www.roceng.org
June 2021
Local engineers are part of multidisciplinary teams studying microplastic pollution | 10 by Steven Day, Christy Tyler, Samantha Romanick, James Roussie, James McGrath
Also in this issue: 2021 Virtual Engineering Symposium - June 8, 9, 10 from 1:00 to 5:00 Pm - 9 PDHs Available | 14
Corporate Members of the Rochester Engineering Society
ENTERPRISE LEVEL
Bergmann
L3Harris
M/E Engineering, PC
Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce
IBC Engineering, PC
Stantec
Pathfinder Engineers & Architects
Navitar
CHAMPION LEVEL
LaBella
MRB Group
Popli Design Group
Oriolia
SUSTAINING LEVEL
C&S Companies CDE Engineering & Environment, PLLC
CHA Companies
Clark Patterson Lee
Fisher Associates, PE, LS, LA, DPC
Greenman Pedersen, Inc. Hunt Engineers, Architects & Land Surveyors, Inc. Multivista
Rochester Institute of Technology, Kate Gleason College of Engineering
SWBR Architects
University of Rochester Hajim School of Engineering & Applied Sciences
Day Engineering, PC Emerge360
Erdman Anthony Associates
2 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER JUNE 2021
Optimation Technology, Inc.
IS YOUR COMPANY LISTED HERE? Call 585-254-2350 for information.
Passero Associates
corporate members of the rochester engineering society
Local engineers are part of The Rochester Engineer Published since 1922 by
multidisciplinary
ROCHESTER ENGINEERING SOCIETY, INC. Founded March 18, 1897
teams studying
Volume 100, Number 1, JUNE 2021
microplastic pollution
(Electronic Copies Only) You can purchase individual printed copies directly from ISSUU.
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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.
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. Published every month but July. You can purchase individual copies directly from ISSUU. Go to www.roceng.org to join the Rochester Engineering Society. Click on the individual membership and you can submit your application on-line. Board of Directors:
OFFICERS: President 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 TBD - Dennis Roote is interim treasurer. 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 TIMOTHY HOWE Stantec / Timothy.Howe@stantec.com Administrative Director LYNNE M. IRWIN Rochester Engineering Society / e-mail: res@frontiernet.net or therochesterengineer@gmail.com
index
(cover) 10-13
contents 2 • Corporate Members of the RES 5 • RES History - November 1973 - January 1974 6-7 • Education at Dr. Walter Cooper Academy, during the Pandemic... 8 • RES Technical Corner by Brett Eliasz, PE 9 • Get IT Done - Repercussions of IOT! 10-13 • Local engineers are part of multidisciplinary teams studying microplastic pollution (cover) 14-19 • 2021 Virtual Engineering Symposium - Registration is open for June Programs still! 20 • 2022 Engineering Symposium in Rochester 21-22 • Campus News 24 • News From Professional Firms 25 • Position Openings 26 • Continuing Education Opportunities (PDHs) 27 • Engineers’ Calendar 41-42 • Directory of Professional Services 42 • Directory of Business Services 43 • Affiliated Societies and Corporate Members of the RES
news of the... • ABCD Association for Bridge Design and Construction.....................39 • ASCE American Society of Civil Engineers............................................37 • ASHRAE American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers.....................................................38 • ASPE American Society of Plumbing Engineers....................................40 • EA Electrical Association.......................................................................28 • GVLSA Genesee Valley Land Surveyors Association...............................30
• IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers..................32-33 • IES Illuminating Engineering Society....................................................31 • INCOSE International Council on Systems Engineering..........................36 • MPES Monroe Professional Engineers Society......................................29 • RES Rochester Engineering Society........................................2-8, 14-19 • SWE Society of Women Engineers.........................................................35 • TERRA TERRA Science & Engineering Fair...............................................34
JUNE 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 3
President’s Message Greg Gdowski, PhD University of Rochester RES President June 1, 2020 - May 31, 2022 Dear Fellow Engineers, We are finally back to mask-less days ahead of us! It is hard for me to believe that my term of office began virtually during the pandemic. I have yet to have had an in-person meeting as President of the RES. I wish I could say that the first year of my term was more successful. We had to manage the finances of the organization while all of our in-person events and those that we helped to manage for other organizations were cancelled. We applied for PPP loans, and minimized our expenses to help weather the financial losses. Your support as members was never so important as it was this last year. In one of the toughest times in the history of the RES, we have managed to recruit nearly a dozen new corporate members! We created a RES virtual Engineering Symposium which yielded 320 registrations! We modified the delivery of the magazine and have sought to bring you remarkable news from our engineering community that resulted in large increases in readership. We could not have done it without the remarkable help of all of our volunteers and leaders. It has not been easy, but we will survive. I am incredibly thankful to the community for your support and faith in the organization. It is because of you that we still exist today! In the upcoming year, I hope to host new additional events that bring us together. We received some great feedback during the virtual Annual meeting, and I hope that we can deliver on some of the ideas that were conveyed by the membership. We will also begin the planning of the Gala for this coming April, which will mark the 125th anniversary of 4 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER JUNE 2021
the RES! The Magazine Committee has been working to revise the look of the magazine! We hope to highlight some of the new Corporate members in the feature articles in the upcoming year. Please don’t forget that there are still three virtual Symposium sessions left in June (8-10) that will provide up to an additional 9 PDHs! Registration for these sessions are still open! You really don’t want to miss the sessions on Public Projects of Interest (June 8th), Facility Infrastructure (June 9th), and Codes and Requirements (June 10th). Each of these sessions will have great presentations including topics such as the Peace Bridge Rehabilitation project, the Rochester Skate Park, Complete Street Makeovers, and Acoustic Noise Abatement. If you are in need of PDH credit to maintain your PE, this is a great opportunity to get it done for only $10/PDH! You may recall that the water you drink is brought to you courtesy of many RES engineers that helped to build the Hemlock and Candice pipelines in the early 1900s. It seems fitting that a collaboration here in Rochester is leading the charge in assessing the quality of our water. Plastics are big part of every product around us; from the computers we use daily to the bags we use to store our food. Are these products poisoning our water supply? Take a look at the lead article in this issue. You might think twice about the water you drink at home! One of my fun hobbies has been salt-water reef aquariums where the key to being successful revolves around your ability to control the quality of your water column. I can only imagine the consequences of microplastics in our oceans and the long-term impact it will have on reefs world-wide. I am extremely proud of some of the novel work that is being done in this space here in Rochester. Make sure to check out this article! I hope you have a great summer! All my best, Greg Gdowski, PhD President, RES
res news - president’s message
Rochester History Continuing with the historical sampling of the earlier writings on behalf of the Rochester Engineering Society, the years following "The Great War", into and through the “Great Depression”, continued to be a time of reaching out for the maturing Society, both locally and nationally. The meeting minutes describe a series of technical discussions and presentations intended to broaden the technical horizons of the membership (especially the CE's, ME's and EE's). The RES affiliated itself with several 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. 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.
“The Rochester Engineer” (November 1973)
RES Luncheon programs for November were announced, including: “What Happened at the polls?” by Howard Hosmer, WHEC TV News Director, “Electronic Switching Systems” by J. Gordon Pierce, Director of Advanced Development at Stromberg Carlson, and “Pollution Control for the Finger Lakes” by Evan Edwards, President, Canandaigua Lake Pure Waters & RES 1972 “Engineer of the Year”. The University of Rochester announced a symposium on “Energy Outlook for the Future”, featuring Dr. Paul McEvoy of MIT, Dr. Alden Meinel of University of Arizona and Samuel Schwartz of Continental Oil Company.
December 5, 1973 (Board Meeting, University Club) The Board approved four new Regular Membership applications, one Associate Membership and one Junior Membership. American Society for Quality Control representative, James L. King announced that their Spring conference would include apresentation on the recently released RES film on recycling, “Things Worth Saving”. RES Director John Robertson reported that the RES recycling film had been shown five times in the Brockport Central School District and that it had been scheduled to be shown at the January 1974 meeting of the Monroe County Environmental Management Council.
“The Rochester Engineer” (December 1973)
In response to the current energy crisis, this issue of the magazine presented the Society’s statement on Energy Conservation and Thermal Pollution, encouraging the practice of all techniques for conservation of energy, as well as the development of alternative, non-thermal sources of energy. The December RES luncheon presentation was announced as “Early Engineering Achievements in Rochester” by Joseph W. Barnes, City of Rochester Historian. It would feature a discussion of the ill-fated, nineteenth Century Carthage suspension bridge.
January 9, 1974 (Board Meeting, University Club)
The Board approved two Regular Membership applications and one Junior Membership application. The Board received a request from the American Society of Chemical Engineers res news - history
A Sampling from the Archives of the Rochester Engineering Society...1897 - 1974 by Lee M. Loomis
for RES support for a Spring 1974 symposium on energy. RES Director Myron Trybus agreed to meet with representatives of the Rochester Chapter of AIChE to discuss details of their plans for this event, prior to RES Board approval. RES Director, M. John Corson, offered to assist Dr. Trybus in this effort. It was reported that the application for funding of a Summer 1974 Transportation Study Conference has been denied; a written report would be presented to the Board at the March 1974 meeting. RES Director John Schickler proposed changing the title “Executive Secretary” of the RES to “Executive Director”. The Board approved, pointing out that under the current By-Laws, this action must be authorized by the RES Membership at the next annual meeting. Norm Howden reported that the Awards Committee had unanimously elected Alexander M. Beebe, Jr. as “RES 1973 Engineer of the Year”. John Robertson reported that St. John Fisher College had once again invited the RES to participate in a two-day Science Teachers Seminar at the College. James Sterlace agreed to assist John at this event. John Schickler announced that George Landberg had agreed to become Chair of the RES Long-Range Planning Committee, replacing Raymond Hasenauer. Upon receiving notice that Norm Howden is planning to retire from the position of Executive Secretary, the Board authorized the Executive Committee to interview candidates for the new position of RES Executive Director. Mr. Howden was then excused from the meeting, and the Board accepted and approved a proposal for an increase in pension benefits for Mr. Howden, upon his retirement.
“The Rochester Engineer” (January 1974)
The RES Luncheon series for January was announced as: “Transportation and Today’s Problems” by Bernard F. Perry, PE Regional Director, NYS Department of Transportation, and “Dial-A-Bus – Where is it Going?”, by Robert P. Aex, Executive Director of the Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority. RIT announced that its program, bringing graduate courses in engineering into industry had enjoyed great success, since its inception in 1971. Dr. Richard A. Kenyon, Dean of the RIT College of Engineering said that more than 260 students were now enrolled, at seven different Rochester area industries, including Kodak, Xerox, Stromberg-Carlson, General Railway Signal, Gleason Works, Rochester Telephone Corporation and Sylvania Electric. Demand for this on-site educational program was expected to level out at 10 to 12 companies, and eventually include 1000 students. The RES announced two new evening seminars for February 1974, including “Environmental Impact” by Dr. Herman Forest of SUNY Geneseo and “Appraisal of Professional Performance” by the NY School of Industrial and Labor Relations, at Cornell University. 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 post-war 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.
JUNE 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 5
RES News - Tutoring Team Education at Dr. Walter Cooper Academy, during the Pandemic… “Hybrid Learning” continues at our School. The students are there for in-person classes, two days a week (Monday & Tuesday), with remote learning on the other two days (Thursday & Friday). Remote learning presents challenges (keeping students awake, alert and engaged) but the amazing DWCA Faculty makes it happen and continues to problem solve with individual students and families, working to keep them connected.
RES Tutors are back on the job! We are continuing to conduct “Remote Tutoring” for Mrs. Sanzotta’s First Grade students, on Thursdays and Fridays, when the students are at their homes. Veteran RES Tutor Jim Koon reported recently, “My student and I had a very enjoyable and productive time together, today. He read two books and moved along through the sentence and word-ordering task, without difficulty.”
Typical tutoring instructions from Mrs. Sanzotta to our RES Tutors include… “I will have you working with two of my students. They are both super-sweet, and you will love working with them. I have attached a PDF document of a story for them to practice reading to you. I will also put a link in this email for an extra activity for you to use, if you would like. For this game, all you would do is click on the link to open it up in your browser, then share your screen for the student to see. The student will have a white board to write on. In the game, they would try to figure out the mystery short vowel word. Once they have written out their answer, all you would do is type it in on your computer, and then it will bring you to the next page. The kids love games like these!”
We have also been allowed to schedule tours of the newly renovated facility. These modern, twenty-first Century learning spaces offer new opportunities for helping our Cooper Scholars to learn faster and more completely. More tours will be offered, as time permits. (Contact RES Past President Lee Loomis (leeloomis46@gmail.com) or (585) 738-3079 (mobile & text), if you are interested in seeing our amazing “new” school.) 6 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER JUNE 2021
RES Tutors Kathleen Hoffman & Michelle Sommerman, and Eleanor Coleman & John Boutet of the Southwest Community Coalition’s Education Commitee recently toured the “new” school with Community Site Coordinator, Dr. Lia Festenstein res news - tutoring team
Additional Needs, during the Pandemic…
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 Avenue, Rochester, NY 14619. Please call first to (585) 324-2010.
Dr. Walter Cooper Academy – Clothing Cupboard The DWCA Clothing Cupboard has been very successful. Much has been donated. Important, necessary items have already been distributed to school 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 (Monday– Friday, 9:00AM – 2:00PM). Please call first to (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
JUNE 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 7
Technical Corner For the article this month we will take a look at routing of wiring that connects to life safety equipment such as an emergency light or exit sign. NEC 700 Emergency Systems deals with systems essential for safety of human life. NEC 701 Legally Required Standby Systems are intended to provide power to aid in firefighting, rescue operations and control of health hazards such as mechanical ventilation systems. NEC 702 Optional Standby Systems are those that upon failure can cause physical discomfort, interruption of an industrial process, damage to process equipment or disruption of business. NEC 700 is by far the most stringent with some extra ordinary requirements that are geared toward ensuring the operation of the emergency equipment in order to protect human life. An example of this is the wiring associated with an emergency light or exit sign. NEC 700.10 (B) basically states that wiring for emergency circuits must be kept independent of all other wiring systems. The idea here is that a fault in the other systems will not affect the performance of the emergency circuits. This is very similar to the concept of separating emergency loads from non-emergency loads by using separate transfer switches. An interesting note, it appears that 700.10 (B) allows 2 or more emergency circuits from the same source in the same raceway, cable, box, or cabinet. A good way to make sure a contractor captures this is to add it to a general note for your project or make sure this is described in the project specs. 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 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 JUNE 2021
res - technical corner
get IT done
Repercussions of IOT! By Tony Keefe, COO of Entre Computer Services This is not your dad and mom’s internet. It is not even the same internet from five years ago. In the beginning the internet connected people. Now, the internet connects things and there are now a great deal more connected “things” than people. We are amid a new revolution – the Internet of Things (“IOT”). Most people began using the internet to connect their legacy computing device (PC, laptop, or phone). Recently there has been a veritable tsunami of connected devices; smart TVs, Android and Alexa’s speakers, security cameras, doorbells, door locks, thermostats, lights, and others. In 2018, there were seven billion connected IoT devices. In 2019, that number jumped to almost twenty-seven billion. In the next decade, 31 billion more IoT devices will join the party. With 8 billion people on this small blue ball (Earth), we will add almost four ITO devices for every living human. This revolution will be a blessing and a curse. Imagine that your aged parent insists on living by themselves. How can you be reasonably assured that they are “OK”? Wouldn’t you feel better knowing that they were taking their medication, eating, and going to the bathroom regularly? IoT allows [internet connected] sensors to be applied to a RX bottle, refrigerator, and toilet. These devices can allow you to see that your parent is [at least] taking care of their own basic needs. Unfortunately, these helpful devices can be subverted by bad actors for nefarious purposes. While you can be “spied” through your cameras, more concerning is how these devices provide a small door to a large treasure. These devices have value because they are connected. However, that connectedness makes them exploitable. Manufacturers can take steps to secure devices at a hardware level but that costs money. This investment is often cheated in favor of profitability. Take for example the following headlines: “Millions of Smart TVs Scanned WiFi Every 10 Minutes, Sent Personal Data to Company”– these scan device attributes [user's IP address, device names and network latency] and send it to the vendor every few minutes. “FDA warning: Scores of heart implants can be hacked from 20ft away” – These devices allow a bad actor to deplete the battery or administer faulty pacing or get IT done
shocks. “How are you feeling now Ma?” “Hackers can access your mobile and laptop cameras and record you” - Faulty software lets anyone with the devices IP address to look and listen. “Hackers Remotely Kill a Jeep on the Highway— With Me in It” – White hats exploited a firmware update vulnerability and was able to make the vehicle speed up, slow down and even veer off the road. While these are scary, my favorite may be: “A Casino Gets Hacked Through a Fish-Tank Thermometer” - In this scenario, attackers subverted an IoT thermometer to access the network. They used that path to find and download the “high-roller database”, through the thermometer! We need standards and regulation to secure the world of IoT and we are seeing both industry and government weighing in. While our regulatory bodies catch up, there are a few steps we can take to provide a modicum of safety. The general rules of thumb include: 1. Do not purchase or deploy devices that cannot have their software, passwords, or firmware updated. 2. Immediately change the default the username and password for device on the Internet. 3. Always use passwords that are unique to the occasion. Just as your work password should not be your banking password, your lights should not use the same password as your TV. 4. Be assiduous in applying patches to the devices you control. Patch IoT devices with the latest software and firmware updates to mitigate vulnerabilities.” Live fully, live safe and hasten slowly. Think About IT
Tony Keefe, COO, Entre Computer Services www.entrecs.com JUNE 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 9
Local engineers are part of multidisciplinary teams studying microplastic pollution by Steven Day, Christy Tyler, Samantha Romanick, James Roussie, James McGrath Over the last decade there has been a lot of attention given to plastic waste that enters the environment. The waste generated from these durable, lightweight plastics behaves differently than materials of the past. It doesn’t degrade quickly and many polymers have a density that is less than or near enough to water that plastic can move through our water in ways that we’re only recently coming to understand. Plastic bags and six-pack rings affecting marine mammals captured attention decades ago and images of giant garbage patches in the oceans were circulated widely several years ago. More recently, our ideas about the many different ways that plastics can end up in our environment and affect the health of the ecosystem and humans has evolved from the concept that large quantities of waste ends up floating in the ocean. The first change is our increased awareness of microplastics, some of which are manufactured at a small scale, and others of which are formed by the breakup of macro materials due to weathering, wear, and mechanical forces. These microparticles, classified as anything smaller than 5 mm, may not even be visible to the eye. Secondly, there is recent attention on freshwater systems, including rivers and lakes. Plastics behave differently in freshwater systems, in part because the density of the water itself is lower than ocean water, making it more likely that plastics will sink, rather than float. Third, there is a recent awareness that microplastics are small enough to travel suspended in water, or even air, and are ingested or inhaled by humans. Local engineers and scientists are working to better understand how microplastics move through freshwater systems and affect ecosystems and human health. The participants in many separate projects collaborate through a microplastics workgroup, which includes close to thirty participants from seven different organizations. This workgroup comes together once a month to share recent findings in the literature as well as their own research on the topics of microplastics in our environment, human exposure to microplastics, and MP effects on wildlife and human health. Organizations represented in this group include Rochester Institute of Technology, University of Rochester, UR Medical Center, SiMPore Inc., Parverio Inc., Ithaca College, and Ithaca Area Wastewater Treatment Facility/Cornell University. Participants include high school students, undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral associates, professors, managers, and directors. The 10 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER JUNE 2021
workgroup includes investigators conducting studies on: 1) the transport and ecological impact of MPs on the Greater Rochester Area’s many waterways; 2) the health impacts of MPs including the potentially toxic chemicals they can leach or adsorb; 3) the development of affordable and rapid methods to extract and identify microplastics in liquids and room air, and 4) the amount of microplastics people in Rochester are ingesting through drinking water or inhaling through room air. A few of these projects are described here.
What are the effects of these plastics on freshwater ecosystems, such as Lake Ontario? The Laurentian Great Lakes span nearly 95,000 square miles and are the largest connected freshwater system in the world. They supply water for consumption, power, and recreation to the 30 million people that live in the Great Lakes basin. Matt Hoffman and others at RIT have estimated that only a small fraction (4 tons) of the approximately 2,500 tons of plastic that enter Lake Erie annually are floating on the surface and have shown similar data for Lake Ontario. An interdisciplinary team at RIT, led by Christy Tyler (an ecologist), and Hoffman (a mathematician), with Steven Day (mechanical engineer), Nathan Eddingsaas (a chemist), and Andre’ Hudson (a molecular biologist) is trying to understand the fate and impact of the “missing plastic”. In addition to the mechanical and solar breakup of larger plastics into microplastics, there is a relationship to the biological environment. An ongoing project funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s New York Sea Grant College Program is investigating the toxicity of the plastics on aquatic organisms as well as the biological effects on the particles.
cover article
Microorganisms, including algae and bacteria, colonize plastic particles to create a biofilm. This added coating can change the effective density of the particle so that many plastics that initially float ultimately sink to the bottom and are retained in the ecosystem. The team placed samples of 6 different microplastics at both the surface and sediment of 5 local bodies of water and are collecting and analyzing them at 1, 4, and 12 months' time to see effects of aging in different environments. The team is also measuring how aquatic animals inhabiting the floor of these ecosystems such as aquatic worms and zebra mussels, help to bury some plastics within the sediment, making it more likely that this burial becomes their eventual fate. The RIT team includes ecologists, modelers, chemists, and engineering faculty in the Kate Gleason College of Engineering at RIT. Dr. Steven Day, in the Biomedical Engineering department, became involved because of his background in fluid mechanics. Fluid mechanics is a field that’s traditionally been closely associated with engineering (every Mechanical, Chemical, Biomedical engineer took at least one course!), even though it has applications to all fields of science, including biology and environmental science. Day has experience with experimental methods in fluid mechanics, such as Particle Image Velocimetry and Particle Tracking Velocimetry, both of which deliberately add small plastic particles in order to visualize the motion of otherwise transparent fluids. Small (10-50 um) polystyrene particles are commonly used in these methods because their density and size make them so nearly buoyant that they travel with the flow, which means that they also easily move with the motion of water through our environment. These optical methods are ideally suited to measure the movement of plastic microparticles through water. The team has found so far that aging and biofouling does lead to changes in the settling rate of plastics, with some materials changing from floating to sinking, and that these effects vary from location to location. They’ve also found that many plastics are toxic to aquatic worms, even those species capable of persisting in highly polluted ecosystems. However, the plastics appear to become slightly less toxic after aging in some environments, perhaps because additives leach into the water, but in other environments, the plastics increase in toxicity with aging, likely because other pollutants in the water associate with the plastic polymer. At the same time, these organisms were found to actively bury plastic fibers in the sediments, leading to long term retention in the sediment.
What are the effects on Human Health? Recently, Dr. Samantha Romanick, founder of the local microplastics workgroup described above, was awarded a postdoctoral training fellowship in Pulmonary Medicine from the UofR Medical Center. Dr. Romanick’s research is examining the potential of inhalable plastic microfibers to trigger an inflammatory response in the lung. While a large number of studies have found microplastics in marine animals where they are known to do harm, these studies make it clear that humans are not not immune to the impacts of microplastic pollution. The potential impacts of microplastics on human health are only beginning to be understood, but plastic particles have been identified in a number of human tissues including the placenta, the colon, and the lung. Microplastics from the environment are ingested through contaminated food sources and inhaled through both indoor and outdoor air. It is estimated that humans are ingesting five grams of plastic a week, which is equivalent to the size of a plastic credit card, from contaminated sources such as drinking water, salt, seafood, beer, honey, tea, fast food, and rice. However, cover article
JUNE 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 11
studies suggest that microplastics ingestion is minimal compared to inhalation of MFs, mainly from indoor environments. Carpeted homes, furniture, textiles, and clothing contribute to the amount of MFs found indoors. Considering humans spend 70-90% of their time indoors, studies suggest that vacuuming often, investing in natural fiber textiles and hard floors can minimize microfibers within the household.
Even if the current impacts of microplastics on human health are small, humans add a record amount of durable plastics to the environment each year and so there is a serious concern for the future levels of microplastic consumption. And the concern is not just with the plastics themselves, but for the chemical pollutants with toxicological activity they can carry. For example, plastics have been shown to leach toxic chemicals such as BPA, dioxins, and phthalates, all of which have been shown to be harmful to human health. Studies suggest that human exposure to these contaminants may be linked to the rise in allergic diseases and phthalates can impair infant brain development. These contaminants are also considered endocrine disrupting chemicals, which affect human fertility. Microplastics may also serve as vectors of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and other harmful pathogens. All of the plastic polymers aged in the environment by the RIT team had evidence of antibiotic resistant bacteria in the biofilm. Altogether, these data suggest significant potential risks of microplastics for human health and warrant immediate investigation and mitigation. 12 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER JUNE 2021
Developing devices to aid in the collection and analysis of microplastics. As the increasingly widespread prevalence of microplastics has been recognized, methods for detecting their presence, as well as their enumeration and compositional analysis, have undergone rapid development. At present, there are no widely accepted “gold standard” methods and professional bodies such as ISO and ASTM are both working on standardization of related protocols. Historically, initial efforts involved use of traditional optical microscopy techniques for observing microplastics that were manually picked out of samples of interest. This kind of manual retrieval was possible only for plastic particles that were several millimeters in length. For instance, plastic fibers have been plucked using tweezers from sediment or sand samples and then transferred to microscope slides. Subsequent efforts to study smaller microplastic particles have employed filtration with stainless steel sieves with cut-offs sizes at 20 and 200 µm commonly in use. In some cases, any captured microplastics could be directly visualized on these stainless-steel sieves, but smaller microplastics below 20 µm remained practically challenging to detect because the vast majority of commercially available filters with micron-scale cutoffs are also composed of synthetic polymers (e.g., polycarbonate or polytetrafluoroethylene). Researchers have thus been forced to employ more elaborate methods to discriminate sample-derived microplastics from the plastic background of lower cut-off filters. Methods employed for enumerating and analyzing small microplastics less than 20 µm include chemical treatment of samples prior to filtration to remove endogenous organic substances (e.g. incubation in concentrated potassium hydroxide and/or hydrogen peroxide), followed by serial filtration through filters with decreasing cut-offs. Any organic materials that survive the harsh treatments are likely to be synthetic polymers. Two methods are in use presently for analyzing any plastics captured on this series of filters. First, washing the filters is used to release captured plastics, which are then transferred to appropriately reflective or background-silent substrates for spectroscopic analysis by Raman or infrared microscopy. Second, plastics can be stained in solution (prior to filtration) with a fluorescent dye that is selectively absorbed by synthetic polymers that survive the harsh chemical treatment. The most commonly used dye is Nile Red and presumably stains only synthetic polymers and not any inorganic materials present after chemical treatment and filtration. Owing to its bright fluorescence, Nile Red staining (coupled with the above workflow) greatly aids in discriminating non-plastic from plastic particles (see figure on page 13). None of the above-described methods offers a onestep workflow in which the same filter can be used for cover article
b g S F c m M d p p s R a o p i R U o F s t c t ( b a fi s m a m
T c m
both capture and analysis of microplastics. Several groups in Rochester are addressing this problem. SiMPore Inc. has designed MicroSlit Silicon Nitride Filters, with rectangular prism-shaped (rather than cylindrical) pores and has adapted their use for microplastic capture-and-analysis (see figure). These MicroSlit Filters offer precise cut-off (by the narrow dimension of their slit features) and overall high permeability since the slit pores can remain open as particles are captured and occupy other regions of the slits. SiMPore presently fabricates these filters at the Rochester Institute of Technology’s Semiconductor and Microsystems Fabrication Laboratory. Advantages offered by MicroSlit Filters are their high flow rates and plastic-free background that is compatible with currently in-use analyses such as optical microscopy (with Nile Red staining) and Raman and infrared spectroscopy. University of Rochester Prof. James McGrath (Dept. of Biomedical Engineering) used SiMPore’s MicroSlit Filters to survey the City of Rochester drinking water system from its production facility at Hemlock Lake through eight additional locations onto the University campus. McGrath and colleagues recently published their findings, observing increasing levels of particles (including microplastics) entrained in samples collected beyond the water production source at Hemlock Lake and were able to classify particles into fibers and nonfibers using machine learning algorithms. A nascent startup company, Parverio Inc., is commercializing microplastic testing services to consumers and water authorities based on the simplified capture-and-analyze methods enabled by SiMPore’s MicroSlit Filters. This is an exciting and dynamic field, spanning polymer chemistry, human behavior, environmental science, fluid mechanics, advanced manufacturing to both understand cover article
and address a serious emerging issue. There is often a role for engineers to participate and contribute both to the basic science and to eventual technologies. In our Rochester community, engineers are working alongside scientists and medical professionals to better understand all the ways that microplastics move through our environment and body, to build technologies to aid in the study of, and eventually to help propose solutions to mitigate negative effects of microplastics. The microplastic group demonstrates a great cooperation between local universities and industry. If you are in the Rochester community and want to contribute, please reach out. q Steven Day (Steven.Day@RIT.edu) is an Associate Professor in the Kate Gleason College of Engineering at RIT. He studies fluid mechanics of medical devices and biological systems and is only recently applying these methods to look at the motion of particles through our environment. Christy Tyler (actsbi@rit.edu) is an Associate Professor in the Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences at RIT. Dr. Tyler’s research focuses on ecology and biogeochemistry of aquatic ecosystems to understand the impact of emerging contaminants, invasive species, and urbanization and develop solutions for restoration. Samantha Romanick (sromanic@ur.rochester.edu) is a postdoctoral fellow in the Biomedical Engineering Department at the University of Rochester, founder of the microplastics workgroup and studying the potential health effects microplastics pose to the human lung. James Roussie (jroussie@simpore.com) is the Chief Scientific Officer and a co-founder of SiMPore Inc. The company develops and markets silicon nanomembranes for a variety of life science and material science applications. He recently served as the Principal Investigator on a NIH Phase I SBIR for application of silicon nanomembranes for the capture and analysis of environmental microplastics. James McGrath (jmcgrath@bme.rochester.edu) is a Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Rochester and a cofounder of SiMPore Inc. and Parverio Inc. His laboratory develops and applies ultrathin membrane technologies to solve problems in the biomedical and environmental sciences. JUNE 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 13
2021 VIRTUAL
ENGINEERING SYMPOSIUM 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
• Registratiom now open on the RES website (www.roceng.org)
The May Sessions (see below) have been held. We hope everyone was pleased with the first 9 presetations. Please shoot us an email with your feedback (res@frontiernet.net). The June sessions are still available to attend - go to the website at www.roceng.org. Session 1: Electronics and Power Date: Tuesday, 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: Wednesday, 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: Thursday, 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.
14 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER JUNE 2021
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Session 4 Public Projects of Interest Date: Tuesday, 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.
1:00 PM - Peace Bridge Rehabilitation Project.
by Timothy Coyle, P.E., Chief Engineer, Greenman-Pedersen, Inc. (GPI)
Abstract: The Peace Bridge (an international crossing located between Buffalo, NY and Fort Erie, Ontario) is an iconic structure approaching 100 years of age. Since 2012, it has undergone its largest rehabilitation since original construction. Work included the widening of both approaches and the addition of a bikeway across the entire bridge. An overview of the entire project highlighting logistical challenges and why the Peace Bridge Authority committed to the work is described within the presentation. Additionally, common misconceptions regarding traffic delays are refuted and what improvements were instituted during the project to combat future traffic congestion are discussed. Biography: Timothy Coyle has over 20 years of experience as a structural engineer, specializing in the design and rehabilitation of bridge structures. He is a graduate of the University at Buffalo and began his engineering career in New York City. Tim relocated to Buffalo in 2008 is currently the Chief Engineer at Greenman-Pedersen, Inc. (GPI) in Buffalo.
res - 2021 virtual engineering symposium
2:30 PM Design and Construction of the ROC City Skate Park
project experience and a strong skill set relating to the intricacies of design and constructability. She works on a variety of project types and scales
by Amanda Phetteplace, Landscape Architect and Mike Mantell PE, Civil Engineer, Stantec; Holly E. Barrett PE, City Engineer, Paul Winterkorn, Senior Construction Administrator, City of Rochester; and Kanten Russell, Senior Designer/Project Manager, Newline Skateparks.
within Rochester and across the region.
Abstract: As of fall 2020, Rochester,
to be a part of the project team for the
NY has lost its distinction as the only
Rochester Riverside Convention Center
major city in the United States without
South Terrace Addition that will set the
a skatepark. Wheels are now rolling
stage for connections to future ROC the
at a signature downtown skatepark
Riverway initiatives.
In addition to the ROC City Skate Park, recent local projects include Erie Harbor Phase 2, Main Street Streetscape & Pedestrian Wayfinding Project, Rochester Riverside Convention Center Terrace and the Inner Loop East Transformation Project. She is excited
beneath the city’s iconic Frederick Douglass-Susan B. Anthony Memorial
Mike Mantell has worked as lead civil
Bridge. With the goal of raising the bar
engineer and project manager on
on custom concrete skate park design,
commercial, residential, municipal,
the park features a variety of street and
renewable energy and transportation
transition type terrain for all ages and
projects at Stantec for nearly 20 years.
skills. The 14,100 square foot venue
He has been involved in site design
provides skateboarders, BMX riders,
from planning and concept development
and in-line skaters unique recreational
through approvals and construction
opportunities. This session will introduce
and has experience with projects
attendees to the design process and
in Rochester and throughout the
discuss site and engineering solutions.
Northeast. His responsibilities include all
From site and environmental constraints
aspects of civil design, and Mike’s focus
to geogrids and drainage, this session
on people is evident in all his work.
will share how existing infrastructure and
Trusted by his clients, he knows how a
underutilized urban land can be used
project should unfold—and how to get it
create a more active, playable city.
back on track—even if that means going in an unexpected direction.
Biographies: With over 15 years of experience as a landscape architect,
Holly Barrett graduated from Rochester
Amanda Phetteplace has wide-ranging
Institute of Technology in 1997 with a
JUNE 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 15
degree in engineering and continued to
skateboarding, Kanten transitioned into
Systems projects including I-81, Buffalo
work in the private sector until joining
Skate Park design professionally for
Skyway, Interstate 690 at Teall Ave
the City of Rochester as a Structural
the last 13 years. Kanten has led the
Design Build, East Main Phase 1, City
Engineer in 2009. In this role she
design process of over 250 skate parks
of Rochester Inner Loop East and East
served as project manager for the Erie-
across the country including the world’s
River Road corridor review. Since 2018
Lackawanna Rails-to-Trails pedestrian
first green skate park in St. Cloud,
he has enjoyed serving on the selection
bridge and the Promenade at Erie
Minnesota; a skate plaza in Poplar Bluff,
committee for the Rochester Complete
Harbor study and preliminary design,
Missouri, which converted a brownfield
Streets Makeover and seeing the
among many others. MS. Barrett was
into an active space to help combat
implementation of two (2) neighborhood
promoted to Assistant City Engineer
childhood obesity; and the Alga Norte
makeovers.
in 2014, overseeing the Architectural
Community Skate Park in Carlsbad,
Services Division, housed within the
California.
Department of Environmental Services. In this role she worked on a number of ROC the Riverway initiatives, including the Rundel Library North Terrace, Rochester Riverside Convention Center Upgrades, Blue Cross Arena Upgrades, and the Charles Carroll Park and Sister Cities Bridge revitalization projects. As City Engineer, she manages capital improvement initiatives for all City municipal facilities and over a 1000 lane miles of roads and sidewalks under City jurisdiction. Paul Winterkorn has served as a construction management professional for 35+ years on private and public infrastructure projects. He has extensive background in rehabilitation and reconstruction projects, having been the resident engineer for countless improvement projects over the years. Paul is a “hands on” field engineer and has historically been selected by the City of Rochester for their most challenging
4:00 PM - Complete Streets Makeover: An Exploration of Tactical Urbanism in Rochester by Jon Hartley P.E., Transportation Planning and Traffic Engineering Lead and Rory Weilnau, ENV SP, Project Engineer, Stantec; Mary Staropoli, MPA, Director of Planning & Development at Reconnect Rochester
Abstract: Established in 2017, the Complete Streets Makeover is a community-driven tactical urbanism program that engages Rochester area residents to nominate perceived troublesome intersections/corridors around the greater metro area. We will delve into Complete Street basics, the structure of the Complete Streets Makeover program, its participants, their participation, and results from the first implementation at Parsells Avenue and
and complex projects.
Greeley Street in the City of Rochester.
A long-time fixture in the professional
Biographies: John Hartley graduated
skateboarding world, Kanten Russell is a lead designer for New Line Skateparks. Growing up in Southern California—the birthplace of skateboarding—Kanten quickly became a leading figure in the region’s skateboarding scene and was a professional skateboarder for 12 years. After semi-retiring from professional
in 1996 from the University at Buffalo with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. Over the past 24 years he has served in the capacity as project manager and engineer on numerous
Rory Weilnau graduated in 2016 from Clarkson University with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. For the past 5 years he has worked on several Street Design, Traffic Engineering/ Analysis, Transportation Planning, and Urban Mobility projects. Recent projects include East Main Street Phases 1 and 2, Buffalo Skyway, City of Lowell Parking Study, NYSDOT Highway Safety Investigations, and the Ottawa Bikeshare Implementation Analysis. Mary Starapoli graduated in 1997 from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College with a Bachelor of Science (concentration in Human Resources & Organizational Studies) and in 2012 obtained a Master of Public Administration from the State University of New York at Brockport (concentration in Non-Profit Management). She has 20+ years of experience working, volunteering and providing independent consulting services to a wide range of local non-profits and community groups. Mary loves to develop programs that bring like-minded partner organizations together, build community in neighborhoods, and result in tangible progress, just like the Complete Streets Makeover program that will be featured in the presentation.
Transportation Planning, Traffic Engineering, Design-Build, Highway Design and Intelligent Transportation
16 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER JUNE 2021
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1 A E
b E I
A a i i a a t s s i e
B U O g t r D L
Session 5 Facility Infrastructure Date: Wednesday, 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.
1:00 PM - Acoustic Noise Abatement Of Elevated & NonElevated Mechanical Equipment
by Angela Waters, P.E., Structural Engineering Manager, Kinetics Noise Control, Inc..
Abstract: This presentation will provide a general overview of what causes noise in Elevated & Non-Elevated Equipment in regard to building structures. HVAC and some process equipment will be addressed. The attendees will learn how to isolate various equipment for different scenarios; how to avoid acoustical shorts; and the applicable isolation that is most efficient for different types of equipment. Biography: Angela Waters obtained her Undergraduate Degree (BSCE) from Ohio State and has over 15 years of postgraduation experience, holding a PE in the State of Ohio since 2012. She is also registered in the State of New York & the District of Columbia. Angela is a Model Law Engineer with a National Record
4:00 PM Heater Scarification
through NCEES. Her Structural Engineering background includes the design and analysis for community buildings, such as: Churches, Schools, Grocery Stores, Medical Offices, Assisted Living Care Buildings, and Office Buildings. This experience included steel and wood framed low-rise buildings with some concrete and masonry member analysis and design. At Kinetics she provides management and direction for a small structural engineering department, while still daily working on diverse, interesting, and creative projects.
by Terry Lucey, Sales Engineer, Highway Rehab Corporation
2:30 PM Using Needlepoint Bipolar Ionization to Create Healthy Indoor Environments
by David N. Schurk, Business Development Manager, Global Plasma Solutions.
Session 6 Codes and Requirements Date: Thursday, 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.
1:00 PM Plumbing-Civil Coordination for Utility Design
by James Basile, P.E., Civil Discipline Leader, Clark Patterson.
res - 2021 virtual engineering symposium
Abstract: The presentation is a discussion the typical roles of plumbing engineers and civil engineers in the design of utility systems that service buildings. Biography: Mr. Basile holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering, from the Rochester Institute of Technology He has over 20 years of experience in civil engineering with an emphasis on land development infrastructure design
and management. As a Civil/Site Engineer, Mr. Basile is actively involved with project design management and coordination as well as, functioning as design or technical specialist for the production and development of a variety of civil engineering and land development projects. Mr. Basile is a Licensed Professional Engineer in the states of New York, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts.
JUNE 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 17
2:30 PM Protecting Critical Circuits From Fire
by Timothy Franco, Regional Sales Manager, Nvent
Abstract: This presentation discusses NEC Code requirements for Fire Protection of Critical Circuits and Fire Protection methods allowed by code. We will also discuss the UL2196 2-hour test along with recent updates to the test as well as delisting issues of certain cables and MI Cable technology Biography: Tim graduated from Marquette University in 1980 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Tim has sold fire rated MI Cable for 34 years in New England and upstate New York. His primary responsibilities have been working with electrical engineers, assisting in design, layout and sizing of emergency feeders for life safety systems where required by the National Electrical Code. He has also worked with local electrical inspectors on familiarity with MI Cable and what a proper installation should look like. In addition, Tim has worked with electrical contractors, trade schools and unions educating them on the proper use and installation of MI Cable.
4:00 PM - 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". by Chonghui Liu (CL), Team Leader, Energy Services, Popli Design Group.
Abstract: On May 12th, the 2020 Energy Conservation Construction Code of New York State (ECCCNYS) went into effect. Several local jurisdictions have also adopted NYStretch Energy Code, which provides additional 7.1% statewide average energy cost savings in commercial buildings. Additionally, with close to 100 addenda incorporated since 2016 edition, ASHRAE 90.1-2019 (Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings) will significantly change the design and construction of new commercial buildings when adopted by New York State in the future. The presentation provides an overview of the current and future energy code, with the focuses on code compliance, building envelope, mechanical / service water heating / electrical and lighting systems, and commissioning.
CL holds an M.S. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY. He is a licensed professional engineer (PE) in the State of New York, Certified Energy Manager (CEM), and LEED Accredited Professional BD+C. He is a Mechanical Subcommittee voting member of ASHRAE standard committee 90.1, and contributed to publication of ASHRAE energy standard 90.1-2019. He is a Past President of ASHRAE Central New York Chapter and he is a recipient of ASHRAE Region I Technology Award in 2013. He is an instructor for 2020 Energy Conservation Construction Code of New York State with Urban Green Council. His technical expertise includes energy audits and master planning, commissioning and retrocommissioning, and HVAC design and optimization.
Biography: Chonghui Liu (CL) is Team Leader, Energy Services with Popli Design Group; he leads the firm’s energy and commissioning practices. He has over ten years of experience in mechanical/ HVAC design, energy assessment/ planning, and commissioning.
18 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER JUNE 2021
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m
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JUNE 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 19
Break
William Schneeloch Director of Engineering Kinsley Power Systems Break
Weeks
Break
Timothy Coyle, P.E. Chief Engineer Greenman‐Pedersen, Inc. (GPI)
The Peace Bridge Rehabilitation Project
Tuesday, June 8, 2021
Session 4 ‐ Public Projects of Interest
Day
Dr. Kelly Robinson Principal Electrostatic Answers
‐
Introduction to Static Control for Roll‐to‐Roll Manufacturing
Break
4:00 PM 4:15:00 PM 4:30:00 PM 4:45:00 PM
Break
May
Session 5 ‐ Facility Infrastructure
to
Wednesday, June 9, 2021
24
28;
Thursday, May 20, 2021
June Thursday, June 10, 2021
to
Session 6 ‐ Codes and Requirements
31
Terry Lucey Sales Engineer Highway Rehab Corp.
Jon Hartley P.E.,Mary Staropoli, MPA,Rory Weilnau, ENV SP Various Disciplines 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
Break Heater Scarification
Timothy Franco Manager, Commercial Sales Northeast Pyrotenax
Protecting critical circuits from fire
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
Denis Conley Senior Associate Haley Aldrich
Emerging Contaminants in the environment
Break
Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence River Water Level Management: Plan 2014 Operational Concepts, Challenges and Trade Offs and Operational Concepts Bernie Gigas Principal Lake Ontario South Shore Engineering
Session 3 ‐ Environmental Challenges
Using Needlepoint Bipolar Ionization to Create Healthy Indoor Environments David N. Schurk Business Development Manager Global Plasma Solutions
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
Complete Streets Makeover an Exploration of Tactical Urbanism in Rochester
Design and Construction of the Rochester Skate Park 2:30 PM 2:45:00 PM rett, PE, Mike Mantell, PE, Amanda Phetteplace, Kanten Russell, Paul 3:00:00 PM Various Disciplines 3:15:00 PM Stantec 3:30 PM Break 3:45:00 PM
1:00 PM 1:15:00 PM 1:30:00 PM 1:45:00 PM 2:00 PM 2:15:00 PM
Jeffrey Gardiner P.E. Principal XCEED Engineering and Consulting P.C.
ATS Fundamentals
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., Chris Boss Senior Energy Engineer Pricincipal Applications Engineer, Senior Applications Engineer Pathfinder Engineers Garlock Sealing Technologies
Memorial
En
4:00 PM 4:15:00 PM 4:30:00 PM 4:45:00 PM
2:30 PM 2:45:00 PM 3:00:00 PM 3:15:00 PM 3:30 PM 3:45:00 PM
1:00 PM 1:15:00 PM 1:30:00 PM 1:45:00 PM 2:00 PM 2:15:00 PM
Finite Element Analysis Validation Avoiding the Pitfalls of "Garbage In Garbage Out"
Wednesday, May 19, 2021
Session 2 ‐ Machinery Elements and Design
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.
20 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER JUNE 2021
symposium in rochester 2022
2
Campus News Electrical engineering lab initiatives help students connect today’s modern technologies with expanding career opportunities Student researchers advance machine learning projects
Christine Agbalessi
Krishna Shivani
Christie Agbalessi worked on radar-based motion recognition that can impact healthcare. Krishna Shivani, whose love of mathematics, is helping computers learn for themselves. Matthew Krol turned an interest in music and digital reverb into a new way to look at data compression and problemsolving. All three of the undergraduates are part of the Machine Learning
Matthew Krol
Optimization and Signal Processing (MILOS) Laboratory team and mentored by Panos Markopoulos, assistant professor of electrical engineering in the Kate Gleason College of Engineering at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). With research awards in the areas of machine learning with multi-modal data and data quality enhancement, Markopoulos’ work will undoubtably benefit
the way big data is modeled, processed, analyzed and used by industries from healthcare and communication systems to defense and cybersecurity. Yet, the important and far-reaching projects also provide a solid foundation of experience and hands-on learning that his students can take into careers where these tech applications will be essential. Markopoulos received several awards from the National Science Foundation, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). Most recently, he was recognized with an AFRL Young Investigator Program award to develop a more robust and dynamic tensor analysis system to evaluate data jointly from diverse sources. Findings can advance many engineering fields, such as wireless communication systems, cybersecurity, computer vision and remote sensing. Students in his lab are being exposed to these technology challenges and helping to develop solutions. They are a mix of undergraduates to doctoral students interested in the growing field of machine learning—a field where computing systems are being ’taught’ to learn through
campus news
JUNE 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 21
understanding patterns and predicting outcomes based on data input. “Multiple undergraduates have joined our team in the MILOS Lab in the past five years,” said Markopoulos. “Some had little prior experience in machine learning optimization. However, with reading, persistent experimentation, support from the team, and great excitement, they quickly developed expertise and, in multiple cases, their research resulted in remarkable new findings and publications.” The summer following her first year of college, Agbalessi started working with Markopoulos on machine learning methods related to radar-based motion recognition for healthcare purposes. She implemented and tested algorithms to recognize movements and evaluated their performance. “This project was my very first introduction to machine learning and programming,” said Agbalessi, a fourth-year BS/MS student from Abidjan, the Ivory Coast. Her work was recognized this year with and RIT Outstanding Undergraduate Scholar Award. “Research is for everyone eager to learn, and contrary to what I thought before, research is fun. It teaches new ways of thinking and seeing the world around you. But what I love the most is that it allows you to work on projects that impact the community.” Shivani agreed. His goal was to understand the mathematics behind state-of-the-art clustering algorithms, program them and compare them based on synthetic and real-world data. It was when he applied these algorithms that he realized how powerful the process can be to attaining useful information from large data sets. “I was inspired by the possible areas clustering could be used in, and I was surprised to see how many people had attempted ambitious projects such as trying to distinguish between images of breast mass that have and don’t have breast cancer. Isn’t that amazing? I credit this research opportunity for lighting a spark within me to go on and dive deeper into machine learning,” said 22 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER JUNE 2021
Shivani, a second-year student from New York City. Inspired by physics and the works of Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton, he sees electrical engineering as a way to combine his interests in mathematics, physics with helping people. Shivani will join the Air Force Research lab this summer as an intern. Electrical systems and computing applications are becoming more and more complex. Research today is in the area of optimizing systems to analyze the enormous amounts of data being collected. Being guided by experience faculty such as Markopoulos in these evolving, important areas has led many of his students to careers in companies such as Amazon, IBM, Intel and Apple—but also emphasizing that many disparate interests can complement this work. For Krol, his background in music included exploration of electronics such as digital reverb and frequency modulation synthesis. “Ultimately this led me to start pursuing a career as an electrical engineer,” said Krol, a fourth-year student from Rochester, N. Y., and a Jazz bassist. “My interest in signal processing from music led me to also develop interests in machine learning and optimization.” His work is in the area of using strategic methods to reduce and refine information gathered by computing systems to more manageable, and still reliable, data sets. “Principal component analysis is a procedure performed on a data set which aims to find the directions in space that correspond to the highest variance. It can be used for data compression, dimensionality reduction, and unsupervised learning,” he said. “After carrying out several numerical studies, I am now working on my first research paper with hopes of it being published in a journal. The whole research process has been exciting and personally fulfilling for me since I was able to contribute to a difficult problem that no one has solved yet.” q
campus news
THE NEXT STEP IN REALITY CAPTURE D O C U M E N TAT I O N
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M U LT I V I S TA (607)662-3015 www.multivista.com 2238 Weeks Road Skaneateles, New York 13152 s.mcglynn@multivista.com
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JUNE 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 23
News From Professional Firms Bergmann News
Promenade at Erie Harbor Earns Regional and State APWA Project of the Year The City of Rochester has earned a 2020 Project of the Year Award from both the Genesee Valley and the New York State Chapters of the American Public Works Association (APWA) for the Promenade at Erie Harbor, a multifaceted project that drove the stunning transformation of a long-vacant riverfront parcel in downtown Rochester. National architecture, engineering and planning firm Bergmann provided planning and design services for this project and regularly partners with the City on its ongoing ROC the Riverway initiative to spur economic growth through celebrating and enhancing Rochester’s riverfront experience. The APWA Genesee Valley Chapter award, given in the Transportation (less than $5 Million) category, was presented to the City in a hybrid Zoom ceremony April 22. The New York State Chapter award will be presented at a virtual ceremony this spring. These accolades closely follow the project’s recognition this winter with a Platinum award in the American Council of Engineering Companies of New York’s 2020 Engineering Excellence Awards, and before that a 2020 Bridge Design Award from the Association for Bridge Construction and Design, Western New York Chapter. Connected to the south side of the Court Street Bridge and stretching along the eastern bank of the Genesee River, the Promenade completes a key missing link in the City of Rochester’s Genesee Riverway Trail system. It features a 250-ft-long hardscaped esplanade fronting the river, a landscaped pocket park, and a 200-ft pedestrian bridge that wraps around the Dinosaur BBQ restaurant housed in the former Lehigh Valley Railroad Station. An innovative public-private partnership delivery mechanism allowed concurrent construction of both the Promenade and “The Nathaniel,” a new mixed-use building, on the small site as well as direct integration of the two projects. “We’re proud the Promenade fulfills the City’s vision of providing much more than just a missing trail segment,” 24 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER JUNE 2021
said Anthony Borrelli, PE, Bridge Practice Leader at Bergmann, who served as project manager for the Promenade. “It delivers a unique experience by focusing attention on the site’s rich natural, built and historic surroundings — putting the spotlight on what we all love so much about our city and the Genesee. Congratulations to the City of Rochester on this very successful project that will serve the Rochester community for years to come.” “ROC the Riverway is our ambitious plan to transform our city and drive Rochester’s economy in the 21st century,” said Rochester Mayor Lovely A. Warren. “The Promenade at Erie Harbor provides unprecedented access to this part of the river and provides stunning, up close views of the Court Street Dam and Downtown. This project continues our efforts to create more jobs, safer and more vibrant neighborhoods and better educational opportunities.” “This space has been neglected for many, many decades, but it has been utterly transformed through ROC the Riverway,” said City of Rochester Engineer Holly Barrett, PE, during the awards ceremony. “The new bridge and trail extensions, the cantilevered overlooks, they’re turning our face toward the Genesee River — a natural asset that the City has overlooked for decades. It has been such an exciting project. The early visions don’t even do justice on what we have before us now, and the way that it ties in with all of our other ROC the Riverway projects has just been incredible.” According to the APWA, the Project of the Year Award in the Transportation category was 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 award recognizes the alliance between the managing agency, the engineer and contractors who together have led to a successful completion of a public works project. q news from professional firms
Position Openings...Pages 25
A Look at the Past...
Support Your Affiliate Attend A Meeting position openings
JUNE 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 25
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
2021 RES VIRTUAL ENGINEERING SYMPOSIUM An Opportunity to Earn 9 PDHs (3 per day, $10/PDH!) 1:00 to 5:00 pm Tuesday - Thursday: June 8, 9, and 10
June 8th Public Projects of Interest
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. 1:00PM Peace Bridge Rehabilitation Project. Timothy Coyle, P.E., Chief Engineer, Greenman-Pedersen, Inc. (GPI). 2:30PM Design and Construction of the Rochester Skate Park. Amanda Phetteplace, Landscape Architect, Stantec. 4:00PM Complete Streets Makeover an Exploration of Tactical Urbanism in Rochester. Jon Hartley P.E., Associate, Transportation Engineer and Transportation Planning, Stantec.
June 9th Facility Infrastructure
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. 1:00PM Acoustic Noise Abatement Of Elevated & NonElevated Mechanical Equipment. Angela Waters, P.E., Structural Engineering Manager, Kinetics Noise Control, Inc.. 2:30PM Using Needlepoint Bipolar Ionization to Create Healthy Indoor Environments. David N. Schurk, Business Development Manager, Global Plasma Solutions. 4:00PM Heater Scarification. Terry Lucey, Sales Engineer, Highway Rehab Corp.
June 10th Codes and Requirements
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. 1:00PM Plumbing-Civil Coordination for Utility Design. James Basile, P.E., Civil Discipline Leader, Clark Patterson. 2:30PM Compliance with NEC requirements for Fire Protection of Fire pump and Emergency Feeders.. Timothy Franco, Manager, Commercial Sales Northeast, Pyrotenax. 4:00PM 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.
To post continuing education opportunities on this page please contact the Rochester Engineering Society, 585-254-2350, or email: admin@roceng.org 26 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER JUNE 2021
continuing education calendar | engineers' calendar
Th 1 i
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, June 1
Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) EXCOM Meeting
Thursday, June 17 p 33
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/255225
Thursday, June 10
American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE)
ASPE Rochester Annual Golf Outing
p 40
Place: Victor Hills Golf Course Time: 10:00 am to ~4:30 pm Cost: $80 per golfer and/or $100/$200 Sponsor. Reservations: Jennifer Wengender, Jwengender@CPLteam.com Contact any board member if you need a sponsor or golf team form. Sign up as a single golfer or with a foursome.
Monday, June 14
Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) p 31 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 visit the website at www.iesrochester.org.
Thursday, June 17
Genesee Valley Land Surveyors Association (GVLSA)
p 30
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
p 36
Market and Contractor Factors Affecting Rapid Acquisition Strategies
Speaker: John Kamp, Consultant and Member of Research Staff, GWU Time: Meetings normally begin at 6:00 pm and run to approximately 7:30 pm Reservations. All meetings are held virtually until further notice. We now use Globalmeet4 for our monthly meetings. GlobalMeet Join Details - Join as GUEST Meeting Details Web Address: https://incose.pgimeet.com/INCOSE_GMFour Access Number: 1-646-307-1479 Guest Passcode: 295 033 9512
Tuesday, August 3
Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) EXCOM Meeting
p 33
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/255226
Wednesday, August 18
Electrical Association (EA)
Board of Directors Meeting Place: 40 & 8 Club, 933 University Avenue, Rochester, NY 14607 Time: 6:00 pm Details: www.gvlsa.com.
engineers' calendar
International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE)
p 28
Family Fun Night! – Rochester Red Wings vs. Lehigh Valley Pigs
Place: Frontier Field, Rochester Time: Gates open at 6PM (food served from 6Pm7:30PM); Game starts at 7:05PM Reservations: $25/Ticket, $25/Ticket for children 12 & under. Price includes game ticket & 200 level seating, burgers, hot dogs, mac salad, potato salad and chips. Cash bar available. For tickets contact Karen at 585-382-9545 or karen@eawny.com. Website: www.eawny.com.
Support Your Affiliate Attend A Meeting
JUNE 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 27
The Electrical Association of Western New York Presents a Family Fun Night Out at Frontier Field!!!
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 18TH AT 7:05PM Watch the Rochester Red Wings take on Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs!!! GATES OPEN AT 6PM...FOOD SERVED FROM 6PM-7:30PM
$35/TICKET $25/TICKET for children 12 & under PRICE INCLUDES GAME TICKET & 200 LEVEL SEATING BURGERS, HOT DOGS, MAC SALAD, POTATO SALAD & CHIPS CASH BAR AVAILABLE
FAMILY FUN NIGHT...ALL ARE WELCOME!!
For tickets contact Karen at (585)382-9545 or karen@eawny.com or www.eawny.com 28 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER JUNE 2021
ea news
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/) 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
ENGINEERING DISPARITY INVESTIGATION PUBLISHED The Investigative Reporting Workshop (IRW) has just published an article dealing with the issue of ET licensing disparity. The articles may currently be found at the following links. On the IRW site: https://investigativereportingworkshop.org/investigation/engineerings-unequal-paths/ On CPI's: https://publicintegrity.org/education/black-engineers-face-barriers-in-states/
MPES LOOKING FOR MEMBERS TO JOIN THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS MPES Board of Directors (BOD) is looking to existing members who are interested in joining the Board for the 2021-2023 term. The BOD promotes social and economic welfare of the Engineering profession; develops continuing education opportunities; and raises awareness of the profession among our youth. For more information on how to join the Board please email mritchie@costich.com. 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 mpes news
JUNE 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 29
Genesee Valley Land Surveyors Association Website: www.gvlsa.com
Facebook: facebook.com/GVLSA
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/groups/8212223
Year 2021 Officers President Justin M. Roloson, LS Vice President Matthew R. Palmer, LS Secretary Robert J. Avery, LS Treasurer Michael A. Venturo, LS Jared R. Ransom, LS, Ex-officio
Board of Directors
June 2021
2018-2020 Timothy T. Odell, LS Martin Gotwalt, LS 2019-2021 Gregory T. Pauly, LS Jeffrey A. Tiede, LS 2020-2022 Christopher T. Locke, LS David L. Standinger, LS David Zuber, LSIT - Associates Representative
Upcoming Events 2021 May 20, 2021 General Membership Meeting 6:00 PM Location: TBD June 17, 2021 Board of Directors Meeting 6:00 PM 40 & 8 Club, 933 University Avenue Rochester, NY 14607
Board of Directors Meeting Thursday, June 17, 2021 Time: 6:00 PM
Professional Affiliations New York State Association of Professional Land Surveyors, Inc. National Society of Professional Surveyors Rochester Engineering Society
30 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER JUNE 2021
40 & 8 Club 933 University Avenue Rochester, NY 14607
gvlsa news
i
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 ies news
JUNE 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 31
June 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
Message from the Chair Dear Colleagues, The IEEE Rochester Section and Region 1 have begun their transition to hybrid events. Locally, we are moving ExCom meetings to a hybrid format where ExCom members and designated representatives, can attend in person, and any IEEE member or guest my join the discussion virtually. In August, Region 1 will hold an in-person Board of Governors meeting. Despite the resumption of some in-person meetings, IEEE will continue to plan and host virtual events bringing together an audience well beyond our sectional boundaries and collaborating with other sections. Emmett Ientillucci, the Rochester Section GRSS Chair, recently received RIT’s Richard and Virginia Eisenhart Provost’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. Congratulations Emmett and thank you for your contributions to the IEEE community. Congratulations to Marc Grosso and Ferat Sahin, who were recently awarded IEEE Senior Membership. The next IEEE Rochester Section ExCom will occur on June 1st, from noon - 1 pm. ExCom members may attend in person, and all may attend virtually (vTools# 255225). Also, do not forget to prepare your paper and/or poster for submission to the 2021 Western NY Image and Signal Processing Workshop (WNYISPW). Applications open on August 12 and close on September 13. Finally, a heartfelt thank you to Howard Bussey for his monthly contributions to the Section as our Newsletter Editor. Howard passed the red editor’s pen to Mark Schrader. Stay healthy, and best regards,
Diffraction Gratings
Student Groups Univ. of Rochester Ming-Lun Lee RIT Jamison Heard
Committees Awards Jean Kendrick Communications Christine Frayda Howard Bussey Newsletter Mark Schrader PACE Bruce Rubin
Liaisons RES Harold Paschal RCSS William Brewer
28th,
On April Dr. Chris Palmer discussed diffraction gratings, and gave example of what they can do. Dr. Palmer is the Sr. Director and GM of the Optical Components Business of Newport Corporation, part of MKS Instruments. He is managing its diffraction gratings business (Richardson Gratings) in Rochester, NY. He is also the author of the "Diffraction Gratings Handbook", 8th edition.
EX-COM Meetings
At our EX-COM meetings, we review plans for upcoming Rochester meetings within our Section, Chapters, and groups. If you are looking to become more engaged in IEEE in the Rochester Section, please plan on attending EXCOM meetings! As mentioned above, there are plans to make these hybrid meetings, so they can also serve as a great platform for networking with fellow engineers online or face-to-face during lunch. The next two EXCOM meetings are 6/1/21 and 8/3/21 from 11:50 to 13:00. See the Events listings below.
32 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER JUNE 2021
ieee news
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Key Parameters that Might Ruin your Hyperspectral Data On May 5, 2021, Trond Løke spoke to 81 people, including 11 IEEE members, about hyperspectral data. His expertise and extensive experience in this area provided a solid foundation for an informati ve seminar. He explained hyperspectral imaging and described the HySpex push-broom camera, which provides 360 spectrum bands in a 640 pixel line. Critical factors in creating such a camera include sensor noise , spectral
misrepresentation, and optical distortion. He highlighted the importance of digital surface models or digital elevation models. He highlighted the need to ensure that the camera and the aerial navigation system are properly integrated to minimize the operational error. Mr. Løke calibrated and characterized Norsk Elektro Optikk's first hyperspectral system in 2002 and was responsible for the design of HySpex's first hyperspectral imaging system in 2003, where he eventually became the CTO. In 2020, Trond became the CEO of Norsk Elektro Optikk, of Oslo, Norway. Mr. Løke has a Masters degree in Photonics from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
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 EXCOM Meeting EXCOM Meeting
ieee news
Vtools # 255225 255226
When June 1 , 11:50 – 13:00 August 3rd, 11:50 – 13:00 st
Where Via Webex Hybrid, via Webex and in-person. Please see the vTools notice for the inperson venu.
JUNE 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 33
r
Terra Rochester Finger Lakes Science & Engineering Fair Last month we highlighted the 12 students who won Grand Awards at this year’s Fair. But the other 19 students presented interesting projects as well!
Harold Clark TRFSEF Director trfsef@terraed.org
Having an adult interested in one’s project is the strongest encouragement a student can receive to continue to pursue his or her interest in STEM. If you’d be interested in talking with a student in this or last month’s listing, contact trfsef@terraed.org. Name
City
Grade
Project Title
Zachary Ditkowski
Rochester
5
Tooth Science
Elena Seeburger
Rochester
6
Toffee and Temperature
Amherst
8
Color Effect on Student Short Term Memory
Ty'nir Williams
Rochester
8
The research behind low top basketball shoes vs hightop
Alyssa DiMarco
Rochester
8
Sunscreen Safety
Cody Ditkowski
Rochester
9
UVAC Germ Killer Is a bovine or porcine valves better than a cadaver valves?
Emma Wu
Kidest Misganaw
Henrietta
9
Muchima Manengu
Rochester
10 How Colorful Can Chemistry Be
Akosua Essah
West Henrietta
10 How Do Different Substances Affect the pH of Precipitation?
Angel Santiago
Buffalo
Anastasia Fields
Rochester
10 The Spread of Covid-19 and the Effectiveness of Prevention Methods
Sade Brown
Rochester
10 Robotic Prosthetic Arm
Jonathan Seeburger
Rochester
10 Prototyping Smart Glasses
Serenity Rolle
Henrietta
11 Using Stories to Promote STEM
Wimeth Dissanayake
Pittsford
11 Explore Genetics in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis(ALS) pathway to cure
Yuxiang Huang David
Rochester
11 Colorimetry and Beer's Law
Arianna McKnight
Rochester
11
Mary Cotter
Rochester
11 Using Anomaly Detection to Analyze Heart Rate Data
Marlin Bassett
Scottsville
12 Comparison of Ancient and Modern Atlatl Weapon Technology
10
The Household Products that most Effectively Remove Sharpie Ink from Fabric, and Why
Bacterial Extraction from Masks: An Alternative Form of Pathogenic Detection
All projects at the Fair Website, Fair/Showcase, Keyword = FairDay
34 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER JUNE 2021
terra 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
MEET YOUR NEW EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Congratulations to the following members for continuing their commitment to lead SWE Rochester!
Audrey Clignett Secretary
Stephanie White Treasurer Marca Lam President
WE NEED YOUR HELP What would you like to see from SWE Rochester? 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!
Join or Renew with SWE Rochester 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
JUNE 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 35
Finger Lakes Chapter of INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL ON SYSTEMS ENGINEERING http://www.incose.org/ChaptersGroups/Chapters/ChapterSites/finger-lakes/chapter-home
Chapter June Meeting
• Thursday, June 17: June Chapter Meeting
John Kamp – GWU Market Market and Contractor Factors Affecting Rapid Acquisition Strategies
The Department of Defense (DoD) is experimenting with acquisition strategies intended to deliver new capabilities in cycle times of 2 to 5 years. These are executed in a market of few sellers, limited procurement quantities, and constrained budgets. Defense contractors respond by developing, producing, and supporting products. This research analyzed selected publicly released acquisition program data from 2007 to 2018. Quantitative methods identified significant factors and analyzed how acquisition strategy decisions and market conditions are related to these factors.
• July and August Hiatus
As is our norm, there will be no FLC Chapter meetings for the months of July and August. • Meetings normally begin at 6:00 PM (Eastern Time) and run to approximately 7:30 pm All meetings are being held virtually until further notice. We now use Globalmeet4 for our monthly meetings. GlobalMeet Join Details - Join as GUEST Meeting Details Web Address: https://incose.pgimeet.com/INCOSE_GMFour Access Number: 1-646-307-1479 Guest Passcode: 295 033 9512
© 2021 INCOSE Finger Lakes Chapter
36 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER JUNE 2021
incose news
Annual 18-Hole Scholarship Golf Tournament Friday, September 17, 2021 Proceeds will benefit the ASCE scholarship program to support future civil engineers. Four-Person Scramble Format Webster Golf Course
Colleagues, friends, and family are all welcome to join the fun. Foursomes and individual sign-ups are welcome.
440 Salt Road, Webster, NY Registration, Lunch, and Social Hour: 12:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.
www.webstergolf.com
Shotgun Start: 1:30 p.m. Dinner will be served following the tournament.
To register or sponsor a hole, contact Josh Rodems. Phone: (585) 498-8888 or rodemsj@erdmananthony.com
Reservations and Payment due by 9/3/2021
Cost: $95/person includes lunch, driving range, 18 holes, cart, dinner and drink tickets. Participant Names:
Company Name and Address:
1. ____________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
2. ____________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
3. ____________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
4. ____________________________________________________
Email: _________________________________________________
Please make checks payable to ASCE – Rochester Section.
Phone: ________________________________________________
Corporate Sponsorships: $125 – Hole Sponsorship (Sign) $175 – “Longest Drive” or “Closest to Pin” Sponsorship Participant Sponsorship Packages: (All packages include registration for four golfers and hole sponsorship.) $550 - Drink Sponsor $600 - Driving Range Sponsor $650 - Lunch Sponsor $700 - Dinner Sponsor $750 - Cart Sponsor (Company Ad in Each Golf Cart) asce news
Send Completed Form and Payment to: Josh Rodems Bergmann 145 Culver Road, Suite 200 Rochester, NY 14620 Phone: (585) 427-8888 rodemsj@erdmananthony.com Reservations and Payment Due by September 3, 2021 JUNE 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 37
Rochester Chapter
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers Rochester ASHRAE website: http://rochester.ashraechapters.org
JUNE NEWSLETTER
President's Message Our last regular monthly meeting was April 12th when Ivan Rydkin from Daikin helped our chapter stay up to date on Refrigerant Federal and State Regulatory Impacts on HVAC/R and Updates on Commercial Refrigeration Codes/ Standards. It’s important to understand the direction our industry is headed, thank you, Ivan! The final event of this society year was the golf and a picnic on May 17. We looked forward to an in-person event to close out. This is always a nice event and I’m sure this year will be the same. A couple of new volunteers have graciously accepted an invitation to join our board for next year. They have been voted in unanimously by the current membership and these individuals were introduced at the picnic. Thanks go out to our new and recurring volunteers that help make all things ASHRAE happen, thank you! Michael Benedict 2020-2021 President ASHRAE Rochester
38 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER JUNE 2021
ashrae news
s
CHECK OUT THE NEW DATE!
22nd Annual Scholarship Golf Outing Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021
WE’RE BACK! Save the date as the Association for Bridge Construction and Design would like to welcome everyone to participate in our annual Scholarship Golf Tournament. The tournament proceeds will benefit the ABCD Scholarship Program. The Western New York Chapter plans to award scholarships to students in a bridge related curriculum for the 2021-2022 academic year.
Terry Hills Country Club; Batavia, NY
Highlights • Registration beginning at 11:00 AM • Lunch beginning at 11:00 AM (Halfway House)
Watch for registration information to come in the near future!
• Shotgun Start at 12:00 PM • Keg beer starting 1 hour before dinner • Steak Dinner at 5:30 PM • Awards following Dinner
Location Terry Hills Country Club 5122 Clinton Street Road Batavia, NY 14020 Phone: (585) 343-0860
abcd news
Contact Information Todd Swackhamer, P.E. Phone: (716) 834-8932 Email: tswackhamer@mmce.net
Reservation Deadline
Cost
Friday, Sept. 17, 2021
$100 per person (includes Lunch, Golf with Cart, Keg Beer, Dinner, and Prizes)
Association for Bridge Construction and Design Western New York Chapter - www.abcdwny.org
$35 (dinner only) $200 Hole Sponsorships available
JUNE 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 39
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 Bergmann 280 E. Broad Street Suite 200 Rochester, NY 14604 585-498-7802 Newsletter Editor: CHRIS WOLAK Victaulic Fairport, NY 14450 484-350-1954 Affiliate Liaison: REBECCA KOLSTAD Kolstad Associates
President's Message Our Annual ASPE Rochester golf outing is Thursday, June 10, 2021 at 10:00am at Victor Hills for 18 holes of team “best ball” golf and dinner. You can RSVP as a golfer/team or sponsor to any of our board members. If you are on our ASPE e-mail distribution, you should have already seen a flyer. We are hopeful that by September we can finally get back together in person for our monthly technical lunch meetings. Even though SED made some allowance for on-line training due to Coivd, I am sure eventually they will want to see in person learning pick back up. We do not have any events planned for July or August. We will see you at our golf outing in June, or at our first monthly presentation in September. Happy summer! �
Jennifer Wengender, P.E., CPD Rochester Chapter President
Meeting Notice – Save the Date
ASPE Rochester Annual Golf Outing Date:
Thursday, June 10, 2021
Time:
10:00 am – ~4:30 p.m.
Place:
Victor Hills Golf Course
Cost:
$80 per golfer and/or $100/$200 sponsor
RSVP:
Jwengender@CPLteam.com
Contact any of the board members if you need a sponsor or golf team form. Sign up as a single golfer or with a foursome.
(Chapters are not authorized to speak for the Society)
40 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER JUNE 2021
aspe news
Directory of Professional Services
Advertising Rates and Membership Application is Available at www.roceng.org
Advertising Rates and Membership Application is Available at www.roceng.org directory of professional services
JUNE 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 41
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 www.roceng.org
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 Advertising Rates and
Advisors
Membership Application is Available at www.roceng.org
Philip J. Welch
First Vice President - Investments
Wells Fargo Advisors
Wells Fargo Advisors is a trade name used by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC
42 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER JUNE 2021
Member SIPC
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
Genesee Valley Land Surveyors Association President, Jared R. Ransom, LS 585-737-6881
New York Water Environment Association Inc., Genesee Valley Chapter (www.gvcnywea.org) President, Bill Davis, 585-381-9250
Email: jaredransomls@gmail.com
American Public Works Association Monroe County/Genesee Valley Branch Chairman, Peter Vars, PE Email: PVars@bmepc.com
Email: william.davis@mrbgroup.com
Illuminating Engineering Society of North America Inc., Rochester Section President, Rob Gleason
Rochester Makerspace President, David M. Duckles 585-467-5565, Email: president@rocmakers.org
Email: rgleason@cscos.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
Electrical Association Executive Director, Karen Lynch Email: karen@eawny.com President, Russ Corcoran, Landmark Electric, 585-359-0800.
Website: www.RocMakers.org
Imaging Science & Technology, Rochester Chapter President, Bruce Pillman, 585-748-6006 Email: bruce.pillman@gmail.com
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Rochester Section Chairman, Eric Brown Email: eric.t.brown@ieee.org
Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers, Rochester Chapter President, Poojith Kalluru, Alstom Email: poojith.kalluru@alstomgroup.com
International Council on Systems Engineering, Finger Lakes Chapter President, Teresa Fronk
Rochester Plant Engineers President, R. Thomas Ward Email: rtward73@outlook.com> Sheet Metal & Air-Conditioning Contractor’s National Association-Rochester, Inc. Executive Director, Aaron Hilger 585-586-8030. Email: mzin@smacnaroc.org
Society of Plastics Engineers, Rochester Section President, Brett Blaisdell Email: zippel@frontiernet.net
Society of Women Engineers. Rochester Section President, Marca J. Lam, RIT
Email: bears04@frontiernet.net
Email: mjleme@rit.edu
Monroe Professional Engineers Society President, Mike Ritchie, PE
Terra Rochester Finger Lakes Science & Engineering Fair Director, Harold R. Clark, PhD
Email: mritchie@costich.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: tasasef@terraed.org Website: TerraFairs@terraed.org.
Email: paul.spitzer@dot.ny.gov Website: www.nysate.org
Email: russc@landmarkelectric.net. affiliated societies of the rochester engineering society
JUNE 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 43
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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