www.roceng.org
April 2021
Announcing the 2020 RES Award Recipients | 16-22
Richard J. Buckley
2020 Engineer of the Year
Daniel D. Duprey Jr., PE 2020 Engineer of Distinction
Alexandra P. Bowen
Daniel J. Rusnack, PE
2020 Young Engineer of the Year
Also in this issue:
2020 Young Engineer of the Year - Finalist
John W. Nieto
2020 Engineer of Distinction
James E. Norris 2020 Engineer of Distinction
Mark W. Thompson 2020 Engineer of Distinction
Robert M. Gleason David J. Hastings, PE Heston E. Van Evera 2020 Young Engineer 2020 Young Engineer III, EIT
2020 Young Engineer of the Year - Finalist
of the Year - Finalist
of the Year - Finalist
Paul Voglewede 2020 Engineer of Distinction
Andrew D. White, PhD
2020 Young Engineer of the Year - Finalist
Feature Article: Taking an on-site approach to soil stabilization and remediation (Stantec) | 24 Congratulations to the 2020-21 Scholarship Recipients | 10 2021 Virtual Engineering Symposium - May 18-20 & June 8-10 Up to 18 PDH Credits Available | 12 Campus Feature Article: Tensor Methods: Revolutionizing Data Science and Machine Learning via Higher-Order Arrays | 34
Announcing the 2020 RES Award Recipients
The Rochester Engineer Published since 1922 by
(cover) 16-22
ROCHESTER ENGINEERING SOCIETY, INC. Founded March 18, 1897 Volume 99, Number 10, APRIL 2021 (Electronic Copies Only) You can purchase individual printed copies directly from ISSUU.
2,500+ Monthly Circulation (11 issues electronically) 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 administrative director at the society’s office, 657 East Avenue, Rochester, New York 14607; Phone number (585) 254-2350, e-mail: therochesterengineer@gmail.com.
contents
4 • RES Notice to All Members - Nominations 2021-2022 5 • RES Annual Meeting - May 26 6 • RES History - September - October 1973 8 • RES Technical Corner by Brett Eliasz 9 • Education at Dr. Walter Cooper Academy, during the Pandemic...
10 • Congratulations to the 2020-21 Scholarship Recipients 12 • 2021 Virtual Engineering Symposium - Registration is Now Open! 14 • 2022 Engineering Symposium in Rochester 15 • Get IT Done - Thinning Leaves on a 14-year-old Tree 16-22 • Announcing the 2020 RES Award Recipients (cover)
The web site for the RES is: 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.
24 • Taking an on-site approach to soil stabilization and remediation (Stantec) (Feature)
Published every month but July. You can purchase individual copies directly from ISSUU.
32-33 • Position Openings
Go to www.roceng.org to join the Rochester Engineering Society. Click on the individual membership and you can submit your application on-line.
36 • Continuing Education Opportunities (PDHs)
Board of Directors:
OFFICERS: President GREG GDOWSKI, PhD University of Rochsester / Greg_Gdowski@urmc.rochester.edu First Vice President MICHELLE SOMMERMAN, PE Bergmann Associates / msommerman@bergmannpc.com Second Vice President DENNIS ROOTE, PE CDE Engineering & Environment, PLLC / dennis.roote@cde-pllc.com Treasurer ANDREW C. HIRSCH Retired / andrewcharleshirsch@gmail.com Past President JOSEPH DOMBROWSKI, PE Retired from M/E Engineering / jdombrowski3@rochester.rr.com EIGHT DIRECTORS: CORNELIUS (NEAL) ILLENBERG PE Rail Safety Consulting / nillenberg@aol.com RICHARD E. RICE Erdman Anthony / rriceaquash@gmail.com BRETT ELIASZ, PE Bergmann Associates / beliasz@bergmannpc.com KENTON G. HINES Merrill Lynch / kenton.hines@ml.com MIKE KURDZIEL, PhD (Director on Executive Committee) Harris Corporation / mike.kurdziel@L3harris.com STEVEN W. DAY, PhD Rochester Institute of Technology / swdeme@rit.edu NANCY CRAWFORD Optimation Technology, Inc. / nancy.crawford@optimation.us DANIEL WEAVER Optimation Technology, Inc. / dweaver87@gmail.com Administrative Director LYNNE M. IRWIN Rochester Engineering Society / e-mail: res@frontiernet.net or therochesterengineer@gmail.com
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26-27 • Professional Firms - Employee News 28-29 • Campus News 30-31 • News From Professional Firms 34 • Tensor Methods: Revolutionizing Data Science and Machine Learning via Higher-Order Arrays (Campus Feature) 36-37 • Engineers’ Calendar 51-52 • Directory of Professional Services 52 • Directory of Business Services 53 • Affiliated Societies and Corporate Members of the RES
news of the... • ABCD Association for Bridge Construction and Design.....................41 • APWA American Public Works Association.............................................40 • ASHRAE American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers.....................................................50 • ASPE American Society of Plumbing Engineers....................................49 • EA Electrical Association.......................................................................44 • IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers..................42-43
• IES Illuminating Engineering Society....................................................46 • INCOSE International Council on Systems Engineering..........................48 • IS&T Imaging Science & Technology.......................................................39 • MPES Monroe Professional Engineers Society......................................38 • RES Rochester Engineering Society..................................... 2-13, 16-22 • SWE Society of Women Engineers.........................................................45 • TERRA TERRA Science & Engineering Fair...............................................47
index
President’s Message Greg Gdowski, PhD University of Rochester RES President June 1, 2020 - May 31, 2022 Dear Fellow Engineers, Spring is now upon us! This month we celebrate both the scholarship and the professional award recipients. It is truly an honor to recognize those individuals that have achieved the highest levels of success in their respective fields. The RES Scholarship Committee manages the process for several internal and professional society scholarships. The RES Scholarships including the David Fergusson, Susan Costa, Joseph Campbell, and Keith Amish awards are made possible through family endowments. Each of these scholarships honor the memory of individuals that have had a remarkable impact on the Rochester community. I would like to thank the families that have provided the endowments that allow us to celebrate each year the achievements of young individuals that aspire to have successful engineering careers. Please take a look at our web pages for more information on each of these scholarships and others awarded by the Rochester community! In particular, congratulations to Andrew Rozvora, Linh Hoang, Robert Kovach and Jack L. Worthington for receiving the RES scholarships (pg 10)! The Professional Awards Committee manages the process and selection of the Engineer of the Year, Engineers of Distinction, Young Engineer of the Year, and the Young Engineer of the Year finalists. The purpose of these awards is to recognize outstanding achievement and the contributions to the profession by engineers in the Rochester region. I have always been highly impressed and humbled by the achievements of these individuals over the last several years. This year is no different! Congratulations to all of the recipients. In particular, congratulations to both Richard Buckley (L3Harris Technologies) and Daniel J. Rusnack, PE (Bergmann – Architects, Engineers & Planners) as the res news - president’s message
Engineer of the Year and the Young Engineer of the Year recipients (pgs 16-22)! One of the new things we have decided to do at the RES this year has been to run a Virtual Engineering Symposium! You can earn up to 18 pdhs in six sessions (3 in May, and 3 in June). You should really check out some of the presentations (pg 12)! There really is something for everyone with presentations focused on: Electronics and Power, Machinery Elements and Design, Environmental Challenges, Public Projects of Interest, Facility Infrastructure, and Codes and Requirements. This is a great chance to remotely earn pdh credit and network either from home or your desk at work! These are relatively inexpensive ($10/pdh) and we have already had nearly 120 individuals register! Last but certainly not least, corporate members are incredibly important to the RES. Corporate membership is what keeps the organization relevant to the community. I am thrilled to announce that the Popli Design Group and Emerge360 are in the process of joining as Corporate members. I look forward to interacting with them more in the upcoming months to highlight their work within the community! If your company is not currently a RES member, please consider joining as a Sustaining, Champion, or Enterprise member! Finally, don’t forget that the first person to identify the page with 1920s artwork will receive a gift from the RES! All my best, Greg Gdowski, PhD President, RES
APRIL 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 3
Notice to All RES Members NOTICE TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE ROCHESTER ENGINEERING SOCIETY
Published pursuant to Article IX, Section 1 of the Constitution
Pursuant to Article VII, Section 9 of the Bylaws to the Constitution, the Nominating Committee of, Joseph Dombrowski, PE, chair and Greg Gdowski, PhD, co-chair reported a slate of officers for the 2021-2022 RES year. Selected by the Nominating Committee for the designated offices are: PRESIDENT (2020-2022) GREG T. GDOWSKI, PhD Executive Director, Associate Professor Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester FIRST VICE PRESIDENT (2020-2022) MICHELLE SOMMERMAN, PE Project Engineer - Mechanical Bergmann SECOND VICE PRESIDENT (2020-2022) DENNIS ROOTE, PE Owner, CDE Engineering & Environment TREASURER TBD DENNIS ROOTE, PE InterimTreasurer DIRECTOR (Term Ending 5/31/2023) BRETT C. ELIASZ, PE Disipline Leader - Electrical Bergmann DIRECTOR (Term Ending 5/31/2023) RICHARD E. RICE, Eng. Facilities Business Development Erdman Anthony DIRECTOR (Term Ending 5/31/2023) NEAL J. ILLENBERG, PE Principal Engineer, Rail Safety Consulting DIRECTOR (Term Ending 5/31/2023) KENTON G. HINES Financial Advisor, Merrill Lynch 4 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER APRIL 2021
Directors who will continue in office until the expiration of their terms are: DIRECTOR (Term Ending 5/31/2022) STEVEN W. DAY, PhD Department Head, Biomedical Engineering Rochester Institute of Technology DIRECTOR (Term Ending 5/31/2022) NANCY CRAWFORD Senior Program Manager Optimation Technology, Inc. DIRECTOR (Term Ending 5/31/2022) MIKE KURDZIEL, PHD Director, Engineering, L3Harris DIRECTOR (Term Ending 5/31/2022) TBD Past President who will serve as a member of the Board of Directors, pursuant to Article VIII, Section 2 of the Constitution is: PAST PRESIDENT (2020-2022) JOSEPH DOMBROWSKI, PE Retired M/E Engineering, P.C. Pursuant to Article IX, Section 2, of the Constitution, additional nominations may be made by a petition signed by at least 10 VOTING members. Such a petition, together with a written acceptance from each nominee, must be filed with the RES Administrative Director no later than 12:00 noon on May 7, 2021. If there are additional nominations, ballots will be mailed to all members in good standing and ELIGIBLE to vote by May 14, 2021. If there are no other nominations received, the election will be by a vote at the annual meeting to be held virtually on Wednesday, May 26, 2021. Details on how to participate will be posted on the website at: www.roceng.org. Respectfully submitted, Lynne Irwin Administrative Director
res news - nominations
RES Annual Meeting Save the Date!
RES Annual Meeting Wednesday, May 26, 2021 Will be held virtually. Time: 5:00 to 7:00 pm (subject to change)
Learn About RES Activities RES Update Briefing Board and Officer Elections Award Presentations See the award presentations of the: 2020 Engineer of the Year, 2020 Young Engineer of the Year, 5 Finalists for Young Engineer of the Year, and 5 Engineers of Distinction. Also see the scholarship recipients for the 2020-21 year. Meet new and continuing officers and directors for the the fiscal year 2021-2022. You will hear a few words from the current President, Greg Gdowski, PhD who will be beginning the 2nd year of his term. Details are still being worked on. Go to the RES Website, www.roceng.org. A link will be on the home page when plans have ben finalized. annual meeting
APRIL 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 5
Rochester History
A Sampling from the Archives of the Rochester Engineering Society...1897 - 1973 by Lee M. Loomis
“The Rochester Engineer” (September 1973)
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, focus and infrastructure of the City of Rochester, and beyond. World War, again affected 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, and the Vietnam War has recently become a focal point. 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.
6 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER APRIL 2021
RES President, Mark H. Sluis (General Railway Signal Company), presented his comprehensive, four-part plan for moving the Society forward in the 1973-74 year. Part one involved enhancing relationships with RES Affiliates, industry, local government and the public. Along with creating a special task force to engage with the Industrial Management Council, this would be the year when the RES Board would set a standing Board meeting agenda item for hearing from the RES Affiliates. In addition, an RES Speakers Bureau would be established for interacting with school, political and other public groups on technical topics. Part two of the Plan would be focused on encouraging young people to enter the technical professions, including making the new RES Speaker Bureau available to high school groups, and continuing support for the RES Boy Scout Explorer Post. A third objective, membership growth, would involve surveying the RES membership for new ideas for training opportunities toward attracting new members. The fourth objective would focus on long-range planning by initiating and empowering a Long-Range Planning Committee to address issues of growing the Society’s financial equity, member benefits and community impact. The 1973-74 RES Luncheon Series would lead off with a presentation on proposed revisions to the Rochester City Charter, by Charles E. Swan of the Charter Commission. A Publications Committee was established to identify ways in which to enhance “The Rochester Engineer” as a more vibrant, relevant journal for all engineers in the Rochester area. This would include interviews and articles on relevant local technical topics, condensation of articles from other journals, editorial commentary, “letters to the editor” and an improved, more attractive magazine cover. This issue made a point of reaching out to the general membership for input, and volunteers to help “grow the magazine”. This issue featured a background presentation on the “Greater Rochester Transportation Study”, by RIT’s Dean of the College of Engineering, Dr. Richard A. Kenyon. This article included a summary of the guidelines, procedures, nature and scope of a multi-year study res news - history
y
that would provide guidelines for evaluating proposed transportation systems toward meeting the accessibility needs of all classes of our society and region, and act as a development stimulant to desired lifestyles and patterns of growth. Phase I of the study would be co-chaired by Donald J. Bergmann of Bergmann Associates and Dr. Paul Wojciechowski of RIT’s College of Engineering. It would conclude with a Spring 1974 “Transportation Symposium” at which some forty invited papers on transportation planning, by nationally recognized authorities, would be presented. Speaking of transportation; this issue reported that the RGRTA’s experimental “PERT Dial-A-Bus” program, in Northwest Monroe County, was off to a “good beginning” with a first-week ridership of 735 persons. The break-even point for continued operation was anticipated at 1000 riders per week, and this was expected to be achieved by the end of the 1973 calendar year.
October 3, 1973 (Board Meeting, University Club)
The Board approved the applications of five new Regular Members, and the advancement of one Associate Member to Regular Member. Concern for poor attendance at RES Luncheon programs brought the suggestion that different, alternating venues be considered, including Kodak Park, Xerox – Webster, and other locations. It was reported that the Public Information Committee would be meeting with the Hercules Corporation to hear details of its recommendation that Monroe County consider developing a large recycling plant on the site of the former Emerson Street landfill. It was reported that Congressman Frank Horton had provided a copy of the S.4 Pension Reform Bill, recently unanimously approved by the US Senate, and now awaiting House of Representatives’ approval. The bill would establish a graduated fifteen-year pathway to 100% vestment in a “portable pension”, and it would allow for non-covered employees to set aside up to 15% of their income, taxfree, for retirement resources. The Board moved to inform our Congressional Representatives that the RES supports this legislation. It was reported that several RES Affiliates had provided recommendations for RES Luncheon and evening dinner presentations, as recently requested by the RES Personnel Assignment Committee. Finally, and in conjunction with the current “energy crisis” (Fall 1973, oil embargo, by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)… res news - history
“The RES issued a statement in support of energy conservation measures by its Members, and all other citizens, including reduction of Christmas illumination to 50%, conscientious and continuing efforts to reduce waste of energy (especially electricity), increased use of public transportation, limitation of driving habits which waste gasoline, and other individual actions, including checking for dripping hot water faucets, open flue dampers, ill-fitting doors, etc. It also stated that these and other practices should be seen not as just temporary measures, rather more as a continuing policy.” 1973
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 current economic crises, 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 and the Korean Conflict, 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 postwar re-emergence of Rochester area industry, and the ensuing prosperity of the second half of the 20th Century. We welcome your questions and comments on this series.
APRIL 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 7
Technical Corner For the article this month we will take a look at some scenarios where it’s acceptable to put GFI protection within the receptacle and other times it must be installed as part of the circuit breaker within a panel board. In some situations, you can put the GFI device right in the receptacle and other situations may require GFI protection from the circuit breaker within the panel. But regardless, the ground fault devices need to be installed in a readily accessible area per NEC 210.8. Readily Accessible Definition from NEC Section 100: “Capable of being reached quickly for operation, renewal, or inspections without requiring those to whom ready access is requisite to take actions such as to use tools (other than keys), to climb over or under, to remove obstacles, or to resort to portable ladders, and so forth.” So, what about a commercial kitchen refrigerator GFI receptacle installed directly behind the refrigerator, is it readily accessible? The answer is NO. Commercial kitchen refrigerators can be rather large obstacles, even if the refrigerator is on wheels. Interesting to add that section 422.5 (A) includes GFI protection for vending machines and drinking water coolers. These two may offer non-readily accessible scenarios. Many drinking water coolers (typical drinking fountain) and vending machines are cord and plug connected devices and would be tempting to just put a GFI receptacle within the water cooler cabinetry or behind the vending machine. However, this receptacle with GFI protection would not be readily accessible as you would need tools to take the cover off the drinking water cooler. For the vending machine scenario, the vending machine itself is an obstacle and would have to be removed to get to the GFI receptacle, even if on wheels similar to the commercial kitchen refrigerator. Therefore again, not readily accessible. These scenarios would require the GFI protection to be located within the circuit breaker feeding the appliances. Note, the keys required to get into a panel board as well as the keys to get into an electrical room do not disqualify the GFI breakers from being readily accessible. Code references courtesy of NEC 2017 Code version Hopefully this article finds you well and can be used as a reference for your project needs. If anyone would like to contribute to the Rochester Engineer publication and add an article or would like to request information on a specific topic (not limited to electrical) just email me at beliasz@bergmannpc.com. As always, any comments are appreciated…! Thank you for reading. Brett Eliasz, P.E., LEED AP BD+C , RES Director
8 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER APRIL 2021
res - technical corner
r
RES News - Tutoring Team Education at Dr. Walter Cooper Academy, during the Pandemic… “Hybrid Learning” has begun at our School. Nearly 50% of our students have returned for in-person classes, two days a week (Mon & Tue), with remote learning on the other two days (Thu & Fri). Remote learning presents challenges, but the Faculty continues to problem solve with individual students and families, working to keep them connected.
RES Tutors Kathleen Hoffman and Michelle Sommerman, and members of the Southwest Community Coalition Education Committee were recently guided around the “new” school by Community Site Coordinator, Dr. Lia Festenstein
We have begun trying some “Remote, In-School Tutoring” for a small group of our 1st Grade students, by members of the RES Tutoring Team. We have also been allowed to schedule tours of the newly-renovated facility. More tours will be offered, as time permits. (Contact Lee Loomis if you are interested in seeing our amazing “new” school.) Dr. Walter Cooper Academy – Food Pantry A “Food Pantry” has been established at our School to help meet the needs of our students and their families. The School has created a “wish list” registry on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/YH8I3SAZLVPR?ref_=wl_share The list includes shelf-stable groceries, cleaning supplies and personal hygiene items, such as deodorant, feminine products, toothpaste and toothbrushes, toilet paper, etc. Or, if you would prefer, food donations can be delivered to the 353 Congress Ave. building (Post Avenue entrance), or by mailing a grocery gift card, in $25 denominations (no $$$ please) to “DWCA Food Bank” Attn: Camaron Clyburn, 353 Congress Ave., Rochester, NY 14619. Please call first @ (585) 324-2010 Dr. Walter Cooper Academy – Clothing Cupboard The DWCA Clothing Cupboard has been very successful. Much has been donated. Some clothing has already been distributed to families. Now that students have returned to in-person learning, additional needs are being brought to our attention. New (or gently-used) clothing, especially children’s winter garments, can be delivered to the school (Mon – Fri, 9:00AM – 2:00PM). Please call first @ (585) 324-2010. Meanwhile, if you have questions, please reach out to RES Past-President, Lee Loomis (leeloomis46@gmail.com) or (585) 738-3079 (mobile & text). res news - tutoring team
APRIL 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 9
Congratulations to the 2020-21 Scholarship Recipients Rochester Engineering Society Awards
The Scholarship Selection Committee consists of Michelle Sommerman PE (Chair), Wendy Smith, Diane Trentini, Donald Nims Jr., PE, Mike Walker, and Mark Schrader PE.
Joseph W. Campbell Memorial Scholarship Rochester Engineering Society Robert Kovach Rochester Institute of Technology Science Tech. & Public Policy/ Chemical Engineering
The CHA, IEEE, and SWE Awards are screened through the RES selection committee. Adam W. Lawas Memorial Scholarship (CHA) Rochester Engineering Society Jay K. Lewis Rochester Institute of Technology Mechanical Engineering Technology
Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers Scholarship
Giovanna Baris Rochester Institute of Technology Electrical Engineering w/Energy Option
Susan L. Costa Memorial Scholarship Rochester Engineering Society Linh Hoang University of Rochester Biomedical Engineering
David Fergusson Memorial Scholarship Rochester Engineering Society Andrew Rozvora Rochester Institute of Technology Mechanical Engineering Technology
Society of Women Engineers Scholarship
Hillary Minh Le Rochester Institute of Technology Chemical Engineering
Monroe Professional Engineers Society Awards The Scholarship Selection Committee consists of Victor Genberg, P.E., Mark Butcher, P.E., Robert Marshall, P.E. , Joe Dombrowski, P.E., Andrew Straub P.E., and Bruce Wallmann, P.E.
Keith Amish Memorial Scholarship Rochester Engineering Society Jack L. Worthington Rochester Institute of Technology Mechanical Engineering
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Paul & Claire Raynor Scholarship Monroe Professional Engineers Society Keeler Thomas McQuaid Jesuit High School Major: Biomedical Engineering
res and affiliate scholarship recipients
T (
s
Monroe Professional Engineers Society Awards, continued... Vastola Scholarship Monroe Professional Engineers Society Kennedy Knopf Canandaigua Academy Major: Biomedical Engineering
Alstom Foundation Scholarship Katherine Jarvis Penfield High School Major: Mechanical Engineering
Optimation Technology Scholarship
Dylan Tompkins Greece Arcadia High School Major: Software Engineering
Bergmann Scholarship
Tyler Williams Webster Thomas High School Major: Civil Engineering
Edward J. Ries Memorial Scholarship Sean Borkholder Canandaigua Academy Major: Electrical Engineering
Erdman Anthony Scholarship Ryan Frazer Dansville High School Major: Agricultural Engineering
The New York State Association of Transportation Engineers, Section 4 (Rochester)
The Scholarship Selection Committee consists of Chris Reed (Chairperson), Brian Sherman, Vitaliy Vysochanskyy, and Phil Klingler.
Frederick E. Bragg Scholarship NYS Association of Transportation Engineers Emily Spitzer
American Council of Engineering Companies Scholarship Ellen Henry Pittsford Mendon High School Major: Environmental Engineering
Robert I. Loftus Memorial Scholarship NYS Association of Transportation Engineers Natalie O'Hern
Thomas C. Lehmkuhl Memorial Scholarship NYS Association of Transportation Engineers Leah Samson
res and affiliate scholarship recipients
APRIL 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 11
S A V E
S A V E
ENGINEERING SYMPOSIUM
T H E
2021 VIRTUAL
T H E D A T E S !
Save the Dates for the
Dates and Times: Tuesday - Thursday, May 18, 19, 20 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM Tuesday - Thursday, June 8, 9,10
1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
An Opportunity to Earn up to 18 PDHs: Each session is $30 ($10 per PDH credit)
•
3 PDHs per day in May and June
•
Can't spare 18 hours? Register for 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 or 18 PDHs
•
Registratiom now open on the RES website (www.roceng.org)
Session 1: Electronics and Power Date: May 18, 2021, 1:00-5:00
Overview: This session will focus on power transfer, static electricity on machinery, and electrical usage by electronic currency. Audience: Plant and managers and engineers; manufacturing/ electrical/plant/process production/ energy/engineers, engineers and directors, policy makers. In addition, the general public will find interest as cyber currency continues to grow.
Session 2: Machinery Elements and Design Date: May 19, 2021, 1:00-5:00
Overview: This session will provide some tools for mechanical engineers and include presentations on finite element methods; sealing components: and gears and reducers. Audience: Manufacturing/mechanical design/civil/production/process/ energy engineers; plant maintenance technicians and managers; equipment purchasers; production managers and directors, policy makers.
Session 3: Environmental Challenges Date: May 20, 2021, 1:00 – 5:00
Overview: This session will focus on the past (the Great Lakes), the present (subsurface sampling) and the future (emerging contaminants) The presentations include Lake Ontario lake level management; emerging contaminants in our environment; and geophysics as a means of exploring the earth beneath us. Audience: Structural/ civil/site/environmental/ water treatment/ chemical/municipal/geotechnical engineers, chemists, and officials, chemists policy makers, and the general public.
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D A T E S !
Session 4 Public Projects of Interest Date: June 8, 2021, 1:00 – 5:00
Overview: This session will highlight two notable public projects in Western New York: The Peace Bridge in Buffalo, and the Rochester Skate Park. The session also takes a step back into the preliminary planning stage with a presentation on Rochester’s Complete Streets program Audience: Civil/structural/construction/transportation/geotechnical/ municipal engineers. planners, the general public.
Session 5 Facility Infrastructure Date: June 9, 2021, 1:00 – 5:00
Overview: This session will focus on those areas of commercial facility management that is largely hidden from the public, yet noticeable when problems arise: equipment vibrations, indoor air quality, and pavement maintenance. Audience: As we emerge from this once-in-a-lifetime pandemic and begin to once again fill our facilities and parking lots, this presentation will be of interest to health and safety officers, equipment mechanics, civil/HVAC/structural/electrical engineers, building owners, and the general public.
Session 6 Codes and Requirements Date: June 10, 2021, 1:00 – 5:00
Overview: This session will address code requirements in specific areas of building facilities, fire protection systems, and energy use. Audience: Civil/mechanical/electrical engineers, code enforcement officials, contractors ,facility managers, and building owners.
res - 2021 virtual engineering symposium
res - 2021 virtual engineering symposium
APRIL 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 13
4:00:00 PM 4:15:00 PM 4:30:00 PM 4:45:00 PM
2:30:00 PM 2:45:00 PM 3:00:00 PM 3:15:00 PM 3:30:00 PM 3:45:00 PM
1:00:00 PM 1:15:00 PM 1:30:00 PM 1:45:00 PM 2:00:00 PM 2:15:00 PM
Break
William Schneeloch Director of Engineering Kinsley Power Systems
ATS Fundamentals
Break
Weeks
‐
May
Wednesday, June 9, 2021
to
Session 5 ‐ Facility Infrastructure
24
28;
to
June Thursday, June 10, 2021
31
Session 6 ‐ Codes and Requirements
Heater Scarification Terry Lucey Sales Engineer Highway Rehab Corp.
Complete Streets Makeover an Exploration of Tactical Urbanism in Rochester
Jon Hartley P.E. Associate, Transportation Engineer and Transportation Planning Stantec
4
*Schedule subject to change...
The Current and Future Energy Code – an Engineer’s Notes on 2020 NYS Energy Conservation Construction Code, 2020 NYStretch Energy Code, and ASHRAE 90.1‐2019" Chonghui Liu (CL) Team Leader, Energy Services Popli Design Group
Break
Compliance with NEC requirements for Fire Protection of Fire pump and Emergency Feeders. Timothy Franco Manager, Commercial Sales Northeast Pyrotenax
Using Needlepoint Bipolar Ionization to Create Healthy Indoor Environments David N. Schurk Business Development Manager Global Plasma Solutions Break
Break
James Basile, P.E. Civil Discipline Leader Clark Patterson
Plumbing‐Civil Coordination for Utility Design
May
Mark Saunders Senior Geophysicist Golder Associates
Geophysics for Geotechnical and Environmental Investigations
Break
Break
Acoustic Noise Abatement Of Elevated & Non‐Elevated Mechanical Equipment Angela Waters, P.E. Structural Engineering Manager Kinetics Noise Control, Inc.
May
A Practical Look at Gears and Reducers, and their most common problems Neville Sachs Principal Neville W Sachs, P.E., PLLC
Break
Break
Amanda Phetteplace Landscape Architect Stantec
Design and Construction of the Rochester Skate Park
Break
Timothy Coyle, P.E. Chief Engineer Greenman‐Pedersen, Inc. (GPI)
Peace Bridge Rehabilitation Project
Tuesday, June 8, 2021
Session 4 ‐ Public Projects of Interest
Day
Dr. Kelly Robinson Owner Electrostatic Answers
Introduction to Static Control for Roll‐to‐Roll Manufacturing
Break
Denis Conley Senior Associate Haley Aldrich
Emerging Contaminants: Definition, Detection and Treatment
Break
Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence River Water Level Management: Plan 2014 Operational Concepts, Challenges and Trade Offs Bernie Gigas Owner Lake Ontario South Shore Engineering
Finite Element Analysis Validation Avoiding the Pitfalls of "Garbage In Garbage Out" Jeffrey Gardiner P.E. Principal XCEED Engineering and Consulting P.C.
Thursday, May 20, 2021
Session 3 ‐ Environmental Challenges
Wednesday, May 19, 2021
Session 2 ‐ Machinery Elements and Design
Bitcoin Energy Use – the Unreal Electricity Consumption of Virtual Overview of Sealing Components, Their Selection and Application Cryptocurrencies Bill Bishop. P.E. Jim Drago, P.E. Senior Energy Engineer Principal Applications Engineer Pathfinder Engineers Garlock Sealing Technologies
Memorial
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4:00:00 PM 4:15:00 PM 4:30:00 PM 4:45:00 PM
2:30:00 PM 2:45:00 PM 3:00:00 PM 3:15:00 PM 3:30:00 PM 3:45:00 PM
1:00:00 PM 1:15:00 PM 1:30:00 PM 1:45:00 PM 2:00:00 PM 2:15:00 PM
Tuesday, May 18, 2021
Session 1 ‐ Electronics and Power
SCHEDULE FOR VIRTUAL ENGINEERING SYMPOSIUM
Due to the continuation of COVID19 the Convention Center will not be available to host the Symposium in April 2021. The committee has re-scheduled the Symposium again for everyone's safety. If you are registered and paid, we will forward it to the 2022 Symposium. If you would like a refund contact Lynne at RES (res@frontiernet.net or therochesterengineer@gmail.com or 585-254-2350). She will do refunds on a monthly basis. We hope to see everyone in person next year! Please continue to stay safe and hopefully the vaccines will allow us to do so soon! Chris Devries, Symposium Chairman
Save the NEW Date for the:
2022 Engineering
Symposium in Rochester www.engineeringsymposiumrochester.com
Earn up to 7 PDHs
Sponsored by Rochester's Technical and Engineering Societies and RIT
Thursday, April 21, 2022 Courses available in: Civil, Electrical, Lighting, Mechanical, HVAC, and Plumbing.
Joseph A. Floreano Rochester Riverside Convention Center 123 East Main Street, Rochester, NY Time: 7:30 am to 6:30 pm $140 Advance Registration (Plan to go back online ~February 1st 2022) $20 Student Registration; $170 AFTER April 1, 2022 and at the Door Registration will re-open online at www.roceng.org about ~February 1st 2022
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 (res@frontiernet.net or 585-254-2350) to request support by April 1, 2022.
14 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER APRIL 2021
symposium in rochester 2022
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get IT done
Thinning Leaves on a 14-Year-Old Tree by André Godfrey The average lifespan for an Urban Downtown tree is 14 years. Time to go. Perhaps I have added little of importance to the general IT knowledge base in this column, in which I have been a contributor to for the past 14 years. But I have had fun cracking wise and looking for monthly topics that were… well…topical. Here in my last column, I will state my case as a commentator in the genre of the acerb and share favorite excerpts over the years preceded with the subject matter at hand. On marketing: Personally, I have never been afraid of generalities. Here is one for you. I do not know if there are two groups that are generally poorer at marketing than information technology and engineering. On chance: I find most things in life that present a 50/50 chance, are one-in-a -million. Conversely, I find that most things that are one-in-a-million, happen about half the time. On dated social media: I noted that LinkedIn posted the work anniversary of a friend of mine asking me whether I wanted to congratulate them for the achievement. In this instance several people had preceded me and ‘liked’ the notification. Only problem was – that person had passed away. On outsourcing: The three options that companies have are: 1. Do everything in-house. 2. Outsource everything. 3. Outsource those things that are better done by someone else. On recruiting: I went to the U.S. Army website to learn something about recruiting. These guys are professional recruiters who must find young people who are willing to be yelled at in peacetime and shot at in wartime for relatively low pay and status. Not easy. On hypocrisy: My personal hypocrisy has never bothered me. It is the hypocrisy of others that I find intolerable. On women in technology: I attended a meeting recently with several top employers in the western New York area. The consensus of the gathering and the emphasis of several presentations on get IT done
technology centered on the difficulty of finding and hiring technical talents. A short aside. There is an enormous untapped market. Women comprise only 20% of the technology workforce. Hmm… On women in engineering: For engineers, that number is 12 percent. Let me say that again. Only 12 percent of engineers (look around you- take your time) are women. On things that I was dead wrong about (sample): There was an old Monty Python skit (the old part is redundant) where in creating a scene from the Great Plague of the Middle Ages people in carts hawked “bring out your dead, bring out your dead”. I predict there will be a 2019 remake of that scene and the carts will be filled with iPhones. On search engines: Despite what the Luddites might tell you, email allows you to communicate the written word a lot faster than the postal service. Have you used an encyclopedia lately? Didn’t think so. But I bet some of you are googling “Luddites” right now. On redefining Main Street (literally).... redefine Main Street. Our new Main Street will run from what today is Main and Broad (anything west of that is West Avenue, turns right at East Avenue and continues as Main Street (nee East Avenue) to Goodman/East at which point is becomes (remains) East Avenue. This is my farewell column. I want to thank all of you for indulging me these many years and a final thank you to Sue Costa, who was Executive Director of the Rochester Engineering Society, who passed away so many years ago and who asked me to write this column. Thank you, Sue. You were right. It was a lot of fun. Think About IT (one last time)
André Godfrey is President, Entré Computer Services, www.entrecs.com
APRIL 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 15
Announcing the Award Recipients Join us Wednesday, May 26, 202 Virtually for the Award Presentation at the RES Annual Meeting
Come congratulate the 2020 Engineer of the Year
2020 Engineer of the Year Richard J. Buckley Senior Fellow L3Harris Technologies
Education: Worcester Polytechnic Institute BSEE with Distinction (1981) Rochester Institute of Technology MSEE (1993)
How have you used your engineering skills for community and professional leadership? I was fortunate to have excellent mentors early in my career; I have tried to ‘pay it forward’ by mentoring engineers in early stages of their career, in terms of both technical and career aspirations. What do you consider your greatest engineering achievement? The AN/PRC-117G was truly a ‘cradle-to-grave’ product development; L3Harris enabled me to champion the original concept and allowed me to follow the product through to high volume production and field use by satisfied customers. Describe a key event or individual that had a profound effect on your career. Floyd Koontz was an excellent mentor early in my career; he was entirely unafraid of any technical challenge, willing to explore a wide landscape of possible solutions. He also taught me to embrace ideas from multiple diverse sources. What advice would you give to our scholarship recipients? Be yourself and find your personal areas of passion; energy and positive attitude can overcome most obstacles; teamwork is more important than ever; try to have fun, it’s a long career for most of us. Articulate your vision for engineering in Rochester. Rochester is blessed with a long engineering legacy, excellent universities and a strong engineering talent pool. My vision is to work collaboratively across all of those resources to collectively solve emerging challenges that likely face society in the next generation. 16 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER APRIL 2021
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Announcing the Award Recipients Join us Wednesday, May 26, 202 Virtually for the Award Presentation at the RES Annual Meeting
Come congratulate the 2020 Kate Gleason Young Engineer of the Year
2020 Kate Gleason Young Engineer of the Year Daniel J. Rusnack, PE Senior Project Engineer – Electrical Science, Technology, and Industry Bergmann – Architect, Engineers and Planners Education: Pennysylvania State Univeristy, BS Architectural Engineering (2004)
How have you used your engineering skills for community and professional leadership? I actively contribute to the Rochester Illuminating Engineering Society by helping to run the local organization by utilizing my organizational, planning skills and illumination engineering knowledge. Engineering skills encompass many things but everyday things such as helping others, and organizational skills are life skills that benefit all. What do you consider your greatest engineering achievement? My greatest engineering achievement to date was working as a Civilian Engineer in the early stages of my career designing buildings electrical systems for the United States Military. It was very inspirational knowing the buildings I helped design were being used to help the activities of the United States Military and Department of Defense. Describe a key event or individual that had a profound effect on your career. First and foremost, my parents who were always there for me. I can’t thank them enough for all their love and support. My wife Kristen and I have each others back and take on the world every day while raising two great children. Also, my first engineering job out of college was in Norfolk, Virginia where I learned many electrical engineering design skills, where I ultimately spent the first +8 years of my career. The engineering mentors that I met and guided me during this time had a profound effect on me and helped shape me into the engineer I am today. What advice would you give to our scholarship recipients? Take every opportunity you can to learn from your elders and Professors as you get ready to start your working career. At the same time, enjoy every moment you can with your friends and family as you get ready to start the rest of your life. If 2020 has taught us anything it is to cherish the time we have with family and friends. Articulate your vision for engineering in Rochester. Rochester has a long history of talented engineers, entrepreneurial spirit and extensive infrastructure to support the engineering industry. I foresee this having a resurgence with the use of new technologies and the next generation entering the working field. cover article - RES award announcements
APRIL 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 17
Announcing the Award Recipients Join us Wednesday, May 26, 202 Virtually for the Award Presentation at the RES Annual Meeting
Come congratulate five Finalists for 2020 Kate Gleason Young Engineer of the Year 2020 Kate Gleason Young Engineer of the Year Finalist
How have you used your engineering skills for community and professional leadership? Earlier in my career, I participated as a technical lead for a First Robotics team. What do you consider your greatest engineering achievement? Greatest achievement to date was working on a new product, without prior experience, with a new team and exceeding our goals! It was a great technical and leadership experience and helped developed the skill of leading by influence. Describe a key event or individual that had a profound effect on your career. I had the opportunity to participate in a leadership development program that provided me with the tools and mentoring to really shape and drive my career.
Alexandra P. Bowen Lead, Electrical Engineer L3Harris Technologies Communication Systems
Education: RIT, BS Electrical Engineering (2011) RIT, MS Electrical Engineering (2016)
2020 Kate Gleason Young Engineer of the Year Finalist
What advice would you give to our scholarship recipients? You will not only need a mentor for learning and development, but you also need a career advocate. These roles may be fulfilled by the same person. However, your advocate is the one who really drives your career aspirations. Articulate your vision for engineering in Rochester. Rochester has great universities to develop talented engineers, we need to continue driving to keep that talent here as well as attracting talent from outside of Rochester. Rochester has a lot to offer, and we need to share that! How have you used your engineering skills for community and professional leadership? Solving complex problems on a daily basis has fostered both my confidence and communication skills, which have led to the opportunity to be both a part of and lead professional and volunteer initiatives in the Rochester community. What do you consider your greatest engineering achievement? Providing engineering design for the world’s largest magnetic-bearing chiller at Red-Rochester’s Building 87. The opportunity to work on such an innovative and large-scale project right in our backyard is what makes this career so rewarding and worthwhile. Describe a key event or individual that had a profound effect on your career. My father, for guiding and introducing me to the electrical engineering field, and my mother, for not letting me transfer out of the electrical engineering curriculum after my first week of college. It’s true what they say, parents always know what’s best for you!
Robert M. Gleason III, EIT Project Engineer - Electrical C&S Companies Education: SUNY Broome Community College, AAS Electrical Engineering Technology (2011) SUNY Canton, B.Tech. Electrical Engineering Technology (2013)
What advice would you give to our scholarship recipients? When the going gets tough, the tough get going. You are inevitably going to experience setbacks and hurdles throughout your life. How you respond to those obstacles will ultimately determine all you are capable of achieving. Articulate your vision for engineering in Rochester. I feel it’s important that engineers in Rochester continue to capitalize on opportunities to utilize the existing infrastructure available to us. This infrastructure is responsible for establishing Rochester’s rich history in engineering and will be integral in the future development of this city.
18 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER APRIL 2021
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Announcing the Award Recipients Join us Wednesday, May 26, 202 Virtually for the Award Presentation at the RES Annual Meeting
Come congratulate five Finalists for 2020 Kate Gleason Young Engineer of the Year 2020 Kate Gleason Young Engineer of the Year Finalist
How have you used your engineering skills for community and professional leadership? I’ve grown in my role as a senior design engineer to begin mentoring many of the junior engineers, passing knowledge along that I’ve gained through experience and from my own mentors over the years. What do you consider your greatest engineering achievement? Being recognized by my company, CPL, and peers as a reliable source for information and production. Describe a key event or individual that had a profound effect on your career. My career has been shaped by the amazing mentors I’ve worked with and learned from over the years. Most notably, Dave Askinazi, who always went the extra step while I was learning design and project management.
David J. Hastings, PE Senior Transportation Engineer Civil Engineering Team, Associate
Clark Patterson Lee Education: University at Buffalo, BS Civil Engineering (2009)
2020 Kate Gleason Young Engineer of the Year Finalist
What advice would you give to our scholarship recipients? Participate in the engineering clubs and competitions. It’s a great way to gain practical experience and leadership skills. They’re fun and a great way to network. Articulate your vision for engineering in Rochester. Rochester looks to continue being on the cutting edge of transportation design and construction. Embracing smart transportation technologies and data will bring exciting new opportunities. How have you used your engineering skills for community and professional leadership? Engineering emphasizes tradeoffs. When I am involved in planning service or other activities, I help the process be bound by reality, and thus we are able to set more achievable goals that we usually meet. What do you consider your greatest engineering achievement? Few things are as thrilling as to be in another country, with minimal common language, and to figure out how to communicate difficult engineering concepts and then come to a workable solution. Describe a key event or individual that had a profound effect on your career. As a young engineer, I went on several difficult technical field assignments. My team supported me in the field, and I grew tremendously. That is when I knew with support of my company, I could complete complex tasks.
What advice would you give to our scholarship recipients? Do not pretend to know what you do not—always find who knows more on a Heston E. Van Evera topic than you, and engage them to learn what they can teach you. Do not be Specialist, Systems Engineering afraid to admit you do not know something.
L3Harris Technologies
Education: Brigham Young University, BA History (2011) West Virginia University, BS Electrical Engineering (2017)
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Articulate your vision for engineering in Rochester. I would like to see a growing community of engineers with diverse skill sets, whose interplay at work, social interactions, and hobbies improves the quality and understanding of all engineers. APRIL 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 19
Announcing the Award Recipients Join us Wednesday, May 26, 202 Virtually for the Award Presentation at the RES Annual Meeting Come congratulate five Finalists for 2020 Kate Gleason Young Engineer of the Year/ Five 2020 Engineers of Distinction 2020 Kate Gleason Young Engineer of the Year Finalist
How have you used your engineering skills for community and professional leadership? I continuously learn and innovate in how we teach engineering to undergraduate and high school students. I've also worked towards advancing the use of AI in my discipline by authoring textbooks, chairing conferences, teaching new classes, and writing publications. What do you consider your greatest engineering achievement? I helped design an anti-fouling coating made entirely from biodegradable and naturally occurring compounds. This coating has been applied for biological implants, drug design, and detecting cancer biomarkers. The compound was designed by understanding how nature solves this problem. Describe a key event or individual that had a profound effect on your career. I studied abroad for one year in Magdeburg, Germany and all my core chemical engineering classes were taught in German. I saw what it was like to struggle with language, culture, and belonging.
Andrew D. White, PhD Assistant Professor University of Rochester Education: Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, BS Chemical Engineering (2007) University of Washington, PhD Chemical Engineering (2013)
2020 Engineer of Distinction
What advice would you give to our scholarship recipients? Being a good engineer is not only about technical skills. Engineering is being able to identify problems, collaborating with people, and communicating your solutions. Articulate your vision for engineering in Rochester. Engineering in Rochester should grow to be more diverse and inclusive of BIPOC. We require a better understanding of how society is affected by our decisions and the ethics that guide those decisions. This means including engineers from diverse backgrounds and cultures. How have you used your engineering skills for community and professional leadership? I evaluate complex problems logically, considering all POV’s and outcomes. The engineering mindset allows me to solve problems effectively and I’ve been able to apply these traits to leadership at my firm and at the professional and civic organizations I work with. What do you consider your greatest engineering achievement? The rehabilitation of the NYS Thruway bridge over the Seneca River. We redesigned the suspended center span by removing the fracture critical pins and hangers with a bolted splice connection. This made the bridge much less prone to fatigue failure.
Daniel D. Duprey, Jr., PE Chairman Clark Patterson Lee Education: Trine University (formerly Tri-State University) BS Civil Engineering (1980)
Describe a key event or individual that had a profound effect on your career. Francis Henson, P.E. at the Indiana Department of Highways taught me the importance of humility. He once told me “the day you think they can’t get along without you is the day they no longer need you.” I am always mindful of this. What advice would you give to our scholarship recipients? Work hard, be honest and stick to it. Articulate your vision for engineering in Rochester. Autonomous vehicles are coming, and the City/region needs to start getting ready for it. Road markings and roadway signage on streets and highways need to be reflective and machine readable. Roadside sensors need to be installed. This will have a profound transformation on our city.
20 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER APRIL 2021
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Announcing the Award Recipients Join us Wednesday, May 26, 202 Virtually for the Award Presentation at the RES Annual Meeting
Come congratulate five 2020 Engineers of Distinction 2020 Engineer of Distinction
What do you consider your greatest engineering achievement? Designing, implementing, and testing communication waveforms for use in wireless communications systems. Applying communications theory to real-world applications and then witnessing them work over the air is very exciting.
John W. Nieto Senior Fellow L3Harris Technologies Education: University of Missouri at Rolla, BS Electrical Engineering (1984), MS Electrical Engineering (1985)
2020 Engineer of Distinction
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How have you used your engineering skills for community and professional leadership? I have tried to be a technical leader at Harris Corporation and L3Harris Technologies during my entire career.
James A. Norris Senior Scientist Waveform Development L3Harris Technologies Education: Hudson Valley Community College, AAS Electrical Engineering (1980) Clarkson College, BS Electrical Engineering (1982) Syracuse University, MS Electrical Engineering (1995)
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Describe a key event or individual that had a profound effect on your career. When I first started my career at Harris, I was placed in the Advanced Technology Department (ATD). ATD had a developmental program where new engineers were placed there to work with experienced engineers to expand their understanding and knowledge. The program’s goal was to transfer the new hires to different parts of the organization after a few years. I was lucky to remain in ATD for almost 10 years. All the engineers in ATD were very knowledgeable and bright, but in addition were also kind, friendly and willing to share all their knowledge with me. The almost 10 years I worked in ATD had a profound influence on the rest of my career. What advice would you give to our scholarship recipients? Take the first couple of years in college to decide what path you want to follow and then embrace the fun. Articulate your vision for engineering in Rochester. Rochester is a great place to live and work. There are many companies in the area that offer great opportunities for engineering work and these opportunities will continue to grow in the coming years. Engineering is alive and well in Rochester NY!! How have you used your engineering skills for community and professional leadership? I review, present, and host (as session chair) research papers every year at the Military Communications Conference. This past year I worked with the Technical Program Committee for MILCOM as a Panels Co-Chair. Within L3Harris, I facilitate the Signal Processing Technology group – hosting bi-weekly team meetings, planning training for engineers, and providing an interface to senior management on committee plans and progress. What do you consider your greatest engineering achievement? I have several projects that I’m extremely proud of. One good example required a quick-prototype of a newly proposed narrowband satellite communications network proposed by a government/industry cooperative committee. It was extremely fun to create a quick prototype – and even more fun when we were asked to demonstrate it everywhere from Italy, Great Britain, the Continental US, and through to Hawaii. I then served on the Military Standards Committee which generated the interface standards for this new waveform. And then led the Waveform PHY Development Team through the design, implementation, and integration in our family of Falcon II and Falcon III radios. Describe a key event or individual that had a profound effect on your career. I received my master’s degree while at working at Lockheed in Syracuse, NY. Although I enjoyed my work, I found a fantastic new position at Harris (now L3Harris) in Rochester, NY. I was immediately challenged with the latest Harris Multiband Radio product as part of the Digital Signal Processing development team. What advice would you give to our scholarship recipients? Find your passion. Engineering is a fantastic field with manifold challenges – everything from technical to leadership opportunities. Articulate your vision for engineering in Rochester. As part of our Signal Processing Technology group my charter is to develop and encourage new engineering talent. My vision is to provide opportunities in signal processing and communications theory to support the success of L3Harris in Rochester, NY. APRIL 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 21
Announcing the Award Recipients Join us Wednesday, May 26, 202 Virtually for the Award Presentation at the RES Annual Meeting
Come congratulate five 2020 Engineers of Distinction 2020 Engineer of Distinction
How have you used your engineering skills for community and professional leadership? I hope that through my teaching I have evoked a passion within students for engineering and technology. I like to see them have that “ah ha” moment when it all makes sense and then apply that skill or knowledge to a new application. What do you consider your greatest engineering achievement? There is not one product or problem that I consider the greatest. I derive great satisfaction from solving a really hard problem that has a significant impact on the company. These are most often accomplished in collaboration with multidisciplinary teams.
Mark W. Thompson Senior Scientist/Senior Fellow L3Harris Technologies Lecturer, CET, RIT Education: RPI, BS Electrical Engineering (1982) RIT, MS Electrical Engineering (1994) Florida Institute of Technology, MS Systems Engineering (2007) RIT, MS Applied Statistics (2011)
2020 Engineer of Distinction
Describe a key event or individual that had a profound effect on your career. Bob Talbot was an early mentor of mine. Bob taught me good trouble shooting methods and problem-solving skills. He always checked and double-checked results, typically measuring things in multiple ways to verify performance. Later, Chief Statistician Patti Cyr demonstrated how statistical methods can be applied in a rigorous manor to crack really hard problems. She encouraged me to pursue my degree in statistics which gave me a new perspective on solving problems and opened a new way of thinking. What advice would you give to our scholarship recipients? Be forever curious. Always question your results and continue to seek a better understanding of the problem at hand. Strive to gain expertise in your field as well as knowledge in adjacent technologies so that you can bridge the interface between them and extend your impact. Articulate your vision for engineering in Rochester. I hope that engineers in Rochester can be a force to create a better community through contributions to their company and the community directly.
How have you used your engineering skills for community and professional leadership? Being a mentor for FIRST robotics has rekindled my optimism in the leaders for tomorrow. Being able to teach and learn from the students has been rewarding. What do you consider your greatest engineering achievement? As an engineer, the greatest engineering achievement will always be the next challenge. Describe a key event or individual that had a profound effect on your career. My high school electronics teacher taught me how to build an AM radio. I will never forget the feeling when I first heard a voice coming out of the speaker.
Paul Voglewede
Senior Scientist Communications Systems L3Harris Technologies Education: Purdue University, BS Electrical Engineering (1990) Syracuse University, MS Electrical Engineering (1993)
What advice would you give to our scholarship recipients? I think Thomas Edison said it best when he said, “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration”. Things will not always come easily but with hard work and perseverance, you can overcome. Articulate your vision for engineering in Rochester. Engineering in Rochester will use science and inspiration to bring practical ways of improving the community and way of life as well as to provide safety and security in a more dynamic world.
22 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER APRIL 2021
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APRIL 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 23
Taking an on-site approach to soil stabilization and remediation
Chemical stabilization of heavy metal contaminated soil unlocks greater opportunity for site redevelopment By Kevin Ignasziak, Stantec Redevelopment of contaminated sites, or brownfields, never stops. In fact, the US Environmental Protection Agency estimates that there are over 450,000 such sites—brownfields as they are more commonly known—in the country. With redevelopment comes the need for remediation and the careful consideration of factors such as ideal strategy, cost, and timeline. In the Northeastern US where many communities were previously home to industrial manufacturing, heavy metalscontaminated brownfield sites are among the top focus areas for remediation by our team. This type of contamination comes from sources that are too numerous to count but it’s frequently from historic manufacturing and firing range operations. Contaminants include lead, arsenic, and cadmium, just to name a few. Generally, soils are determined to be impacted via laboratory sampling performed under a site characterization or investigation. These steps may be required as part of a land acquisition, due to a public complaint, or a multitude of other reasons. Regardless of how the contamination is encountered or where it stems from, something must be done to address the issue prior to redevelopment.
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contaminants performed by soil microorganisms. This method is generally most effective on petroleum and chlorinated sites. Physical treatment: Technologies that physically reduce the impacts of contaminants. These include soil washing, physical encapsulation of contamination within a defined area (slurry walls, sheet pile walls, injection walls, permeable reactive barriers), or physical transformation of soil to a glass-like substance in a process called vitrification. Chemical Fixation: A remediation technology that reduces the mobility of a contaminant in soil. For example, solidification of heavy metals onto soil particles to reduce leachability of metals into the surrounding soil.
These options provide clients with alternatives for waste management and disposal options over the standard “hog and haul” approach favored in the past, whereby soil is excavated and removed via truck, resulting in higher greenhouse gas emissions. For many of these heavy metals contaminated sites, the previous best method was to excavate, sample, characterize, and dispose of contaminants in a permitted landfill. About as simple as it gets. But what if these soils exceed the EPA’s hazardous threshold for a specific contaminant? In many instances, this simply meant disposal at a different facility permitted to accept hazardous waste in accordance with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) passed in 1976, albeit with a transportation and disposal fee that is many times higher (up to four times more per ton) than for non-hazardous waste. These designated landfills, sometimes referred to as RCRA Subtitle C facilities, are few and far between and are generally limited in capacity. It’s also important to note that switching landfills to accommodate the hazardous waste stream can have many consequences.
In the Northeastern US, many communities were previously home to industrial manufacturing.
Advancements in the field
Technologies relating to on-site treatment and stabilization of waste soil have advanced significantly over the past 20 years, including: • Thermal Desorption: Off-site remediation technology that utilizes heat to volatilize contaminants (volatile organic compounds) so that they can be separated from the soil particles and either collected and treated or incinerated. • Bioremediation: Broad term encompassing many on-site remediation technologies that are focused on the enhancement of naturally occurring degradation of
24 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER APRIL 2021
In the simplest sense, this affects the project’s bottom line by increasing transportation and disposal costs. Many times, these costs can make up a large portion of the total project budget and are prohibitive for clients. Until recently, there was not much that could be done to avoid these costs, but over the past three years, our design and field teams have been incorporating the use of on-site chemical stabilization for soils impacted by hazardous heavy metals to reduce these hefty transportation and disposal costs.
A new approach to stabilization
Chemical stabilization via mixing an amendment into the soil has been successfully applied to soils impacted by a variety of metal contaminants. The process does not destroy or remove the metals, but instead decreases their mobility and may reduce their toxicity. Essentially, the process encapsulates feature article
Chemical stabilization via mixing an amendment into the soil decreases the mobility of contaminants and may reduce their toxicity.
Hazardous soils are uniformly mixed with a stabilization reagent in batches, until the color became uniformly lighter throughout— much like mixing cookie dough.
the particles to prevent leaching of contaminants in a landfill setting.
sewer pipe replacement, however the pipe was buried in lead-impacted soils determined to be hazardous during a site characterization. Overlying soils would require excavation, management, and off-site disposal.
Stabilization chemicals most commonly applied to metalsimpacted soil include reagents such as cement, fly ash, slag, phosphorus-containing materials, clays, and other proprietary blends. Conventional excavating and mixing equipment can be used to mix the soil while blending in a reagent to treat the contaminant. In instances where shallow soil contamination exists, the reagent can be mixed using standard equipment such as a bucket or mechanical mixing head to the end of a tracked excavator, in place. The mixing process creates a relatively homogenous soil matrix, reducing concentrations of contaminants within the mixed zone and promoting contact with the treatment reagent. It also results in a volume increase of at least 10 to 15 percent. Mixing the reagent into the soil while it is in place also has the potential to avoid licensing and other requirements that pertain to on-site treatment of hazardous waste (depending on regulatory oversight). Toxicity leaching characteristic procedure (TCLP) sampling, and in, some cases, multiple extraction method (MEM) and total metals sampling (depending on regulatory agency requirements) is performed on the stabilized soils to confirm leachable concentrations are below hazardous thresholds after mixing. This approach has very few limitations when evaluating its effectiveness for application at sites. Because of this, heavy metals-contaminated brownfields are a prime candidate for its application regardless of size or location.
Putting it into practice
Stantec’s Northeast Environmental Services Group recently completed a similar project for a confidential client in the Southern Tier of New York. The client was faced with a storm feature article
We proposed the use of a soil stabilization agent on-site which was approved by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) following an extensive review. Our teams observed the mixing stabilization process performed by the client’s environmental contractor. Hazardous soils were uniformly mixed with a stabilization reagent in a metal mixing container (similar to a standard roll-off container) using a standard excavator bucket. Soils were mixed in batches until the color became uniformly lighter throughout. The stabilized soils were sampled for lead and the results were shared with NYSDEC and the proposed local, non-hazardous landfill. Prior to stabilization, lead concentrations were nearly three times the hazardous waste threshold. After the stabilization process, many of the collected samples were nondetect for TCLP concentrations of lead. MEM samples were also collected and demonstrated that long-term leaching within an acidic environment was not an issue. Soils were disposed of at the local municipal non-hazardous landfill for less than a quarter of the price of the nearest hazardous landfill, resulting in an estimated cost savings to the client—from transportation and disposal alone—of $110,000. By challenging the status quo and taking an innovative approach to decades-old techniques, extensive cost savings can be unlocked—and an even greater number of contaminated sites can be cleaned up. q Kevin Ignaszak is a Principal in Stantec’s Rochester office where he channels his keen appreciation of the importance of a clean environment into a career devoted to environmental investigation, remediation, and compliance. APRIL 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 25
Professional Firms Employee News Passero Associates News
Passero Associates Architectural Designer Leah Przybylski: WELL AP Building Design Specialist Passero Associates announced that Architectural Designer II Leah Przybylski, Assoc. AIA - CSI-CDT, has added a new credential to her portfolio: WELL AP. Leah successfully completed a program of study and passed the exam to become a WELL AP, certified to provide services and expertise as defined by the WELL Building Standard®. The WELL Building Standard® is the world’s first building guideline focused exclusively on human health and wellness. Administered by the WELL Building Institute (IWBITM), the standard addresses the physical and psychological wellbeing of individuals within the built environment. Some of the topics addressed in the design standards include the reduction of virus and pathogen transmission, raising water, light, and air quality standards, and crafting equitable spaces highlighting place and culture. The WELL Building Standard® extends beyond the design and construction of the building to include guidelines for building owners/ clients in regard to their employees/tenants. The WELL Building Standard® can be tailored towards specific project types. For example, the standards for multifamily housing are unique compared to those for retail spaces, education, or restaurants. In addition, general certification can be achieved for just the core and shell of the building, for specific interior spaces, or for the building as a whole. Certification levels are offered for those who achieve all preconditions (silver), as well as for projects that meet certain optimization goals with their project (gold, platinum.) Certification begins during conceptual design and continues to occupancy for most project types. Benefits associated with certification of a building include improved workplace/living conditions that specifically address mental/physical health issues improving the quality of the space and aiding in the reduction chronic health issues. For clients, WELL certification reflects a continuation of many business and non-profit mission statements to ensure equitable workplace conditions and an ability to promote the effort put into designing a space tailored towards human health and wellness. The WELL Building Standard® aligns with Trauma Informed Design, LEED, and the Living Building Challenge. Congratulations to Leah on this new certification! Her WELL AP expertise will be of great value to our clients and our firm. q
M/E Engineering News
M/E Engineering Growth Demands Increasing Workforce Across the State 2021 is showing strong industry growth and M/E Engineering is responding by continually hiring new talent to join our growing team. As a top producer of quality MEP engineering services throughout the Northeast, we are expanding our reach and venturing into new markets. Michael Bargnesi Senior Commissioning Engineer
Featured here are a few team
26 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER APRIL 2021
members who we're proud to welcome to our firm. Michael Bargnesi, Senior Commissioning Engineer has a BS in electrical engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology and an MBA from the University of Buffalo. He has over 28 years experience in the design, installation, maintenance and troubleshooting of HVAC and direct digital control systems. He possesses specific expertise in the development of HVAC system sequence of operations and the commissioning of temperature control, direct digital control, fire alarm and card access systems. professional firms employee news
M/E Engineering News
M/E Engineering names Ardith Russell as new Director of Corporate Culture, Marketing & Communications M/E Engineering announced that Ardith and external communications, as well J. Russell will be joining the growing as play a key role with others in the team. Ardie joins with nearly 30 years' organization to develop and implement experience in art direction, marketing cultural initiatives. and communications. Educated as an art curator with a minor in environmental "With our continued growth over the past policy, she served for 15 years as 30 years, we were constantly challenged Executive Director of the nonprofit Spring by not having a person overseeing our Street Gallery in Saratoga Springs, NY, marketing efforts, communications, and representing organizations such as projecting our cultural initiatives to the American Farmland Trust, Land Trust outside world. This has become more Alliance, and The Nature Conservancy. pressing as our work has expanded From there, she entered the world of throughout the eastern half of the Ardith J. Russell commercial exhibition design where her country and our client base now includes clients included Brown Forman, Beam many national firms. Suntori, Campari, Select Sotheby's International, New York Racing Association, and SI Group. Her recent By filling this roll, Ardie helps to increase our exposure portfolio includes curating distinctive environments at the nationally while maintaining the close feel that New York Stock Exchange, Saratoga Race Course, and often accompanies smaller firms. With her diverse New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic background, she is ideal for this roll. She bridges the Preservation. communication gap between engineering and our clients, all while embodying our corporate values as we Here at M/E Engineering, Ardie is charged with drive to achieve our vision. She will be a great asset." overseeing our marketing departments in 4 offices John Dredger - President across the state. In this position she'll affect internal q
M/E Engineering Growth Demands Increasing Workforce Across the State; continued Thomas G. Gamer, PE is an Energy Engineer in our Sustainability/ Commissioning Services Group and is responsible for performing building energy analysis and energy efficiency studies for commercial, industrial, institutional, healthcare Thomas G. Gamer, PE and residential facilities. CEM, LEED AP BD+C, BEMP, BEAP Mr. Gamer has extensive experience in Energy Modeling and Simulations and has provided Energy Analysis in support of numerous NYSERDA Energy Efficiency Programs.
Ernest J. Adams, IT Technician, is a graduate of Bryant & Stratton College with an associates degree in Applied Science with a specialty in Networking Technology. His responsibilities include providing technical and user assistance, setup, Ernest J. Adams installation and support for IT Technician various software applications. Ernest's logic and critical thinking proficiency allows him to effectively troubleshoot IT problems and restore functionality with minimal disruption to end users. q APRIL 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 27
Campus News RIT News
Engineering co-op students build a robotic bartender to demonstrate new, high tech motion controller technology
Responsibilities during co-op experience help local company with launch of new product When Teknic challenged a co-op student team from RIT to produce a configurable, automated machine that would use its newest motion and I/O controller called ClearCore, team members responded with a robotic bartender that automates the drink-making process.
because we modeled the entire system in 3D CAD, we uncovered several internal interferences which would have delayed the entire program by weeks had they not been caught before releasing parts.” The team was made up of mechanical, electrical, computer and software engineering students.
Undergraduates from RIT’s Kate Gleason College of Engineering and Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences worked during the summer and fall through required co-op experiences with the company, which manufactures servo motion control components.
Brandon Key, now a software engineer with Teknic, is a graduate of RIT’s computer engineering program. He and project teammates, Cody Brown and Alex Amari, both computing science majors, were instrumental in coordinating the robotic bartender’s multiple system devices. All three have been hired by Teknic.
“The robotic bartender is a mix of fun and serious engineering,” said Abe Amirana, Teknic’s director. Integrating high tech, brushless servo motors, connections to multiple networked devices such as digital and analog sensors, solenoids, LEDs, pneumatics and other hardware devices, the robotic bartender is capable of producing thousands of mixed drink combinations. Users can interact with the bartender through a touch screen interface, browse an extensive menu, vary combinations and place an order.
Several engineering and computer science students who worked at Teknic, a local motion controller device company, developed a robotic bartender to model how electronic equipment can be integrated with the company’s newest technology. Credit: Provided by Teknic
“RIT has a really good emphasis on group work and communications – that proved invaluable when working with an inter-disciplinary team trying to complete a sophisticated automated machine of this nature in a short period of time,” said Carter Miller, a mechanical engineering major who expects to graduate this May. He did one block at Teknic as a co-op, and recently accepted an offer to work with the company. After graduation he’ll join its mechanical engineering department. “My education in 3D solid modeling was also really valuable,” he continued. “The machine space constraints were tight and
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“In the software design, we had to deal with multiple input streams— estop, pressure valve, requests from the touchscreen—so the state machine design to time slice everything was critical,” Key said. “My coursework in embedded systems was helpful in this exercise.”
RIT’s Cooperative Education Program is offered to students to apply what they have learned in the classroom through meaningful work experience opportunities. Students participate over the course of several semesters in different industries and responsibility areas as well as in research centers at the university. “At Teknic, we have a strong commitment and loyalty to the co-op program,” said Amirana. “We had a successful 2020, a most difficult year for many, and we were able to honor our commitments to the program and the students.” A video is available for this article. q campus news
y
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RIT News Semiconductor Shortfall by Santosh K. Kurinec The U.S. created semiconductor microelectronics through transformative innovations in science and engineering over the past century. This technology has ubiquitously influenced our daily lives by delivering many new technologies, such as mobile communications, the internet and computing. It has created an enormous industry and benefited the entire world by creating new applications in electronics, communications, computing, information processing, health care, transportation, energy, and more. The national and global economy has been driven by microelectronics for more than half a century. Today, semiconductor technology is more critically and strategically important than ever. A New Microelectronics Era is emerging that requires new innovations required by new technologies and applications ranging from artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, beyond5G communications, super data centers, cloud and edge computing, internet of everything (IoET), ubiquitous sensing, to the industries of future. In 2001, nearly 30 semiconductor firms manufactured leading-edge chips. As time has progressed and leading-edge semiconductors have become more difficult and costly to produce, that number has decreased significantly. The remaining chip companies manufacturing at the leading edge are from only three countries: Taiwan, Korea, and the United States while China is ramping up its semiconductor industry. The ongoing decline of domestic chip manufacturing poses huge challenges for national security, the supply chain, and technical leadership. According campus news
to the Semiconductor Industry Association, today, the U.S. share of semiconductor manufacturing accounts for 12 percent of global capacity, compared to 37 percent back in 1990. With a slower rate of U.S. chip production capacity, rival nations are poised to become strongholds of innovative transformation. Off shoring of high technology jobs has been the trend in the U.S over the last several decades following a mantra: Invent here, build there. Get PhD students from overseas and displace mid-level jobs from the U.S. It has come to haunt us. The motivations attributed have been - it is cheaper to manufacture outside, no regularity concerns and lack of domestic workforce. Semiconductor manufacturing requires a large workforce of skilled professionals, both for the industry and for the ancillary supporting businesses. These jobs include PhD engineers and scientists, and more of bachelor and masters level engineers and skilled machinists, programmers, process engineers and others. On-shoring of semiconductor manufacturing and associated migration of the supply chain to the U.S will lead to a significant creation of well-paid U.S. jobs. Anticipating the promise and growth of semiconductor microelectronics, Rochester Institute of Technology founded the first and the only undergraduate program in Microelectronic Engineering in 1982 with in-house fabrication facility. The program mandates over a year of co-op internship experience in the semiconductor related industries. The program has produced top quality engineers for the
semiconductor industry nation and worldwide over the last 37 years. Over time, RIT created Masters and PhD programs with continued curricula and lab advancements. The question is why enrollment has declined over the years. Young students see the overall trends - no factories in their backyard! Minimal exposure from media, guidance counselors, K-12 curricula and displaced national priorities. This is time to support programs like this, to create workforce desperately needed to keep US leadership resilient in semiconductors for defense, technology, and intelligence industries. q
Santosh K. Kurinec is a Professor of Electrical and Microelectronic Engineering at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). She is a Fellow of IEEE and a Member of the New York Academy of Sciences. She serves on the NSF Planning Workshop on Future of Semiconductors & Beyond and on IEEE*USA Advanced Microelectronics, Manufacturing, Research & Development Committee. Her current research activities include advanced integrated circuit materials and processes, memory, ferroelectronics and photovoltaics. She received the 2012 IEEE Technical Field Award for integrating research in teaching to prepare microelectronic engineers for future challenges. She was inducted in the Women in Technology International Hall of Fame in 2018.
APRIL 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 29
News From Professional Firms Beardsley Architects + Engineers News Green Lakes State Park Environmental Education Center Receives APWA 2020 Design Award Beardsley Architects + Engineers announced that that the Green Lakes State Park Environmental Education Center has been selected by the Central New York Branch of the American Public Works Association to receive the 2020 Historical Restoration/Preservation Project of the Year Award. The award recognizes public works projects that exhibit exemplary partnerships between the owner, architects and engineers, and the contractor. Awards were presented at a virtual ceremony held on February 12, 2021. The project was completed in close collaboration with the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation; Beardsley Architects + Engineers; Appel Osborne Landscape Architecture; S.J. Thomas Company, Inc. (General Contractor); and BCA Architects & Engineers (Construction Manager). Originally constructed in 1942, the historic boathouse at Green Lakes State Park is an iconic structure to anyone who has visited the beach at the north end of Green Lake. The building had been in use since its construction but lacked an adequate foundation due to poor soils. The NYS Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation (NYSOPRPH) selected Beardsley to design the restoration and conversion of the building into a new environmental education center. As a registered historic structure, renovations also required coordination with the State Historic Preservation Office. To create the new environmental education center and alleviate structural issues, the existing structure was meticulously dismantled and re-built on an entirely new foundation system. Special care was given to preserving as much of the building as possible. Following relocation, the building was restored and renovated to provide four-season usage. The central exhibit space, anchored by preserved stone columns, includes educational kiosks and displays about the Park’s unique meromictic lakes, wildlife and habitats, and history. The building also includes restrooms, a small kitchenette, offices for Park educators, and generous storage space on the main floor and in the full basement. An outdoor education space was created for use by Park educators for school groups or other interpretive presentations. A small boat rental building was also relocated and renovated for continued use. The building also includes restrooms, a small kitchenette, offices for Park educators, and generous storage space on the main floor and in the full basement. An outdoor education space was created for use by Park educators for school groups or other interpretive presentations. A small boat rental building was also relocated and renovated for continued use. Visitors can now enjoy the lakefront boardwalk or launch their kayak or canoe from new docks that connect to the boardwalk. An interpretive center like this one did not previously exist in the Park and has allowed Park educators to expand and enhance their programming. The interior and exterior spaces provide an array of learning opportunities to students and the public through the use of interactive displays within the exhibit space as well as outdoor signage along the boardwalk. In addition, opportunities for school groups to visit the Park have expanded, particularly through the Connect-Kids-toParks Field Trip Grant Program, which provides the financial assistance necessary to connect kids throughout New York with history and nature. q
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news from professional firms
Stantec News Stantec Commits to Carbon Neutrality by 2022 and Net Zero by 2030 As part of its continued commitment to industry-leading sustainable practices worldwide, global design firm Stantec today pledged to carbon neutrality by 2022 as a first step in achieving net-zero operations by 2030 across its entire global footprint. In doing so, Stantec continues to demonstrate leadership in aligning itself to the most ambitious aim of the Paris Agreement―to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Specifically, Stantec has committed to set sciencebased emissions reduction targets, for all three scopes, in line with 1.5°C emissions scenarios. Furthermore, Stantec has committed to a long-term target to reach net-zero emissions by no later than 2030 in line with the criteria and recommendations of the Science Based Targets initiative. “We are making this commitment to do our part in protecting communities from the worst impacts of climate change,” said Gord Johnston, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Our team members apply sustainable best practices to projects around the world daily. By making this pledge we demonstrate that Stantec applies the same passion to address our own
impact.” Stantec anticipates achieving carbon neutrality – beginning with reported 2022 emissions – by meeting emission-reduction targets and addressing remaining emissions through the purchase of renewable energy certificates (or the country-level equivalent) and certified carbon offsets. Carbon neutrality is recognized as an interim step towards the net-zero goal. To meet its netzero commitment, the organization plans to transition offset purchases to options that directly produce renewable energy or reduce carbon. That transition is anticipated to rely on a combination of traditional and innovative pathways that connect directly to Stantec’s client work and technical expertise. Besides addressing operational carbon impact, net-zero also represents a significant business opportunity for engineering and design firms, which have the unique ability to lead in defining new innovative solutions for the market. Stantec’s Innovation Office will fund employeedriven research and business solutions that will not only serve as a strategic resource in reducing the firms’s carbon emissions, but also those of its clients. A Continued, Industry-Leading Path Around the
Globe In addition to Stantec’s carbon emission targets, the company’s distributed teams are currently supporting clients on widely recognized sustainable projects in a variety of locales: • Brussels – Stantec is currently managing the European Union’s largest external aid consultancy contract for sustainable energy. • Ontario – Company practitioners in Ontario, Canada, are helping communities navigate the energy transition by delivering projects like the Gull Bay microgrid which reduces the reliance on diesel fuel for local First Nations communities. • Ethiopia – Stantec recently designed the 254 MW Genale Dawa III Hydropower project to provide a vital renewable energy source for the region. • Kentucky – Stantec designed and built an extension to Kentucky's Hatchery Creek, successfully restoring a wildlife ecosystem where fluctuating water levels had once destroyed important trout habitat and spawning areas. • Denver – Stantec’s buildings teams designed the Denver Water Operations Complex Redevelopment, which serves as a model for water conservation within the built environment. • New York City – Stantec has been selected to lead design for the Battery Coastal Resilience Project, spanning one third of a mile of waterfront along the 25-acre Battery Park. • Maryland – In the sphere of Bioenergy, Stantec is the lead designer of the Piscataway Water Resource Recovery Facility in Maryland. The innovative facility closes a nutrient loop converting solids traditionally landfilled to create heat and power, clean gas for municipal use, and nutrient-rich fertilizer. Stantec’s carbon commitment is the most recent in a series of company milestones related to sustainability. The company was named the fifth most sustainable company in the world and first in North America by Corporate Knights in 2021. q news from professional firms
APRIL 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 31
Position Openings...Pages 32-33
JOIN A TOP 100 TEAM! MRB Group Engineering, Architecture & Surveying, D.P.C., a Greater Rochester Chamber Top 100 Firm, is currently recruiting for several positions to join our growing firm in Rochester New York including: Civil Engineers: to plan, design, direct, oversee and execute civil engineering projects in our water/wastewater group. Planner/Civil Engineer: to provide support on subdivision and site plan reviews, planning board activities, general planning services, and SWPPP/Site Inspections. Construction Observers: to oversee construction of various projects in Western and Central New York. Visit our website (www.mrbgroup.com) for additional information. Resumes can be sent directly to: resume@mrbgroup.com or mailed to: MRB Group, The Culver Road Armory, 145 Culver Road, Suite 160, Rochester, NY 14620
A Look at the Past...
32 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER APRIL 2021
position openings | res news
POSITION AVAILABLE
DEDICATED INDIVIDUALS NEEDED Issued: 03/17/2021
www.steubencony.org
Steuben County, New York
is currently recruiting candidates for the position of
PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER This position is located at the Steuben County Department of Public Works.
The work involves responsibility for the performance of a wide variety of complex professional engineering duties of considerable magnitude and importance in the Department of Public Works. The work is carried out in accordance with standard, well established and accepted professional engineering methods, techniques, and procedures and involves the primary oversight and personal performance of design, inspection, and certification activities for County bridge construction and reconstruction projects. Acting as an engineering consultant to the Commissioner of Public Works, the incumbent may be consulted on any matter requiring professional engineering expertise, including County road and landfill projects. Supervision will be exercised over engineering staff and oversight of the field work to ensure that designs are followed, and specifications are adhered to. Work is performed under the general direction of the Commissioner of Public Works, with wide leeway allowed the incumbent for the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out assignments and activities, because of the specialized, technical, and professional-level nature of the work performed. Duties are usually performed in close conjunction with supervisors of the various divisions of the Department of Public Works, with the Professional Engineer giving advice as needed, monitoring results, and performing inspections. Day-to-day supervision of project crews is usually not a feature of this class. Does related work as required. Must be successful in a Civil Service Exam at a later date. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered college or university with a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering and four years of full time paid experience in the field of civil engineering, two years of which must have involved bridge design/construction/maintenance activities. SPECIAL REQUIREMENT(S)
Possession of a currently valid license to practice as a Professional Engineer in New York State is required for appointment and as a condition of continued employment.
SALARY/BENEFITS
$76,502 - $119,683, depending upon experience NYS Retirement and an excellent benefits package Original application due by April 14, 2021 to:
Mary Jo Snyder, Confidential Secretary Steuben County Department of Personnel 3 East Pulteney Square Bath, NY 14810 Phone: (607) 664-2319
STEUBEN COUNTY IS AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
position openings
APRIL 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 33
Tensor Methods: Revolutionizing Data Science and Machine Learning via Higher-Order Arrays By Dimitris G. Chachlakis Modern engineering systems collect large volumes of data measurements across diverse sensing modalities. These measurements can naturally be arranged in higher-order arrays of scalars which are commonly referred to as multi-way arrays or tensors. A 1-way tensor is a standard vector, a 2-way tensor is a standard matrix, and a 3-way array is a data cube of scalars. For higher-order tensors, visualization on paper is a challenging task and is left to the imagination. Tensors find important applications across fields of science and engineering such as data analysis, pattern recognition, computer vison, machine learning, wireless communications, and biomedical signal processing, among others. Data that can be naturally arranged in tensors are, for instance, Amazon reviews in the form of a data cube with modes user-product-word, crime activity of a city in the form of a 4-way array with modes day-hour-community-crime type, Uber pickups across a city in the form of a 4-way tensor with modes date-hour-latitude-longitude, and ratings of Netflix movies in the form of a data cube with modes rating-customer/usermovie title, to name a few.
Fig. 1: Visual illustration of 1-way, 2-way, and 3-way tensors.
Fig. 2: An image of downtown Rochester stored as a data cube. Original image credit: Patrick Ashley. Storing, processing, and analyzing tensor data in their natural form enables the discovery of patterns and underlying data structures that would have otherwise stayed hidden. Tensor methods comprise an appealing set of mathematical tools for processing tensor data and are widely considered an extension of the standard matrix methods (e.g., Principal-Component Analysis, Singular Value Decomposition, Independent Component Analysis, etc.) that have been widely used over the past decades. At their core, tensor methods rely on theory of tensor algebra which is also known as multi-linear algebra. Tensor algebra is an extension of the standard matrix algebra (linear algebra). For context, linear algebra operates on matrices and vectors –e.g., operations in the form of matrix-to-matrix product or vector-to-matrix product. Tensor algebra generalizes standard linear algebra and defines operations on tensors –e.g., operations in the form of tensor-to-matrix product and tensor-to-tensor product, to name a few. On one hand, tensor algebra has many similarities with matrix algebra, but on the other hand, it exhibits some notable differences. Despite this fact, tensors and tensor algebra exhibit many meritorious properties and have found applications in a diverse array of applications. For instance, tensor operations are highly parallelizable enabling faster training and inference, they are flexible in the sense that they allow training and inference to be decoupled, and tensors naturally model higher-order relationships in the processed data, to name a few.
34 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER APRIL 2021
campus feature article
At a high level, tensor analysis strives to breaking the processed tensor data down to a sum of (smaller) meaningful parts. In the literature, this process is commonly referred to as tensor decomposition or tensor factorization. After the processed tensor is broken down to a sum of smaller parts, these parts can, in turn, be used for data visualization, model identification, denoising, classification, clustering, filling missing entries, compression and interpretability (e.g., of Deep Neural Networks), or other data analysis/machine learning task per the application’s (of interest) needs. Breaking the processed tensor data down to a sum of smaller parts is often modeled as an optimization problem wherein the objective is to optimize a function of the processed tensor and the unknown smaller parts with respect to some metric (criterion). After a decomposition has been modeled as an optimization problem, then an efficient algorithm is developed which can actually solve the optimization problem (exactly or approximately) and return the smaller parts. In turn, the “learned” smaller parts are used for the data analysis/machine learning task of interest as described above. Popular and widely used tensor decomposition models are the Tucker decomposition, Canonical Polyadic decomposition (CPD), and Tensor-Train decomposition, to name a few.
Fig. 3: Visual illustration of Tucker and Canonical Polyadic Decomposition for 3-way tensors. Over the past decade, tensors methods have attracted tremendous research interest. As a result, there exists an abundance of tensor decomposition models, formulated based on different criterions, each of which with its own unique properties, strengths, and weaknesses. Accordingly, there exist multiple algorithmic solvers for breaking the processed tensor down to a sum of smaller parts enabling different performance-cost trade-offs and exhibiting different properties. For instance, one criterion may promote sparsity in the smaller parts, another criterion may exhibit robustness against sporadic outliers –i.e., heavily erroneous entries that appear in the processed tensor with low frequency, and another criterion may promote non-negativity. Notably, in the Machine Learning Optimization and Signal Processing (MILOS) Lab of RIT, directed by Prof. P. Markopoulos, our team works on the development of groundbreaking tensor methods for machine learning and data analysis, currently funded by the National Science Foundation, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.
Fig. 4: Tensor methods lie at the intersection of modern data science, computer science, and machine learning/AI. To date, tensor methods comprise a set of mathematical tools for storing, processing, and analyzing multi-modal data. Tensor methods lie at the intersection of computer science, data science, and machine learning/AI. Moreover, tensor methods have successfully been applied to diverse modern applications, however, tensor methods for machine learning and data science is a highly active research area and many merits of tensor processing are yet to be revealed by the scientific community. q Author Bio: Dimitris. G. Chachlakis is a PhD Candidate with the Kate Gleason College of Engineering and a Research Assistant at the MILOS Lab. His research interests include statistical signal processing, machine learning, and data analysis, with a focus on robustness, tensor methods, and sparse array processing. campus feature article
APRIL 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 35
Go to the RES Website for Updated Details On All Meetings - www.roceng.org
Continuing
Education Opportunities
BE SURE TO CHECK IF A MEETING IS STILL SCHEDULED BECAUSE OF COVID-19
Monday, April 12
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)
p 50
Refrigeration Night - Refrigeration Tour TBD 1 PDH Credit Approval Pending Registration: Visit our web page at http://rochester.ashraechapters.org for registration information and other events scheduled.
Wednesday, April 21
American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE)
p 49
Polypropylene vs PVC/CPV for Special Gas Venting
1 PDH Credit Pending Speaker: Emily DeTine and Randy Shafer, WMS Sales Time: 12:00 noon to 1:00 pm (check in 11:50 am) Place: Wherever you can access the internet! Cost: Free Reservations: Reservations to Dave Jereckos (585-341-3168), or djereckos@ibceng.com which is important for tracking attendance and issuing certificates.
S A V E T H E D A T E S !
Save the Dates for the
2021
VIRTUAL
ENGINEERING SYMPOSIUM Dates and Times: Tuesday - Thursday, May 18, 19, 20 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM Tuesday - Thursday, June 8, 9,10 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM An Opportunity to Earn up to 18 PDHs: Each session is $30 ($10 per PDH credit) • 3 PDHs per day in May and June • Can't spare 18 hours? Register for 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 or 18 PDHs • Registratiom now open on the RES website (www.roceng.org)
12 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER APRIL 2021
S A V E T H E D A T E S !
To post continuing education opportunities on this page please contact the Rochester Engineering Society, 585-254-2350, or email: admin@roceng.org
res - 2021 virtual engineering symposium
Engineers’ Calendar
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, April 6
Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) EXCOM Meeting
Place: On-line: via webex conferencing. Time: 11:50 am to 1:00 pm Registration links for our events are at: events.vtools.ieee.org/m/255223 36 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER APRIL 2021
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Support Your Affiliate Attend A Meeting continuing education calendar | engineers' calendar
Tuesday, May 4
Monday, April 12
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)
p 50
Refrigeration Night – Refrigeration Tour TBD 1 PDH Credit Approval Pending Registration: Visit our web page at http://rochester.ashraechapters.org for registration information and other events scheduled.
Towards an Ontology for Collaboration in System of Systems Context
p 48
Wednesday, April 21
Polypropylene vs PVC/CPV for Special Gas Venting – 1 PDH Credit Pending
p 49
Speaker: Emily DeTine and Randy Shafer, WMS Sales Time: 12:00 noon to 1:00 pm (check in 11:50 am) Place: Wherever you can access the internet! Cost: Free Reservations: Reservations to Dave Jereckos (585-341-3168), or djereckos@ibceng.com which is important for tracking attendance and issuing certificates.
p 43
Place: On-line: via webex conferencing. Time: 11:50 am to 1:00 pm Registration links for our events are at: events.vtools.ieee.org/m/255224
Electrical Association (EA)
Speaker: Robert Nilsson, Volvo Time: 12:00 pm to run approximately to 1:30 pm Reservations. All meetings are held virtually until further notice. We use Globalmeet11 for the monthly meetings. GlobalMeet Join Details – Join as a GUEST Meeting Details Web Address: https://incose.pgimeet.com/INCOSEGMElevena Access number: 1-646-307-1479 Guest Passcode: 250 025 6391
American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE)
EXCOM Meeting
Friday, May 7
Thursday, April 15
International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE)
Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE)
Casino Night (to benefit the Kessler Burn Center at URMC)
p 44
Place: Strathallan, 500 East Avenue, Rochester Reservations: Tickets are $55 per person and available on-line at www.eawny.com. (Receive $500 in betting chips to play craps, Texas Hold ‘Em, Blackjack, Three Card Poker, Intersect Poker & Let It Ride. Also includes hors d’oeuvres, food stations, dessert & coffee).
Monday, May 17–Wednesday, May 19 Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) IEEE STRATUS Conference
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Place: Virtual – on-line only. Visit the website at stratus-conference.com to register and get the conference details.
Monday, June 14
Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) p 46 Annual Golf Tournament (Joint with the IES Buffalo Section)
Place: Stafford Country Club (same location as last year!) For full details and online registration, please vitit the website at www.iesrochester.org.
Thursday, April 22
American Public Works Association (APWA) 2020 APWA Award Winners
Location: Virtual – Zoom Conference Look for details to participate by visiting www.newyork.apwa.net/geneseevalley.
Support Your Affiliate Attend A Meeting engineers' calendar
p 40
The RES website (www.roceng.org) has a calendar of events for this month's meetings and meetings that are received or updated after print deadline. Please refer to the website for updated information. If you wish to be listed in the calendar please send details to res@ frontiernet.net APRIL 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 37
657 East Avenue, Rochestter, New York 14607 Dedicated to Professionalism in Engineering in the Interest of Public Safety and Welfare 2020-21 Officers: President Michael O. Ritchie, PE, President-elect Vacant, Vice-President Bill Grove, PE, Secretary Martin E. Gordon, PE, Treasurer Christopher R. Devries, PE, Membership Chair Vacant Past Presidents: Christopher V. Kambar, PE , David C. Roberts, PE, Directors: Barry J. Dumbauld, PE, Robert K. Winans, PE, Joseph Dombrowski, PE, Jim Drago, PE, Neal Illenberg, PE, Douglas R. Strang Jr., PE
COVID-19 STATE ACTIONS NSPE is tracking and identifying executive orders and legislation related to Covid-19 and has created one-page printable reports for the majority of the states. Click here for NEW YORK: https://www.nspe.org/sites/default/files/sites/default/files/c19/NewYork-C19.pdf These are all dynamic resources that NSPE continues to update on a daily basis, so please check back regularly for new/ additional information. Access the information for Licensure (https://www.quorum.us/spreadsheet/external/XzccVELfzzrFQYyqEmxn/) Access the information for Small Business Legislative https://www.quorum.us/spreadsheet/external/GQuvKPGmWdIYzQPSUkaO/ Click here for more Resources: https://www.nspe.org/resources/coronavirus-covid-19-resources Continuing Education/Examination/Regulations: http://www.op.nysed.gov/COVID-19.html
MPES SCHOLARSHIPS MPES sponsors two annual scholarships for local college students to study Engineering. To ensure that this organization can continue to provide scholarships to deserving students for years to come, we are seeking donations from local engineering firms, RES and MPES members. For more information on how to make a donation please email mritchie@costich.com
NSPE DELIVERS PRIORITIES TO THE WHITE HOUSE NSPE is urging the Biden Administration to develop common-sense climate change mitigation policies and make swift investment in the nation’s infrastructure, among other recommendations. In a letter sent on February 18, NSPE highlighted its vital role in society and the value of having PEs “play a lead role in creating, maintaining, and renewing infrastructure.” The letter encouraged the administration’s Domestic Policy Council to work toward the following goals: • • • •
Implementing a regulatory framework for emerging technologies that encourage innovation while continuing to protect the public; Improving access to STEM education by allocating the necessary resources to develop or improve STEM education facilities for underserved students; Developing equity and inclusion policies that use tools like professional licensing and certification, which have been proved to reduce the wage gap for women and minorities; Advocating proper investment in the nation’s infrastructure.
As always, we encourage active membership in the Monroe Professional Engineers Society. We are constantly striving to improve your membership but we always need more help. If you are interested in becoming an active member or have any questions, please email me at mritchie@costich.com or contact MPES through our website at www.monroepes.org/contactus/. Mike Ritchie, PE, President, MPES
38 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER APRIL 2021
mpes news
Rochester Chapter
Society for Imaging Science and Technology Website: http://roceng.org/ISandT
Our meetings are being held by zoom. Please email rochesterist@gmail.com to get the details to join this program.
April 2021 (Day TBA) 6:00 PM History of the VCR, and Digitization of VHS Tape Recordings by David Rodriguez Dave Rodriguez is Resident Librarian in the Office of Digital Research and Scholarship. He holds a BA from New College of Florida (2009, Literature), an MA from the University of Florida (2011, Film & Media Studies), a Certificate from The L. Jeffrey Selznick School of Film Preservation (2012), and an MLIS from Florida State University (2018). Before coming to FSU, Dave worked in film and audio-visual preservation in museums, archives, and in the private and non-profit sectors. These positions included Chief Projectionist of the Motion Picture Department at George Eastman Museum, Manager/ Archivist of The Center for Moving Image Arts at Bard College, laboratory technician at Continental Film & Digital Laboratory, and in Special Collections at the University of Miami. He has also worked as a freelance museum preparator and art handler. His current work at FSU Libraries focuses on digital media stewardship, repository management, and open-source technologies. His research interests include the curation of time-based media, copyright law, media archaeology, and experimental film/video/music.
is&t news
APRIL 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 39
APWA Genesee Valley Branch
Announces 2020 Award Winners The APWA Awards program recognizes outstanding individuals and groups representing the best in public works. The program is established to promote excellence in demonstrating creativity, ingenuity, and efficiency in the delivery of public works projects that have a profound impact on the community. The Genesee Valley Branch of the American Public Works Association is pleased to announce the following winners of awards for 2020: Public Works Leader of the Year - Timothy Hens, P.E.; Genesee County Highway Department Douglas Zefting Public Service Employee Award - Timothy Walton; M.C.D.O.T. - Joe Lobene; Town of Irondequoit Professional Manager of the Year (Facilities & Grounds) - Steve Vanderbrook, P.E.; Ontario County D.P.W. Professional Manager of the Year (Transportation) - Tom Lichtenthal, P.E.; Town of Batavia Highway Superintendent Professional Manager of the Year (Water Resources) - Mark Koester; Koester Associates Charles Walter Nichols Award - Steven Carroll; Village of LeRoy Dick Mack Contractor of the Year Award - Richard K. Clark; Villager Construction Project of the Year Awards: Structures: Small Cities / Rural Communities Fairport Bicentennial Canal Gateway Project - Fairport Office of Community and Economic Development - GPI, Inc. - Crane-Hogan Structural Systems Inc. Transportation: Small Cities / Rural Communities Ellicott Trail Project - City of Batavia / Town of Batavia - Barton & Loguidice, DPC - Keeler Construction Co., Inc.
40 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER APRIL 2021
Transportation: (<$5 Million) Salt Road Bridge over Four Mile Creek - Monroe County D.O.T. - C&S Engineers - C.P. Ward, Inc. Promenade at Erie Harbor - City of Rochester - Bergmann Associates - Crane-Hogan Structural Systems, Inc. Transportation: ($5 - $25 Million) NYS Route 63 Bridge and Intersection Project - NYS Department of Transportation - Ramsey Constructors, LLC Structures: (<$5 Million) ROC City Skate Park - City of Rochester - Stantec - C.P. Ward, Inc. Structures: ($5 - $25 Million) Town of Henrietta Public Library - Town of Henrietta - Passero Associates - Christa Construction, LLC The award winners will be honored through a zoom conference to be held at 12:00 noon on Thursday, April 22, 2021. Look for details to participate in this virtual event in your email, or by visiting www.newyork.apwa.net/geneseevalley. Also, if you are interested in becoming a member of APWA, visit www.newyork.apwa.net. Take the opportunity to join and network with your peers in public works. apwa news
2021 Bridge Awards ABCD is Accepting Nominations for the
ABCD 2021 BRIDGE DESIGN AWARDS
The Western New York Chapter of the Association for Bridge Construction and Design is requesting submissions from the membership for our 2021 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 completed and opened to traffic in 2020. Each year, three 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 three categories for the Bridge Awards: Bridge Cost - Under $2,000,000 Bridge Cost - $2,000,000 to $10,000,000 Bridge Cost - Over $10,000,000 Submissions are judged on the project merits - design, requirements, use of innovative technology, schedule and coordination, site conditions, constructability, and complexity - as well as the Entry Documentation - narrative description, photos, sketches, project features, and overall entry presentation. SUBMISSIONS ARE DUE BY APRIL 9, 2021 Submission instructions are available on the ABCD website: www.abcdwny.com For Questions or Information, contact:
Ashley Freeman (585) 738-0870 Ashley.Freeman@tylin.com Nick Barnhard (716) 997-3212 BarnhardN@erdmananthony.com abcd news
APRIL 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 41
April 2021 Newsletter Section Officers Chair Eric Brown Vice Chair Treasurer Secretary Paul Lee
Chapters & Groups AES & COMSOC Cristiano Tapparello CS & CIS Bo Yuan EDS & CSS Sean Rommel EMBS Cristian Linte GRSS Emmett Ientilucci LIFE Mark Schrader APS & MTTS Danielle Walters Photonics Bruce Smith Parsian K. Mohseni PES & IAS Jean Kendrick SPS Alex Byrley Eric Zeise TEMS Paul Lee Young Professionals Eric Brown
Student Groups Univ. of Rochester Ming-Lun Lee RIT Jamison Heard
Committees Awards Jean Kendrick Communications Christine Frayda Howard Bussey Newsletter Howard Bussey PACE Bruce Rubin
Liaisons RES Harold Paschal RCSS William Brewer
Message from the Chair Dear Colleagues, IEEE Region 1 held two virtual Board of Governors meetings in February and March. The sessions focused on common challenges faced and solutions implemented by Sections in 2020. There was ample discussion of multi-Section collaboration on and cross-promotion of virtual and hybrid events. This mindset shift at the Regional level promises to bring additional technical content and events to Rochester IEEE members in their areas of interest and provide a broader audience for presenters at Rochester Section events. The 2021 STRATUS Conference will be held virtually from May 17-19 (http://stratus-conference.com/). The next IEEE Rochester Section virtual ExCom meeting will be on Star Wars Day, May the 4th, from noon until 1 pm via WebEx (vTools# 255223). Stay healthy, and best regards,
February 9th Signal Processing Talk: CNNs with Point Cloud Data On February 9th, Dr. Miguel Dominguez presented his work on using Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), a standard tool in classification and segmentation problems for computer vision to process point cloud data. CNNs are usually based several assumptions that exploit the structure of images and array data. Recently there has been interest in adapting these networks to point cloud analysis for 3D understanding, which has applications in self driving cars and robotics (via LIDAR sensors), 3D graphics, and computer-aided design. In this talk, Dr. Dominguez reviewed previous work that attempted to map the functionality of CNNs to point clouds, but either simplified the convolutional structures or added a large amount of computational overhead. He showed how to give point cloud networks the same modeling capability as traditional CNNs while placing downward pressure on the overhead. He used two approaches: Graph-CNNs and Hard Directional Graph Networks, and applied these networks to standard point cloud vision benchmarks as well as segmentation of Large Hadron Collider data and Computational Fluid Dynamics simulation. Finally, he showed that his work resulted in codes that outperformed competing baselines.
42 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER APRIL 2021
ieee news
February 19th MTT/AP Talk: Phase Array Antennas On February 19th, the Microwave Theory and Techniques and Antennas and Propagation chapters sponsored a talk on Phased Array Antennas for Radar Applications. The speaker, Donald McPherson, is a senior IEEE member. He more than 30 years of experience in RF, microwave and antenna engineering from 400 MHz to 94 GHz. He has contributed to numerous phased array radars including an S-Band multi mission radar, an LBand counter mortar radar and a UHF foliage penetration radar. About 60 people joined this meeting.
STRATUS 2021 – Registration Open, and 2nd Keynote Speaker Early registration for this great conference is now open – until April 16th. Registration is $50, and students may register for free. Visit the site at stratus-conference.com to register and to get conference details. The STRATUS conference previously announced that Peter Webley, Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks. STRATUS has now announced another keynote speaker for 2021. Ken Stewart, President and CEO of NUAIR, is responsible for setting the overall vision and product strategy for the organization. Mr. Stewart is an experienced industry veteran in wireless telecommunications and cloud-based software market with a specialization in building Enterprise SaaS, Federated digital marketplaces and platforms. Prior to joining NUAIR Mr. Stewart served as the CEO of AiRXOS, a GE aviation company, where he led innovation, development and commercialization of Unmanned Traffic Management services. After beginning his career in engineering and management positions at IBM and GTE, Stewart served as an executive with several venture capital and private equity-backed companies commercializing and scaling pre-revenue start-ups and transforming organizations for growth.
IEEE Rochester Section Events Please check the events to ensure they are as scheduled below. Visit events.vtools.ieee.org/m/vtools# for details about any of these events. Event
Vtools #
When
Where
EXCOM Meeting
255223
April 6th, 11:50 – 13:00
Via Webex
EXCOM Meeting
255224
May 4th, 11:50 – 13:00
Via Webex
May 17th – May 19th
Now On-line only
STRATUS – GeoHazards and Extreme Events
ieee news
APRIL 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 43
Presented by the Electrical Association of Western New York
to benefit the Kessler Burn Center at URMC Friday, May 7, 2021 from 6-10PM The Strathallan 550 East Avenue ~ Rochester, New York
AWESOME PRIZES AND 50/50 Receive $500 in Betting Chips to Play Craps, Texas Hold’em, Blackjack, Three Card Poker, Intersect Poker & Let It Ride Hors D’Oeuvres, Food Stations, Dessert & Coffee
$55/Ticket TICKETS ON-LINE AT WWW.EAWNY.COM
44 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER APRIL 2021
ea news
The Society of Women Engineers stimulates women to achieve full potential in careers as engineers and leaders, expands the image of the engineering profession as a positive force in improving the quality of life, and demonstrates the value of diversity.
swerochester.org Find us on Facebook at SWE Rochester c/o Rochester Engineering Society at RMSC 657 EastAve Rochester, NY 14607
APRIL IS BLACK WOMEN HISTORY MONTH
In honor of Black Women History Month
information obtained from Wikipedia’s List of African American Women in STEM Fields
Hattie T. Scott. First AfricanAmerican woman to obtain a civil engineering degree. First woman engineer, US Army Corps of Engineers. Encouraged engineering as a profession for women.
Dr. Jeanette Epps, aerospace engineer and NASA Astronaut. To launch with CST100 Starliner to ISS. Born in Syracuse, NY. (photo: NASA.gov)
Ursula Burns, mechanical engineer. Former CEO of Xerox & first Black woman CEO and first Black chairwoman of a Fortune 500 company.
WE NEED YOUR HELP What would you like from SWE Roc? Do you have any new ideas? We’d love for you to join us, so join us at our upcoming planning meeting! CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE AND JOIN OUR MEETINGS Executive Meetings are open!
Dr. Moogega Cooper Stricker, physicist and mechanical engineer. Lead of Planetary Protection for Mars 2020 Mission.
Dr. Lilia Ann Abron, chemical engineer & entrepreneur. First African-American woman to earn a PhD in ChemE. (photo: NAE.edu)
Kimberly Bryant, electrical engineer. Founded “Black Girls Code,” which teaches computer programming to school-age girls. The goal is teaching one million Black girls to code by 2040.
photo: leadingauthorities.com
Join or Renew with SWE Roc Today Benefit from a network of women engineers, get involved in outreach activities, and gain access to professional and personal development resources!
If you haven’t done so already, be sure to renew your membership today at swe.org. If you don’t have a membership yet, please join us! swe news
APRIL 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 45
Rochester, NY Section P.O. Box 23795 Rochester, NY 14692 www.iesrochester.org
IES ROCHESTER SECTION OUR ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENT IS ONCE AGAIN A JOINT VENTURE WITH THE IES BUFFALO SECTION - SAME LOCATION AS LAST YEAR !
JOIN US ON MONDAY JUNE 14TH AT STAFFORD COUNTRY CLUB
FOR FULL DETAILS AND ONLINE REGISTRATION, PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.IESROCHESTER.ORG Please remember to visit our website at www.iesrochester.org 46 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER APRIL 2021
ies news
Thank You, Rochester Engineering Society! By the time you read this, the second virtual Terra Rochester Finger Lakes Science & Engineering Fair will have been held.
Harold Clark TRFSEF Director trfsef@terraed.org
Despite the pandemic, over 25 students will have competed with projects ranging from generating electricity from water in gutters to effect of salt on COVID-19 spike proteins! Thank you • Members for encouraging students to participate and volunteering to be judges • Board Members for your generous personal financial support • Lynne Irwin and the Office for the extra publicity
terra news
Don’t miss the chance to judge at the GENIUS Olympiad.
APRIL 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 47
Finger Lakes Chapter of INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL ON SYSTEMS ENGINEERING Finger Lakes Chapter of INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL ON SYSTEMS ENGINEERING http://www.incose.org/ChaptersGroups/Chapters/ChapterSites/finger-lakes/chapter-home http://www.incose.org/ChaptersGroups/Chapters/ChapterSites/finger-lakes/chapter-home
Upcoming Upcoming Chapter Chapter Meeting Meeting Events Events • Thursday, April 15, 2021: April Chapter Meeting • Thursday, April 15, 2021: April Chapter Meeting Speaker – Robert Nilsson, Volvo Speaker – Robert Nilsson, Volvo Topic – Towards an Ontology for Collaboration in System of Systems Context Topic – Towards an Ontology for Collaboration in System of Systems Context Robert Nilsson is a Global Product Manager for Intelligent Systems for Volvo. His presentation Robert Nilsson is a Global Product Manager for Intelligent Systems for Volvo. His presentation explores possibilities for collaboration between two companies that share interest in a System of explores possibilities for collaboration between two companies that share interest in a System of Systems (SoS). As a response to harmonize use of words for an SoS in relationship to Systems (SoS). As a response to harmonize use of words for an SoS in relationship to standardized set of definitions an INCOSE Work Group project developed a proposal for an standardized set of definitions an INCOSE Work Group project developed a proposal for an ontology that could support collaboration in the context of directed SoS and acknowledged SoS. ontology that could support collaboration in the context of directed SoS and acknowledged SoS. Note that this meeting will be held at noon, to accommodate the speaker’s schedule. Note that this meeting will be held at noon, to accommodate the speaker’s schedule.
• Meeting begins at 12:00 pm and run to approximately 1:30 pm • Meeting begins at 12:00 pm and run to approximately 1:30 pm All meetings are being held virtually until further notice. All meetings are being held virtually until further notice. We use Globalmeet11 for our monthly meetings. We use Globalmeet11 for our monthly meetings. GlobalMeet Join Details - Join as GUEST GlobalMeet Join Details - Join as GUEST Meeting Details Web Address: https://incose.pgimeet.com/INCOSEGMElevena Meeting Details Web Address: https://incose.pgimeet.com/INCOSEGMElevena Access Number: 1-646-307-1479 Access Number: 1-646-307-1479 Guest Passcode: 250 025 6391 Guest Passcode: 250 025 6391
© 2021 INCOSE Finger Lakes Chapter © 2021 INCOSE Finger Lakes Chapter
48 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER APRIL 2021
incose news
President/Education Chair: JENNIFER WENGENDER, P.E., CPD CPL 205 St Paul Blvd Rochester, NY 14604 585-454-7600 Vice President Technical: DAVE JERECKOS IBC Engineering, PC 3445 Winton Place Suite 219 Rochester, NY 14623 585-292-1590 Vice President Legislative: DAVID MYERS LaBella Associates, PC 300 State Street Suite 201 Rochester, NY 14614 585-454-6110 Vice President Membership/AYP: TRAVIS JESSICK Dave Gooding Inc 173 Spark Street Brockton MA 02302 585-794-8845 Treasurer: ALAN SMITH, P.E. IBC Engineering, PC 3445 Winton Place Suite 219 Rochester, NY 14623 585-292-1590 Administrative Secretary: ADAM KRAMER IBC Engineering, PC 3445 Winton Place Suite 219 Rochester, NY 14623 585-292-1590 Newsletter Editor: CHRIS WOLAK Victaulic Fairport, NY 14450 484-350-1954 Affiliate Liaison: REBECCA KOLSTAD Kolstad Associates
President's Message Happy Spring – St Patrick’s day – Easter or whatever else you plan to celebrate (safely). Our Rochester Chapter will have elections for Board members this coming May. Any current ASPE members that are interested in joining our board, please give me a call. ASPE Society is continuing with Web format for the June President’s meeting and “state of the society” events. ASPE is planning a Technical Symposium this fall in San Diego. We will keep our fingers crossed that travel and attendance at an event like that will be feasible. We have a tentative date for our golf outing: Thursday June 10, 2021 at 10:00 Victor Hills. We hope to see people in person for that event. Stay safe but stay in touch! �
Jennifer Wengender, P.E., CPD Rochester Chapter President
Meeting Notice – Save the Date Topic:
Polypropylene vs PVC/CPV for Special Gas Venting
Speaker:
Emily DeTine and Randy Shafer, WMS Sales
Date:
Wednesday, April 21, 2021
Time:
12:00 noon – 1:00 p.m. (check in 11:50 am)
Place:
Wherever you can access the internet!!
Credits:
1 PDH – Pending approval
Cost:
Free. �
RSVP:
To Dave Jereckos (341-3168), or djereckos@ibceng.com which is important for tracking attendance and issuing certificates.
(Chapters are not authorized to speak for the Society)
aspe news
APRIL 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 49
Rochester Chapter
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers Rochester ASHRAE website: http://rochester.ashraechapters.org
APRIL NEWSLETTER
ASHRAE 2020-2021 Meeting Schedule Date
Event
Refrigeration Night
Monday, 4/12/2021 Refrigeration Tour (Location TBD) Monday, 5/17/2021
Theme
Annual ASHRAE Golf Outing and Picnic (Ravenwood Golf Course)
Location TBD
(PDH Pending)
---
9:30 AM Golf 4:30 - 8:00 Picnic
President's Message As we all recall from February 2nd, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow predicting 6 more weeks of winter. Obviously everyone reading this, having an interest in some form of engineering or another, agrees that this highly scientific method of meteorology is fool-proof. This means that winter is officially over and we can usher in Spring! As COVID vaccines continue to be administered through the general population, I think we all feel the essence of the spring season which is optimism and newness of life. Here at ASHRAE we continue to use caution with our virtual monthly meetings but do anticipate sharing in fellowship soon with our golf outing in May, as the facility and local guidelines allow. The situation is ever-changing so our website is your best resource to stay up-to-date: rochester.ashraechapters.org How the Internet of Things is Changing BMS, presented by Joe Klotz of Johnson Controls was our February meeting. For March we hosted Michelle Schleher from Rochester Regional Health to discuss The Current and Future State: The Impact from COVID19. We hope to see the regular names/faces in addition to some new ones at our meetings. All are welcome! Michael Benedict 2020-2021 President ASHRAE Rochester
50 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER APRIL 2021
ashrae news
d
s
Directory of Professional Services
Advertising Rates and Membership Application is Available at www.roceng.org directory of professional services
APRIL 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 51
Directory of Professional Services
Full-Service Engineering, Architecture + Code Compliance 255 East Avenue Rochester, NY 14604
Solving soils problems for over 40 years. 46A Sager Drive, Rochester, NY 14607 Tel: 585-458-0824 • Fax: 585-458-3323 www.foundationdesignpc.com
(585) 512-2000 ww.tylin.com
Advertising Rates and Membership Application is Available at
A multi-disciplinary consulting firm that provides technical solutions to public and private clients. bartonandloguidice.com
www.roceng.org
585.325.7190
Save the Date: 118th RES Annual Gala Saturday, April 2, 2022
Rochester Riverside Convention Center Additional details will be posted on the RES website: www.roceng.org
Directory of Business Services Advisors
Philip J. Welch
First Vice President - Investments
Wells Fargo Advisors
Wells Fargo Advisors is a trade name used by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC
Member SIPC
52 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER APRIL 2021
400 Meridian Centre Blvd. Suite 210 Rochester, NY 14618 Direct: 585-241-7546 Fax: 585-241-3986 Toll Free: 877-237-6201 philip.welch@wellsfargoadvisors.com
directory of professional services | director of business services
s
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 American Public Works Association Monroe County/Genesee Valley Branch Chairman, Peter Vars, PE Email: PVars@bmepc.com American Society of Civil Engineers, Rochester Section President, Joshua T. Rodems, PE, Bergmann, Rochester, NY. 585-498-7944. Email: jrodems@bergmannpc.com American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Rochester Chapter President, Mike Benedict, mike@airsystemsbalancing.com. Email: ashraerocnews.com Website: rochester.ashraechapters.org American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Rochester Section Chairman, Joseph Lawson, joey@rocmarchforscience.org American Society of Plumbing Engineers, Rochester New York Chapter President, Jennifer Wengender, PE, CPD, Clark Patterson Lee, 205 St. Paul Blvd., Rochester, NY 14604. 585-454-7600. Email: jwengender@clarkpatterson.com Website: https://www.aspe.org
Association for Bridge Construction and Design President, Michael D. Davidson, PE JM Davidson Engineering, DPC Email: mdavidson@jmdavidsoneng.com
Association For Facilities Engineering, Rochester Chapter President, Matt Knights, Constellation Brands, Inc. Email: Matt.Knights@cbrands.com Electrical Association Executive Director, Karen Lynch Email: karen@eawny.com President, Russ Corcoran, Landmark Electric, 585-359-0800. Email: russc@landmarkelectric.net.
Monroe Professional Engineers Society President, Mike Ritchie, PE Email: mritchie@costich.com
Genesee Valley Land Surveyors Association President, Jared R. Ransom, LS 585-737-6881 Email: jaredransomls@gmail.com
New York Water Environment Association Inc., Genesee Valley Chapter (www.gvcnywea.org) President, Bill Davis, 585-381-9250 Email: william.davis@mrbgroup.com
Illuminating Engineering Society of North America Inc., Rochester Section President, Rob Gleason Email: rgleason@cscos.com
New York State Association of Transportation Engineers, Section 4 President, Paul J. Spitzer, PE, NYS DOT Region 4, Genesee Valley, 1530 Jefferson Road, Rochester, NY 14623. 585-272-4890. Email: paul.spitzer@dot.ny.gov Website: www.nysate.org
Rochester Makerspace President, David M. Duckles 585-467-5565, president@rocmakers.org Website: www.RocMakers.org
Imaging Science & Technology, Rochester Chapter President, Bruce Pillman, 585-748-6006 Email: bruce.pillman@gmail.com
Sheet Metal & Air-Conditioning Contractor’s National Association-Rochester, Inc. Executive Director, Aaron Hilger 585-586-8030. Email: mzin@smacnaroc.org
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Rochester Section Chairman, Eric Brown Email: eric.t.brown@ieee.org
Society of Plastics Engineers, Rochester Section President, Brett Blaisdell Email: zippel@frontiernet.net
Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers, Rochester Chapter President, Poojith Kalluru, Alstom Email: poojith.kalluru@alstomgroup.com
Society of Women Engineers. Rochester Section President, Marca J. Lam, RIT Email: mjleme@rit.edu
International Council on Systems Engineering, Finger Lakes Chapter President, Teresa Fronk Email: bears04@frontiernet.net
Terra Rochester Finger Lakes Science & Engineering Fair Director, Harold R. Clark, PhD Email: tasasef@terraed.org Website: TerraFairs@terraed.org.
Corporate Members of the Rochester Engineering Society Bergmann (Enterprise) BME Associates
Hunt Engineers, Architects & Land Surveyors, Inc.
Passero Associates
CHA Companies
IBC Engineering, PC (Champion) Kistner Concrete Products Inc.
Clark Patterson Lee
L3 Harris (Enterprise)
Erdman Anthony Associates
M/E Engineering, PC (Enterprise)
Fisher Associates, PE, LS, LA, DPC
MRB Group (Champion)
Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce (RBA) Champion)
Multivista
Greenman-Pedersen, Inc.
Optimation Technology, Inc.
affiliated societies & corporate members of the rochester engineering society
Pathfinder Engineers & Architects (Champion) Rochester Institute of Technology, Kate Gleason College of Engineering Stantec TY-LIN International (Champion) IS YOUR COMPANY LISTED HERE? Call 585-254-2350 for information.
APRIL 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 53
PUBLISHED BY ROCHESTER ENGINEERING SOCIETY 657 EAST AVENUE ROCHESTER, NEW YORK 14607
BE SURE YOU CONTACT YOUR AFFILIATE BEFORE ATTENDING ANY EVENTS. WITH THE COVID19 CRISIS MANY EVENTS ARE BEING CANCELLED, RE-SCHEDULED OR VIRTUAL! WE HOPE EVERYONE STAYS SAFE AND HEALTHY! ~ RES Board of Directors
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