www.roceng.org
September 2021
Pulse Lasers in Liquids Speed up the Hunt for Effective Catalysts | 10 By Robert Marcotte, University of Rochester's Medical Center's Communications Director
Dr. Astrid Müller, Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering, University of Rochester
Also in this issue: NEW! Student Feature
Professional Firms | 23
Up & Coming Engineer | 16
Meet Alexia Savage
Position
Employee News | 20
Openings | 24 - 27
Corporate Members of the Rochester Engineering Society
ENTERPRISE LEVEL Alstom Signaling
Bergmann
Navitar L3Harris
M/E Engineering, PC
Bosch Security Systems, LLC
Stantec
CHAMPION LEVEL Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce
LaBella MRB Group
IBC Engineering, PC
Oriolia
Pathfinder Engineers & Architects Popli Design Group
SUSTAINING LEVEL C&S Companies
Erdman Anthony Assdociates
CDE Engineering & Environment, PLLC
Fisher Assdociates, PE, LS, LA, DPC
CHA Companies
GreenmanPedersen, Inc.
Clark Patterson Lee
Day Engineering, PC
Emerge360
2 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER SEPTEMBER 2021
Hunt Engineers, Architects & Land Surveyors, Inc.
Multivista
Optimation Technology, Inc.
Passero Assdociates Rochester Institute of Technology, Kate Gleason College of Engineering SWBR Architects University of Rochester, Hajim School of Engineering & Applied Sciences
IS YOUR COMPANY LISTED HERE? Call 585-254-2350 for information.
corporate members of the rochester engineering society
Volume 100, Number 3, SEPTEMBER 2021
NEW! Student Feature Up & Coming Engineer Meet Alexia Savage | 16 Pulse Lasers in Liquids Speed up the
contents 2 Corporate Members of the RES 4 RES Board of Directors 6 RES History - April 1974 - June 1974 7 Education at Dr. Walter Cooper Academy, during the Pandemic... 8 RES Scholarship Application Information 9 RES Technical Corner by Brett Eliasz, PE 10 Pulse Lasers in Liquids Speed up the Hunt for Effective Catalysts (cover) 15 Get IT Done - Lost for Words 16 NEW! Student Feature Up & Coming Engineer Meet Alexia Savage 18 2022 Engineering Symposium in Rochester 20 News From Professional Firms 23 Professional Firms Employee News 24 Position Openings 28 Continuing Education Opportunities (PDHs) 28 Engineers’ Calendar 43 Directory of Professional Services 44 Directory of Business Services 45 Affiliated Societies of the RES index
Hunt for Effective Catalysts | 10
news of the... • ABCD Association for Bridge Design and Construction...................................41 • ASCE American Society of Civil Engineers...............39 • ASHRAE American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers........................40 • ASPE American Society of Plumbing Engineers.......42 • EA Electrical Association..........................................32 • IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers..........................................34 • IES Illuminating Engineering Society.......................33 • IS&T Imaging Science & Technology...........................30 • INCOSE International Council on Systems Engineering......................................38 • MPES Monroe Professional Engineers Society.........31 • RES Rochester Engineering Society....................... 2-9 • SWE Society of Women Engineers............................37 • TERRA TERRA Science & Engineering Fair..................36
SEPTEMBER 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 3
The Rochester Engineer Published since 1922 by ROCHESTER ENGINEERING SOCIETY, INC.
Founded March 18, 1897
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 / rricesquash@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
4 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER SEPTEMBER 2021
Volume 100, Number 3, SEPTEMBER 2021 (Electronic Copies Only) You can purchase individual printed copies directly from ISSUU. 2,500+ Monthly Circulation (11 issues electronically) ISSN 0035-7405
RES Mission Statement: The RES will become the lead organization for improving the image and influence of the engineering community in the greater Rochester area by: Demonstrating a comprehensive knowledge of the region’s engineering and technical capabilities; Providing the best clerical support and public relations assistance to our affiliates; Continually communicating the engineering and technical accomplishments to both the engineering and technical community and the public; Providing regular forums and networking opportunities for the exchange of ideas and discussion of issues; and, Providing programs that identify career opportunities to the region’s youth and develop the skills of the practicing engineer. News items and articles are invited. Materials should be submitted to the administrative director at the society’s office, 657 East Avenue, Rochester, New York 14607; Phone number (585) 254-2350, e-mail: therochesterengineer@gmail.com. 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.
RES News - President's Message
Dear Fellow Engineers, Welcome back to all of the engineering students in the Rochester area! Don’t forget, multiple scholarships are sponsored by a variety of organizations that are administered through the RES. Numerous scholarships are awarded annually ($1,500 each) to recognize outstanding engineering, engineering technology, science or technology students. Please see page 8 of this issue to get more information on how to apply for these scholarships! You may have noticed that we have been constantly revising the layout and delivery of the Rochester Engineer over the last few months! I’d like to personally thank those on the Magazine Committee and especially Lynne Irwin for greatly improving the look of the magazine! One of the things that we have tried to do over the last few months has been to highlight the accomplishments of engineers in Rochester. We have begun a new column to specifically highlight students and their accomplishments. This month we have highlighted Alexis Savage, a 9th grader from Rush-Henrietta High School who built an early warning fire detection system. The project included coding, 3D printing, and circuit design. I’m always amazed at what young students are capable of today. I couldn’t have envisioned doing any of those things while in 9th grade! Congratulations Alexis very well done! Our members have also made very notable achievements over the last month. Bergmann has made the top 100 in Architectural Record’s list of 2021’s Top 300 U.S. Architecture Firms. MRB Group was recently named one of the “Top 100” businesses in the Finger Lakes Region by the Rochester Chamber of Commerce! SWBR has been recognized nationally by the Zweig Group with a 2021 Marketing Excellence Award. Last, but certainly not least, IBC Engineering was awarded an ACEC Engineering Excellence Platinum award. You can read about each of these awards within the magazine. res news - president’s message
The RES also continues to grow its corporate memberships! Bosch Security Systems, LLC has joined the RES as a new Enterprise level corporate member! We have already begun to plan for a feature article by Bosch in the near future! I look forward to hearing more about the local Bosch group in the upcoming issues of the Rochester Engineer! Your support reaffirms our commitment to provide value to our membership. If your company is not a member, please consider joining today to help publicly celebrate your engineering staff and technical accomplishments! All my best, Greg Gdowski, PhD President, RES
Greg Gdowski, PhD University of Rochester RES President June 1, 2020 - May 31, 2022 SEPTEMBER 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 5
RES News - Rochester History A Sampling from the Archives of the Rochester Engineering Society. 1897 - 1974 by Lee M. Loomis
Continuing with the historical sampling of the earlier writings on behalf of the Rochester Engineering Society, the years following "The Great War", into and through the “Great Depression”, continued to be a time of reaching out for the maturing Society, both locally and nationally. The meeting minutes describe a series of technical discussions and presentations intended to broaden the technical horizons of the membership (especially the CE's, ME's and EE's). The RES affiliated itself with a number of National technical societies, adopted local Affiliated Societies, frequently held joint meetings with them and continued taking action on a growing list of public matters. Certain issues of standardization, some crucial to public safety, became the responsibility of the RES and its affiliates. In the pervasive economic downturn of the “Great Depression”, the magazine offered classified advertising for unemployed engineers, technicians and draftsmen and took other steps to try to deal with the crisis. Still, it continued its effort to shape the function, focus and infrastructure of the City of Rochester, and beyond. World War, again affected the Society, taking away many of its leaders while providing opportunities for others to step forward to fill these vacancies. In an effort to provide even greater perspective on the happenings and concerns of the day, a synopsis, featuring selected items from "The Rochester Engineer" has become an integral part of this series. The Second World War and the Korean Conflict are now history, and the Vietnam War has recently become a focal point. These experiences have changed the face and, no doubt, the future of the community. The Rochester municipal leadership and the industrial community have become immersed in the cold-war, growth economy.
Rochester Engineer” (April 1974)
RES President Mark H. Sluis announced the appointment of Edwin F. Stevens, a former medical writer with Bausch & Lomb Corporation, as the new RES Executive Director. Mr. Stevens' experience as an editorial assistant, project administrator, and a scientific and medical writer, would prove to be valuable to the RES. It was announced that the 1973-74 RES Luncheon Series would conclude with “Lasers and Holography” by Kenneth A. Snow, Associate Scientist, Xerox Corporation and “The Energy Crisis – What it Means for the US Economy” by Dr. Harold C. Passer, Asst. Treasurer, Eastman Kodak Company. The RES Nominations and Appointments Committee announced the slate of Officers and Directors for 1974-75, including, President - Dr. Richard A. Kenyon, RIT, First Vice President – John F. Schickler, Rochester Products Division, General Motors Corporation, Second Vice President – M. John (Jack) Corson, RG&E Corporation, Secretary - George G. Landberg, Mixing Equipment Company, Treasurer – Howard R. Jaquith, Taylor Instrument Companies, Director (3 years) – Peter S. DiPasquale, Eastman Kodak Company, James D. Row, Rochester Telephone Corporation. Directors continuing included L. C. Boehringer, Eastman Kodak Company, Roger W. Kober, RG&E Corporation, John M. Robertson, Rochester Telephone Corporation, and Myron Tribus, Xerox Corporation. It was announced that Bernard F. Perry, PE, Regional Director, NY State Departmeny of Transportation (Past RES President and 1965 Engineer of the Year), would be retiring after 46 years of service to New York State. Eastman Kodak Company announced the election of Colby H. Chandler, Director of Special Projects in the US and Canadian Photographic Division (and RES Member), to the position of Executive Vice President and a member of the Board’s Executive Committee.
May 8, 1974 (Board Meeting, Chamber of Commerce) David Whitlock, representing the American Society of Gas Engineers, reported that the Natural Gas Conservation Forum on Space Heating, recently head at RIT, was a significant success. RES Director James Row reported that due to a large number of “no-shows”, the recent Engineers Joint Dinner suffered a deficit of $270. He then recommended that work
6 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER SEPTEMBER 2021
begin immediately to identify a new chair for next year’s event, and that a principal speaker and more impressive equipment displays be identified. Editor’s note: Subsequent to this meeting, Lee Loomis of RG&E, agreed to chair the 1975 event. RES Treasurer, Howard Jaquith, reported that a Gestetner mimeograph machine had been purchased at $1,275 for use by the RES office staff, and that it would be necessary to increase certain RES dues categories to cover this additional expense. Further, he stated that revenue from these dues increases should be allocated to “The Rochester Engineer”. Henceforth, Regular, Associate and Affiliate Member annual dues would be $30. Non-Resident Member dues would be $12, and Junior Membership dues would be $7. The Board approved five new Regular Member Applications. In his new position as Editor, RES Executive Director Ed Stevens, suggested raising advertising rates by 20% - 25%. RES Second Vice President, Dr. Richard Kenyon, reported that two new offices had been found at RIT facilities at 50 West Main Street, at an annual rental rate of $3,000, and that he and Ed Stevens would be touring these facilities soon.
“The Rochester Engineer” (May 1974)
This issue of The Rochester Engineer was the first for Editor, and RES Executive Director, Edwin Stevens. Eighteen months into the “Energy Crisis”, it featured an “Energy Problems” discussion by Francis E. Drake, Jr., CEO of RG&E and Dr. Myron Tribus of Xerox Corporation. In these two separate addresses, these men took issue with the over-regulation of the US energy industry (Drake) and the lack of a coordinated approach to facing the energy problem (Dr. Tribus). Mr. Drake proposed that Congress act quickly to, “remove the impediments they have generated and provide the incentives for private enterprise to supply energy necessary to fuel the industrial economy of this nation.” Dr. Tribus proposed that a US Energy Commission be formed to develop and administer a comprehensive energy policy that would consider all aspects of the “energy problem” and then proceed to engage the diverse technological and economic resource expertise of our nation to arrive at well-thought-out, sometimes bold, plans for meeting this and future developing energy crises.
June 5, 1974 (RES Annual Meeting, U of R Faculty Club) Attendance – 37
While this year’s Annual Meeting dealt with the Society’s usual change-over issues, it also celebrated the many contributions of its retiring Executive Secretary, Norman Howden. The group also heard an enlightening presentation “Engineering the Stock Market”, by Edwin H. Hall of Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith. Mr. Hall reflected on dealing with the currently declining stock market. 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.
res news - history
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RES News - Tutoring Team
Education at Dr. Walter Cooper Academy, during the Pandemic… “Hybrid Learning” continued at our School, through the end of this past school year. The students were there for in-person classes, two days a week (Monday & Tuesday), with remote learning on the other two days (Thursday & Friday). The amazing DWCA Faculty made it happen, working with individual students and families, to keep them “connected”. Our RES Tutors met their challenging assignments, during the sixteen-month pandemic, as “virtual tutors.” They completed approximately eight weeks of direct, virtual interaction (Remote Tutoring) with Mrs. Sanzotta’s & Mrs. Valerio’s First Grade students, on Thursdays and Fridays, when the students are at their homes. These “veteran” RES Tutors, including Jim Koon (retired from Xerox), Kathleen Hoffman (Office Coordinator, C&S Companies) and Margaret Ornelas (Scheduling Manager, LaBella Associates) gave generously of their time to support our Cooper Scholars. As of this writing (August 10th), we are hoping to resume in-person tutoring, at our School, this coming Fall. It will depend on decisions yet to be made by the RCSD Leadership. We will be meeting in early September with Administrators and Faculty, to discuss the possibility of integrating the work of the RES Tutoring Team into a return to “normal” at Dr. Walter Cooper Academy. Meanwhile, we are beginning to assemble our Tutoring Team, for the 2021-22 school year… The classroom teachers will, again provide each of our Tutors with a daily plan for each of the students with whom they are working. Tutors could be supporting teacher-conducted classroom lesson activities, working with small groups, or (more likely) working with just one student at a time, on a prescribed learning exercise. Even just two hours a week of your time can make a big difference in the life of a Dr. Walter Cooper Academy Scholar… Questions??? Reach out to RES Past President Lee Loomis and the RES Tutoring Team at…Rochester Engineering Society (585) 254-2350, via website: www.roceng.org, or via email: leeloomis46@gmail.com, (585) 738-3079 (mobile & text).
res news - tutoring team
SEPTEMBER 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 7
RES Scholarship Application Information The Rochester Engineering Society (RES) is an umbrella organization for engineering societies in the Rochester area. The goals of the society are: to advance the art and science of engineering for the general public welfare in Monroe County and the adjoining counties; to foster in practicing and prospective engineers excellence as professionals, as citizens, and as individuals; and, to promote communication and cooperation among all branches of engineering. Multiple scholarships, sponsored by a variety of organizations and administered through the RES, are awarded annually ($1,500 each) to recognize outstanding engineering, engineering technology, science or technology students. These are merit-based scholarships. Scholarships from the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) and the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) require applicants be student members of their respective organization. Please visit our website at www.roceng.org to find out more about the individual scholarships availableand to start the application process. Eligibility requirements: 1. Be an undergraduate student in good standing who has completed two years/or achieved Junior standing in an ABET-accredited engineering, engineering technology, science or technology program. 2. Have an overall grade point average of 3.0 out of 4.0 (or equivalent) or better. 3. Plan to continue engineering, engineering technology, science or technology studies in an undergraduate ABET accredited program in September 2022. 4. Be a resident of Monroe, Genesee, Livingston, Ontario, Orleans, Wayne, or Wyoming Counties of New York or enrolled in an ABET accredited engineering, engineering technology, science or technology curriculum in a college in those counties. The Rochester Chapter of IEEE allows applicants from Corning and Alfred sub-chapters. 5. Not be a previous recipient of this scholarship. Application: Applicants must submit the six required items listed below. Items 1, 3 & 4 must be submitted together. The applicant is responsible for ensuring that all the necessary data are submitted by the deadline and will be immediately disqualified from judging, with no further follow-up, if these instructions are not followed. The applicant should notify those persons supplying reference letters that timely response is critical. Reference letters may be submitted in individually sealed envelopes within the application package or emailed directly to RES with the applicant's name in the subject line.. Deliver, mail or email to res@frontiernet.net all items by December 11, 2021 to: The Rochester Engineering Society, 657 East Avenue, Rochester, New York 14607.
Required Data and Instructions 1. Certificate of Interview from a member of the Scholarship Committee - Request an appointment for an interview by going to www.roceng.org scholarships/application instructions and fill out the Eligibility Form. Applicants may also send an email to the Scholarship Chairperson, Michelle Sommerman, at msommerman@bergmannpc.com. (In the email, include your full name, phone number, eligibility information and attach your resume.) Contact Michelle Sommerman at 585-498-7896 if you have not received a reply within three days. The interviewer will provide the applicant with a Certificate of Interview. 2. Transcript - Official copy of applicant’s current transcript showing grades for the entire enrollment in current school and if a transfer student, courses taken and accepted from his/her prior college or university. 3. Resume - The same resume the applicant would use if applicant were applying for employment. Be sure to include the following information: name, permanent address, school address, college, degree and program, anticipated date of graduation, and any professional society memberships. 4. Applicant’s Letter - A letter written by the applicant addressed to the Chairman of the Scholarship Award Committee of the
8 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER SEPTEMBER 2021
Rochester Engineering Society. This letter shall not be more than one typewritten page in length and should discuss the applicant’s position with respect to the following: a. Why the applicant is studying engineering and chose his/her particular field. b. Why the applicant is applying for the scholarship. c. The applicant’s involvement in professional society activities, the leadership positions held and describe active involvement in other extra-curricular activities. d. Statement that the scholarship will be used in engineering, engineering technology, science or technology studies in an undergraduate ABET-accredited program in September 2021 should an award be presented. 5. Reference Letter #1 - Letter from the applicant’s faculty advisor in his/her current school. This letter should indicate the applicant’s standing in the class relative to other students, his/her course load and involvement. 6. Reference Letter #2 - Letter from a current or former employer who is not a relative, OR, a professor of engineering, science or technology in whose class the applicant has been or is presently enrolled. res - scholarship application information
RES - Technical Corner Technical Corner For the article this month we will look at some discrepancies that reside within the NEC illustrated handbook and the regular black and white text which resides in section 250.122(B). It seems as if there are only 3 reasons to increase an Equipment Grounding Conductor (EGC) when oversizing the phase conductors in a circuit: 1. If you increase the size of the current-carrying wires because you are planning surplus ampacity for future use, then you would also need to increase the size of the EGC per 250.122(B). 2. If you increase the size of the current-carrying wires because you have extra wire of a larger size than necessary, left over from a previous job, then you would also need to increase the size of the EGC per 250.122(B). 3. If you increase the size of the current-carrying wires to limit voltage drop you will need to increase the size of the EGC per 250.122(B). The following 2 reasons do not require an increase in size for the EGC: 1. If you increase the size of the current-carrying wires due to high ambient temperature, then you DO NOT need to increase the size of the EGC per 250.122(B). 2. If you increase the size of the current-carrying wires due to the amount of current carrying conductors, then you DO NOT need to increase the size of the EGC per 250.122(B). Let’s say you don’t have the illustrated code book (the one with blue text) and you read section 250.122(B). You will notice it certainly does not differentiate the different scenarios listed above so one might derive that this applies to ANY scenario listed above. When you read the blue text it specifically uses the voltage drop scenario as a reason to increase the EGC proportionately to the increase in phase conductors. The rationale is that increasing an EGC for voltage drop will lower the overall impedance of the ground fault current path to ensure operation of the overcurrent protection device. What I don’t understand is why wouldn’t the impedance be lowered with a larger EGC when accounting for ambient temp or current carrying conductors…? As I understand it, the NEC 2020 is adding the specific verbiage that alludes to the 2 scenarios listed above that do not require an increased EGC size. I tend to lean towards increasing the EGC to match the increased phase conductors just for installation sake, but it’s your call. Code references courtesy of NEC 2017 and 2020 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 RES magazine 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 res - technical corner
SEPTEMBER 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 9
Drying a metal nanoparticle loaded carbon fiber paper electrode for electrocatalysis experiments. // photo by J. Adam Fenster / University of Rochester
Pulse Lasers in Liquids Speed up the Hunt for Effective Catalysts Chemical catalysts are the change agents behind the production of just about everything we use in our daily lives, from plastics to prescription drugs. When the right catalysts are mixed with the right chemical compounds, molecules that would otherwise take years to interact do so in mere seconds. However, developing even one catalyst material to trigger this precise choreography of atoms can take months, even years, when using traditional wet chemistry procedures that use only chemical
reactions, often in the liquid phase, to grow nanoparticles. University of Rochester researchers say there is a way to shorten that process dramatically—by instead using pulsed lasers in liquids to quickly create carefully tuned, systematic arrays of nanoparticles that can be easily compared and tested for use as catalysts. The process is described in a Chemical Reviews article by Astrid Müller, an assistant professor of chemical engineering at the
10 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER SEPTEMBER 2021
University of Rochester who has adapted the technique for her work on sustainable energy solutions. Three PhD students in her lab— coauthors Ryland Forsythe, Connor Cox, and Madeleine Wilsey— conducted an exhaustive review of almost 600 previous papers involving the use of pulsed lasers in liquids. As a result, their article is the most comprehensive, up-to-date survey of a technology that was first developed in 1987.
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Pulsed lasers in liquids an ‘indispensable tool’ for discovering catalysts So how does pulsed-laser-in-liquid synthesis work?
Dr. Astrid Müller, Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering, is pictured in her lab in Gavett Hall. Müller recently published a paper in Chemical Reviews about a laser technique that involves shooting pulsed lasers at a solid immersed in liquid to create nanoparticles with remarkably controlled properties -- and to create them much more quickly than with traditional wet-lab procedures. // Photo by J. Adam Fenster / University of Rochester
Astrid Müller, (back, 2R) is pictured with students (back, l-r: Connor P. Cox: rising 4th year PhD student, Materials Science Program, Brian P. Yegela: B.S. Chemical Engineering c/o 2021, Take Five Scholar, Discover Grant, Omolade C. Fasusi, rising Chemical Engineering senior, Eisenberg Summer Research Fellow, and front, l-r: Ryland C. Forsythe: rising 4th year PhD student, Chemical Engineering, Kendra R. Watson: rising Chemical Engineering senior, Eisenberg Summer Research Fellow, and Madeleine K. Wilsey: rising 2nd year PhD student, Materials Science Program) in her lab in Gavett Hall.
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• • •
A pulsed laser is directed at a solid material immersed in liquid. This creates a hightemperature, high-pressure plasma near the surface of the solid. As the plasma decays, it vaporizes molecules in the surrounding liquid, leading to a cavitation bubble. Within the bubble, chemical reactions begin to occur between particles from the liquid and particles that were ablated, or knocked loose, from the solid. After periodic expansions and contractions, the cavitation bubble violently implodes, causing shock waves and rapid cooling. Nanoparticles from the bubble condense in small clusters that are injected into the surrounding liquid and become stable.
The pulsed-laser-in-liquids technique offers multiple advantages over traditional wet-lab synthesis of nanomaterials. According to Müller: • • •
Because the reactions are confined primarily within the cavitation bubble, the resulting nanoparticles have remarkably uniform properties. “Every particle that is made is created under the same conditions,” she says. The properties of the nanoparticles can be easily fine-tuned by adjusting the laser pulses and the chemical compositions of the solid and surrounding fluid. Laser-made nanocatalysts are intrinsically more active than those obtained by wet chemistry methods.
Metastable nanomaterials with non-equilibrium structures and compositions can easily be produced. Such materials cannot be made under moderate temperatures and pressures.
• •
Laser synthesis can be controlled remotely, increasing the potential for large-scale industrial applications. Pulsed-laser-in-liquids synthesis of nanomaterials is also far more rapid than traditional methods. The technique can prepare bulk quantities of a nanoparticle in an hour or less. Systematic arrays of 70 materials can be made in a week.
Continued on page 12... SEPTEMBER 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 11
Ryland C. Forsythe (L) rising 4th year PhD student, Chemical Engineering, and Connor P. Cox: rising 4th year PhD student, Materials Science Program, are pictured in the lab of Astrid Müller.
Drying of a carbon fiber paper electrode in a dry nitrogen stream.
A solid pressed-powder target comprised of nickel, molybdenum, and vanadium for the laser synthesis of trimetallic nanoparticles.
Treated carbon fiber paper electrode sinks in water, whereas untreated carbon fiber paper electrode floats on water.
Omolade C. Fasusi, rising Chemical Engineering senior, Eisenberg Summer Research Fellow, dries a metal A pulsed laser in liquids synthesis setup for foil targets in nanoparticle loaded carbon fiber paper electrode for aqueous liquid in operation. electrocatalysis experiments. 12 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER SEPTEMBER 2021
cover article
Two electrodes in a setup for an electrochemistry experiment.
Pulse Lasers in Liquids Speed up the Hunt for Effective Catalysts; Continued “These advantages make this an indispensable as a tool for discovery,” says Müller, whose background includes work in lasers, materials, and electrocatalysis. “You often have people who know lasers and materials, or maybe electrocatalysis and materials, but you very rarely get someone with expertise in all three.” • • •
She says, “This is what compelled us to write this paper, because the Müller group can bring together the perspectives of all three fields.” How catalysts can combat climate change While working as a staff scientist at Caltech, Müller pioneered an adaption of the laser-inliquids technique to prepare nonprecious watersplitting electrocatalysts that liberate oxygen from water to produce clean hydrogen. At Rochester, the Müller group expands on her expertise to study laser-made electrocatalysts as a way to turn climate-damaging carbon dioxide (CO2) into a closed cycle of useful liquid fuels, such as methanol or ethanol.
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•
“If you were to burn these fuels again, you make CO2 again, so you go round and round. The carbon always stays within the cycle, and does not contribute to more climate change,” Müller says. Continued on page 14...
Loading gold nanoparticles on a carbon fiber paper electrode. SEPTEMBER 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 13
All-Teflon laser synthesis setup for nanomaterial preparation in flammable liquids, such as ethanol.
“For that to work we need catalysts, and no one knows yet what those catalysts would be—what would work and why, and why other catalysts don’t work.”
•
Hence her interest in using pulsed-laser-in-liquid synthesis to accelerate the process. “It is hugely important because we can’t just sit and hope for the best with climate change; we need to work on successor technologies now,” she says.
So far, pulsed-laser-in-liquid synthesis has had only limited commercial use. The start-up cost of investing in laser technology is a stumbling block for many companies, Müller says. “But that will change as this method gets more and more traction,” she believes.
Brian P. Yegela: B.S. Chemical Engineering, Take Five Scholar, Discover Grant to perform summer research, experiments with carbon fiber electrode in water.
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Thanks to Müller’s lab, pulsed-laser-in-liquids synthesis is certainly getting more attention. Within three weeks, their paper had become a catalyst of its own by being downloaded more than 3,000 times. q All Photos in this article by J. Adam Fenster / University of Rochester
Robert Marcotte is the University of Rochester Medical Center's Communications Director. cover article
Get IT Done
Lost For Words All social animals communicate. Humans have taken it to a whole new level. Our civilization is dependent on our ability to communicate. But how did we get here, and where will it take us? Creatures communicate with various strategies, smell, movement, light, and sound. While much of our communication is non-verbal, we specialized in creating verbal symbols - words. While the spoken word is powerful, it is transient. If you are not there to perceive the propagating sound waves, there is no communication. Because spoken communication fails across space and time, we altered physical objects to hold information using “tally sticks” or knotted strings. Most early data recording focused on business activities like managing herds and tracking debt. We expanded our communicative power by adopting new symbols. By pressing these symbols into wet clay tablets your ancestor could communicate stories across space and time. We then adopted even more flexible symbols of writing – words made of letters. However, as with clay tablets, writing’s value was constrained by the need for manual reproduction which was addressed by Johannes Gutenberg’s Press. We could now inexpensively propagate ideas across the planet and across generations. We began to immortalize data. While written symbols enabled distant minds to recreate events, audio and video recordings communicate the actual event. These mediums changed the world dramatically but, as analog constructs, they also required reproduction on physical media for dissemination. The advent of digital reproduction exponentially changed that paradigm. With a click of a button, you can share a video with millions. The ability to connect then drove the ubiquitous adoption of recording devices. Cameras and audio recording devices (e.g., Alexa) are everywhere. Knowingly or surreptitiously most of your life is now immortalized digitally. Your interests, your purchases, your communications, your movements. Purveyors of digital services harvest that data. Have you experienced a situation where you discuss an esoteric subject only to begin receiving ads, links, and new stories about that subject? You may tell yourself that it is get IT done
coincidental, but it may happen all too often for statistical probability. Alexa and your phone are always listening. Digital providers ostensibly harvest your data to provide you a “better experience”. But everything we do and say may be recorded. If you carry a mobile phone – and who doesn’t – all your movements are tracked and stored in “the cloud”. Mixed blessing? On the one hand, crime may plummet. The authorities can identify who was at a place in time through cell phone meta-data. With cameras everywhere (businesses, street corners, dash-cams, bodycams and in everyone’s hands) your activities are always being recorded. Artificial intelligence engines can sort and filter vast amounts of locational data, audio, and video to quickly paint a scenario. We may have lost any hope of anonymity. I was lucky enough to have grown up in the “old world”. A time when society recorded information on paper but had no inexpensive way to widely disseminate that information. While my past transgressions remain mercifully sequestered in the mists of human memory, the activity of our progeny is digitally recorded and stored online in an easily interrogatable medium. Today, the statements and actions of youth will follow them all the days of their lives. Children are now raised in a society inured to the shadow of our digital “Big Brother”. They will understand that, like their actual siblings, this Big Brother is happy to share their transgressions and mistakes with the world. Perhaps they will not care. Our memories are low fidelity. We forget years and remember moments. In our new reality, all our thoughts and actions are recorded in exquisite high fidelity, whether we want them to be or not. These recordings will be held in perpetuity and immediately available to anyone on the planet. The only escape is to cease participating and drop out of society. Hasten slowly and Think About IT!
Tony Keefe, COO, Entre Computer Services www.entrecs.com SEPTEMBER 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 15
Student Feature - Up & Coming Engineer
Meet Alexia Savage By Howard Bussey and Harold Clark
When you were a student, did you ever dream about creating an invention that would solve a vital problem? Alexia Savage, then a 9th grader in Rush-Henrietta High School, did just that when she set out to design and build a “Self-Sufficient Early Warning Fire Detection System”! Envisioning a small, inexpensive device that could sit at a high point in a forest, measure temperatures, and remotely send that data and pictures of the surrounding landscape back to a ranger, Alexia set out to teach herself everything she would need to know, from coding to 3D-printing to circuit design. Alexia entered her invention in the 2021 Terra Finger Lakes Science & Engineering Fair (TRFSEF), where her work earned her a Grand Award of competing in the 2021 Genius Olympiad (www.geniusolympiad.org). She also won the Special Award for Women in Technology Award from Eagleview Technologies, a provider of aerial imagery, data analytics and geographic information system solutions with operations in Rochester (www.eagleview.com). Her biggest challenge in the project was the software. She first approached this with an Arduino board, but the limitations of the Arduino system and the complexities of C++ software development propelled her to the Python/Raspberry Pi systems. System economics also presents challenges: for instance, each assembly should be inexpensive enough to be widely deployed, and, when necessary, easily replaced. Prior to starting on her project, Alexia surveyed products in the area, and chose a niche not occupied in the space of commerciallyavailable systems.
16 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER SEPTEMBER 2021
Working with only occasional guidance from her father, Alexia has integrated the processor, the camera, and the PyJuice Hat (an uninterruptible power supply) and started the software development. The assembly is shown in Figure 2. She also used 3-D modeling and design software to create a case, which was 3-D printed for her project as shown in Figure 3. Her latest improvement has been adding a solar panel to charge the batteries, so the system can be truly self-sufficient. Alexia realizes there is plenty more work to be done. Data communication software remains a challenge to allow the self-sufficient fire detection assemblies to use the image processing system to detect smoke and flame. Future challenges include night-time smoke detection, data communication in wilderness up and coming engineer
(Figure 2 - Left) The Raspberry Pi, Camera, and PyJuice hat components of the fire detection system. (Figure 3 Above) The components are mounted in the case that was 3-D printed for this project. environments, and 360 degree surveillance with a single assembly. She continues to tackle each issue as it comes up, exploring the internet for information and guidance, and plans to enter the TRFSEF in March with a model with substantially enhanced capabilities. Alexia has had a long interest in STEM, starting with Snap Circuits kits and then advancing into engineering classes in which she was designing systems. Now a 10th grader, she wants to continue doing science fair projects and taking science, mathematics, and programming courses in her school. Ultimately Alexia is interested in pursuing aerospace engineering in her college education. Students, such as Alexia, are entering regional science and engineering competitions, such as the Terra Rochester Finger Lake Science and Engineering Fair (www.terrafairs.org), RIT’s E3 Engineering and Technology Fair, First Robotics competitions (http://upstatenyfirst.org/programs/), and others. All of these are important paths to the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers. There are many opportunities for area engineers to help -- such as working with these organizations or mentoring the student participants. If you or colleagues you know are interested, you are encouraged to contact the Rochester Engineering Society, so that you can be matched up with the opportunities to help the next generation of scientists and engineers. If you want to know more about Alexia, her project, or the Terra science fair, please contact Harold Clark, Director, TRFSEF at trfsef@terraed.org. If you know of any students (K-12 and college) who have done outstanding engineering work that could be profiled, please let RES know by emailing us at therochesterengineer@gmail.com.
q up and coming engineer
SEPTEMBER 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 17
Due to the continuation of COVID19 the Convention Center was not available to host the Symposium in April 2021. The committee has re-scheduled the Symposium a second time for everyone's safety. If you are registered and paid, we have forwarded 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.
18 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER SEPTEMBER 2021
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News from Professional Firms MRB Group News MRB Group Again Ranked Among Top 100 in Finger Lakes
T
he Rochester Chamber of Commerce recently named the “Top 100” businesses in its Finger Lakes Region service area for 2021 and once again, MRB Group is among those selected for recognition. President Ryan Colvin, PE, shared the announcement and credited his team members for the firm’s continued growth in the past three years, the basis for the competitive designation. “We are honored to share this distinction among Rochester’s fastest growing companies,” said Colvin. “It’s an even more significant accomplishment given the tremendous challenges businesses have faced over the past 18 months,” he continued, referencing the devastating impacts of COVID-19. “This award speaks to the region’s perseverance. It’s a story of strength and resilience. First and foremost, I want to thank MRB Group’s dedicated team members who helped our communities face the challenge by stepping up, working hard, and serving our clients’ needs,” Colvin stated. “It’s especially rewarding when an organization like the Rochester Chamber of Commerce recognizes that effort, and honors its businesses. All of us contribute to the fabric of Greater Rochester – what makes the area thrive. Together we make Rochester and the Finger Lakes strong, beautiful, and a great place to live and work,” he said.
MRB Group is a municipal services firm. Providing engineering, architecture, and planning, MRB Group team members work primarily with local governments, helping community leaders to provide essential services more effectively and efficiently, and to plan for community development in more strategic ways. In addition to tremendous growth over the past three years in the firm’s architecture and engineering teams and services, the firm has continued to expand on its SmarterLocalGov division, providing an array of enhanced services to community leaders, including economic development services, grant writing and administration, and utilization of GIS, as well as data analysis to support municipal operations. Currently working with more than 140 communities in New York State, the firm is appointed Term Engineer or Engineer of Record for many, providing a wide range of municipal services that enhance local governments and their capacity to manage and preserve critical resources. This year marks the Rochester Chamber of Commerce’s 35th annual recognition of businesses with a “Top 100” designation, listing the fastest-growing, privately owned companies in the Rochester and Finger Lakes region. The Chamber will reveal rankings at an awards ceremony on November 4.
20 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER SEPTEMBER 2021
Greater Rochester Chamber President and CEO Bob Duffy said, “The Greater Rochester Chamber Top 100 program serves as the perfect illustration that Rochester has indeed moved from a company town of a few major employers to a place made up of industry from every sector. This year we are excited to see a strong cross-section of well-established companies and startups competing for a coveted spot on the list. The 2021 Greater Rochester Chamber Top 100 companies employ close to 67,000 people and reported total revenue of over $14 billion in the most recent fiscal year. The economic impact generated by these businesses has real and lasting influence on our community, and we are proud to have them in our region.” Colvin says that his firm’s combination of municipal experience, capabilities, and oncall availability to clients will likely continue to drive the future growth of MRB Group. He is confident that its trajectory will keep the firm on the “Top 100” list. “We will continue to support Rochester and Finger Lakes communities, and help our local governments get more accomplished,” Colvin stated, inviting those interested in that effort to consider joining the MRB Group team. “We are always looking for talented, innovative team members who want to make a difference!” q
news from professional firms
News from Professional Firms IBC Engineering News Hendricks Chapel Air Conditioning Retrofit: Not to be seen, nor heard
IBC Engineering was hired to provide an innovative engineering solution for a new mechanical cooling system by Syracuse University. The main challenge was to ensure that the system would not be heard nor compromise the architectural features for the centerpiece of their campus, Hendricks Interfaith Chapel. The Chapel was originally constructed in 1930 and was later added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. A New York architectural firm Pope & Baum designed the original brick and limestone structure in a style that can be traced all the way back to the 16th century work of Italian architect Palladio, and to the Roman Pantheon. Through careful design implementation and project execution, the end result was an extremely satisfied owner and IBC Engineering being awarded with another ACEC Engineering Excellence Platinum award.
Objectives:
- - - - -
Provide mechanical cooling and ventilation Minimize any effect on chapel acoustics Integrate mechanical system into historic building and architecture Phase project so special events could still be held during construction Provide education opportunity for junior engineering staff
Approach: - - - - -
Studied building's structure and original pathways to provide cooling and ventilation systems Analyzed placement of air handling units to optimize system strategy & preserve building’s aesthetics Utilized mezzanine space above the chapel’s dome to run new ductwork, since re-use of existing distribution systems was not feasible Utilized low air velocity & sound limiting ductwork layout to minimize impact on building acoustics Utilized existing ceiling heating relief grilles as cooling diffusers
Outcome: At the completion of the project, the Dean of Hendrick's wrote “It was great to visit the other day, for not only is the new HVAC a delight, it has been a joy and pleasure to learn and witness such passion and enthusiasm. Please know that you have made a tremendous difference, and I am left inspired!” q News from Professional Firms continued on page 22
news from professional firms
SEPTEMBER 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 21
News from Professional Firms Bergmann News Bergmann Climbs in the Rankings of National Architecture and Engineering Design Firms
Bergmann Moves Up on Multiple Lists from Engineering News-Record and Architectural Record National architecture, engineering and planning firm Bergmann has made the top 100 in Architectural Record’s list of 2021’s Top 300 U.S. Architecture Firms. Bergmann ranked no. 87, climbing 23 spots from last year’s report. The annual list, compiled by Architectural Record’s sister publication, Engineering News-Record, compares companies’ architectural revenue from the prior year. Bergmann also moved up in the rankings on several regional lists published by Engineering NewsRecord (ENR). “We are proud to be listed among the top architecture and design firms nationally and in the regional
markets we serve because it reflects the great work that we strive to deliver each day,” said, Pietro V. Giovenco, President & CEO, Bergmann. "We thank our clients for the opportunity to serve as their design partner and our employees for their commitment to excellence that helped us achieve this important recognition.” Regionally, Bergmann has seen tremendous growth and increased rankings on multiple ENR lists of top design firms. Bergmann climbed 16 spots on the ENR Mid-Atlantic Top Design Firm List based on designspecific revenue. In the New York list, Bergmann climbed 3 spots to rank no. 27. Among Midwest firms Bergmann rose seven spots
to no. 75 and ranked 16th overall in the state of Michigan. In ENR’s Sourcebook of industry-specific rankings, Bergmann ranked no. 24 in retail and 30 in manufacturing design firms. Notable growth throughout the firm can be attributed to regional work with clients including A.C. Marriott and other national brands, PennDOT, FDOT and work with leading rail and freight suppliers, Bergmann has also experienced exponential growth in core markets including the Science, Technology & Industry practice in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. q
SWBR News SWBR Wins National Marketing Award SWBR has been recognized nationally by the Zweig Group with a 2021 Marketing Excellence Award. These awards recognize outstanding, results-driven marketing in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction industry. Award entries were judged by a team of marketing professionals and evaluated based upon overall creativity, messaging, results achieved by the campaign, and level of design. SWBR was recognized with a Marketing Excellence Award in the Website category for the design of their intranet called the Hub. The “Hub” was designed with the goal of enhancing the firm’s culture and communication. It also provides employees with a one-stop-shop for the firm’s most critical communications – in one place instead of critical information getting buried in an email inbox. The Hub became a critical internal communication tool during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing real-time updates regarding the firm’s practice and safety protocols. “The standard of entries for these awards continued to rise year after year. This year’s winners are an excellent display of highly effective creativity, and an inspiration for the industry!” said Christy Zweig Niehues, Zweig Group’s Director of Research & E-Commerce. Winners will be celebrated at both the virtual and in-person versions of the ElevateAEC Conference this year – the virtual ElevateAEC Conference and ElevateHer Symposium kicks off on September 13, and the in-person ElevateAEC Conference and Awards Gala takes place this November 3-5 in Denver, CO. Winners will also be featured in Zweig Group’s weekly management newsletter, The Zweig Letter, and Zweig Group’s other marketing channels. q 22 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER SEPTEMBER 2021
news from professional firmss
Professional Firms - Employee News OTI News
Optimation Technology is Growing Rapidly, Several Current Job Opportunities Optimation Technology has been hiring to keep up with the large demand of new projects coming down the pipe. We have hired 12 new employees within the last year. Eugene Gallagher (Senior Controls Engineer), Tim Reynolds (Mechanical Designer), Nathan Winter (Mechanical Engineer), Ben Friedel (Controls Engineer), Chad Timothy (Truck Driver), Noah Robbins (Shipping and Receiving), Cierra Collins (Electrical Apprentice), Matt Wise (Electrical Apprentice), Jake Ingalls (Pipefitter Apprentice), Gene Papaleo (Journeyman Electrician), Stephanie Wager (Logistics and Materials Management), and Henry Bleier (Fab Shop Manager) joined our Optimation team adding significant value to our customers.
With these skill sets being added to our team we can accept even more projects, as well as giving more opportunities to the Rochester area. We are looking for more employees in the following areas: • Chemical Engineers • Controls Engineers • Process Designers • Instrumentation/Electrical Designers • Machine Design Engineer • Sheet Metal Journeyman We are thinking of adding a new class of apprentices and maybe some additional trades positions. If any of these positions interest you, please submit your resume here: https://www.optimation.us/submitresume/ q
Passero Associates News Passero Opens New Office in Hudson Valley and Welcomes Office Manager Passero Associates (Passero), a full-service Engineering and Architecture firm headquartered in Rochester, NY, has opened its newest office in the Hudson Valley at 19 Front Street in Newburgh, NY, on the waterfront. Passero continues the firm’s active growth in the Northeast United States from this office location and from their offices in Albany, NY and Burlington, VT. Passero currently provides planning, engineering, and architectural design services to numerous municipal, airport, and private developer clients in New York and New England. Jess Sudol, PE, President, noted, “Expanding our services in the Hudson Valley and New England will allow us to both better service our clients in this region and to provide new opportunities for our firm and our people. With our exceptional culture, key location, and dynamic projects, the firm offers civil engineers and architects expansive career prospects while supporting their clients and communities.” professional firms employee news
Hudson Valley.”
Chris LaPorta, PE, who serves as the firm's Hudson Valley office manager, said, “Working and raising my family in the Hudson Valley has been a fantastic experience. It is an honor to represent Passero Associates, a 49-year-old multi-disciplinary firm headquartered in my hometown of Rochester, as they bring their services and expertise to serve the
Chris has a wide range of experience providing residential, commercial, K-12, health care and municipal clients with civil engineering services. His use of technology combined with his practicality and judgment have guided multidisciplinary teams to successful execution of many projects. Chris has an MS in civil engineering and BS in civil engineering technology. He is the President-elect of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Mid-Hudson Branch and serves on the Hudson Valley Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors. q
Professional Firms Employees News continued on page 27... SEPTEMBER 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 23
Position Openings...Pages 24-27
Senior Engineer Aide
Making of simple technical computations, performing responsible inspection work, and using engineering instruments and equipment. Acts as chief of party on routine surveys; Operates surveying instruments; Inspects details of ordinary construction projects to see that all work is done; Working knowledge of engineering field and survey work; ability to interpret written and oral instructions accurately; ability to perform inspection activities. Degree in Civil Engineering and experience in engineering and surveying.
Deputy Director of Public Works
This is a management position involving responsibility for planning, organizing and directing the public works projects including the implementation, and inspection of a variety of construction, maintenance and repair projects. The work is performed under the general direction of the Director of Public Works with wide latitude provided for independent judgment. Supervision is exercised over all technical, labor, and clerical staff employed in the entire Public Works Department. In the absence of the Director, the Deputy Director shall act with all appropriate authority. Bachelor's Degree in civil, mechanical, environmental or construction engineering, AND five (5) years of civil engineering experience OR Associate's Degree in civil, mechanical, environmental or construction engineering AND seven (7) years of full-time paid civil engineering experience. For more information contact: jad@canandaiguanewyork.gov
A Look at the Past...
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: EITHER: Bachelor's Degree in civil, mechanical, environmental or construction engineering, AND five (5) years of civil engineering experience OR Associate's Degree in civil, mechanical, environmental or construction engineering AND five (7) years of full-time paid civil engineering experience
24 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER SEPTEMBER 2021
position openings
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Join us. We’re hiring. Mechanical Engineering Department Manager To apply, visit erdmananthony.com/careers. The employee-owned firm where employees say, “The best part of working here is the people!”
position openings
SEPTEMBER 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 25
Senior Engineer / Street Design Senior Engineer / Street Design City of of Rochester, New York City Rochester, New York
Engineer II /II / Engineer Construction Project Manger Construction Project Manger
TheThe CityCity of Rochester is seeking a highly motivated of Rochester is seeking a highly motivated andand qualified Licensed Civil Engineer for for the the qualified Licensed Civil Engineer position of Senior Engineer / Street Design. ThisThis position of Senior Engineer / Street Design. individual willwill be responsible for for the the management of of individual be responsible management in-house andand consultant led led street design projects andand in-house consultant street design projects evaluation of consultant designs andand proposals. TheThe evaluation of consultant designs proposals. individual in this titletitle schedules andand coordinates individual in this schedules coordinates work workperformed performedby byCityCityengineering engineeringstaff, staff, consultants, andand governmental agencies, in order to to consultants, governmental agencies, in order assure timely delivery of of a $30 million+ annual assure timely delivery a $30 million+ annual program. addition, the the Senior Engineer is is program. In In addition, Senior Engineer responsible for for assisting the the Manager of of Street responsible assisting Manager Street Design withwith various other tasks, including technical Design various other tasks, including technical leadership andand supervision as as it relates to to the the leadership supervision it relates implementation implementationof ofthose thoseCapital CapitalImprovement Improvement Program areas related to planning andand design of the Program areas related to planning design of the street system. street system.
TheThe CityCity of Rochester is seeking a highly motivated of Rochester is seeking a highly motivated andand qualified Civil Engineer for for the the position of of qualified Civil Engineer position Engineer II II / Construction. ThisThis individual is is Engineer / Construction. individual responsible responsiblefor forcoordinating coordinatingactivities activitiesandand completing tasks associated withwith the the construction of of completing tasks associated construction urban urbanstreet streetrehabilitation rehabilitationandandreconstruction reconstruction projects, parkpark improvements andand other public works projects, improvements other public works projects initiated by by the the City. TheThe Engineer II will projects initiated City. Engineer II will work to schedule, perform, manage andand coordinate work to schedule, perform, manage coordinate work workby byconsultants, consultants,contractors contractorsandandother other governmental agencies & commercial utilities, in in governmental agencies & commercial utilities, order to assure the the work progresses in aintimely andand order to assure work progresses a timely costcost efficient manner. responsibilities efficient manner. Primary Primary responsibilities include the the supervision of Consultants conducting the the include supervision of Consultants conducting physical inspections andand observation of of a wide physical inspections observation a wide variety of City administered construction projects, variety of City administered construction projects, verification thatthat materials & construction techniques verification materials & construction techniques meet meetcurrent currentCity, City,NYSDOT NYSDOTand/or and/orFHWA FHWA requirements requirementsandandreporting reportingdeficiencies deficiencies& & recommending corrective actions when necessary. recommending corrective actions when necessary.
Minimum Qualifications include a Bachelor’s degree Minimum Qualifications include a Bachelor’s degree in in Civil Engineering andand possession of of a NYS Civil Engineering possession a NYS Professional Engineer’s License or possession of aof a Professional Engineer’s License or possession license issued in ainstate having reciprocity withwith NYS license issued a state having reciprocity NYS professional engineering license standards at the timetime professional engineering license standards at the of appointment. of appointment. TheThe CityCity of Rochester Offers: of Rochester Offers: Excellent Benefits Package Excellent Benefits Package NYS Retirement System NYS Retirement System Generous Holidays andand Vacation Generous Holidays Vacation All All applications MUST be submitted on the CityCity of of applications MUST be submitted on the Rochester’s website: Rochester’s website: https://www.cityofrochester.gov/jobopportunities/ https://www.cityofrochester.gov/jobopportunities/ If you wishwish to submit a resume to accompany youryour If you to submit a resume to accompany application, e-mail to to application, e-mail Thomas.Miller@Cityofrochester.gov. Thomas.Miller@Cityofrochester.gov. JoinJoin the the team in the CityCity of Rochester DESDES team in the of Rochester Engineering / Street Design division! Engineering / Street Design division!
CITY RESIDENCY IS NOT REQUIRED FOR CITY RESIDENCY IS NOT REQUIRED FOR LICENSED PROFESSIONALS. LICENSED PROFESSIONALS.
TheThe ideal candidate willwill possess a Bachelor’s degree ideal candidate possess a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering or related fieldfield plusplus fivefive (5) (5) in Civil Engineering or related years of engineering and/or construction management years of engineering and/or construction management experience, (2) (2) years of which must be involved withwith experience, years of which must be involved the the construction of urban street systems or other construction of urban street systems or other similar public works initiatives as well as aasthorough similar public works initiatives as well a thorough understanding understanding of of construction construction drawings, drawings, specifications & techniques. specifications & techniques. TheThe CityCity of Rochester Offers: of Rochester Offers: Excellent Benefits Package Excellent Benefits Package NYS Retirement System NYS Retirement System Generous Holidays andand Vacation Generous Holidays Vacation All All applications MUST be submitted on the CityCity of of applications MUST be submitted on the Rochester’s website: Rochester’s website: https://www.cityofrochester.gov/jobopportunities/ https://www.cityofrochester.gov/jobopportunities/ If you wishwish to submit a resume to accompany youryour If you to submit a resume to accompany application, e-mail to to application, e-mail Thomas.Miller@Cityofrochester.gov. Thomas.Miller@Cityofrochester.gov.
TheThe candidate chosen for for thisthis position willwill be be candidate chosen position required to establish andand maintain residency required to establish maintain residency within oneone (1) (1) year of their hirehire date. within year of their date.
26 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER SEPTEMBER 2021 position openings
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We're actively looking for new talent to join our growing team. Learn more about our current openings for bridge and highway engineers and managers. BERGMANNPC.COM/CAREERS
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SWBR News
Professional Firms - Employee News
SWBR’s Grace Ferris Earns LEED Green Associate SWBR project designer Grace Ferris has earned her LEED Green Associate accreditation from the U.S. Green Building Council. This LEED credential denotes proficiency in today’s sustainable design, construction, and operations standards. Professionals who have earned a LEED credential showcase knowledge, experience, and credibility in the green building marketplace. As part of the firm’s Housing studio, Ferris
is responsible for design and technical documents, coordination of consultant groups, and assisting project architects and managers on a variety of tasks from project conception to construction completion. She was drawn to architecture after touring Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West Complex in the fourth grade. She received her bachelor of science in Architectural Technology from Alfred State College. q Grace Ferris
BME News
Michael Bogojevski Elected to BME Board of Directors BME Associates announces the election of Michael Bogojevski, PE to its Board of Directors, which oversees the implementation of corporate procedures and business strategies. Mike is the engineering department manager directing the efforts of the firm’s engineering teams. He has been with the firm for over 14 years and has worked on a wide range of land Michael Bogojevski, development projects throughout the region. q PE
position openings | professional firms employee news
SEPTEMBER 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 27
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
No Continuing Education Education Courses Scheduled At Print Time The Engineering Symposium is scheduled for Thursday, April 21, 2022 To post continuing education opportunities on this page please contact the Rochester Engineering Society, 585-254-2350, or email: admin@roceng.org
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.
Friday, September 3
Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) Family Night at Frontier Field
p 35
Place: Ordered tickets will be at the Red Wings Box Office at Frontier Field. Registration links for our events are at: events.vtools.ieee.org/m/277105
Tuesday, September 7
Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE)
Saturday, September 4
International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE)
rest), Non-members is $40, and Cornell Students is $0 (Cornell pays), Costs for the first 5 non-Cornell students is $0 (chapter pays), cost for the next five non-Cornell students is $15 (chapter pays the rest), and cost for remaining non-Cornell students is $40.
EXCOM Meeting
p 35
Place: Hybrid, via WebEx and in-person (see vtools for
p 38 venue)
INCOSE’s Finger Lakes Chapter’s Annual Chapter Meeting Time: 11:50 am to 1:00 pm – Change is Optional: Trends in Systems Engineering Registration links for our events are at: Featured speaker: David Long, founder and president of Vitech and 2014/15 INCOSE President Two ways to attend: 1) Virtual, via zoom. There is no cost but attendees nmust register by noon, Tuesday, August 31st. Time is 1:45 pm to 3:15 pm. Attendees will receive the link a few days before the meeting. 2) In-oerson at the Statler Hotel at Cornell University, Taylor room for lunch/meeting. Start gathering at 12:30 pm, lunch at 1:00 pm and ends at 3:15 pm. We will have the Cornell Deli buffet in Rowe Room. Reservation details are on the RES website calendar (www.roceng.org and go to September 4) or contact Teresa at Teresa.Froncek@ incose.net. Attendees must register by noon, Friday. August 27th. See page 38 in this issue about the specific rules for in-person attendance pertaining to COVID-19. Cost for INCOSE members s $30 (chapter pays the 28 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER SEPTEMBER 2021
events.vtools.ieee.org/m/255231
Monday, September 13
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Pig Roast
p 40
Place: White House Lodge, 1100 Lake Road, Webster NY 14580 The pig roast will include raffles, yard games and an opportunity to catch up after a long break of getting together in-person (price is still to be determined). If you have questions and/or suggestions for speakers and/or topics, contact Matt Kremers at mkremers@mcsmms.com or check out the website at http://rochester.ashraechapters.org. continuing education calendar | engineers' calendar
5
Tuesday, September 14
Society for Imaging Science and Technology (IS&T)
Wednesday, September 29 p 30
Iceberg: a Remote Sensing Story (Applications of microwave scatterometers for observation of polar ice. Speaker: Professor David G. Long, Brigham Young University Time: 6:00 pm Registration: This meeting will be held by zoom. Email rochesterist@gmail.com to get the details to join this program.
Wednesday, September 15 American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE) TBD Time: TBD
Tour of the winner of the IES Rochester Exterior Lighting Award – ROC City Skate Park
Speakers: Members from the design team from Stantec and the City of Rochester will be in attendance. Time: 7:00 pm Cost: FREE Event Registration: Register online at www.iesrochester.org.
Tuesday, October 5
Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) EXCOM Meeting & IEEE Day
p 42
Reservations: Reservations to David Myers, 585-341-3168, DMeyers@LaBellaPC.com.
Friday, September 17
American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) p 33
p 39
Annual 18-Hole Scholarship Golf Tournament
Place: Webster Golf Course, 440 Salt Road, Webster Time: Four-person scramble format. Registration, lunch and social hour from 12:00 pm to 1:15 pm. Shotgun start at 1:30 pm. Dinner will be served following the tournament. Cost: $95/person includes lunch, driving range, 18 holes, cart, dinner and drink tickets. Registration: To register or sponsor a hole contact Josh Rodems at 585.498.7944 or jrodems@bergmannpc.com. Reservations and payment due by September 3rd. See page 39 in this issue for additional details.
p 35
Place: Hybrid, via WebEx and in-person (see vtools for venue) Time: 11:50 am to 1:00 pm Registration links for our events are at: events.vtools.ieee.org/m/255232
Wednesday, October 13
Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) p 33 Basics of Modern Theatre Lighting System Design – Power Distribution & Control, DMX & Networking, LED Theatrical Luminaries Location: Location and details TBD! Please visit our website for more details: www.iesrochester.org.
Support Your Affiliate Attend A Meeting
Thursday, September 23
Association for Bridge Construction and Design (ABCD)
22nd Annual Scholarship Golf Outing
p 41
Place: Terry Hills Country Club, 5122 Clinton Street Road, Batavia, NY 14020 Time: Registration begins at 11:00 am; Lunch begins at 11:00 am (Halfway House), Shotgun start at 12:00 pm; Keg beer starting 1-hour before dinner, Steak dinner at 5:30 pm, awards following dinner. Cost: $100 per person (includes lunch, golf with cart, keg beer, dinner, and prizes). $35 for dinner only. $200 Hole Sponsorship available. Registration: Register online at www.abcdwny.com starting August 16 through September 17. Additional details available calling Todd Swackhamer, PE at 716-834-8932 or tswackhamer@mmce.net. engineers' calendar
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 SEPTEMBER 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 29
Rochester Chapter
Society for Imaging Science and Technology Website: http://roceng.org/ISandT
Our meetings are being held by zoom. Please email rochesterist@gmail.com to get the details to join this program.
Tuesday, September 14, 2021 Time:6:00 pm
Iceberg: a Remote Sensing Story
(Applications of microwave scatterometers for observation of polar ice) by Professor David G. Long, Brigham Young University Abstract
Recent developments in new satellite-based radar sensors and computer processing techniques offer unique perspectives of our planet. Using data from a satellite radar scatterometer that measures the microwave scattering properties of the surface, the near-surface wind over the ocean can be inferred. The scatterometer measurements can also be used over land to study deforestation of tropical rain forest and desertification. Over the glaciated regions of Greenland and Antarctica, the radar signal is very sensitive to melting conditions and can thus be used to monitor global warming conditions. The contrast between ocean and ice scattering enables tracking of major icebergs around Antarctica regardless of the weather or solar illumination conditions. Radar scatterometers are now essential tools for iceberg tracking and have provided an important clue about climate change. The story of finding a lost Rhode-Island-sized iceberg from a spacecraft is presented, along with recent results in monitoring sea ice.
Biography
Dr. David Long a Professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Brigham Young University. He is the Director of the BYU Center for Remote Sensing and head of the Microwave Earth Remote Sensing (MERS) Laboratory. He is the Principal Investigator for a number of NASAsponsored research projects in microwave remote sensing. Previously, he worked for NASA/Caltech's Jet Propulsion Laboratory where he was responsible for the design and development of various spaceborne radar systems.
Current Election Nominees
PRESIDENT AND VP PROGRAM: David Odgers DIRECTOR AND TREASURER: Roger Triplett RECORDING SECRETARY AND VP MEMBERSHIP: Bruce H. Pillman COUNCILOR: Robert Patti COUNCILOR: Matt Ochs
Note that we’ve had to double-up on roles. If you have an interest in helping the Chapter, please let us know. 30 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER SEPTEMBER 2021
is&t 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
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.
MPES BOARD OF DIRECTORS NEWS The MPES Board of Directors held their annual elections for open board positions. Below are the results: Martin E. Gordon, P.E. – Secretary Christopher R. Devries, P.E. – Treasurer Barry J. Dumbauld, P.E. – Director Donald Nims, P.E. – Director Douglas R. Strang Jr., P.E. – Director Additionally, Bill Grove, P.E. has been appointed to the open President-elect position.
THE UNNATURAL BUT ETHICAL ACT OF ADMITTING MISTAKES Various philosophers and grandmothers have reminded us that the only way to avoid mistakes is to do nothing. Since we are not doing nothing, we will make mistakes. Consequently, we have to examine the mistakes we make as learning opportunities—opportunities to learn where we went awry—as well as accept personal responsibility. In the NSPE Code of Ethics for Engineers, the eighth professional obligation (III.8) states, “Engineers shall accept personal responsibility for their professional activities, provided, however, that engineers may seek indemnification for services arising out of their practice for other than gross negligence, where the engineer’s interest cannot otherwise be protected.” In our business, learning where we went awry is called forensic engineering. As PEs, we are called to continually examine our assumptions, to diligently watch for deviations from expectations and other warning signs, and to continually dissect our problems and mistakes. Arrogant confidence that “I know that I have considered everything” frequently shifts to the humbling discovery that, in fact, something was missed. All problems and all mistakes contain at least one faulty assumption and at least one lesson to be learned so that that problem or mistake doesn’t happen again. Source: NSPE Update, June 2021, Rebecca Bowman, PE 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
SEPTEMBER 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 31
The Electrical Association of Western New Since 1924, The Electrical Association has been a strong industry voice, a united front, designated to educate and promote Western New York’s electrical industry. From Buffalo to Syracuse and Lake Ontario to the Pennsylvania border, EAWNY is the ONLY Electrical Association in Western New York that will meet the needs of today’s ever changing electrical industry by providing quality educational and social/networking programs, as well as a variety of other member benefits.
*
*Education...FREE of charge for education trainings put on by EAWNY. *My better benefits...This gives you access to thousands of discounts … everything from movie tickets to oil changes to car rental discounts. *Trade Show...receive discounted booth pricing AND premier booth placement *Scholarship...you and your children are eligible for scholarships. Four recipients are chosen annually and range from $500-$1,000. *Networking Events...receive discounted rates to attend the golf invitational, clambake, and the annual bowling outing. *Contractor Referrals...all members that are contractors are eligible to be added to the referral list. So when community members are looking for a contractor...commercial or residential...you can be listed. *Industry Updates...receive important updates as this is an ever-changing industry.
Visit www.eawny.com to join today! PO Box 20219 ~ Rochester, New York 14602 (585) 382-9545 ~ karen@eawny.com 32 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER SEPTEMBER 2021
ea news
i
s
Rochester, NY Section P.O. Box 23795 Rochester, NY 14692 www.iesrochester.org
IES ROCHESTER MEETINGS ARE BACK !!! SEPTEMBER 29,2021 - 7:00 PM
FREE Event
COME TOUR THE WINNER OF OUR IES ROCHESTER EXTERIOR LIGHTING AWARD - ROC CITY SKATE PARK MEMBERS FROM THE DESIGN TEAM FROM STANTEC AND FROM THE CITY OF ROCHESTER WILL BE IN ATTENDANCE PLEASE REGISTER ONLINE AT WWW.IESROCHESTER.ORG
Wednesday October 13 - 12:00 Noon Basics of Modern Theatre Lighting System Design - Power Distribution & Control - DMX & Networking - LED Theatrical Luminaires Location & Details TBD - Save The Date ! Please Visit Our Website For More Details www.iesrochester.org ies news
SEPTEMBER 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 33
August 2021 Newsletter Message from the Chair
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 Kelly Robinson SPS Alex Byrley Eric Zeise TEMS Paul Lee Young Professionals Eric Brown
Student Groups Univ. of Rochester Ming-Lun Lee RIT Jamison Heard
Committees Awards Jean Kendrick Communications Christine Frayda Howard Bussey Newsletter Mark Schrader PACE Bruce Rubin
Dear Colleagues, The IEEE Region 1 in person Board of Governors meeting scheduled for August 20-22 was virtualized as a COVID-19 precaution due to the surge in infection rates. Rochester Section in person events remain on the schedule while we monitor local public health recommendations. The IEEE Rochester Section held its second hybrid ExCom meeting in August. Future ExCom meetings are tentatively planned for a hybrid format, but meeting locations will be updated in vTools. The next IEEE Rochester Section ExCom meetings will occur on September 7th and October 5th, IEEE Day, from noon - 1 pm (vTools# 255231, 255232). ExCom members may attend in person, and all may attend virtually.
Stay healthy and best regards,
Signal Processing Society (SPS) 2021 Orolia Western New York Image and Signal Processing Workshop (WNYISPW) The 2021 Orolia Western New York Image and Signal Processing Workshop (WNYISPW) is a venue for promoting image and signal processing research in our area and for facilitating interaction between academic researchers, industry professionals, and students. The workshop comprises both oral and poster presentations. The workshop, building off 22 successful years of the Western New York Image Processing Workshop (WNYIPW), is sponsored by Orolia, MathWorks, SRC, and the Rochester chapter of the IEEE Signal Processing Society with technical cooperation from the Rochester chapter of the Society for Imaging Science and Technology. The workshop will be held in a hybrid in-person/virtual format on Friday, October 22, 2021 from 8:30am to 5:30pm at the RIT Inn and Conference Center.
Liaisons RES Harold Paschal RCSS William Brewer
Title Sponsor
34 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER SEPTEMBER 2021
Bronze Financial Sponsor
Legacy Financial Sponsor
ieee news
Orolia: (Title Sponsor) is the world leader in Resilient Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) solutions that improve the reliability, performance, and safety of critical, remote or high-risk operations, even in GPS/GNSS denied environments. Orolia provides virtually fail-safe GNSS and PNT solutions for military and commercial applications worldwide. www.Orolia.com SRC, Inc. (Bronze Level) is a not-for-profit research and development company, combines information, science, technology, and ingenuity to solve “impossible” problems in the areas of defense, environment, and intelligence. For more information, visit www.srcinc.com. MathWorks: (Legacy Level) is the leading developer of mathematical computing software for engineers and scientists involved in research, development, simulation, and measurement. For more information visit www.mathworks.com.
SPS Neural Networks Meeting Dr. Alex Byrley, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor, and IEEE SPS Chairman at the University at Buffalo, announces the following talk: On August 27 at 1:00 pm, Dr. Miguel Dominguez will present the second "Neural Networks from Scratch" lecture "The Multilayer Perceptron (MLP)". He will discuss the MLP architecture, and the design of its linear and nonlinear elements. Dr. Dominguez will show how an MLP performs learning and recognition and its advantages and disadvantages as a neural network. Find more details and register at https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/278883. If this announcement reaches you too late to register, please contact Dr. Byrley regarding availability of a recording.
Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society (GRSS) The 2022 STRATUS annual meeting will be at the Syracuse University campus' Gateway Center on May 23-25, 2022. Visit STRATUS-conference.com for more information.
EX-COM Meetings & Events 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 an excellent platform for networking with fellow engineers online or face-to-face during lunch. The table below summarizes the upcoming events for the IEEE Rochester Section. To find additional details and register for any event listed below, please go to the hyperlink in the "Event" column or visit https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/vtools# (where vtools# is the number shown in the "vTools #" column below) Event
vTools #
EXCOM Meeting
255231
September 7hth, 11:50 – 13:00
Hybrid, via WebEx and in-person. Please see the vTools notice for the venue and WebEx login.
SPS Neural Networks from Scratch 2
278883
August 27th, 12:00 – 13:00
Virtual
Family Night at Frontier Field
277105
September 3rd- ordered tickets at the Red Wings Box Office.
Frontier Field
EXCOM Meeting
255232
October 5th, 11:50 – 13:00
Hybrid, via WebEx and in-person. Please see the vTools notice for the venue and WebEx login.
ieee news
When
Where
SEPTEMBER 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 35
r
What’s the best way to encourage kids to pursue their education and perhaps become engineers? …For them to know one! It could be YOU that opens up the world.
Harold Clark TRFSEF Director trfsef@terraed.org
Have you considered the gift YOU can give by: • Being a tutor for a 1st grader at the Dr. Walter Cooper Academy through the RES Tutoring Program. Contact: Lee Loomis, leeloomis46@gmail.com
• Being a mentor in the RIT Science & Technology Entry Program (STEP) for a 7 to 12th grader. Contact: Ashley Simmons, aask12@rit.edu
• Sponsoring a 6 to 12th grader to enter a project in the 2022 Terra Rochester Finger Lakes Science & Engineering Fair. Contact: Harold Clark, trfsef@terraed.org
YOU Can Be the Difference!
36 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER SEPTEMBER 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
RE-ENGAGE WITH SWE-ROCHESTER THIS FALL The executive team has been planning for this fall. We are all excited to be able to meet in person with precautions for unvaccinated people. Please look for an email from SWE Rochester with details. As always, if you have any suggestions, please let us know!
Equal Pay Days
Throughout the year, six Equal Pay Days are observed for women of varying backgrounds and circumstances. These dates mark the amount of time each group will have to work into the new year to finally catch up to what white, non-Hispanic men earned last year. Native American Women’s Equal Pay Day is September 8. We encourage our SWE members and the public to join the conversation and fight for equality. •
March 9: Asian American and Pacific Islander Women’s Equal Pay Day (85 cents per dollar paid to white men) March 24: All Women’s Equal Pay Day (82 cents per dollar paid to men) May 5: Mother’s Equal Pay Day (70 cents per dollar paid to fathers) August 3: Black Women’s Equal Pay Day (63 cents per dollar paid to white men) September 8: Native American Women’s Equal Pay Day (60 cents per dollar paid to white men) October 21: Latina’s Equal Pay Day (55 cents per dollar paid to white men)
• • • • •
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
SEPTEMBER 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 37
Finger Lakes Chapter of INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL ON SYSTEMS ENGINEERING http://www.incose.org/ChaptersGroups/Chapters/ChapterSites/finger-lakes/chapter-home
Upcoming Chapter Annual Meeting • Saturday, September 4, 2021 Featured Speaker: David Long, founder and president of Vitech. For over 25 years, he has focused on helping organizations around the world increase their systems engineering proficiency, particularly in the areas of MBSE and Digital Engineering. An INCOSE Fellow and Expert Systems Engineering Professional, David was the 2014/2015 president of INCOSE.
Change is Optional: Trends in Systems Engineering "It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory." - W. Edwards Deming Systems engineering is a practice and a profession in transition. For almost ten years, systems engineering has framed the transition as one from document-centric to model-based techniques. While an important part of our future, this aspect is only a small part of the required transformation. There are many more dimensions to the challenge as we move from the needs of the past to the problems of today. If we as systems engineers are to move beyond 20th century systems engineering, what must we address? How must we adapt, evolve, and transform to build for tomorrow? Two ways to attend 1) Virtual, via zoom. There is no cost to attend, but attendees must register by noon, Tuesday, 31 Aug. Time: 1:45 pm – 3:15 pm (eastern). Attendees will receive the link a few days before the meeting. 2) In-person at the Statler Hotel at Cornell University, Taylor room for lunch/meeting. Start gathering at 12:30 pm, lunch at 1 pm, end at 3:15 pm (eastern). We will have the Cornell Deli buffet, in Rowe Room. Reservations on the RES Website calendar (www.roceng.org) or contact Teresa at Teresa.Froncek@incose.net. Cost for Cornell students is $0 (Cornell pays). Cost for the first 5 non-Cornell students is $0 (chapter pays), cost for the next five non-Cornell students is $15 (chapter pays the rest), and cost for remaining non-Cornell students is $40. Cost for INCOSE members is $30 (chapter pays the rest). Cost for all others is $40. Attendees must register by noon, Friday, 27 Aug. Note1: In keeping with Cornell requirements for students/staff, we ask that only full vaccinated (against Covid-19) people attend in-person. Thanks for your understanding.
Note 2, Again, in keeping with Cornell requirements, all attendees will need to wear a face mask except when seated at their table while eating/drinking, or when speaking © 202 INCOSE Finger Lakes Chapter
38 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER SEPTEMBER 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 SEPTEMBER 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 39
Rochester Chapter
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers Rochester ASHRAE website: http://rochester.ashraechapters.org
SEPTEMBER NEWSLETTER
President's Message Our first meeting has been set! This month we are having a Pig Roast catered by Colby’s Catering on Monday September 13th at the White House Lodge. The White House Lodge is located at 1100 Lake Road in Webster and will include raffles, yard games and an opportunity to catch up after a long break of getting together in person (price is still to be determined). If you have any questions and/or suggestions for speakers and/or topics, please contact Matt Kremers at mkremers@mcsmms.com. Thank you to all of our sponsors, members and officers for your continued support! ASHRAE’s 2021-2022 president is Mick Schwedler (LaCrosse, WI) and during his inaugural presidential address, Mick announced the new Society theme will be “Personal Growth. Global Impact. Feed the Roots.” The theme explores ASHRAE’s expansive root system from the Society’s founding, through its extraordinary global growth and impact to the environment. Three sets of roots were established to help members grow – member-to-member connections, grassroots chapters and regions and technology. The Rochester chapter had a planning meeting at Blades on Wednesday July 21st, where the committee chairs and the board of governors met to discuss various goals and initiatives for this coming year. We are all very excited to hit the ground running this fall! Lastly, our chapter’s Past President Mike Benedict and I traveled to Portland, Maine to attend our Region’s Chapter Regional Conference (CRC) on Thursday August 19th and Friday August 20th. In Maine we met with 15 other chapters in our region to attend a Technical Session and two business meetings. The Region I consists of chapters in Niagara Falls, Buffalo, Syracuse, Albany, Southern Tier, NYC, Long Island, White Plains, Maine, Boston, Vermont, Hartford, Manchester, New Jersey, and Providence. Please check out the chapter website at www.rochester.ashraechapters.org for information on upcoming chapter meetings, current officer list & contact information, current electronic newsletter and more!
Scott G. Edwards 2021-2022 ASHRAE Rochester Chapter President
40 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER SEPTEMBER 2021
ashrae news
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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
• Keg beer starting 1 hour before dinner
• Lunch beginning at 11:00 AM (Halfway House)
• Steak Dinner at 5:30 PM
• Shotgun Start at 12:00 PM
• Awards following Dinner
Register Online at www.abcdwny.com August 16 to September 17
Location Terry Hills Country Club 5122 Clinton Street Road Batavia, NY 14020 Phone: (585) 343-0860
Contact Information
Cost
Todd Swackhamer, P.E. Phone: (716) 834-8932 Email: tswackhamer@mmce.net
$100 per person (includes Lunch, Golf with Cart, Keg Beer, Dinner, and Prizes) $35 (dinner only) $200 Hole Sponsorships available
SAVE THE DATE: 2021 FALL CONFERENCE – NOVEMBER 12TH abcd news
SEPTEMBER 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 41
President/Education Chair: DAVID MYERS LaBella Associates, PC 300 State Street Suite 201 Rochester, NY 14614 585-454-6110 Vice President Technical: DAVE JERECKOS IBC Engineering, PC 3445 Winton Place Suite 219 Rochester, NY 14623 585-292-1590 Vice President Legislative: ALAN SMITH, P.E. IBC Engineering, PC 3445 Winton Place Suite 219 Rochester, NY 14623 585-292-1590 Vice President Membership/AYP: TRAVIS JESSICK Dave Gooding Inc 173 Spark Street Brockton MA 02302 585-794-8845 Treasurer: JENNIFER WENGENDER, P.E., CPD CPL 205 St Paul Blvd Rochester, NY 14604 585-454-7600 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 Another month has gone by and COVID is still with us, and with this being said we are looking for a place for our monthly meetings since Valicia’s Ristorante has closed. We will let you know as meeting time gets closer. We will not ask you to, but please get your Flu and COVID vaccinations and stay healthy. We don’t have any events planned for August, but we are planning our first meeting in September to be the Liberty Pump Tour (see below for details). We will get back together for our first monthly technical lunch meetings after that. Even though SED made some allowance for on-line training due to COVID, I’m sure eventually they will want to see in-person learning pick back up. Please check that your membership is up to date or if you are not a member please join by contacting VP Membership or on Rochester Chapter website at www.aspe.org/rochester. Happy summer!
David W. Myers
Rochester Chapter President
Meeting Notice – Save the Date Topic:
TBD
Meeting Notice – Save the Date
Speaker: Wednesday, TBD Date: September 15, 2021 Date: September 15, 2021. RSVP: Time:
To Dave Jereckos (341-3168), or djereckos@ibceng.com by September 7, 2021. To Be Announced
RSVP:
DMyers@LaBellapc.com.com
(Chapters are not authorized to speak for the Society)
42 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER SEPTEMBER 2021
aspe news
Directory of Professional Services
BERGMANNPC.COM
NATIONAL FIRM. STRONG LOCAL CONNECTIONS.
Service. Solutions. Results. www.passero.com
Engineering Architecture Survey Planning Construction Observation
Advertising Rates and Membership Application is Available at www.roceng.org directory of professional services
SEPTEMBER 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 43
Directory of Professional Services
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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 Advisors
Philip J. Welch
First Vice President - Investments
Wells Fargo Advisors
Wells Fargo Advisors is a trade name used by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC
Member SIPC
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
44 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER SEPTEMBER 2021
directory of professional services | director of business services
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Affiliated Societies of the Rochester Engineering Society American Consulting Engineering, Companies of New York President, David J. Meyer, 585-218-0730 Email: dmeyer@pathfinderengineers.com
Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers, Rochester Chapter President, Tim Gallman, L3Harris Email: Tim.Gallman@L3Harris.com
American Public Works Assoc. Monroe County/Genesee Valley Branch Chairman, Peter Vars, PE, Email: PVars@bmepc.com
International Council on Systems Engineering, Finger Lakes Chapter President, Teresa Fronk, Email: bears04@frontiernet.net
American Society of Civil Engineers, Rochester Section President, Joshua T. Rodems, PE, Bergmann 585-498-7944. Email: jrodems@bergmannpc.com
Monroe Professional Engineers Society President, Mike Ritchie, PE Email: mritchie@costich.com
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Rochester Chapter President, Mike Benedict, Email: mike@airsystemsbalancing.com. Website: rochester.ashraechapters.org
New York State Association of Transportation Engineers, Section 4 President, Paul J. Spitzer, PE, NYS DOT Region 4, Genesee Valley, 1530 Jefferson Road, Rochester, NY 14623. 585-272-4890. Email: paul.spitzer@dot.ny.gov Website: www.nysate.org
American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Rochester Section Chairman, Joseph Lawson, /Email: joey@rocmarchforscience.org American Society of Plumbing Engineers, Rochester New York Chapter President, David Myers, LaBella Associates, 585-454-6110. Email: DMyers@LaBellaPC.com. Website: https://www.aspe.org Association for Bridge Construction and Design President, David Jenkinson, PE, Popli Design Group. Email: DJenkinson@popligroup.com Electrical Association Executive Director, Karen Lynch, Email: karen@eawny.com President, Russ Corcoran, Landmark Electric 585-359-0800. Email: russc@landmarkelectric.net. Genesee Valley Land Surveyors Association President, Jared R. Ransom, LS 585-737-6881 Email: jaredransomls@gmail.com Illuminating Engineering Society of North America Inc., Rochester Section President, Rob Gleason, Email: rgleason@cscos.com Imaging Science & Technology, Rochester Chapter President, Bruce Pillman, 585-748-6006 Email: bruce.pillman@gmail.com
Rochester Makerspace President, David M. Duckles. 585-467-5565, Email: president@rocmakers.org Website: www.RocMakers.org 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: mjleme@rit.edu Terra Rochester Finger Lakes Science & Engineering Fair Director, Harold R. Clark, PhD Email: tasasef@terraed.org Website: TerraFairs@terraed.org.
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Rochester Section Chairman, Eric Brown, Email: eric.t.brown@ieee.org affiliated societies of the rochester engineering society
SEPTEMBER 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 45
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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