dome, a fresh and attractive experience for visitors, both local residents and tourists

• Vacuum-cleaned dome surface • Cove lighting from programmable RGB LEDs in strips, such as the Chroma Cove system, providing saturated color and allowing complex color mixing • Updated sound system inputs, including simpler incorporation of alternative content

Among the goals of such a renovation: • With a modern optomechanical star projector, smaller, more pointlike, much brighter stars, and more faint stars, from a smaller, cooler, easier-to-operate device • With digital planetarium software, access to the 21st-century world of astronomical data, with wide variety of datasets that can be easily updated. For example, a 3-D model of Pluto could have been created and “visited” within a day of receipt of the first batch of images from the New Horizons flyby. The three-dimensional nature of the experience can bring physical intuition to topics that are now intimidating and potentially dull such as moon phases and seasons.

Digital planetarium software also allows fly-throughs of any other 3-D model, such as a protein molecule or brain map, loaded in a standard format. Science on a Sphere datasets can be applied to the Earth and other planetary bodies in most systems.

• Fulldome software can also play movies that have been produced or converted to the appropriate digital format. Some of the familiar giant-screen documentaries such as Wild Ocean and Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs have been scanned into fulldome format.

Others are original animated productions. Since the barrier to entry for digital production is lower than for giant-screen film, the quality of available material is more variable.

• Opportunity to rejoin the community of leading planetariums.

Digital assets and program pieces can be shared over the internet.

Fig. 4a Zeiss control panel, Strasenburgh Planetarium cover article

• Simplified controls for hardware and software, retiring the current control system (fig. 4a) in which each astronomical object has its own circuit.

Computer screens can be customized

Fig. 4b Example of a control screen for a digital planetarium system, this one by Sky-Skan

It was in 1964 that Edwin and Clara Strasenburgh announced the gift that made Rochester’s planetarium possible, as part of the philanthropy program they developed after the sale of the Strasenburgh Laboratories pharmaceutical firm. The suggestion probably came from their attorney, George Hawks, who was chairman of the board of the Rochester Museum of Arts and Sciences, and knew of a sketch for a planetarium that had been developed in the late 1950’s under Museum director W. Stephen Thomas. The Strasenburghs noticed their grandchildren’s interest in space, and how installations such as the Charles Hayden Planetarium in Boston projected the donor’s values into the future.

“The Museum’s determination to give the community a really fine Planetarium struck just the right note with us,” wrote Mrs. Strasenburgh.

The Planetarium Planning Committee included UR Institute of Optics director Robert E. Hopkins, Kodak Research Laboratories director John A. Leermakers, and Kodak manager and optics expert George T. Keene.

The building was designed by Carl F. W. Kaelber Jr. of the Waasdorp, Northrup and Kaelber firm. Construction was under the supervision of Stewart and Bennett, general contractors.

The Strasenburgh plan included some engineering firsts in the planetarium world: a dome with a springline that was lower than previous designs, immersing the audience more in the sky; space around and behind the dome for auxiliary equipment; automated shows in which recorded soundtracks and slide projectors were synchronized by a computer (a PDP-8 reading punched paper tape).

Now, more than 47 years after it opened, the Strasenburgh Planetarium remains lively and well regarded, thanks to continuing community support and an internal culture of creativity, Continued on page 42...

FEBRUARY 2016 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 7

Get to the Point!

How Technology is Degrading our Communication Skills In a past article, I discussed the importance of listening skills, in both our personal and professional lives. The article gave techniques on how to participate in a conversation by being an “active listener”. The following article came to me from a colleague, on LinkedIn. Lori Marra is a lecturer at RIT and an RGI consultant and is used here with her permission.

iPods and Earbuds: New Challenges for Effective Listening

The Journal of the American Academy of Audiology published a studied of 609 college students’ knowledge, experiences, attitudes, practices and preferences for hearing health and use of Personal Listening Device (PLDs).* Part of the studied confirmed what we have surmised: There’s been a dramatic increase in the use of these devices over the last several years.

The researchers remarked that, “Unless personal responsibility comes with having the ability to listen to a wide variety of auditory inputs from numerous sources for hours on end at PLLs (Preferred listening levels) delivered directly to the ear canals, many users of PLDs could encounter undesirable consequences.”** In other words, students might suffer from some hearing problems. However, I’m here to talk about another “undesirable consequence” of the PLD syndrome: we’re losing our listening skills. They are being overwritten by loud, in-your-head sounds designed to cut out noise, including the voices of other people.

This of course reeks havoc with our ability to communicate effectively.

Listening is the skill that turns hearing into meaningful information in our head. Listening is the ability to focus on and think about the sounds around you including what another person is saying to you.

We all know that PLDs are not limited to college students.

It seems like everyone is walking around in his or her own personalized smart phone world. We’re all listening to our own music or talk shows or phone messages or something coming through some device. We’re checking Instagram or Facebook or we’re tweeting. Of course, the longer we linger in our private worlds, the less time we listen to human beings who might be standing right in front of us—you know, our kids, our spouses, our clients, our employees, our students, our teachers, our, well, anyone! I’m sure I saw some Star Trek episode about just such an epidemic.

Maybe your child is telling you all about the field trip to Old McDonald’s Farm. He’s all excited as he tells you about what it was like to hear a real cow moo. Yet while he’s talking and mooing, you are nodding your head and surfing Instagram to get ideas for your new bathroom paint colors. You can parrot back what he’s saying, but you’re not listening to him. And he knows it. Now think about the employee who’s talking to you about a new sales promotion while you’re mesmerized that you can listen to highlights of Cam Newton and the Panthers going 5-0 yesterday.

8 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER FEBRUARY 2016

Don’t get me wrong: I love my buds, but while we all get to listen to our favorite stuff 24/7, our ability to communicate with others around us is suffering a lot. Effective communication occurs when a message is sent and is then received in the way in which the sender intended it. So, If we want to complete the communication process successfully, we’ve got to be focused, active listeners. We can’t half-heartedly hear what someone is communicating to us. We have to listen to it—take it in, consume it, think about it, process it, ask clarifying questions, and form a well-thought-out response. That’s tough to do when we’ve got Aerosmith’s “Dude Looks Like A Lady” pounding into our eardrums while our best friend is trying to ask us how to update her resume.

Let’s not forget how disruptive we can be when we are immersed in our little sound world. Yes, we’ve all seen the would-be Ringo Starr tapping away at “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” or the next Katy Perry sitting near to you in Starbucks with her pink headphones on, “roaring” off-tune. Their self-immersed performances can disrupt our person-to-person communication.

So what can we do? When a runner suffers an injury, he or she has to ease back into it to regain the skill. So, let’s do the same with listening. Let’s start by taking out the earbuds or looking away from our little screens for a few minutes everyday and sitting in silence. Listen to all the sounds around you. You’ll be amazed to hear a clock ticking or a heating system coming on.

You might hear the quiet breathing of a napping child or the sound of colleagues laughing in the cube next to you. Next, reframe how you approach the sound of others around you.

Look forward to hearing real voices from real people. Value the fact that you can hear someone in person, while they are literally still alive. Finally, know and understand that when you listen, you are building an essential skill for communicating effectively with everyone around you. Take your time, practice, and before you know it, you’ll be listening like a pro. * College Students, iPod Use, and Hearing Health. Danhauer et al.

Journal of the American Academy of Audiology/Volume 20, Number 1, 2009, pp 5-27 ** College Students, iPod Use, and Hearing Health. Danhauer et al.

Journal of the American Academy of Audiology/Volume 20, Number 1, 2009, p 26

RGI offers workshops in conflict resolution and communication skills. Please email me at LisaM@rgilearning.com with questions or comments for a future article. © 2016, RGI Learning Lisa Moretto is the President of RGI Learning, Inc. For 22 years she has helped engineers improve their oral and written communication skills. Visit www.rgilearning.com or call (866) 744-3032 to learn about RGI’s courses.

get to the point

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What's News Judges Needed for the March 13th Science Congress Think back for just a moment to our Junior and High School years when we presented our projects at Science Fairs! Were these experiences important (at least memorable!) to us? I believe they were important!! The Science Fairs (now referred to as Science as Congress) are still are happening!

In our area, the Central Western Chapter of the State Science Teachers Association will be presenting the annual Science Congress on March 13. This year, included will be students and projects from the 14 counties of central NY, centered around Syracuse! We may have 120 students/projects this year!

This is an opportunity for Engineers to be involved as judges for these future Engineers and scientists: to listen to students present their projects, ask questions, answer questions, encourage further research, recommend outstanding students/ projects for awards, and witness our next generation students “at work”!

Commitment is to arrive by 12:30 at St. John Fisher College, for orientation, training (lunch included), begin judging

about 1:30, interview 6-10 students/projects, develop relative score using a well established rubric, then discuss the projects with other professionals on the judging team to select appropriate recognition. Recognition may be a certificate of accomplishment, a cash award, and some students will be selected to national events! Wrap up will be by 4:30. You will be working with RIT and U of R professors and staff, teachers, representatives of industry, and the NY Water Environment Association.Your professional and technical assistance will be greatly appreciated!

Call or send me an email to volunteer or with questions! I guarantee that you will be impressed with the next generation of scientists and engineers!

THANKS, Bill Smith - Chief Judge William D. Smith, P.E., DEE 585-739-4728 wsmith4@rochester.rr.com

Announcing the

2016 Engineering Symposium in Rochester www.engineeringsymposiumrochester.com

Tuesday, April 26, 2016 Earn up to 7 PDH Credits Sponsored by Rochester's Technical and Engineering Societies and RIT

NEW LOCATION: Hyatt Regency Downtown Rochester (125 East Main St.) Time: 7:30 am to 6:30 pm $130 Advance Registration, $20 Student Registration $160 AFTER March 31, 2016 and at the Door Registration IS online at www.roceng.org The Monroe Chapter of NYSSPE, in accordance with ADA compliance, will make every attempt to provide reasonable accommodations for those requiring additional services to participate in our educational programs. If you should require such services, please contact Lynne Irwin at the Rochester Engineering Society (admin@roceng.org or 585-254-2350) to request support by April 1, 2016.

what's news | 2016 engineering symposium

FEBRUARY 2016 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 9

The Limited Monopoly® The Patent Landscape of Bitcoin and its Crypto-Brethren

by John Hammond, PE and Robert Gunderman, PE

A New Frontier

Bitcoin, a new “cryptocurrency,” continues to grow in use as a form of money. (Although in the U.S. the IRS treats virtual currencies as property). The exchange rate for bitcoin has remained relatively stable recently, as exchange rates go in the present worldwide economy, with the rate at press time being 450USD/ bitcoin. Anytime money changes hands, there is a money making opportunity, and when there is money to be made, there is an incentive to protect how the money is made. Hence we are seeing exponential growth in efforts to obtain patents relating to cryptocurrencies.

Data Snapshots

We recently presented some simple data1 that is indicative of these efforts using a bar chart showing issued patents and published applications that contain the word “bitcoin.”

The chart is provided nearby, updated to include the data for 2015 rather than a projection. It is apparent that from the invention date of bitcoin in late 2008, it took about two years for the term to first be used in patent applications, and then about another 1-2 years for those applications to be published starting in 2012. (Recall that a patent application in most cases is published 18 months after its filing date.)

From this data, one might conclude that there is exponential growth in both published patent applications and issued patents directed to bitcoin. Of course, on the issued patents side, the numbers are lagging as would be expected, but they appear to be trending exponentially.

However, this apparent trend is not accurate, as the data in the first chart illustrate a problem in performing patent searches 10 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER FEBRUARY 2016

“Anytime money changes hands, there is an opportunity for money to be made… and there is an incentive to protect how the money is made.” using keywords as the only search criteria. Patents and published applications that contain the word “bitcoin” are not necessarily directed to inventions that use bitcoin in financial transactions or other related uses. For example, a patent application could be directed to an invention having little to do with bitcoin, other than it being one payment option listed in the written description along with several other payment options, i.e., “receiving payment by cash, credit card, debit card, or bitcoin.” Broad recitations like this are common in patent applications, and in this instance, they skew the data, causing the incorrect impression that more patent protection of bitcoin-related IP is being pursued than is actually the case.

In order to filter out this effect, we need to focus our search by patent classification.

A quick review of the unfiltered search results turns up a few patents and published applications that are in fact directed to bitcoin related inventions. Those cases are classified under Class 705, “Data processing: financial, business practice, management, or cost/price determination. Of those cases, most are further classified under Subclass 71, “Business Processing Using Cryptography/Secure transaction/Including key management.”

Accordingly, when we filter our search to select patents and The Limited Monopoly

y

published applications within Class 705 that contain “bitcoin,” the picture becomes much clearer. In this graph, it is apparent that there is in fact exponential growth in bitcoin-related patent applications. Of 221 published applications, 139 of those were published in 2015.

However on the patent side… not so much. Only five patents containing “bitcoin” have issued in Class 705. Remarkably, none of these issued in 2015.

For the vast majority of bitcoin patent applications that have been filed but have not issued as patents, there are several possible explanations. Many of these pending applications may still await a first Office Action – the backlog of patent applications in the USPTO remains high, which means many patent applications sit in queue for a prolonged period of time. Other applications may have received one or more Office Actions in which the claims have been rejected, and prosecution is ongoing. A few applications may have been twice rejected and could be under appeal. Lastly, no doubt at least some of the applications have been abandoned for any of a variety of reasons.

The fact that no patents containing “bitcoin” were issued in Class 705 in 2015 indicates that it is very difficult to obtain patents for financial transaction methods directed to bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. This may be due in part to the “covered business methods” provisions of the America Invents Act that was enacted in 2012. However, it is even more likely due to the recent ruling by the Supreme Court in Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank International2. The issue in this case was whether certain claims about a computer-implemented service for facilitating financial transactions were ineligible for patent protection. The Court ruled that CLS’s patents were invalid because the claims were directed to an abstract idea, and implementing the claims on a computer was insufficient to transform that idea into patentable subject matter. This conclusion is consistent with overall recent USPTO data in Class 705: following the Alice decision, the Office has issued patents at less than half the pre-Alice rate.

The Limited Monopoly

Serious Money

These various possibilities notwithstanding, we don’t expect the pursuit of bitcoin and other cryptocurrency patents to abate anytime soon. A quick keyword search of various forms of “cryptocurrency” turns up 111 published U.S. patent applications. In eleven of these applications, Bank of America is the Applicant. This portfolio includes applications for cryptocurrency offline vault storage, transformation, risk detection, transaction validation, electronic payment, suspicious user alert, aggregation, transaction payment, real time conversion, and wire transfer systems and methods. All of these were filed in June of 2014 and await a first Office Action.

Bank of America seems to be making a bet on the future use of cryptocurrency, and the value of the underlying IP. We suspect that combing through the rest of the pending applications would turn up other major players. They are betting that anytime bitcoin (virtually) changes hands, there is money to be made.

1. See The Limited Monopoly®, December 2015.

2. Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank International, 573 U.S. __, 134 S. Ct. 2347 (2014).

To browse the entire searchable library of prior issues of The Limited Monopoly® from 2005 to present, visit www. thelimitedmonopoly.com.

Authors John M. Hammond P.E. (Patent Innovations, LLC www. patent-innovations.com) and Robert D. Gunderman P.E. (Patent Technologies, LLC www.patentechnologies.com) are both registered patent agents and licensed professional engineers. Copyright 2016 John Hammond and Robert Gunderman, Jr. Note: This short article is intended only to provide cursory background information, and is not intended to be legal advice. No client relationship with the authors is in any way established by this article.

FEBRUARY 2016 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 11

Professional Firms Employee News LaBella Associates, DPC Announcements LaBella Associates announced two recent Professional License Certifications: Kevin DeRoller, PE has recently passed the NYS Engineering Licensing Exam to become a licensed Professional Engineer. He has over six years of experience in Kevin DeRoller, PE structural engineering.

Kevin has been involved in the design of a variety of projects including K-12 educational facilities, State government facilities, and local utility facilities.

Kevin Martens, PE has recently passed the NYS Engineering Licensing Exam to become a licensed Professional Engineer. He has over six years of experience in structural engineering.

Kevin Martens, PE Kevin has been involved in the design of a variety of projects including higher education facilities, K-12 educational facilities, municipal facilities, and local utility facilities.

LaBella Associates also announced the hiring of the following employee:

Kevin P. Darby, PE has joined the firm as a structural engineer for the Buildings Engineering Division.

He has over nine years of structural engineering and hydraulic experience as well as Kevin P. Darby, PE technical design, field construction and project management. His experience is well rounded including the design of various systems and also managed installations. Kevin has extensive skills in concrete and steel building types for utility, municipal, state and county industries. q

Bergmann Announces Two New Employees Bergmann Associates announced that Robert Fleming joins the firm as a design engineer in the transportation group of the Rochester office. Before joining Bergmann, Robert worked for LaBella Associates D.P.C. as a structural engineer in the transportation group. He has a bachelor’s in civil engineering from SUNY Buffalo, with a concentration in structural engineering.

Robert Fleming

Mike Celentano

Mike Celentano also joins the firm as an electrical design engineer in the Rochester office. Before joining Bergmann, Mike worked at Hunt-EAS and Clark Patterson Lee. He has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the Rochester Institute of Technology. q

Popli Design Group Announcements Popli Design Group Welcomes New Employees: Brock Kinney has joined the firm as a marketing assistant.

Mr. Kinney recently received his bachelor of science in business administration specializing in Brock Kinney marketing and management at Elmira College, where he coordinated several marketing projects through his coursework and internships. His responsibilities include proposal preparation and business development support.

Alan Wyffels, PE, LEED AP, has joined the firm as a senior mechanical engineer.

Mr. Wyffels brings over 30 years of mechanical engineering and project management experience to the Alan Wyffels, PE firm. He has designed and managed a wide variety of projects for medical, institutional, governmental, commercial, and industrial facilities.

Also announced, PDG Employee Earns Engineering License: David Jenkinson, a project engineer in

PDG's bridge design division, successfully completed the Principals and Practice of Engineering (PE) earning his Professional Engineering License in the State of New York. Mr. Jenkinson David Jenkinson, has over eight years PE of experience in civil engineering infrastructure design, specifically reinforced concrete bridges, pre-cast concrete arch bridges, steel multi-girder bridges, and railway infrastructure design. He attended the University of Nottingham in England where he completed his masters of engineering degree. q

SWBR Architects Hires Landscape Designer

SWBR Architects announced the hire of Marlee Finestone as a landscape deisgner. In her role, Finestone will support the landscape architectur and planning department. She will assist with the planning, design and development of projects, including preparing site plans, initial concept designs and construction documents. She will be working within the education, housing and commercial sectors onprojects including Elmira Comprehensive Plan, site planning for RCSD School 58 and several DePaul housing projects. She most recently served as landscape designer with Blackwood Management where she gained extensive experience with Adobe Creative Suite programs, 3D modeling, geographic information systems (GIS), digital drafting, site detailing and more. Firestone received her bachelor's degree in landscape architecture from the University of Professional Firms, Employee News, continued on page 21...

Marlee Finestone Maryland.

12 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER FEBRUARY 2016 professional firms employee news

News From

Professional Firms

ACEC New York Recognizes Erdman Anthony with Two Coveted Awards The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) of New York has announced that Erdman Anthony will receive two 2016 Engineering Excellence Awards.

Erdman Anthony will receive the 2016 ACEC Diamond Award, its highest honor, in the Waste and Storm Water category for the firm’s entry, Gibsonville Stream Restoration, and the 2016 ACEC Silver Award in the Transportation category for the firm’s entry, O'Connor Road Realignment Project.

New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation called upon the Erdman Anthony team and its partner, McMahon and Mann, to provide schematic design, design development and construction document preparation for the Gibsonville stream restoration project in Letchworth State Park. That effort addressed a deteriorating 90 inch-diameter corrugated metal pipe, a segment of failing (sliding) roadway embankment downstream of the 90-inch culvert, and asphalt pavement reconstruction to restore roadway integrity and ride quality.

The final project design, permitted by the New York State DEC and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, resolved all the issues and restored an open stream channel by filling and raising the stream.

Erdman Anthony was also recognized for providing preliminary and final design services, as well as construction inspection services, for the O’Connor Road realignment project, a $1.48 million locally administered federal-aid project in Perinton, New York. The project identified safety and capacity issues by relocating approximately 1,400 feet of O’Connor Road to form a four-way, signalized intersection with NY Route 31F and Jefferson Avenue. The project included streetscape improvements, decorative street lighting, demolition of an abandoned gas station, burial of overhead utilities, and a number of pedestrianmobility improvements.

All award winners will be honored at the 49th Annual Engineering Excellence Awards Gala, which will take place at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City on March 19, 2016. This event is cosponsored by the ACEC New York Scholarship Fund, and, in conjunction with the Gala, the scholarship program will award more than $50,000 to New York State engineering students.

The Engineering Excellence Awards are presented to projects that encompassed both the public and private sectors in the following categories: studies, research, and consulting services; building/technology systems; structural systems; surveying and mapping technology; environmental; waste and storm water; water resources; transportation; energy; industrial and manufacturing processes and facilities; and special projects.

Each year, over 60 member firms submit projects that are judged on a rigorous set of criteria that include complexity, innovation and value to society. These projects are judged by a panel of industry experts, including military and government officials, ACEC National and International leadership, educators from colleges’ and universities’ engineering departments, and leadership from other organizations dedicated to the built environment. Awards are distributed based on the average scores received by these judges and are assigned one of four levels (in ascending order): Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond. The top-rated Diamond award, designed and built entirely within New York State, will earn the Empire Award, which will be announced during the Gala.

In addition to celebrating among peers, the Engineering Excellence Awards help to publicize the many significant contributions consulting engineers make to the built environment throughout the world. A full list of winning projects will be available on the ACEC New York website in early 2016. q

Passero Associates Becomes a D.P.D. The Board of Directors at Passero Associates D.P.C. is proud to announce that our company has converted from a P.C. (Professional Corporation) to a D.P.C. (Design Professional Corporation). This change will allow our firm greater flexibility to deliver the same high-quality, value-oriented planning, engineering, architectural design, surveying, sustainability, program management, construction administration and design-build services that we have been providing since our founding in 1972. With a staff of over 90 professionals, we proudly serve our clients, partnering with them to achieve their goals. Being a D.P.C. provides more opportunities for our people to participate in firm leadership, with our firm and our clients benefiting from this increased diversity and innovation.

At Passero Associates, our people make the difference. With expertise in the fields of Architecture, Airport Planning and Engineering, Civil / Site Engineering, Construction Administration, Sustainability, Forensic Engineering and Surveying, we have the resources needed to manage all aspects of your project. q News from Professional Firms continued on page 20... news from professional firms

FEBRUARY 2016 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 13

Go to the RES Web Site for Updated Details On All Meetings - www.roceng.org

Continuing

S

Education Opportunities

Monday, January 11

Saturday, February 27

Building Load Analysis 1 PDH Credit Pending

ASCE Ski Day – Engineering Bristol Mountain – The Back Door of Bristol - 1 PDH Pending

American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, And Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) p 37 Speaker: Robert Feduik, Carrier Corporation Place: Mario’s Italian Steakhouse, 2740 Monroe Avenue, Rochester Time: 12:00 pm with buffet lunch served.

Cost: $25 per person.

Reservations: Please contact Tim Duprey, tim.duprey@pres-services.com by noon, Thursday, February 4th.

Additional details on the website at www.rochester.ashraechapters.org.

Wednesday, February 17 American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE)

Stationary Pumps for Fire Protection Systems 1 PDH Credit

p 35

Speaker: Michael Klemenz, Upstate Fire Protection Engineering Place: Valicia’s Ristorante, 2155 Long Pond Road, Greece Time: 12:00 noon to 1:30 pm Cost: $20.00 (member or guest), check or cash at the door.

Reservations: Contact Dave Jereckos, 585-341-3168 or djereckos@ibceng.com by Monday, February 15th.

American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)

p 36

Tour led by Steve Fuller, VP Bristol Mountain Place: Bristol Mountain, Route 64, South Bristol, NY (Canandaigua address) Time: Donuts, Coffee and Tickets at 8:30 am; Facility/ Mountain Tour at 9:00 am; Ski and/or Snow Board at 10:30 am; Lunch/Social (hosted by the RIT Student Chapter) at 12:00; Ski and/or Snow Board from 1:00 to 6:00 pm.

Cost: Tour and Lunch Only - $15; Tour, Lunch and Ticket $65 Reservations: Contact Tom Hack at hackt@cityofrochester. gov or Marcus Uhmann at emu2097@rit.edu.

Additional details via email, and at www.ascerochester.org.

SAVE THE DATE Tuesday, April 26, 2016

2016 Engineering Symposium in Rochester Registration is now available on the website: www.roceng.org Up to 7 PDH Credits Available!

To post continuing education opportunities on this page please contact the Rochester Engineering Society, 585-254-2350, or email: admin@roceng.org

Engineers’ Calendar

M

P C c w ( M a a

M

A R E

B I

S P R T C R t F

M

E

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P P F 5 W

T

I

The engineering societies are encouraged to submit their meeting notices for publication in this section. The deadline for submitting copy is the 10th of the month prior to the month of publication. Please email to: admin@roceng.org. The meetings offering PDHs are highlighted in blue. Details about the meeting and affiliate (if in this issue) are on the corresponding page listed next to the affiliate name.

Tuesday, February 2

Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) IEEE Excom Meeting

Place: Hibachi Sushi Buffet Restaurant, South Town Plaza on Jefferson Road (Route 252), just west of West Henrietta (Route 15), Rochester.

Time: 12:00 noon.

Comment: Any IEEE member is invited to attend. Lunch is only $5 for IEEE members and $3 for student members. No reservations are needed, just show up. Directions can be obtained on the website: http://rochester.ieee.org/events-activities/monthlyexcom-meetings/ 14 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER FEBRUARY 2016

M E

continuing education calendar

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I C P T C c t R d

Saturday, February 6

Monroe Professional Engineers Society (MPES)

MATHCOUNTS – Volunteers welcome.

Wednesday, February 10

Society for Imaging Science p 41 and Technology (IS&T)

Place: RIT, CIMS Building Comments: Over 100 students have registered for the 2016 competition. 15-20 MPES members and other volunteers will be on hand to assist with the event (see https://www.mathcounts.org/ or contact Bill McCormick at mccormickwp@erdmananthony.com if you are interested in helping with this event). New volunteers are always welcome.

Building Load Analysis I PDH Credit Pending

Electrical Association (EA) Electrical Week Luncheon

Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) A Review of Energy Code Changes

p 23

Speaker: Dr. David Clocker, CTO of Isoflux, Inc.

p 37 Location: SUNY Polytechnic Institute, Colleges of Nanoscale Science

p 31

Place: Midvale Golf & Country Club, 2387 Baird Road, Penfield For information and details contact Karen Lynch at 585-382-9545 or karen@eawny.com.

Website: www.eawny.com.

Tuesday, February 9

Tuesday, February 16

Inverted Cylindrical Magnetron Sputtering: Technology and Applications

Speaker: Robert Feduik, Carrier Corporation Place: Mario’s Italian Steakhouse, 2740 Monroe Avenue, Rochester Time: 12:00 pm with buffet lunch served.

Cost: $25 per person.

Reservations: Please contact Tim Duprey, tim.duprey@pres-services.com by noon, Thursday, February 4th. Additional details on the website at www.rochester.ashraechapters.org.

Monday, February 8

Speaker: Dr. Matthew Montanaro, Senior Research Scientist, RIT Place: Room 1275 of the Carlson Center for Imaging Science on the RIT Campus. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Time: 6:00 pm.

Website: http://rochesterengineeringsociety.wildapricot.org/ISandT

Independent Entrepreneurs Council (IEC)

Monday, February 8

American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)

An Overview of the Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) on Board Landsat 8

p 40

and Engineering’s Smart System Technology & Commercialization Center (STC), 5450 Campus Drive, Canandaigua, NY Time: Registration at 7:30 am; Presentation from 8:00 to 9:00~9:30 Registration required: There is NO charge for this presentation.

Reservations are required by COB, Feb. 12th. Make reservations via The Rivers Organization at 585-586-6906 or ESTG@Riversorg.com.

Wednesday, February 17

Association for Facilities Engineering (AFE) Tour George Eastman Museum

p 22

Place: George Eastman Museum, 900 East Avenue, Rochester, NY Time: Tour at 5:30 pm; Dinner following the tour.

Dinner: Dinner Buffet at The City Grill, 384 East Avenue, Rochester Cost: Members - $25, Non-members - $30 Reservations: Reservations by Feb. 12th to Dennis Roote, CDE Engineering, 585-330-6986, dennis.roote@cde-pllc.com.

Wednesday, February 17 American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE)

Stationary Pumps for Fire Protection Systems 1 PDH Credit

p 35

p 39 Speaker: Michael Klemenz, Upstate Fire Protection Engineering

Instructor: Scott W. Copp, Sr. Project Manager with the Code Compliance Group of TY Lin International Place: Rick’s Prime Rib, 898 Buffalo Road, Gates Time: 12:00 noon Cost: $30 per person (includes lunch). Cash, checks or credit cards (Visa, M/C, Amex, or Discover) accepted at the door.

Reservations: Contact Diane Montrois at 585.254.8010 or diane@illuminFx.com by January 29, 2016

Place: Valicia’s Ristorante, 2155 Long Pond Road, Greece Time: 12:00 noon to 1:30 pm Cost: $20.00 (member or guest), check or cash at the door.

Reservations: Contact Dave Jereckos, 585-341-3168 or djereckos@ibceng.com by Monday, February 15th.

Support Your Affiliate Attend A Meeting Engineers' Calendar continued on page 16...

engineers' calendar

FEBRUARY 2016 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 15

Thursday, February 18

International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) Introduction to Maker Faire

Wednesday, March 9 p 34

Speaker: Dr. David Schneider, Field Lecturer, Systems Engineering, Cornell University Place: 8 hosts available. See page 34 for details or go to the website at www.incose/org/flc Time: Meetings begins at 6:00 pm and ends approximately 7:30 pm.

If you need details or have any concerns contacting a host email Kevin Devaney at kdevaney@srcinc.com

Thursday, February 18

Genesee Valley Land Surveyors Association (GVLSA) Board of Directors Meeting

p 38

Location: 40 & 8 Club, 933 University Avenue, Rochester Time: 6:00 pm Website: www.gvlsa.com.

Friday, February 19

American Public Works Association (APWA)

Join us on the Party Deck – Rochester Americans vs. Portland Pirates

p 26

Place: Blue Cross Arena, 1 War Memorial Square, Rochester. There is a pregame happy hour at the arena prior to the game featuring live music and drink specials. Face off is at 7:05 pm. Significant others and families welcome.

Tickets: $20 per person which includes admission to the Party Deck for the game.

Reservations: Contact Matt Czora, Arcadis by February 5th at 585-314-6388 or matt.czora@arcadis.com.

Thursday, February 25

Association for Bridge Construction and Design (ABCD)

Bridge Hydraulics (Annual Model Bridge Contest)

p 27

American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)

p 36

ASCE Ski Day – Engineering Bristol Mountain – The Back Door of Bristol - 1 PDH Pending

Tour led by Steve Fuller, VP Bristol Mountain Place: Bristol Mountain, Route 64, South Bristol, NY (Canandaigua address) Time: Donuts, Coffee and Tickets at 8:30 am; Facility/Mountain Tour at 9:00 am; Ski and/or Snow Board at 10:30 am; Lunch/Social (hosted by the RIT Student Chapter) at 12:00; Ski and/or Snow Board from 1:00 to 6:00 pm.

Cost: Tour and Lunch Only - $15; Tour, Lunch and Ticket - $65 Reservations: Contact Tom Hack at hackt@cityofrochester.gov or Marcus Uhmann at emu2097@rit.edu.

Additional details via email, and at www.ascerochester.org.

16 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER FEBRUARY 2016

Astronomy – ‘Kicked’ Black Holes

p 40

Speaker: Professor Andy Robinson, RIT Place: Room 1275 of the Carlson Center for Imaging Science on the RIT Campus. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Time: 6:00 pm.

Website: http://rochesterengineeringsociety. wildapricot.org/ISandT

The RES website (www.roceng.org) has a calendar of events for this month's meetings and meetings that are received or updated after the print deadline. Please refer to the website for updated information. If you wish to be listed on the calendar please send details to admin@roceng.org.

SAVE THE DATE

Tuesday, April 16, 2016

Speaker: Lallman Rambali, PE Place: Classics V Restaurant, Tonawanda, NY Details at www.abcdwny.org

Saturday, February 27

Society for Imaging Science And Technology (IS&T)

114th RES Annual Gala Sponsorships are now Available on the Website!

(See page 23 & 24)

www.roceng.org engineers' calendar

Campus News RIT’s online programs score well in ‘U.S. News & World Report’ rankings Business and engineering schools earn top 2016 spots for graduate level online learning Rochester Institute of Technology’s online graduate programs in business and engineering continue to be among the best in the nation.

The 2016 U.S. News & World Report Best Online Programs rankings, released earlier today, ranked two of RIT’s colleges: • 31st in the nation for “Best Online MBA Program,” offered by Saunders College of Business • 49th for “Best Online Graduate Program in Engineering,” offered

by Kate Gleason College of Engineering

Credit: A. Sue Weisler

“We are honored to be recognized on a national level for our graduate programs where we emphasize a highly collaborative format that incorporates the latest advances in online learning,” said Jeremy Haefner, RIT provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. “With the breathtaking rapid change in technology and workplace demands, our customized degree options have proved to be a difference maker for students in achieving their professional and personal goals.”

The rankings are based on data collected from the nation’s colleges and universities, which are then weighted by certain criteria, including student engagement, admissions selectivity, peer reputation, faculty credentials and student services and technology. Altogether, more than 1,200 distance education degree programs are cataloged in the usnews.com searchable directory. All programs are required to be more than a year old with at least 10 students enrolled.

While these rankings only pertain to full degree programs, RIT also offers a wide variety of online education opportunities designed around industry standards, employer demand and the perspectives of our global network through RIT Online. For more information, contact the Offices of Graduate & Part-time Enrollment Services.

The full U.S. News rankings are available online at usnews.com/online. q

campus news

FEBRUARY 2016 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 17

Position Openings

18 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER FEBRUARY 2016

position openings

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FEBRUARY 2016 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 19

News From

Professional Firms

Irondequoit Public Library Honored by APWA Genesee Valley Chapter Town of Irondequoit wins APWA 2015 Project of the Year Award for Structures Projects in the $5-25 Million Dollar category for the Irondequoit Public Library

The Irondequoit Public Library is receiving a Project of the Year Award for Structures Projects in the $5-25 Million Dollar category from the Genesee Valley Chapter of the American Public Works Association. This award honors outstanding public projects in our area. The Project of the Year Award was established to promote excellence in the management and administration of public works projects by recognizing the alliance between the managing agency, the engineer and a contractor who together have led to a successful completion of a public works project.

The award will be presented to the Town of Irondequoit at the APWA Awards Banquet on Thursday, January 28, 2016, 6:00 p.m., at the RIT Inn and Conference Center.

The new Irondequoit Public Library replaces the two library branches in the existing system. This 38,700 SF building is centrally located, reinforcing the original vision for the civic campus, which included a library adjacent to the Town Hall. The library's modern interior design serves and enhances the community. Its traditional exterior is in fitting with its location on the Town Hall campus. The new library enhances

the symbolic and physical heart of the community, and is a source of pride for the entire Monroe County Library System. As a piece of civic architecture, it contributes to Irondequoit's image in the community, region, and state. The new Irondequoit Library has truly become the reality of the ideal expressed in the Library motto, "Where the Community Connects" and its thoughtful design and construction have made it a welcome and integral part of the community that it serves. q

Chipotle/Starbucks Building on East Ridge Road Honored by Irondequoit Chamber of Commerce The Irondequoit Chamber of Commerce is recognizing the Chipotle/ Starbucks building at 1495 East Ridge Road as Best Re-Purposed Building for 2015, as part of its annual Person of the Year and Beautification awards.

O R f A 9 f ( U R i a

The dynamic redevelopment of the building now housing the new Chipotle/Starbucks store is part of the re-design of the Marshall's anchor and Ridge Goodman Plaza in Irondequoit, N.Y. Passero Associates is working with some of Rochester's largest real estate development firms in transforming their plazas into new modern facilities. We work with the owner to design a concept for the exterior façade that re-brands the image of the 1980s strip mall center into a contemporary retail center without any reconfiguration, solely through the means of façade and site/landscaping improvements. q

SWBR Architects Celebrates Grand Opening of Fairport Public Library

SWBR Architects, a Rochester, New York-based firm, recently celebrated the grand opening of the renovated Fairport Public Library on Dec. 5. SWBR, in collaboration with Tappe Associates, designed the $4.5 million renovation that updated and revitalized the existing 24,000-square-foot facility.

The firm was responsible for the renovations of the library’s existing leased space, with improvements that included relocation of both primary entrances, adding windows to increase daylight to the interior and placement of seating areas to use natural light to its best advantage.

The children’s and teen areas were increased in size and enclosed to separate them from the adult areas.

The library was upgraded to a 21st century design, reflected in technology , finishes and furniture.

20 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER FEBRUARY 2016

Representatives of SWBR Architects, the Fairport Public Library and the community gathered for the grand opening and ribbon cutting on Dec. 5. news from professional firms

R b k b t o c a e e t u o v o c

Professional Firms Employee News Three in Erdman Anthony’s Rochester Office Earn Professional Engineering Licenses Christopher Cody, PE, LEED AP BD+C, mechanical engineer, and James DiPasquale, PE, project engineer in Erdman Anthony’s Facilities group, have earned licenses as professional engineers in Christopher the state of New York.

Cody, PE Joshua T. Rodems, PE, structural engineer in the Transportation Engineering group, has earned his license as a professional engineer in the state of Pennsylvania. All are based in Erdman Anthony’s Rochester headquarters.

Cody also holds a LEED AP Building Design

News From

James DiPasquale, PE

and Construction Professional credential from the U.S. Green Building Council, signifying an advanced depth of knowledge in green building practices.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering technology from Rochester Institute of Technology.

DiPasquale holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical and mechanical engineering technology, with an emphasis on thermodynamics and power systems, from Rochester Institute of Technology.

Rodems holds a master of science degree in civil engineering, with an emphasis in bridge engineering, from the University at Buffalo and a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering technology Joshua T. from Rochester Institute Rodems, PE of Technology. Rodems is an adjunct professor at the University at Buffalo and serves as a director on the board of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). q

Professional Firms

DePaul’s Rochester View Apartments Honored with Community Impact Award from New York Housing Conference; SWBR Architects Served as Design Architect Out of more than 50 nominees, DePaul’s Rochester View Apartments was selected for the prestigious Community Impact Award. DePaul was honored on Dec. 9 with the Community Impact Award from the New York Housing Conference (NYHC). The event’s theme was Uplifting Communities — Reimagine, Revitalize and Renew, and featured innovative projects and initiatives making a difference in New York neighborhoods.

Rochester View Apartments, designed

by SWBR Architects, is a first-of-itskind in New York State, designed to better accommodate income-eligible tenants who are Deaf, hard of hearing or use American Sign Language. The community consists of 61 affordable oneand two-bedroom apartments offering enhanced supports. Each apartment is equipped with specific technology to help tenants who are Deaf, hard of hearing or use American Sign Language, including open floor plans with high levels of visibility, strategic lighting, safety lights on appliances, vibrating-alarm beds in case of a fire, hard-wired strobe lights for

CO2 and fire alarms.

“We are very pleased to provide this much-needed affordable housing option for income-eligible individuals in our community,” said Mark H. Fuller, president of DePaul. “We are honored to be recognized with the Community Impact Award from the New York Housing Conference. This will help us continue to elevate Rochester View Apartments in our community.”

NYHC strives to advance city, state and federal policies and funding to support the development and preservation of decent and affordable housing for New Yorkers. The nonprofit organization analyzes public policy, educates and convenes stakeholders, and raises awareness on NY’s affordable housing.

The project received funding from the New York State Homes and Community Renewal Unified Funding Application. q

professional firms employee news | news from professional firms

Photo description (left to right): Executive Vice President at First Sterling Financial Victor Sostar, DePaul President Mark Fuller and Assistant Vice President at First Sterling Financial Mary Dorn.

FEBRUARY 2016 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 21

Association for Facilities Engineering Rochester Chapter No. 21

2015/16 BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT Matthew Knights Ultrafab Inc. (585) 924-2186 ext. 221 mknights@ultrafab.com VICE PRESIDENT Frank St. George J.T. Mauro Co. (585) 210-4491 fstgeorge@jtmauro.com SECRETARY Craig Avalone CHA Companies (585) 232-5610 CAvalone@chacompanies.com

February 2016 Meeting Notice Date/Time: Wednesday, February 17, 2016 – 5:30 p.m.

Tour George Eastman Museum Please join us for this very special after hours tour, at the historic and prestigious George Eastman Museum. Located on the Eastman estate, the museum was founded in 1947 as an independent non-profit institution. It is the world’s oldest photography museum, and one of the oldest film archives. Our tour of the facility will include the recently renovated 500-seat Dryden Theatre, and the upgraded mechanical systems.

TREASURER Dennis Roote CDE Engineering & Environment, PLLC (585) 330-6986 dennis.roote@cde-pllc.com ASSISTANT TREASURER Tom Acquilano Trane Supply (585) 256-1028 Tom.Acquilano@trane.com IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT Josh Murray - R L Stone Co. Inc. (585) 203-1222 joshm@rl-stone.com

Requirements: None specified Address/Directions: 900 East Avenue, Rochester NY 14607

DELEGATE DIRECTORS Jeff Bidell – Erdman Anthony Dan Friday – YMCA Tom Ward - YMCA Joseph R. Graves – RMSC Fred Schreiner – Buckpitt and Co. Mark Ramsdell – Haley & Aldrich

To get to the Eastman Museum, take I-90 to I-490. From 490, take exit 19 for Culver Rd. and turn north onto Culver. After about a half-mile on Culver, turn left onto East Avenue. The museum will be on the right. The main museum entrance is on the north side of the building, toward University Avenue. The Dryden Theatre entrance is just off the parking lot. Parking lot can be accessed from both East or University Avenues.

CHAPTER HISTORIAN Joe Dioguardi – MicroMod

Dinner: Dinner Buffet at The City Grill, located just minutes away at 384 East Avenue, Rochester 14607

CHAIRMAN, EDUCATION COMMITTEE Thomas Coburn -The Gleason Works (585) 461-8073 tcoburn@gleason.com CHAIRMAN, COMMUNICATION COMMITTEE Bryan D. Stalk - Crosby-Brownlie (585) 325-1290 bstalk@crosbybrownlie.com CHAIRMAN, MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE Kurt Finkbeiner (585) 671-7771 kfinkbeiner@rochester.rr.com

Cost: Members - $25

Non Member - $30

Please RSVP by February 12, 2016 to: Dennis Roote CDE Engineering (585) 330-6986 dennis.roote@cde-pllc.com

22 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER FEBRUARY 2016

afe news

Rochester NY Chapter

Independent Entrepreneurs Council

"The Junction of Technology, Manufacturing & Business Development" In Conjunction with the "Empire State Technology Group" Chairman/Moderator Ralph Kraft R. Kraft, Inc 585-621-6946 Program Director Robert Lewis AdviCoach 585-385-2087 Treasurer Richard Blazey Business Metamorphosis LLC 585-520-3935

Entrepreneurs Helping Entrepreneurs Succeed Monthly Breakfast Series Date: Tuesday, February 16, 2016 Location: SUNY Polytechnic Institute, Colleges of Nanoscale Science and Engineering's Smart System Technology & Commercialization Center (STC) 5450 Campus Drive, Canandaigua, MY 14424 Time: Registration 7:30 to 8:00 am; Presentation 8:00 to 9:00~9:30 am Registration Required: There is NO charge for this presentation. Reservations are required by Friday C.O.B. February 12, 2016. Make reservations via The Rivers Organization at (585) 586-6906 or ESTG@Riversorg.com.

"Inverted Cylindrical Magnetron Sputtering: Technology and Applications" Topic:

Web Master Richard Blazey Business Metamorphosis LLC 585-520-3935 Event Planner Rick Rivers The Rivers Organization 585-586-6906 Community Outreach: Terry Rogelstad Pfeiffer Vacuum 585-330-9713 Dave Bassett Bassett IP Strategies 585-739-9726 Lee Drake OS Cubed 585-765-2444 Dennis Roote CDE Engineering & Environmental PLCC 585-330-6986

Speaker: Dr. David Glocker is CTO of Isoflux, Inc., a manufacturer of inverted cylindrical

magnetron cathodes. Dr. Clocker has over thirty years of thin film coating experience and is an inventor or co-inventor on 32 US patents and the author.

Abstract:

Inverted cylindrical magnetron (ICM) cathodes sputter material off of the inside surfaces of cylindrical targets. This makes them ideal for coating wires, fibers and substrates having complex three-dimensional shapes. A wide variety of magnetic field configurations are possible that can be used to achieve specific process goals such as excellent coating thickness uniformity, efficient utilization of expensive materials and high plasma densities. This talk will discuss the technical aspects of these sources and then focus on several applications. For example, because of their ability to achieve relatively conformal coverage of 3-D shapes, ICM cathodes are used by at least two medical device manufacturers to deposit coatings on pacemaker electrodes. In another medical application, a porous nanocolumnar Ta coating with excellent flexibility has been developed to render implants such as stents visible in X-Rays. Finally, recent work using ICM cathodes in an off-axis mode has demonstrated their ability to deposit optical coatings with excellent properties on highly curved surfaces.

Upcoming Talks: Date March 2016

Speaker

Bradley J Cline

Topic

Identifying Organic Compounds in Microelectronics

April 2016 Richard Blazey

"Freedom to Use" - Even if you don't think you need a patent, you need it.

May 2016 David Bassett

"Patenting Do's and Don'ts. Tips to Effectively Patent Your Invention

If you are a “technology based entrepreneur” and you feel that you have a topic of interest that you would like to present, contact one of the persons listed on the left of this page.

Talks are the 3rd Tuesday of every month (0800-0930), Reservation Required.

Join us at our Monthly luncheon meeting to see how we can help you grow your business.

Contact one of the persons listed to the left for time and place.

iec news

FEBRUARY 2016 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 23

24 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER FEBRUARY 2016

res news - gala sponsorship

p

GALA PROGRAM 5:00 PM RECEPTION & SILENT AUCTION hors d’oeuvres, cocktails & music ENGINEERS ROC! Displays 6:30 PM DINNER, AWARDS, ENTERTAINMENT 9:30 PM DESSERT & COFFEE

ENGINEERING HONORS 2015 Engineer of the Year 2015 Young Engineer of the Year 2015 Engineers of Distinction Scholarships to High School & College Students RES Board Awards

GALA COMMITTEES HELP NEEDED

www.roceng.org - for more information res news - gala save the date

FEBRUARY 2016 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 25

Genesee Valley Branch

American Public Works Association Website: NewYork.APWA.net Geoffrey Benway, PE, Genesee Valley Branch President Genesee Valley Branch Serving Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans and Wayne County

“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”

Aristotle

NY Chapter Conference

The NY Chapter representatives have been working hard to provide an outstanding educational event for all public works professionals. I encourage everyone to plan on joining other NY Chapter members in Syracuse, NY on April 14th & 15th. The conference includes an opportunity to meet with regional vendors, fellow public works agencies, consulting engineers, and attend up to 9 sessions on current topics of interest. This includes up to 9 PDH’s for professional engineers! The conference is being held at the newly renovated Crowne Plaza Syracuse (the round hotel) in Downtown Syracuse. The hotel is less than ½ mile from Armory Square, shopping, and the On Center. The Education Committee is still wrapping up the final list of sessions, but those confirmed include: • • • • • • • • • • • •

Construction of the Tappen Zee Bridge Design of the railroad bridge over Letchworth State Park Flood Plain regulation Changes City of Rochester Inner Loop Syracuse Connective Corridor ENVISION and Wastewater Facilities Ethics Onondaga Constructed Wetlands Leadership and Management MS4 and Construction Permit Updates Invasive Species Going Paperless in the Office

Be sure to plan on staying over on Thursday night for the presentation of the NY Chapter Awards to outstanding individuals and projects. The winners are chosen from the various Branches that make up the NY Chapter. This event is a great chance to network with those that shape the world of public works. Friday sessions are scheduled for the morning of the 15th so everyone can be sent home early with a box lunch.

Please go to the NY Chapter website for more information.

Questions can be directed to our Chapter Administrator, Cindy Chandler (585-217-7356) for sponsorship opportunities, reservations, and special hotel rates.

NY Chapter Institute

The NY Chapter is working on the formation of a NY Institute to provide localized continuing education for its members. Why is this important? APWA has created the Donald C. Stone Center for Leadership Excellence in public works. This Center provides 4 levels of credentials for public works staff. The levels include Supervisor, Manager, Executive, and Leadership Fellow. Go to the APWA website to learn more about each level. Currently there are 18 public works Institutes across the USA, but not in NY! To be allowed into the DCS Program, it is preferred that each applicant attend some institute classes. The NY Chapter is working with some NY based universities to assist in forming our very own Institute. If anyone is interested in helping to assist in the effort, please send me an email.

APWA Genesee Valley Branch Invites You to Join Us on the Party Deck The APWA Genesee Valley Branch invites you to join us on the Party Deck on February 19, 2016 at 7:00 pm at the Blue Cross Arena. It will be the Rochester Americans Vs. Portland Pirates.

Vs.

There is a pregame happy hour at the arena prior to the game featuring live music and drink specials. Face off is at 7:05 pm.

Significant others and families are welcome! Tickets are $20 per person which includes admission to the Party Deck for the game.

For reservations contact Matt Czora, Arcadis at 585-314-6388 or matt.czora@arcadis.com by February 5, 2016.

The American Public Works Association (www.apwa.net) is a not-for-profit, international organization of more than 28,500 members involved in the field of public works. APWA serves its members by promoting professional excellence and public awareness through education, advocacy and the exchange of knowledge. APWA is headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, has an office in Washington, D.C. and 63 chapters in North America.

26 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER FEBRUARY 2016

apwa news

Association for Bridge Construction and Design Western New York Chapter Website: www.abcdwny.org

Important upcoming dates: Engineers Week Feb 21 - 27 Feb 25th at Classics V, Tonawanda, NY

2:00 PM - Buffalo Annual Model Bridge Contest

6:00 PM - February Meeting

Lallman Rambali, PE - Bridge Hydraulics

March 16th Annual TSC Meeting

Solar City Presentation at

Salvatore's Italian Gardens, Depew, NY April 6th

2016 Spring Seminar Batavia Downs Conference Center, Batavia, NY (See separate “Call for Papers” on page 29 for details)

April 18th

Submissions due for Bridge Awards (See separate notice on page 28 for details )

May 19th

Annual Meeting Red Osier, Stafford, NY Bridge Awards & Election of Officers

June 16th

Scholarship Golf Tournament Terry Hills, Batavia, NY

Nov 18th

Annual Fall Conference Millennium Hotel, Buffalo, NY

Membership Information can be found at www.abcdwny.org abcd news

FEBRUARY 2016 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 27

Association for Bridge Construction and Design Western New York Chapter Website: www.abcdwny.org

Accepting Submissions for the

ABCD 2015 BRIDGE DESIGN AWARDS The Western New York Chapter of the Association for Bridge Construction and Design is requesting submissions from the membership for our 2015 Bridge Design Awards program. The Award honors owners, designers and contractors for outstanding bridge projects throughout Western New York. Submissions may involve new or rehabilitated bridges, single or multi-span structures, which have been opened to traffic in 2015.

The awards are presented at our Annual Meeting at the Red Osier Landmark Restaurant, to be held May 19, 2016.

Each year two bridges are selected as the Bridge of the Year based on criteria listed below. These bridges exemplify innovative and/or unusual techniques, design and/or construction methods. There are two categories for the Bridge Awards:

Bridge Cost - Under $2,000,000 Bridge Cost - Over $2,000,000 All submissions will be judged on the project merits (design, requirements, use of innovative technology, schedule and coordination, site conditions, constructability and complexity) and the Entry Documentation (narrative description, representative photos, illustrative sketches, project features and overall entry presentation.)

All submissions are to be digital. No paper copies are required.

Submission guidelines are on our website: www.abcdwny.org Submit to: Curt Krempa, PE Nussbaumer & Clarke, Inc. (716)827-8000 ckrempa@nussclarke.com

Nomination Deadline - Monday, April 18, 2016.

Membership Information can be found at www.abcdwny.org 28 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER FEBRUARY 2016

abcd news

a

Association for Bridge Construction and Design Western New York Chapter Website: www.abcdwny.org

CALL FOR PAPERS ABCD Spring Seminar Batavia Downs, Batavia, NY Wednesday, April 6, 2016

The Western New York Chapter of the Association for Bridge Construction and Design is seeking technical presenters for the ABCD Spring Seminar. The seminar has grown over the years and last year we had over 100 bridge industry professionals interested in exchanging ideas and information regarding the design, fabrication, and construction of bridges.

You are invited to submit abstracts related to all aspects of bridge design, engineering, and construction perspectives (regardless of the project type and size). Some topics of interest may include, but are not limited to, the following: • Aesthetics/Contextual Design • Bridge Construction Techniques • Bridge Management Systems • Case Studies and Planning Projects • Codification of Bridge Design • Design, Analysis and Modeling • Environmental Impact Assessment • High Performance Materials and Components

I-190 / Buffalo Avenue 2015 ABCD Bridge Award over $2 M

Penora Street / Cayuga Creek 2015 ABCD Bridge Award under $2 M

• Inspection, Rehabilitation and Retrofit • Maintenance and Evaluation • Procurement, Construction and PM • Reliability and Risk Management • Safety and Serviceability • Seismic and Wind Design • Security against Terrorist Attack • Smart Structures • Vehicle Bridge Interaction

Abstracts for potential presentations shall be a maximum of one type-written page and include a description of the topic, the names and titles of the presenter(s), and identify the duration of the presentation as 25, 50 or 80 minutes. Please submit abstracts no later than February 17, 2016 to either:

Curt Krempa, PE

Nussbaumer & Clarke, Inc. 3556 Lake Shore Road, Suite 500 Buffalo, NY 14219-1494 (716) 827-8000, ckrempa@nussclarke.com abcd news

William F. Rugg, PE

GPI / Greenman Pedersen, Inc. 4950 Genesee Street, Suite 100 Buffalo, NY 14225 (716) 633-4844, wrugg@gpinet.com FEBRUARY 2016 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 29

30 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER FEBRUARY 2016

swe news

ea news

FEBRUARY 2016 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 31

February Newsletter, 2016 Executive Committee Chair: Greg Gdowski greg.gdowski@gmail.com Vice Chair: Dave Krispinsky dgkite@rit.edu Treasurer: Bill Fowlkes william.fowlkes@kodak.com Secretary: Ray Ptucha rwpeec@rit.edu Awards: Jean Kendrick jkendrick388@frontiernet.net Communications: Greg Gdowski greg.gdowski@gmail.com Newsletter: Anh Karam anh.karam@rit.edu PACE: Joe DeVita j.devita@ieee.org Univ. of Rochester Chapter: Wendi Heinzelman wheinzel@ece.rochester.edu RIT Chapter: Gill Tsouri grteee@rit.edu Chapters,Council,&Groups COMMSOC/AES: Nirmala Shenoy nxsvks@rit.edu CS, CIS: Peter Anderson pga@cs.rit.edu EDS, CSS: Sean Rommel slremc@rit.edu EMBS: Cristian Linte christian.linte@ieee.org GRSS: Emmett Ientilucci emmett@cis.rit.edu LIFE: Henry Simon henrysimon@frontiernet.net APS, MTTS: Gregory Pettis gpettis@harris.com Photonics: Bruce Smith bwsemc@rit.edu PES, IAS: David Krispinsky dgkite@rit.edu SPS: Nathan Cahill

http://rochester.ieee.org

Message from the Chair

Dear Colleagues, I am happy to report the outcome of the recent IEEE Rochester Section Elections. I will serve as the Chair, Dave Krispinsky will serve as the Vice Chair, Bill Fowlkes and Ray Ptucha will continue as the Treasurer and Secretary (respectively).

Each will serve a 2 year term in office in accordance with the IEEE MGA bylaws. I look forward to continuing the work we have done thus far over the last 2 years and in working with Dave Krispinsky our new Vice Chair. We will continue to run many of the successful activities we have done in the past such as the Western Area NY Image Processing workshop, the Sectional Joint Chapter, and Summer meetings. It is meetings like these that have led to Rochester having the highest retention rate of members amongst the 22 Sections that constitute Region 1. Last year, 25 members were elevated as Senior members of the IEEE in 2015. This is a remarkable increase in Senior member elevations in comparison to the last several years and I hope to continue this trend over the next two year. If you are not a member of the IEEE, now is the time to join! 2016 promises to be a year filled with many opportunities and I look forward to continuing our success in Rochester as the largest engineering society!

Rochester Engineering Society’s Engineering Post

Save the Date: March 24 at 6:30 PM. There will be a meeting for the Rochester Engineering Society’s Engineering Post on March 24 from 6:30 – 8:30 PM. The Post consists of 25 high school junior students with an interest in pursuing engineering as a career. The presentation will show and tell what an engineer in industry does during a regular day. Speakers for this event will include IEEE member Lyle Tague and Kodak engineer Pat Kline. For further details please contact Richard Repka, Post leader, at rrepka10@gmail.com or Dave Krispinsky at dgkite@rit.edu.

2016 Engineering Symposium in Rochester April 26 at the Hyatt Downtown I am looking for speakers to fill the IEEE track for the 12th annual Engineering Symposium in Rochester. Any discipline in EE is welcome. For Professional Engineer speakers a total of 3 Professional Development Hours (PDH’s) will be issued. The allday event which typically attracts over 430 participants, includes 37 accredited courses where 7 PDH’s can be obtained for Professional Engineers. It also accrues revenue for the Rochester IEEE section. If you or if you know a colleague that would like to present at the 2016 ESR, please contact Dave Krispinsky, dgkite@rit.edu For Symposium info please visit www.engineeringsymposiumrochester.com.

32 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER FEBRUARY 2016

ieee news

s

February Newsletter, 2016

http://rochester.ieee.org

A piece of history By far, the most versatile of our Founding Fathers was Benjamin Franklin. And he accomplished so much socially, diplomatically, and politically that it’s easy to overlook his scientific accomplishments, or even to wonder if, out of national pride, we might have inflated his achievements as a scientist. But the fact is that, along with everything else, old Ben was a world-class scientist, including in the area of electrical research – especially research into not only the properties of lightning, but protection against it. Of course, Franklin’s apocryphal kite experiment is most famous, but his research into lightning rods likely had the greatest impact – although no statistics were kept at the time, it certainly seems likely that his work in this area saved lives, not only in America, but throughout the world.

While Franklin’s theorizing about the importance of lightning rods was spot-on, nobody could quite agree on whether they should be rounded, blunt, or pointed – Franklin advocated a pointed shape while the British felt that rounded was better. Surprisingly, this question has still not been answered conclusively! Some recent research by Charles B. Moore (in 2000) suggests that the optimum shape is somewhere in between – a moderately rounded shape seems to promote the formation of an electrical field that will best attract lightning strikes. In this case, Franklin gets full credit for discovering the electrical nature of lightning and for being the first to figure out how to protect our buildings from its effects. As for the shape issue? Well, he was close but not perfect – but we can hardly fault an 18th century scientist for not finding the perfect answer to a question that wasn’t answered until the 21st.

2016 Rochester IEEE Joint Chapters Meeting We are looking for speakers to give one hour presentations at the annual IEEE JCM in the following areas: - Aerospace & Electronics Systems/Communications

-

Education

- Computer/Computational Intelligence

-

Geoscience & Remote Sensing

- Electromagnetic Compatibility/Product Safety Engineering

-

Photonics

- Microwave Theory & Techniques/Antennas & Propagation

-

Signal Processing

- Power Engineering/Industry Applications

-

Engineering in Medicine & Biology

We welcome any other IEEE societies that’s not listed here to participate as well. The date has not been set but typically is at the end of March.

IEEE Society Chairs: Please encourage your members to participate. For further information or if you or you know a colleague who might want to present, please contact Dave Krispinsky, dgkite@rit.edu.

U of R River Campus hosted an Engineering in Medicine & Biology Society Chapter Seminar on January 27 at 5:30PM. Dr. Lawrence A. Ray and Dr. Richard Simon were speakers.

The topics related to computed tomography, 3D images CT system. For details visit www.Carestream.com.

ieee news

FEBRUARY 2016 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 33

Finger Lakes Chapter

International Council on Systems Engineering www.incose/org/flc

Finger Lakes Chapter of INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL ON SYSTEMS ENGINEERING www.incose.org/flc

Upcoming Chapter Meeting Events • Thursday, February 18, 2016: February Chapter Meeting 

Dr. David Schneider, Field Lecturer, Systems Engineering, Cornell University

Introduction to Maker Faire

Dr. Schneider is going to talk about Maker Faire. “What is Maker Faire? We call it the Greatest Show (& Tell) on Earth. Maker Faire is part science fair, part county fair, and part something entirely new!

(Please RSVP with your local host – refer to the list below)

• Thursday, March 17, 2016: March Chapter Meeting 

Dr. Mitchell Kerman, Director of Program Development and Transition, Systems Engineering Research

Center (SERC), Stevens Institute of Technology

Overview of SERC Research Activities • Meetings begin at 6:00 and run to approximately 7:30 pm

 Please RSVP with your local host - a list of local hosts and their contact information is below; if there are any issues contacting one of them, or there are any other questions or concerns, please contact Kevin Devaney at kdevaney@srcinc.com.

1. Ithaca, NY 2. Syracuse University 3. Xerox 4. Binghamton University 5. Rome, NY 6. SRC, No. Syracuse, NY 7. Lockheed Martin SI 8. Rochester Inst. of Tech.

Wesley Hewett at wahewett@gmail.com, Ithaca, NY; Dr. Young Moon at ybmoon@syr.edu, 220 Link Hall Charles Rizzolo at charles.rizzolo@xerox.com Steve Czarnecki at czar@binghamton.edu Bruce Rubin at bruceieeerubin@yahoo.com Kevin Devaney at devaney@srcinc.com, 6225 Running Ridge Road, 13212 Shirley Kupst at shirley.kupst@lmco.com, LMCO Clark Hochgraf at cghiee@rit.edu, RIT, Rochester, NY, Bld 82, Room 1150

34 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER FEBRUARY 2016

incose news

s

Rochester, NY Chapter

American Society of Plumbing Engineers President: ALAN SMITH, P.E. IBC Engineering, P.C. 3445 Winton Place, Suite 219 Rochester, NY 14623 585-292-1590 Vice President Technical: DAVID JERECKOS IBC Engineering, PC 3445 Winton Place, Suite 219 Rochester, NY 14623 585-292-1590 Vice President Legislative: JENNIFER WENGENDER, PE, CPD Clark Patterson Lee 205 St Paul Blvd Rochester, NY 14604 585-454-7600 Vice President Membership: DOUG MEIER Twin”D” Associates 1577 Ridge Road West, Suite 116B Rochester, NY 14615 585-581-2170 Treasurer: TERRY BROWN, CPD M/E Engineering, PC 150 North Chestnut Street Rochester, NY 14604 585-288-5590 Administrative Secretary: ADAM KRAMER IBC Engineering, PC 3445 Winton Place, Suite 219 Rochester, NY 14623 585-292-1590 Education Chairman: JENNIFER WENGENDER, PE, CPD Clark Patterson Lee 205 St Paul Blvd Rochester, NY 14604 585-454-7600 Newsletter Editor: DAVID MYERS LaBella Associates, DPC 300 State Street Suite 201 Rochester, NY 14614 585-454-6110 Affiliate Liaison: ADAM FRENZEL Empire State Associates 181 Bay Village Drive Rochester, NY 14609 585-602-0271

aspe news

www.aspe.org

President's Message

Engineer’s Week is February 21st – 27th. Please consider inviting an engineer you know to the February ASPE meeting that has not attended before to meet other engineers, contractors and manufacturer representatives involved with Plumbing (and fire protection) Engineering, systems and equipment.

This month’s meeting is a joint meeting with the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE).

Registration for the 2016 CPD Exam is open until March 11th. Exam dates are March 30th and April 1st. To learn more about the CPD, eligibility and testing locations, go to www.aspe.org/CPD. The Chapter Board will be presenting ASPE Anniversary pins to current members in good standing. The Anniversary pins identify members that have been with ASPE for 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 & 35 years. Please note that our Chapter has two members with more than 35 years – Ed Maybeck, FASPE (47 years) and Kurt Kubli, PE, CPD of M/E Engineering (37 years).

Alan Smith, P.E. Rochester Chapter President

Meeting Notice – Save the Date Topic: Stationary Pumps for Fire Protection Systems Speaker: Michael Klemenz, Upstate Fire Protection Engineering Date:

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Time:

12:00 noon - 1:30 pm

Place:

Valicia's Ristorante, 2155 Long Pond Road, Rochester 14606 (just north of Route 31, Gates)

Credits: 1 PDH Cost:

$20.00 (member or guest), check or cash at the door.

RSVP: To Dave Jereckos (585-341-3168) or djereckos@ibceng.com by Monday, February 15th.

Future meetings: March 16th, April 20th (Chapters are not authorized to speak for the Society) FEBRUARY 2016 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 35

36 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER FEBRUARY 2016

asce news

s

Rochester Chapter

American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers Rochester ASHRAE website: www.rochester.ashraechapters.org

President's Message

Our January lunch meeting was very informative. I would like to thank Mr. Kevin Diehl, Vice President of Yasawa America for his presentation on AC Drives – Operation and Application considerations.

We hope to see you at our February meeting, as we welcome Robert Feduik, PE, LEED AP, Regional Software Engineer at Carrier Corporation, to present on Commercial Load Estimating - Building Load Analysis. Come and enjoy Making Connections!

On Friday, February 5th, 2016 the Rochester ASHRAE Chapter will be hosting its 59th Annual Valentine Dinner Dance at the Stratthallan Rochester. Jody and Matthew McGarry put on a fantastic evening event. If you haven’t attended it before, please consider joining us. If you’ve gone before, then you know all about the fantastic food, music, flowers and chocolates. It is a terrific time!

FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER

February ASHRAE Meeting PDH Pending Date:

Monday, February 8, 2016

Location:

Time:

Mario’s Italian Steakhouse 2740 Monroe Ave., Rochester 12 PM with Buffet Lunch Served

Cost:

$25.00

Speaker:

Robert Feduik, Carrier Corporation

Topic:

Building Load Analysis

Please RSVP by noon Thursday, February 4th to Tim Duprey, tim.duprey@pres-services.com.

Ed Burns is the Chairperson for the Nominating Committee. If you feel that you or someone you know would make a good board member for the Rochester Chapter, please contact Ed at ejb@mechtechhvac.com.

Lastly, the Rochester Chapter is honored this year to be hosting the ASHRAE Region I Chapter Regional Conference (CRC). Please mark your calendars for August 18-20, 2016. Our Chapter is currently seeking sponsorships to defray the costs associated with the CRC in an effort to reduce the costs for attendees of this event. Typically 100-150 Region I ASHRAE Members along with spouses and families attend the CRC. With help from our sponsors, not only will we be able to reduce the costs for members who typically attend the CRC, but also make the registration costs attractive for other members who normally would not consider attending the CRC. Rochester and the surrounding area has so much to offer and our goal is to provide all attendees of the CRC a most rewarding and enjoyable experience! If you’re interested in becoming a sponsor for this event, please contact Jim Browe (jbrowe@rfpeck.com). ashrae news

Please continue to check out our website at www.rochester.ashraechapters.org for information on upcoming chapter meetings, current officer list and contact information, our current newsletter and more! Or if Facebook is your preferred method of communication take a moment to 'like' us at www.facebook.com/#!/ashraerochester.

Christina Walter 2015-2016 President, Rochester Chapter FEBRUARY 2016 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 37

Genesee Valley Land Surveyors Association Website: www.gvlsa.com

Year 2016 Officers President Roy B. Garfinkel, LS Vice President Jared R. Ransom, LS Secretary Robert J. Avery, LS Treasurer Michael A. Venturo, LS

Board of Directors

February 2016

2014-2016 Clifford J. Rigerman, LS Joseph J. Hefner, LS 2015-2017 Jeffrey A. Tiede, LS Scott E. Measday, LS 2016-2018 Justin M. Roloson, LS Douglas W. Magde, LS

John F. Gillen, LS, ex officio

Tentative 2016 Meeting Dates

Thursday,

Thursday, March 10

February 18

WebinarRe-Broadcast: "Legal Property Descriptions: Basics, Easements, The Gold Standards," with Knud Hermansen Look for details in the March Rochester Engineer

Board of Directors Meeting

Thursday, April 21

6:00 pm

BOD Meeting

May Finger Lakes Dinner - Date TBD

40 & 8 Club

933 University Avenue, Rochester, NY

June Sporting Clays Evebt

July Golf Tournament or Family Picnic?

Thursday, September 8 Webinar Re-Broadcast. Speaker TBD

Thursday, October 20 Livingston County Dinner

Thursday, November 17 BOD & General Membership Meeting with Webinar or presentation

Professional Affiliations • • •

New York State Association of Professional Land Surveyors, Inc. National Society of Professional Surveyors Rochester Engineering Society

38 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER FEBRUARY 2016

Thursday, March 10 WebinarRe-Broadcast: "Legal Property Descriptions: Basics, Easements, The Gold Standards," with Knud Hermansen Look for details in the March Rochester Engineer gvlsa news

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Illuminating Engineering Society

Rochester, NY Section P.O. Box 23795 Rochester, NY 14692 www.iesrochester.org

A Review of Energy Code Changes Rescheduled from November 2015 cancelled meeting

This meeting was originally scheduled for November 2015 and had to be cancelled last minute due to gas main break near Rick’s Prime Rib. To recap, this program will highlight changes to the NYS Commercial Energy Code (effective January 2015) and the proposed code changes scheduled for the first quarter of 2016 to the 2015 International Energy Code which impact interior lighting design and controls, daylighting, and exterior lighting.

We will also reveal the winners of the 2015 IES Rochester Lighting Awards Instructor Scott W. Copp is certified by the ICC as a Commercial Energy Code plan reviewer and inspector, Mechanical Code plan reviewer and inspector.

He has served as Director of Development and Code Enforcement Officer for the Town of Perinton. He is now Sr. Project Manager with the Code Compliance Group of T.Y. Lin International.

Tuesday February 9th - 12:00 noon Rick’s Prime Rib - 898 Buffalo Road - $30 (includes lunch) Cash, checks or credit card - Visa, M/C, Amex, or Discover - accepted at the door

Please RSVP for this event by 1/29/16 to Diane Montrois at 585.254.8010 or diane@illuminFx.com ies news

FEBRUARY 2016 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 39

Rochester Chapter

Society for Imaging Science and Technology Website: http://rochesterengineeringsociety.wildapricot.org/ISandT Save the Dates: 2015-16 Meeting Schedule February 10, 2016 - "An overview of the Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) on Board Landsat 8," by Matthew Montanaro, RIT March 9, 2016 - Astronomy - "Kicked" Black Holes," by Professor Andy Robinson, RIT

Our meetings are held at 6:00 pm in Room 1275 of the Carlson Center for Imaging Science on the RIT campus. Everyone is welcome to attend. Parking is available in the F lot, just north of the building. No meeting reservations are required.

April 13, 2016 - RIT Student Presentations.

May 11, 2016 - "Choosing a Landing Site on Mars: The 2016 InSight Mission," by Dr. Nicholas Warrner, Geneseo College

February IS&T Meeting - Wednesday, February 10, 2016 An overview of the Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) on board Landsat 8 Presented by Matthew Montanaro, Senior Research Scientist, Rochester Institute of Technology

Abstract:

The Landsat 8 Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) continues long-wave thermal infrared measurements of the Earth for the Landsat program. A late addition to the Landsat 8 payload, the instrument was designed and tested at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center on an accelerated schedule in order to meet the launch target date. Pre-flight instrument testing provided the necessary data to characterize the instrument performance and to develop radiometric calibration procedures and algorithms. Once on orbit, TIRS was activated and the calibration parameters were updated to account for any changes experienced through launch (in its operational environment). The instrument's radiometric performance is continuously tracked and adjustments to the calibration are made as necessary.

This presentation will provide an overview of the TIRS instrument design as well as discuss the development of the radiometric calibration process, including a summary of issues that have been encountered that affect the overall performance of the instrument and the quality of the data products.

Biography: Matthew Montanaro, Senior Research Scientist, Chester F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science, Rochester Institute of Technology received a bachelor of science degree in physics and a doctor of philosophy degree in imaging science from the Rochester Institute of Technology. He served as a calibration scientist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center from 2009 to 2014 on the Landsat Calibration and Validation team. He specialized in the calibration of the Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) and was directly involved in the definition of the calibration methodologies, execution of characterization tests, and analyses of instrument performance data, both pre-flight and on-orbit. He currently continues his Landsat work, and other NASA-related projects, as a research scientist at the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Call for Nominations and Committee Assistance

The Rochester Chapter Nominating Committee is continuing to seek input for candidates to run in our 2016 election. We are also looking for individuals willing to make the short term effort of being on the Committee itself. Nominations will be considered for President, VP Programs, VP Membership, Recording Secretary and Treasurer, all of which are one year terms.

Councilors will be considered for two year terms. Give thought to joining an active, local governing body that has provided dynamic monthly meetings on topics on the frontiers of imaging science for more than fifty years! To discuss officer requirements or to email candidate profiles, please contact Bruce Pillman at bruce.pillman@gmail.com.

40 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER FEBRUARY 2016

is&t news

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Monroe Professional Engineers Society A Chapter of the New York State Society of Professional Engineers 657 East Avenue, Rochestter, New York 14607 Dedicated to Professionalism in Engineering in the Interest of Public Safety and Welfare 2015-16 Officers: President Chris Devries, PE, President-elect David Roberts, PE, Vice President Chris Kambar, PE, Secretary Derek Anderson, PE, Treasurer Neal Illenberg, PE, Membership Chair Chris Devries, PE

Monroe PE Society - Upcoming Events The Monroe PE Society (MPES) is a Chapter of the New York State Society of Professional Engineers (NYSSPE) and in turn a part of the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE). MPES serves a number of counties in Western NY including: Allegany, Chemung, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne and Yates counties. The mission of MPES can be divided into three key areas: 1. Protect & promote the profession of engineering and promote ethical engineering practice & behavior.

2. Provide continuing education opportunities for engineers.

3. Sponsor and participate in community programs that promote engineering.

The coming months will feature a number of events that coincide with our mission at MPES.

MATHCOUNTS February 6, 2016, RIT Main Campus

Mathcounts is a national middle school coaching and competitive mathematics program that promotes mathematics achievement through a series of fun and engaging math contests. Held in the CIMS building at RIT, students compete as teams and individually. High scoring participants can move on to the national competition level. Over 100 students have registered for the 2016 event. In addition to the students and their teachers, approximately 15-20 MPES members and other volunteers will be on hand to assist with the event. See: https://www.mathcounts.org/ or contact Bill McCormick at mccormickwp@ erdmananthony.com if you are interested in helping with this event. New volunteers are always welcome.

TSA TEAMS February 27, 2016, FLCC Victor Campus

Tests of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics, and Science (TEAMS) is an annual competition for middle and high school students designed to help them discover their potential for engineering. During this oneday competition, students apply math and science knowledge in practical, creative ways to solve realworld engineering challenges. About 40 students have registered for this event. In addition to participating in the competition, students will also enjoy a short presentation and Q&A session on the engineering profession. For more information please see: http://teams.tsaweb.org/.

ENGINEERING SYMPOSIUM IN ROCHESTER April 26th, 2016, Hyatt Regency, Rochester, NY

Headed by MPES, and with support from RES and several other local engineering societies, the Engineering Symposium in Rochester provides an opportunity for Professional Engineers to acquire up to 7 Professional Development Hours (PDHs) in just one day. Coming up on its eleventh consecutive year, the symposium will feature 37 accredited courses for Professional Engineers. Due to continued growth and support for the symposium by the local engineering community, this year’s event will be held at a new, larger venue at the Hyatt Regency in Downtown Rochester. For more information, please visit the event website: http://www.engineeringsymposiumrochester.com/.

If you would like more information about any of these events or would like to find out how you can get involved, please feel free to contact me at dcrobertspe@gmail.com or visit the MPES website at: http://monroepes.org/contactus/. .

mpes news

David C. Roberts, P.E. President-elect - MPES

FEBRUARY 2016 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 41

Technology and Rochester's Planetarium: Past, Present, Future, Continued: resourcefulness, artistic sensitivity, and respect for science. But one of the most frequent topics for visitors’ questions is the state of the technology and how Rochester’s planetarium compares.

We have made it our business for the last decade to stay in touch with vendors, consultants, and other planetariums about their choices and experiences as they have gone through construction and renovation projects. Here’s a look at a few of the factors we consider. (I don’t mean this as a complete survey of all the vendors in the field!)

(Some theaters darken their digital sky background by running the projector lamps at half brightness or by putting neutral-density filters in front of the projectors when the fulldome system is used to superimpose content, such as mythological constellation figures, over stars from an optomechanical projector.)

But the show producer can instantly ruin the expensive black by adding a bright image that essentially functions as a big lamp on the wall (Fig. 6d).

The audience’s attention must be attracted and rewarded by this bright object, or the effect is annoying. A more tasteful production philosophy exercises caution in disrupting the uniquely soothing experience of a dark starry sky (Fig. 6e).

Fig. 6a

A dome is not just a screen that is curved Projectors are characterized with a variety of statistics, all of which require interpretation for the special environment of a planetarium dome.

Brightness: we want enough but not too much The power of a digital projector is generally expressed in lumens.

Projectors in common use in domes range from 5,000 to 30,000 lumens. But what the audience sees is the “brightness” of an image on the dome. This is conventionally discussed as luminance in foot-lamberts (ft-L) when pure white is projected.

Planetarium fulldome luminances range from about 1 to over 8 ft-L. This is much fainter than the open-gate luminance desired for a flat-screen movie theater screen, because bounceback on a dome affects contrast and color saturation.

Fig. 6b

Fig. 6c

In summary: black is really important when looking at stars.

Contrast: black is our most important product Digital cinema projectors boast contrast ratios (between the brightest white and the deepest black) ranging from about 2,000:1 to over 10,000:1. Zeiss offers a premiumpriced projector called Velvet (fig. 5) that claims a contrast ratio of 2,500,000:1 Fig. 5 Zeiss Velvet projector during through a process a demonstration at the Strasenburgh that “excludes stray Planetarium, 2013 light from the start.”

However, contrast on a dome depends strongly on what is being projected. Fig. 6a represents the starfield of an optomechanical star projector. Contrast is essentially perfect; the sky between the stars is very black because stars alone introduce very little light into the theater. Typical fulldome video projection systems have slightly fuzzier stars and a slightly gray background, as in Fig. 6b. A premium projector such as the Zeiss Velvet may knock the gray down nearly to black (Fig. 6c).

42 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER FEBRUARY 2016

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Resolution: numbers for comparison only

Fig. 6d

Fig. 6e

A common configuration for fulldome systems in large planetariums today is “4k resolution.” There is no generally-agreed-upon definition for this term. In an ideal sense, it suggests that there are 4096 pixels along a meridian. In reality, it seems to mean that video projectors

whose chips total 4096 pixels in width are used to cover the dome.

This may sound inadequate based on a simple calculation that might go like this: typical resolution for the unaided human eye is about one arcminute. Half a circle, a meridian on a dome, contains 10,800 arcminutes. So, to achieve “retinal” resolution on a dome, there must be at least 10,800 pixels on a meridian – and even more if people in seats near the wall are to see top resolution on the part of the dome closest to them. Such a high number of pixels per frame would be extremely expensive to produce in graphics software and to project, and, to my knowledge, has never been offered in a public cover article

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planetarium. Fortunately, it is not necessary.

The human visual system craves high resolution only in the small foveal region near the center of the field of view. Furthermore, visual acuity drops if the image is lower in contrast or moving. An essential part of the planetarium experience is peripheral perception of many stars in a frameless environment, and a 21st-century experience includes motion (tastefully controlled by the show producer). So, for many scenes, “4k” resolution is good enough not to be the weak link in the chain of factors contributing to the audience experience. Some readers may remember a 4k demonstration system provided to us by Sky-Skan for a month of demonstrations in 2012 (fig. 7). It received overwhelmingly positive response.

One vendor offers a 4k system supplemented with an additional projector (we might call it a movable fovea) that projects many more pixels into a small field and can be directed as needed to superimpose extra-sharp images of the moon, spacecraft, or other objects of special interest.

The next step up is “8k”, indicating at least two projectors with 4096-pixel-wide chips covering the dome. Last summer, I visited the Evans & Sutherland headquarters in Salt Lake City for a demonstration of their Digistar 5 software projected at “8k” through six Christie Boxer projectors onto a 36-foot-diameter test dome (fig. 8). E&S prefers to say that this system puts about 31 million unique pixels on the dome. Star images appeared almost as small and sharp as those from our Zeiss VI. My most stringent resolution test, a crescent moon in conjunction with Venus in twilight near the horizon, was evocative and attractive. (With 4k resolution we would have to avoid such a scene.)

Fig. 7 Sony T110 projector with Sky-Skan Definiti lens, temporarily installed for a demonstration at the Strasenburgh Planetarium in 2012

Engineering is necessary but not sufficient The founders of America’s original large planetariums saw them in terms of values. Max Adler in Chicago: “I wish to emphasize that all mankind, rich and poor, here and abroad, constitute part of one universe…” Griffith J. Griffith in Los Angeles, after looking through the 60-inch reflector on Mount Wilson: “If all mankind could look through that telescope it would revolutionize the world.” Samuel J. Fels in Philadelphia: “Our job is to organize our world so that we can live together without fears and without hatred of each other…” Edwin and Clara Strasenburgh in Rochester dedicated their planetarium to “the promise of a fuller understanding and appreciation of the order and majesty of the universe.”

Fig. 8 Test dome at Evans & Sutherland, Salt Lake City

We hope the time will come soon that there will be a choice and a next step forward for Rochester’s Planetarium. In 1935, Arthur C. Parker, Director of the Rochester Museum of Arts and Sciences, wrote: “How shall Rochester get its planetarium? Who knows. Surely there are men and women in Rochester, as in our other American cities, who are generous and far sighted. One thing is certain: Rochester will have a planetarium some day.”

Steve Fentress is Director at the RMSC Strasenburgh Planetarium (steve_fentress@rmsc.org). cover article

FEBRUARY 2016 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 43

Directory of Professional Services John E. Rooney

REGIONAL MARKETING MANAGER | DIRECTOR

400 Andrews Street Harro East Building | Suite 710 Rochester, NY 14604 p 585-295-7700 | f 585-263-2869

john.rooney@obg.com direct 585-295-7718 www.obg.com

Geophysical Services • Seismic

• MASW, Seismic Site Classification, Refraction/Reflection

• Ground Penetrating Radar

• Concrete Inspection (Voids, Rebar, Thickness, Mapping)

• Electromagnetic • Vibration Monitoring

Mark Saunders, Geophysics Division Manager 80 Lawrence Bell Dr. Buffalo, NY 14221 T +1 716-279-3540 M +1 716-270-7856 Email: MarkSaunders@applusrtd.com

R. KRAFT, Inc.

CLEANROOMSERVICES.COM ISO/IEC 17025:2005 Accredited Testing/Certification/Troubleshooting of Cleanroom Facilities Laminar Flow Bench Testing/Certification Hepa/Ulpa Filter Testing Contamination Control Investigations Training Seminars/Workshops SOP/Protocol Development and Implementation Clean Mfg, Lean/Six Sigma, FMEA Consulting

C: (585) 261-5935 O: (585) 621-6946

44 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER FEBRUARY 2016

rk.cleanroomservices@gmail.com

directory of professional services

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Directory of Professional Services Compliance Plans, Permits, and Reports Industrial Water Treatment Compliance Auditing Stormwater Design/Management NPDES/Air/Solid Waste Engineering Civil/Site Design Environmental Design and Engineering Evaluation

300 State Street Suite 201 Rochester, NY 14614

Office: 585.454.6110 Fax: 585.454.3066 www.labellapc.com

87 South Vendome Drive, Rochester NY 14606

585 330-6986 (Phone) 585 429-6985 (Fax) dennis.roote@cde-pllc.com

ENGINEERING ENERGY PLANNING SURVEYING LEED/GREEN DESIGN SOLAR PV ENERGY CONSERVATION TRANSPORTATION

Solving soils problems for over 30 years.

335 Colfax Street, Rochester, NY 14606 Tel: 585-458-0824 • Fax: 585-458-3323 www.foundationdesignpc.com

www.larsen-engineers.com

Michael S. Quagliata, Jr., PE President

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ 217 West Commercial Street East Rochester, New York 14445 585/385-1450 585/385-1482 Fax mikeq@q-techpc.com

Electrical & Mechanical Engineering & Design

Inc. A sign, of ct Deeld, NY 14526 US u d o r P P. Haltaolt nfi e f P f.com o , e r H Ga ry Halt ridge Lan @ y arr ckb

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Design Engineering Services - Concept thru Production Mechanical / Electromechanical - Consumer / Industrial All Plastic and Metal Technologies Tel: 585-388-9000 Fax: 585-388-3839

directory of professional services

www.Haltof.com

FEBRUARY 2016 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 45

Directory of Professional Services, continued

www.eco-rentalsolutions.com 855-ECO-RENT Newest Rental Fleet in the Industry Exceptional Customer and Technical Service Consistent Quality Rentals • Sales • Service

www.slaterequipment.com sales@slaterequipment.com Manufactures reps: heating, ventilation, and ac products

Ruskin-Louvers, Fire/Smoke Dampers, Loren CookCentrifugal & Prop Roof Fans, Titus - R G & D's, Terminal Boxes, Chilled Beams, Flexible Duct, Access Doors, Ketchen Exhaust Systems t 585-473-5310, f 585-473-9546 768 S. Clinton Avenue • Rochester, NY 14620-1402

Save the Date: Saturday, April 16, 2016 114th RES Annual Gala at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center Details will be updated on the website at: www.roceng.org

Directory of Business Services Philip J. Welch

First Vice President - Investments

Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC

Member FINRA/SIPC

200 Meridian Centre Suite 260 Rochester, NY 14618 Direct: 585-241-7546 Fax: 585-241-3986 Toll Free: 877-237-6201 philip.welch@wellsfargoadvisors.com

New Membership Application and Advertising Rate Details are at www.roceng.org 46 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER FEBRUARY 2016

directory of business services | directory of professional services

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Affiliated Societies of the Rochester Engineering Society American Consulting Engineering Companies of New York President, David J. Meyer, 585-218-0730 Email: dmeyer@pathfinderengineers.com

Association For Facilities Engineering, Rochester Chapter President, Matthews Knights, 585-924-2186 x221 Email: mknights@ultrafab.com

New York State Association of Transportation Engineers, Section 4 President, Howard R. Ressel, 585-272-3372.

Email: Howard.Ressel@dot.ny.gov

American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Rochester Section Chairman, Vincenzo G. Marcello, 585-422-0043.

Email:Vincenzo.Marcello@SDMS.usa.xerox.com

Electrical Association Executive Director, Karen Lynch Email: karen@eawny.com President, Joseph Dombrowski, PE, LC, M/E Engineering, PC

New York Water Environment Association Inc., Genesee Valley Chapter (www.gvcnywea.org) President, Bill Davis, 585-381-9250 Email: william.davis@mrbgroup.com

American Public Works Association Monroe County/Genesee Valley Branch Past-Chairman, Geoff Benway Email: gbenway@ci.webster.ny.us American Society of Civil Engineers, Rochester Section President, Sam Anthony, PE Email: AnthonyES@erdmananthony.com American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Rochester Chapter President, Christina Walter Email: cmwalter@trane.com

Genesee Valley Land Surveyors Association President, John F. Gillen, LS Ex-Officio, Robert Hatch, 585-349-3750.

Email: bhatch@schultzpc.com Illuminating Engineering Society of North America Inc., Rochester Section President, Dwight Roth, Zeller Automation Email: droth@zellercorp.com Imaging Science & Technology, Rochester Chapter President, David Odgers Email: odgers@frontiernet.net

Professional Services Management Association, Upstate New York Chapter President, Margaret Rathmell, SWBR Email: mrathmell@swbr.com Project Management Institute, Rochester Chapter Preesident, Brian Gregory, PMP Email: president@pmirochester.org Refrigeration Service Engineers Society Executive Director, Kirstie Steves 585-313-8972, fax 538-6166, Email: kirstie@rses-rochester.org President, Jim Allen, email: jta141@yahoo.com

American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Rochester Section Chairman, Steven Ivancic, University of Rochester Email:

Independent Entrepreneurs Council, Rochester NY Chapter Chairman, Ralph Kraft, 585-621-6946

American Society of Plumbing Engineers, Rochester New York Chapter President, Alan Smith, IBC Engineering 585-292-1590. Email: asmith@ibceng.com

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Rochester Section Chairman, Greg T. Gdowski, 585-275-2580 Email: Greg_Gdowski@urmc.rochester.edu

Association for Bridge Construction and Design President, Kevin H. Miller, PE 716-852-3211 Email: kmiller@bergmannpc.com

Institute of Industrial Engineers, Rochester Chapter President, John Kaemmerlen, 585-475-2767 Email: jxkpdm@rit.edu

Society of Plastics Engineers, Rochester Section President, Brett Blaisdell, Bausch & Lomb, 1400 North Gooaman Street, Rochester, NY 14609 585-338-5417, Email: brett.blaisdell@bausch.com

Association of Energy Engineers Western New York Chapter President, William Murray, 585 641-7121 Email: bmurray@ec4b.com

International Council on Systems Engineering, Finger Lakes Chapter President, Jack Riley Email: jackri2139@hotmail.com

Society of Women Engineers President, Jodi Carville, RIT, 585-475-7028 Email: jody.carville@rit.edu

Sheet Metal & Air-Conditioning Contractor’s National Association-Rochester, Inc. Executive Director, Aaron Hilger 585-586-8030. Email: mzin@smacnaroc.org Societ of Manufacturing Engineers, Chapter 16 Chairman, John F. Schmitt, 585-581-1880

Monroe Professional Engineers Society President, Christopher Devries, PE Email: CDevries@calvauto.com

Corporate Members of the Rochester Engineering Society Bergmann Associates P.C. (Enterprise)

BME Associates

Greenman-Pedersen, Inc. IBC Engineering, PC (Champion)

LaBella Associates (Enterprise) M/E Engineering, P.C. (Champion)

CHA Consulting (Champion)

MRB Group (Champion)

Erdman Anthony Associates

Optimation Technology, Inc. (Champion)

Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce (RBA)

Passero Associates

affiliated societies & corporate members of the rochester engineering society

Rochester Institute of Technology, Kate Gleason College of Engineering TY-LIN International (Champion) University of Rochester Visron Design, Inc. V.J. Stanley Inc.

IS YOUR COMPANY LISTED HERE? Call 585-254-2350 for information.

FEBRUARY 2016 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 47

Non-Profit Org. US Postage PAID Permit No. 178 Rochester, NY PUBLISHED BY ROCHESTER ENGINEERING SOCIETY 657 EAST AVENUE ROCHESTER, NEW YORK 14607

Return Service Requested

IMPORTANT DATED MATERIAL Please do not delay

Seeking Cover & Feature Articles The RES is seeking articles for our monthly (except July) publication. We will have themes for our upcoming issues and would love to hear from you (subject to change).

February - Past, present and future of planetarium technology at the RMSC March - RES Gala & Award Recipients April - RES Gala & Rochester Engineering Symposium May or June - Symposium Survey Results

Contact the RES for information - res@frontiernet.net.