The Rochester Engineer April 2024

Cunha 2023

Cletus O. Ezenwa, PE 2023 Engineer of Distinction

Robert Hochman, PE 2023 Engineer of Distinction

James J. Hood 2023 Engineer of Distinction

McConky, PhD 2023 Engineer of Distinction

Board of Directors:

OFFICERS:

President MICHELLE SOMMERMAN, PE Colliers Engineering / Michelle.Sommerman@collierseng.com

First Vice President DENNIS ROOTE, PE CDE Engineering & Environment, PLLC / dennis.roote@cde-pllc.com

Second Vice President MIKE KURDZIEL, PhD

L3Harris Corporation / mike.kurdziel@L3harris.com

Treasurer

TBD - Dennis Roote is interim treasurer.

Immed. Past President GREG GDOWSKI, PhD University of Rochsester / Greg_Gdowski@urmc.rochester.edu

DIRECTORS:

HOWARD RESSEL, PE

Popli Design Group (retired NYSATE) / ressel@frontiernet.net

RICHARD E. RICE

Erdman Anthony / rricesquash@gmail.com

BRETT ELIASZ, PE

Colliers Engineering / Brett.Eliasz@collierseng.com

KENTON G. HINES

Merrill Lynch / Kenton.Hines@ml.com

DAWN LaPIETRA

L3Harris Corporation / dawnlapietra@gmail.com

STEVEN W. DAY, PhD

Rochester Institute of Technology / swdeme@rit.edu

NOAH KELLY

NAM Products Services Manager, Alstom noah.kelly@alstomgroup.com

LEANDRO AVEIRO

Engineering Group Manager - Verification & Validation, Alstom leandro.aveiro@alstomgroup.com

YVETTE LaBOMBARD, PE

Director Gas Engineering, RG&E yvette_labombard@rge.com

SHEILA RANSBOTTOM, PE

Senior Transportation Engineer, Wendel anumrich@wendelcompanies.com

Administrative Director LYNNE M. IRWIN

Rochester Engineering Society / e-mail: res@frontiernet.net or therochesterengineer@gmail.com

The Rochester Engineer

Published since 1922 by ROCHESTER ENGINEERING SOCIETY, INC. Founded March 18, 1897

Volume 102, Number 10, APRIL 2024

(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 - board of directors

Dear Fellow Engineers,

Spring is here! The RES social gathering is back to Thursday…this month on April 4th at Rohrbachs Brewing on Railroad Street. Please come join us for some conversation and refreshments!

Awards announcement month! Congratulations to all Professional and Scholarship recipients, particularly 2023 Engineer of the Year Kelly Robinson, PE, PhD and 2023 Kate Gleason Young Engineer of the Year Jessica Shang, PhD. It’s always impressive to see the talent and expertise in our area! You can read all about the Scholarship and Professional Award recipients starting on p18

Affiliate Member Profile this month is (p13) the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES). This month’s member profiles: member since August of 2018, a past BOD member, current 1st Vice President, Treasurer and chair of the Engineering Development Committee, Dennis Roote (p14) and member since 2019, Affiliate rep for Terra Rochester Finger Lakes Science and Engineering Fair since 2020, Harold Clark (p15). If you have a suggestion for a Member Profile or YOU would like to share your profile, please email us! A congratulation to one of our officers…Mike Kurdziel, current 2nd Vice President, was named Senior Fellow at L3 Harris (p55).

A few highlights from the April Rochester Engineer:

Save the date Thursday April 18th for the next RES Webinar series on Rail Signaling (p7). A look back into RES’s History in winter of 1978 (p8-9). The tutoring team at Dr. Walter Cooper Academy has expanded thanks to the involvement of Dr. Katie McConky, who is also a 2023 Engineer of Distinction (p10)! Ten years after founding and leading the RES Tutoring Team, Lee Loomis has decided to step back, and the RES is actively seeking a new Leader for the Team. Please see p11 for details…maybe you or someone you know would be interested!

Campus news from The University of Rochester where scientists have developed new electrochemical approaches to clean up pollution from “forever chemicals” found in clothing, food packaging, firefighting foams, and a wide array of other products (p32-33). Also, a popular optical engineering course equips students with technical and professional skills while putting them on the radar of industry-connected alumni (p34-35). At RIT researchers are creating a novel sensor system based on the

res news - president’s messages

RES News - President's Message

superior design and detection range found on harbor seal whiskers (p3637). For the first time, RIT will be represented at the First Nations High Power Rocket Launch design competition taking place this April in Wisconsin (p38-39).

Continuing Education Opportunities and Engineers Calendar starts on page 42. As a reminder, the calendar is on the website so you can check there for the latest event updates.Affiliate’s news starts on p44 including: IS&T speaker on Digital Camera Myths, Misstatements, and Misunderstandings, ABCD Spring Seminar

April 12th, IES UL924 & UL1008 training, ASCE April 3rd night out at the Amerks game celebrating 100+ years of the ASCE Rochester Section and Golf tournament June 10th, IEEE news on STRATUSconference in May, ASHRAE news including refrigeration night tour at KM Davies in Williamson and golf tournament May 21st, Terra Rochester Science and Engineering Fair thank you!, INCOSE April meeting news, EAWNY Golf Outing July 15th, and ASPE news.

As always, the best way to support something is to get involved! This is YOUR community’s society. We want to make sure your voice is heard, and that RES is sustained into the future. Please email us with any questions, comments, or suggestions. Thank you!

Michelle Sommerman, PE Colliers Engineering & Design

RES President

June 1, 2022 - June 30, 2024

(University of Rochester photo / J. Adam Fenster)

(NASA / JPL-Caltech)

Credit: Traci Westcott/RIT

RES Awards Program

Come congratulate the EOY, YEOY, EODs, YEOY Finalists & Scholarship Recipients

Brunch on Saturday, May 4

Place: University of Rochester

Time: 10:00 am to 1:00 pm

Cost: $35/pp (award recipients + one guest are free). Sponsorships requested (see details below)

Additional details will be available on the website calendar when available.

Sponsorship Details

Diamond Sponsor - $3,000

• Primary Sponsor - Company Name on all Printed Materials

• Reservations for 8 people (Tables seat 8)

• Full Page Corporate Profile in Rochester Engineer Magazine

• Logo recognition as one of our top sponsors on event signage and multimedia show

• Live recognition during the program opening/closing remarks

• Prominent Recognition on RES Web Site with Link to Company

• Half page advertisement in Rochester Engineer Magazine

• Opportunity to provide corporate logo guest gift

Platinum Sponsor - $2,000

• Reservations for 5 people

• Logo recognition as one of our top sponsors on event signage and multimedia show

• Live recognition during the program opening/closing remarks

• Prominent Recognition on RES Web Site with Link to Company

• Half page advertisement in Rochester Engineer Magazine

• Opportunity to provide corporate logo guest gift

Gold Sponsor - $1,000

• Reservations for 2 people

• Logo recognition on event signage and multimedia show

• Live recognition during the program opening/closing remarks

• Prominent Recognition on RES Web Site with Link to Company

• Quarter page advertisement in Rochester Engineer Magazine

Silver Sponsor - $750

• Reservations for 2 people

• Logo recognition on event signage and multimedia show

• Live recognition during the program opening/closing remarks

• Prominent Recognition on RES Web Site with Link to Company

Bronze Sponsor - $500

• Logo recognition on event signage and multimedia show

• Live recognition during the program opening/closing remarks

Kelly S. Robinson, PE, PhD 2023 Engineer of the Year

Jessica Shang, PhD 2023 Young Engineer of the Year

RES EVENT CALENDAR - SAVE THE DATES

RES is excited to announce some 2024 programs with a mix of Continuing Education and Social Gatherings! Updates will be posted on the website calendar as they become available.

Social Gatherings are the 1st Thursday of every month at 5:00 pm

Continuing Education Courses are the 3rd Thursday of every month from 1:00 to 5:00 pm

Here are the plans (subject to change):

EVENT DATE

Thursday, April 4, 2024

EVENT NAME

Social Gathering! Rohrbach's, 97 Railroad Street, Rochester, NY 14609. Time: 5:00 PM. Please register so we know many are attending!

Thursday, April 18, 2024

Continuing Education - Save the Date!

Join us for a very exciting RES Webinar Series

Theme: Rail Signaling

Registration will be on the RES Website Calendar

Thursday, May 2, 2024

Social Gathering! Rohrbach's, 97 Railroad Street, Rochester, NY 14609. Time: 5:00 PM. Please register so we know many are attending!

Saturday, May 4, 2024

NO MAY CE COURSES

Awards Event - University of Rochester. Reservations required! Brunch with EOY, YEOY, EODs and Scholaship recipients.

Thursday, June 6, 2024 (IEEE sponsor) Continuing Education - Save the Dates!

Thursday, June 13, 2024 (ASHRAE sponsor) Join us for a very exciting RES Webinar Series

Wednesday, June 19, 2024 (ASCE/NYSATE sponsor) Registration will be on the RES Website Calendar

*Dates and topics are subject to change*

Future Education Courses Being Planned - RES is offering these courses to support the engineering community. Each Continuing Education Session will consist of two or three educational 1-hour webinars with one or two eligible for PDH's. Registration will be on our website soon: www.roceng.org. *Date, cost, and topics are subject to change*

res - event calendar

RES NEWS - ROCHESTER HISTORY

A Sampling from the Archives of the Rochester Engineering Society. 1897 - 1978

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, the Korean Conflict, and the Vietnam War are now history. These experiences have changed the face of and will, no doubt, influence the future of the community. The Rochester municipal leadership and the industrial community have become immersed in the cold-war, growth economy.

“The Rochester Engineer” (January 1978)

RES Past President, Dr. Richard Kenyon was named Vice President-elect of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). Raytheon Services Company, operators of the soon-to-be-completed Monroe County Resource Recovery Facility, announced that they were accepting applications for Operations Manager and for Plant Engineer. Specifically, the Operations Manager, responsible for receiving, production and shipping, was expected to have experience in plants utilizing heavy processing in bulk material handling equipment. A BS in chemical, industrial or mining engineering would be desirable. The Plant Engineer candidates should be a registered Professional Engineer with a BS in mechanical, civil or electrical engineering. It was announced that Captain Paul J. Weltz (USN, retired), pilot of NASA’s, first-ever manned, month-long, 1973 Skylab Mission, would be the keynote speaker for the February 23rd RES Joint Engineers’ Dinner. RES President, John M. Robertson provided, “Telephone Switching for the Layman”, an example of the type of short, informative magazine article he solicited from the audience at his inaugural RES luncheon meeting in September. In an article, “Polar Scientists Discover Huge Submarine Canyons Under the South Atlantic” National Science Foundation (NSF) scientists report the discovery of two massive, deep canyons on the South Atlantic Ocean between Africa and Antarctica. The first, about half-way between Cape Town and Antarctica, is 420 miles long, 18 miles wide and 1.8 – 2.4 miles deep. The second, nearby fracture is 120 miles long, 12 miles wide and 2.4 miles deep. Discoveries like these provided dramatic evidence of global plate tectonics, and these two also provided unique

samples of rocks and minerals from the Earth’s mantle. In an article, “All Decked Out”, reprinted by permission from the University of Illinois, Professor Clyde Kessler describes research work he had been doing with asphalt sealers and expansive concrete and further, toward finding reliable methods of coating reinforcing rods placed within concrete highway bridge slabs. This work was to prevent the cracking of concrete surfaces, spalling and subsequent corrosion of reinforcing steel rods due to exposure to chloride salts.

February 8, 1978 (Board Meeting, University Club) The Board approved two applications for Regular Membership. Past RES President, Edwin L. Anthony, PE, LS, was announced as “RES 1977 Engineer of the Year”. RES Director and Professional Liaison Chair, Lee Loomis, reported that the RES would be contacting the RES Affiliates to invite them, for a nominal annual fee, to use RES facilities (w/RES provided containers) for climate-controlled storage of their chapter records. RES Technology Transfer Agent, Andrew Hirsch reported on the TT Programs and that there would be a meeting of TT Agents in Rochester on March 30th & 31st. President Robertson invited discussion on RES Vice President, Richard Rice’s previous proposal for establishment of an RES Civic Award. Following this, a committee, comprised of Richard Rice, Jack Schickler, Dave Schneeberger and Lee Loomis, was appointed to study and make recommendations to the Board.

“The Rochester Engineer” (February 1978)

This issue introduces Past RES President, Edwin L. Anthony, PE, LS, as “1977 RES Engineer of the Year”. Ed, a long-time community-involved professional was a WWII Navy veteran, graduate of Duke University, Asst. NYSDOT Civil Engineer, and partner at Erdman Anthony. As 1st Vice President of the RES in 1971-72, Ed directed “Operation Resource”, resulting in the CityCounty decision to develop the County of Monroe Resource Recovery Facility. With funding from Exxon and General Motors Corp., the Business and Professional Women’s Foundation (BPW) announced the establishment of the Loan Fund

for Women in Engineering in 1976. Loans for the 1978-79 year were expected to total $80,000. Applications were being sought, and the selection committee would be meeting in June 1978. In response to RES President John Robertson’s request, RES Member, Ollie Angevine, Rochester consultant in acoustics, provided a short but informative article on absorptive materials and their uses for controlling acoustic problems in rooms and buildings. RES Technology Agent, Andrew C. Hirsch provided a comparison of two similar municipal highway projects; the Westway project in New York City and the Outer Loop project in Rochester. He makes a balanced comparison of the pros and cons of each project, concluding that, “Communities need to decide how they will manage their roadways. It need not be that the construction of a highway is an environmental problem. Roads can be environmental tools that clear up existing problems.” Dr. David Spencer, project Manager for Raytheon Corp., provided an update on the Monroe County Resource Recovery Facility to an audience of over 130 people at the January RES Luncheon meeting at the Wishing Well Restaurant. Dr. Spencer’s presentation described the method of handling solid waste and for recovering glass, ferrous metals and nonferrous metals, for recycling.

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 continuing prosperity of the second-half of the 20th Century.

We welcome your questions and comments on this series.

In person RES Tutoring Expands at Dr. Walter Cooper Academy

Thanks to Past Representative from the Institute of Industrial Engineering, Dr. John Kaemmerlin of RIT’s College of Industrial & Systems Engineering Department, we were referred to Dept. Head, Dr. Katie McConky, for a presentation to a group of her undergraduate students. This resulted in the expansion of the Team by nine tutors (including Dr. McConky). They began working with a group of our 3rd Graders, on March 5th and 7th

On Wednesday, November 1st, the RES Tutoring Team resumed its work with our “Cooper Scholars”.

Community School Site Coordinator, Sylvia Cooksey, has been instrumental in ensuring that each of our RES Tutors receives an assignment with students most in need of support.

Despite the impending closure of Dr. Walter Cooper Academy by the Rochester City School District (RCSD) at the end of this school year, the RES Tutors are working in a “Here and Now” mode, supporting these children as they struggle to “Learn to Read” (in Grades 1 – 3) so they will be ready to “Read to Learn” (Grades 4 – 12). We are also playing “catch-up” with a group of 4th and 5th Graders, helping them to reach grade-level reading by the end of this school year.

We continue to grow our 2023-24 RES Tutoring Team…We now have eighteen tutors, working with 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th Grade Students. If you’ve ever thought of joining the RES Tutoring Team, now is the time!

RES Tutor, Dr. Katie McConky, (Dept. Head, RIT Industrial & Systems Engineering) working with one of our 3rd Graders

Questions/Applications??? Please consder reaching 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

RES NEWS - TUTORING TEAM

What Will the Future Hold for the RES Tutoring Team?

With the impending closure of Dr. Walter Cooper Academy by the Rochester City School District (RCSD) at the end of this school year, we are being asked, “What happens next year for the RES Tutoring Team?”

The short answer is, “We don’t know.” That said, we believe we should be prepared for the future, by making sure we have tutors, and a Team Leader. Ten years after founding and leading the RES Tutoring Team, Lee Loomis has decided to step back, and the RES is actively seeking a new Leader for the Team. The following is a brief job description…

Initial Responsibilities: Summer & Fall 2024

- Assemble a list of current tutors who are willing to resume their duties in working with our Cooper Scholars.

- Meet with School Officials to compare tutor availability with teacher/tutoring needs to set a tutoring schedule for the school year.

- Develop a “Tutor Information Folder” containing updated RCSD, and DWCA school calendars, school protocol (rules) and school programs/events information.

On-Going Responsibilities: October 2024 – May 2025

- Welcome each tutor (veteran and new) in-person, to the school, and introduce them to the school’s Community School Site Coordinator (CSSC), and then to the teacher and the students.

- Meet regularly with the CSSC to ensure that the teachers are satisfied with the process and results of the weekly tutoring sessions.

- Attend various scheduled parent-school meetings (some in-person, some via Zoom) to better understand the challenges faced by students, parents and teachers.

- Connect periodically with each tutor to monitor their current experiences in working with students and teachers, and to ensure that they are satisfied with the use of their time and talents.

Time Commitment: Summer & Fall 2024

- It will take approximately six weeks of regular email/phone/text messaging to assemble the RES Tutoring Team, comprised of individual tutors (tutoring once, each week of the school year) and tutoring teams (working as four-person teams, alternating weekly, tutoring once per month).

- As the RES Tutoring Team is being assembled, the RES Tutoring Team Leader should interact with the CSSC to ensure that the teachers are aware that they will have tutoring support for their students.

Time Commitment: October 2024 – May 2025

- Regular interaction with the CSSC occurs 3 – 4 times per month, including 1 – 2 in-person, monthly visits

- Periodic interaction with RES Leadership, RES Affiliates, Local College Officials and Community Groups in seeking prospective additional tutors.

Availability:

- The RES Tutoring Team Leader should plan to be regularly available, and responsive (via email, text and/or phone) to the RES Tutors and to the CSSC.

Are You Interested in/Available for this Challenge??? Please contact RES Tutoring Team Leader, Lee Loomis with any questions at…Rochester Engineering Society (585) 254-2350, via website: www.roceng.org, or via email: leeloomis46@gmail.com, (585) 738-3079 (mobile & text).

Back to Table of Contents

Technical

RES - Technical Corner

The article this month will be Electrical focused and speaks about solidly grounded and ungrounded electrical transformers along with voltage symbology.

Some things to look for when trying to specify medium voltage step down transformers.

Ungrounded Transformers

-Transformer must be designed to accommodate the raise in voltage level on the unfaulted phases during a fault condition. This ensures insulation is adequate.

-Could be ungrounded Delta or Ungrounded Wye

-Could be used in a grounded circuit

Solidly Grounded Transformers

-Transformer does NOT need to be designed to accommodate the raise in voltage level on the unfaulted phases during a fault condition. Allows reduced insulation.

-Grounded Wye

-Cannot be used in an ungrounded circuit-could create insulation failure

Voltage Symbols (-), (/), (x)

(-)-used to separate voltages of different windings (primary and secondary voltage)

13,200 Delta – 208Y/120

(/)-used to separate voltages of the same winding (phase to phase or phase to ground)

13200GY/7600

(x)-used to indicate multiple connections (dual voltage on primary)

13200GY/7600 x 4160GY/2400

Is there a neutral cable to be connected? Will concentric neutral cable be used? Should the primary be grounded or not? How many primary bushings for a single-phase transformer?

Example 1 Nameplate:

2400/4160Y

-Transformer could be used on a 2400V Delta system OR on a 4160V wye system.

-Transformer will have 2 high side bushings.

-If Delta connection is desired a phase conductor is connected to each one of the bushings

-If a wye connection is desired a phase conductor is connected to one of the bushings and the other bushing is connected to the system neutral. You could also ground this bushing to get a grounded Y connection.

Example 2 Nameplate:

4160GY/2400

-Transformer can only be used on a 4160V grounded wye system. Cannot be used on a delta or ungrounded wye system.

-Transformer will have 1 high side bushing.

Corner res - technical corner

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 Brett.Eliasz@collierseng.com As always, any comments are appreciated…! Thank you for reading.

Brett Eliasz, P.E., LEED AP BD+C , RES Director

RES AFFILIATE MEMBER PROFILE - IES

The Rochester Engineering Society appreciates our affiliates which are the backbone of our organization. We want to make sure our members and readers know who our affiliates are and what they do to further the Engineering field. Most professional engineering organizations offer networking, technical guidance, access to references and standards and much more. Many are affiliated with a national organization that provides services to its members and supports the greater benefit of the profession and of their specialty. Some organizations even set national and international standards.

We hope you find this occasional series helpful and informative. Feel free to check out the affiliates local and/or national web sites for more information.

This month’s featured affiliate:

Mission:

Illuminating Engineering Society (IES)

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

Our mission is to improve the lighted environment by bringing together those with lighting knowledge and by translating that knowledge into actions that benefit the public. We provide a variety of professional development, publications, networking and educational opportunities to our membership of engineers, architects, designers, educators, students, contractors, distributors, utility personnel, manufacturers and scientists in nearly 60 countries. Through our American National Standards Institute (ANSI) accredited process, we publish and maintain the Lighting Library®, with over 100 standards written by subject matter experts in our technical committees.

Brief history:

Founded in 1906, The Illuminating Engineering Society is the recognized technical and educational authority on illumination. Our mission is to improve the lighted environment by bringing together those with lighting knowledge and by translating that knowledge into actions that benefit the public. The local affiliate was established in 1950.

Wednesday October 13 - 12:00 Noon

Basics of Modern Theatre Lighting System Design

- Power Distribution & Control

Major activities of the local affiliate:

- DMX & Networking

- LED Theatrical Luminaires

Our section holds a monthly technical luncheon with speakers giving presentations on lighting topics and holds periodic happy hours – social events for networking.

Location & Details TBD - Save The Date !

www.iesrochester.org

Governance:

Rochester Section, governed by local Board of Managers

What else to know:

The organization would love to provide any information or answer questions about the organization and is always looking for new volunteers to help expand our outreach. Contact them at the address below.

Contact information:

AJ Hetzke – AJ@illuminfx.com

Jennifer Abraham – Jabraham@pathfinder-ea.com

Learn more: Illuminating Engineering Society - Rochester, NY Section (iesrochester.org), www.ies.org

Dennis Roote, PE

RES board member

1st Vice President, June 2022 - Present Treasurer, October 2020 - Present

RES History

Joined August 2018

Experience

US Air Force, 1984 -1992, Civil Engineering Officer Various Rochester NY consulting firms, 1992-2009

President, CDE Engineering and Environment, 2009 - Present Post USAF career has been focused on water/wastewater and stormwater treatment and design and Environmental compliance.

Education

BS, Civil Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, 1984

Hometown

Pittsburgh, Pa , though now I consider Rochester to be my home.

Organizations & Groups

Head Usher, Asbury First United Methodist Church

Past President, Rochester Chapter, Association of Facility Engineers (Now RPE)

Former member, Board of Management, Westside YMCA

Professional Highlight

Interests & Hobbies

Family – Wife , Carol, Daughter; Elizabeth Dogs –Merlin and Sam, cat Callie, turtle

Engaging any media (books, videos, etc.) that answers the questions “Why” or “How”

Snowshoeing

Camping (if RV’ing in an air-conditioned motor home with a coffee maker is camping) RES

Working with clients one on one to develop environmental compliance plans, operational procedures, and systems designs that best fit the client’s operations and maintenance capability; that is, “meeting the client where they are and helping to get where they need to be”.

ROCHESTER ENGINEER APRIL

res news - member profile - sjeila ransbottom

Harold Clark

RES History

Affiliate Representative for Terra Rochester Finger Lakes Science & Engineering Fair, since 2020

Experience

• 19+ years with AT&T Western Electric/Lucent Technologies Bell

Laboratories, in R&D for optical fiber manufacturing, optoelectronic packaging, and green manufacturing. Moved to manufacturing systems

engineering and strategic planning, including helping Lucent move to contract manufacturing after 150 years of internal manufacturing.

• 16 years in informal science education

o Volunteer, part-time STEM Educator, and then Director of STEM Educators and Programs at Liberty Science Center, Jersey City, NJ

o Senior Director of STEM Learning and Community at the Rochester Museum and Science Center, Rochester, NY

• Currently, Director (part-time), Terra Rochester Finger Lakes Science & Engineering Fair

Education

A.B. (Magna Cum Laude), Engineering & Applied Physics, Harvard College, 1976

Ph.D., Materials Science & Engineering, MIT, 1982

Organizations & Groups:

American Society for Metals (ASM)

The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS)

Sigma Xi

Retired Professional Society, Rochester Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word (currently Congregational Council President)

Professional Highlight

Being invited to recreate some of the experiments of Nicholas Tesla for a PBS American Experience documentary, using the two 1M Volt Tesla Coils at Liberty Science Center, including experiencing their output in a Faraday Suit. Unfortunately, the only footage of the experiments they keep were my gloved hands waving fluorescing light bulbs.

Also at Liberty Science Center, creating a hands-on presentation, including spinning liquid tin into a 30 ft long strip of tin foil, to introduce middle and high school students to the principles of Materials Science.

Interests & Hobbies:

Gardening

Genealogy and History

Choral Singing

Caning and Rushing Chairs

APRIL 2024 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER

res

RES NEWS - Member Benefit

Did you know….

If YOU are an RES member, you can search the member database on the website! In this way you can connect to other engineers in the area!

How do you do this?

Login to the website at www.roceng.org. Go to the ‘Membership’ menu, then ‘Membership Directory’.

Click on ‘Advanced Search’

There are many search fields. Example below on a search for Binghamton alumni:

If you would like members to connect with you, you ’ll need to make sure your profile is up-to-date. When you're logged in, click on your name in the upper right and ‘View profile’. There you can edit your profile and your privacy settings.

If you have questions on how to access your profile, please email us!

The ROCHESTER ENGINEER APRIL

res news - Member Benefit

Did you know… YOU can donate stocks, mutual funds or other investments DIRECTLY to RES?

WHY?

As a 501(c)(3) charitable organizaon, gis to RES are considered charitable donaons and you can use this strategy to increase the value of your donaon while removing appreciated investments from your porolio.

By donating an investment directly, you can remove the full value of the investment from your portfolio without realizing any taxable gains.

An example:

Suppose you want to donate $5,000 to RES. If you sell investments of that value, you might generate $500 in taxable gains. Tax on those gains would be due when you file your taxes the following year. However, if you donate securities, you can gift the full $5,000 without generating any taxable gains.

This strategy is a great way to achieve you charitable giing goals while making the most of your resources and having minimal impact on your “everyday” spending and cash flow.

HOW?

Contact your broker or financial advisor and for the necessary and informaon. Please visit the website today for details!

www.roceng.org.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2023-24 SCHOLARSHIP

Rochester Engineering Society Awards

Thank you to the Scholarship committee for your volunteering to interview and select the scholarship recipients for 2023-24. The Scholarship Committee consists of: Michelle Sommerman PE (Chair), Wendy Smith, Diane Trentini, Donald Nims Jr., PE; Mike Walker, and Mark Schrader, PE.

Joseph W. Campbell

Memorial Scholarship

Rochester Engineering Society

Nate Heinzelman

Cornell Unversity

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Susan L. Costa

Memorial Scholarship

Rochester Engineering Society

Gustavo Rivera Soto

University of Rochester

Mechanical Engineering

Keith Amish Memorial Scholarship

Rochester Engineering Society

Keeler Thomas

Bucknell University

Biomedical Engineering/ Computer Science

The CHA and IEEE Awards are screened through the RES selection committee. CHA also interviews their selection.

David Fergusson

Memorial Scholarship

Rochester Engineering Society

Kennedy Knopf

University of Michigan

Biomedical Engineering

Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers Scholarship

Ping Sun

University of Rochester

Optical and Mechanical Engineering

Adam W. Lawas Memorial Scholarship (CHA)

Lauren Stoll

Rochester Institute of Technology

Mechanical Engineering

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2023-24 SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS

Monroe Professional Engineers Society Awards

The scholarship selection committee consists of Victor Genberg PE, Mark Butcher PE, Robert Marshall PE, Joe Dombrowski PE, Andrew Straub PE, Mary Steblein PE, and Bruce Wallmann, PE (Chair)

Vastola Scholarship

Monroe Professional Engineers Society

Connor Domoy

Oakfield Alabama High School

Major: Aerospace/Mechanical Engineering

Colliers Engineering & Design Scholarship

Monroe Professional Engineers Society

James Spezzano

Livonia High School

Major: Computer/Electrical Engineering

Erdman Anthony Scholarship

Monroe Professional Engineers Society

Mackenzie Sutton

Churchville-Chili High School

Major: Mechanical Engineering Technology

Alstom Foundation Scholarship

Monroe Professional Engineers Society

Garion Tolbert

Bloomfield High School

Major: Aerospace Engineering

RE:Build Optimation Technology Scholarship

Monroe Professional Engineers Society

Wesley Smith

Churchville-Chili High School

Major: Chemical Engineering

American Council of Engineering Companies Scholarship

Monroe Professional Engineers Society

John Swiderski

The Aquinas Institute

Major: Mechanical Engineering

LaBella Foundation Scholarship

Monroe Professional Engineers Society

Levi Woolston

Livonia High School

Major: Civil Engineering

Edward J. Ries Memorial Scholarships (3)

Monroe Professional Engineers Society

Matthew Doeringer

Batavia High School

Major: Electrical Engineering

Blake Mott

Hilton High School

Major: Electrical Engineering

Kyle Warr

The Aquinas Institute

Major: Electrical Engineering

Congratulations to all the Scholarship Recipients!

Education:

Colorado State University, 1976, BS Engineering Science

University of Illinois, 1978, MS Electrical Engineering

Colorado State University, 1982, PhD Electrical Engineering

State of New York, 2010, Professional Engineer

How have you used your engineering skills for community and professional leadership?

Engineering involves defining required performance, identifying gaps by measuring current performance, and implementing improvements. My leadership of community and professional organizations requires additional skills; inspiring a shared vision and enabling my colleagues to act to help achieve our shared goals.

What do you consider your greatest engineering achievement?

Fault-tolerant static control system design is a data-driven process beginning with a static survey, a series of static charge measurements following the material flow through the process. A fault-tolerant design maintains satisfactory performance even when a system element fails.

Describe a key event or individual that had a profound effect on your career.

Professor Thomas B. Jones, now retired from the University of Rochester, then at Colorado State University, encouraged my interest in static electricity as an undergraduate, supervised my doctoral research, and continues to be my friend and colleague.

What advice would you give to our scholarship recipients?

Work hard in every class both technical and non-technical. For example, I found value in my studies of English literature and poetry because effectively communicating an engineering design is as important as the design itself.

Articulate your vision for engineering in Rochester.

The level of engineering practice in Rochester is high with a strong technical community. While I fully respect propriety information, there is also high value in strengthening our technical community, sharing engineering principles, celebrating achievements, and supporting each other.

Announcing the Award Recipients

Join us Saturday, May 4, 2023 for the Award Presentation

Come congratulate the 2023 Kate Gleason Young Engineer of the Year

2023 Kate Gleason

Young Engineer of the Year

Jessica Shang, PhD

Associate Professor, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, University of Rochester Scientist, Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester

Education:

Harvard University, 2008, BA Engineering Sciences

University of Cambridge, 2011, MPhil, Engineering

Princeton University, 2015, PhD Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

How have you used your engineering skills for community and professional leadership?

As an engineering educator and researcher, it’s my job to show students the ways in which engineering can advance knowledge and impact society, and guide them so they will be ready to meet tomorrow’s challenges.

What do you consider your greatest engineering achievement?

My greatest achievements are the students that I supervise and mentor. It gives me pride to see them grow in confidence, maturity and skill, and chart their own career paths.

Describe a key event or individual that had a profound effect on your career Engineering “clicked” for me during junior year, when I began research in a lab that fused my fascination with fluid mechanics and the natural world with robotics. Interdisciplinary research continues to be my research paradigm today.

What advice would you give to our scholarship recipients?

Savor what makes the undergraduate experience special, beyond your studies. Laughter in the dining hall, that class outside your major, invited lectures, roaming the city with friends -- these will be among the memories you treasure the most.

Articulate your vision for engineering in Rochester.

What constitutes “engineering” is ever-evolving and expanding. While Rochester has a long engineering legacy, I hope Rochester’s engineers will continually adapt and innovate to secure a bright future for the region.

Laura C. Alexander, PE

Education:

SUNY University at Buffalo, 2015, BS Civil Engineering

IUSS Pavia - Pavia, Italy and University of Patras - Patras, Greece (2015-2017), MS Earthquake Engineering and Engineering Seismology

How have you used your engineering skills for community and professional leadership?

I have brought my engineering skills to the community and profession by leading informational tours through previous projects I’ve worked on, and through many career day presentations, I hope to inspire the future generation of engineers.

What do you consider your greatest engineering achievement?

My greatest engineering achievement has been passing the 16-hour Structural Engineering examination in 2021. With a notoriously low pass rate, I am very proud of the effort I put into advancing my skills and career through passing this exam.

Describe a key event or individual that had a profound effect on your career.

Accepting a job offer to work with Patrick Williams at Passero Associates in 2020. The combination of mentorship and environment that Patrick and Passero have provided me in the last 4 years has been invaluable in my career development.

What advice would you give to our scholarship recipients?

Never stop learning and trying to challenge yourself! You will encounter something new every day in your engineering career, and if you approach it like a learning opportunity you’ll never stop growing.

Articulate your vision for engineering in Rochester.

My vision for engineering in Rochester is all about innovation - I’d love to see Rochester with a Mass Timber building in the near future. I think this city has the right people and environment to make this a reality!

Education:

Rensselaer

Florida Institute of Technology, 2009, MS Systems Engineering

How have you used your engineering skills for community and professional leadership?

Parent Council member for Fairport Cub Scout Pack 273, volunteering for various activities such as the Pinewood derby. Volunteer for the IEEE Military Communication (MILCOM) Technical Program Committee (TPC) member and Session Chair since 2007.

What do you consider your greatest engineering achievement?

Creating the L3Harris Systems Engineering Process that is used today in Rochester NY. Having created and maintained L3Harris Systems Engineering, Integration, and Test training since 2019 and having trained over 200 engineers/scientists since starting this initiative.

Describe a key event or individual that had a profound effect on your career.

Most recently my 6yo daughter. She has such a unique and creative way of viewing the world. Engineers and scientists need to be reminded to think beyond preconceived notions and self-imposed boundaries by never losing that childlike imagination and creativity.

What advice would you give to our scholarship recipients?

Always strive to grow beyond your current limits by taking on newer, progressively harder challenges. Challenge yourself to do bigger and better things on a regular basis to go beyond the confines of what you can already achieve.

Articulate your vision for engineering in Rochester.

For the current and future engineers and scientists of Rochester to never stop creating and innovating. It is through their diverse ideas and innovations that Rochester stays a global center for science, technology, and research and development.

Education:

SUNY Fredonia,

University at Buffalo, 2010,

How have you used your engineering skills for community and professional leadership?

My engineering skill set directly supports our community of brave service members that utilize our tactical radio products. Our products are leading the way in advancing technology that protects and supports our warfighters every day.

What do you consider your greatest engineering achievement?

My greatest engineering achievement was leading the mechanical engineering design of the RF-7850D, a multichannel modular vehicular radio. “No comparable radio available today can match the significant size reduction and multi-domain performance of this Multi-channel Modular System.”

Describe a key event or individual that had a profound effect on your career.

Early in my career working on the Solid Oxide Fuel Cell program at Delphi I had a colleague and informal mentor, Dr. Bernhard Fischer, who set a great example for engineering excellence in new product development.

What advice would you give to our scholarship recipients?

My advice to scholarship recipients would be to surround yourself with people that support you and help to advance your goals.

Articulate your vision for engineering in Rochester.

My vision for engineering in Rochester is the continued growth as a technology hub of New York State where world class innovation originates.

Announcing the Award Recipients

Join us Saturday, May 4, 2023 for the Award Presentation Come congratulate Seven 2023 Engineers of Distinction

2023

Engineer of Distinction

Pier Giuseppe Albano

Deputy Project Director

Alstom

Transport Inc.

Education:

University of Bologna, Italy, 1998, MS Electrical Engineering

Recipient of 6-month Research Grant from Tokyo Institute of Technology, March 1997, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan

Recipient of 2-year Research Grant in Electrical Engineering, June 1999, University of Bologna, Italy

How have you used your engineering skills for community and professional leadership?

I provided technical support for the Rochester based ensemble fivebyfive at their most recent performances at the Rochester Museum and Science Center Planetarium.

What do you consider your greatest engineering achievement?

Having led the engineering team implementing Positive Train Control on the Metro North Railroad M8 train fleet.

Describe a key event or individual that had a profound effect on your career.

The time I spent in Japan had a long-lasting impact on me in terms of what I value in my work environment, and subsequently I sought out positions that allowed me to work with people from around the world.

What advice would you give to our scholarship recipients?

Take advantage of as many opportunities as you can and seek out mentors you can learn from.

Articulate your vision for engineering in Rochester.

Encourage partnerships that can result in multidisciplinary opportunities, taking advantage of the next generation of engineers graduating from the various prestigious local colleges we have in our community.

Education:

Michigan Technological University, 1982, BS Electrical Engineering

University of Rochester, 1993, MS Electrical Engineering

How have you used your engineering skills for community and professional leadership?

Mentoring other engineers is a key element of my commitment to professional leadership. In the community, I implemented and maintain a website for a local watershed advocacy group.

What do you consider your greatest engineering achievement?

I have done my best on every engineering effort I have undertaken and provided good value for my employers; I consider this my greatest achievement. Also, the safety assurance stuff I have worked on is pretty cool.

Describe a key event or individual that had a profound effect on your career.

Once I was disappointed to be turned down for a job I sought; the job I got instead turned out to be much better. From this I learned not to dwell on lost opportunities, but to focus on the job at hand.

What advice would you give to our scholarship recipients?

Throughout life, embrace every opportunity for learning new things and for teaching others what you know.

Articulate your vision for engineering in Rochester.

Rochester will continue to be an ideal place for a practicing engineer: opportunities are rich in variety and challenges and powerful collaborations are enabled by the presence of the University of Rochester and Rochester Institute of Technology in our community.

Announcing the Award Recipients

Join us Saturday, May 4, 2023 for the Award Presentation

Come congratulate Seven 2023 Engineers of Distinction 2023 Engineer of

Henrique de Melo Cunha

CBTC Engineering Manager Alstom Signaling

Education:

Centro Universitario da Faculdade de Engenharia Industrial (FEI), 2006, Electrical Engineering Degree

Escola Técnica Estadual Lauro Gomes (ETEC), 1998 Technical course in Electronics

How have you used your engineering skills for community and professional leadership?

I am focused on successfully delivering projects with quality to key customers, aligning the customers vision and the community needs with the business objectives by shared values, with focus on operating rigor, collaborative leadership, stakeholders, and technical relationships.

What do you consider your greatest engineering achievement?

My greatest achievement was to successfully deliver a project to update Toronto Subway Line 1. The line was extended and updated to the state-of-the-art Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) system.

Describe a key event or individual that had a profound effect on your career.

I accepted a new challenge in 2011, I moved to United States and changed to a different business. At Alstom I had the opportunity to work on multimillion signaling projects which helped me to consolidate my technical skills and leadership.

What advice would you give to our scholarship recipients?

Take advantage of the opportunity, focus, work hard, it will provide not only knowledge, tools and techniques but it is also good networking. Besides a good technical background, behavioral skills are also very important for a successful career.

Articulate your vision for engineering in Rochester.

Rochester provides opportunities for all different engineering fields and also have good schools and universities in the area.

(Joseph C. Lu Engineering, PC)

Education:

Syracuse Engineering, 1982, BS Civil Engineering

Syracuse Engineering, 1985, MS Civil Engineering

How have you used your engineering skills for community and professional leadership?

I have leveraged my position as CEO to support programs like ReJOBS in Rochester and BEAM (Buffalo Engineering Awareness for Minorites). Also, my firm donated the time and resources to design drainage and flood mitigation in my hometown of Achina, Nigeria.

What do you consider your greatest engineering achievement?

My greatest accomplishment was completing the design of four bridges on the NYS Thruway system, the I-190 in Western New York. One was a complex bridge design and the three others were routine bridge designs.

Describe a key event or individual that had a profound effect on your career

In 1987, the Schoharie Creek bridge failed due to scour at the foundation, killing 10 people. I was working as an Assistant Team Leader for bridge inspection, the event fueled my desire to excel in bridge inspection with the aim of preventing such a catastrophe again and keeping the traveling public safe.

What advice would you give to our scholarship recipients?

Spread your wings in college and try your hand in all different disciplines of engineering to find the area you like most. Remember to be flexible when opportunities present themselves, as engineering needs change from year to year.

Articulate your vision for engineering in Rochester.

Rochester and Monroe County become the preeminent example Private/Public Participation (PPP) or a hybrid format for projects. This would leverage a better sharing of workforce and resources, and lead to more efficient and effective project deliveries.

Announcing the Award Recipients

Join us Saturday, May 4, 2023 for the Award Presentation Come congratulate Seven 2023 Engineers of Distinction

2023

Engineer of Distinction

Robert Hochman, PE

World Class Engineer Senior Expert, Product Development Alstom Signaling

Education:

Rochester Institute of Technology, 1981, BS Electrical Engineering

Rochester Institute of Technology, 1985, MS Electrical Engineering

How have you used your engineering skills for community and professional leadership?

Teaching simple engineering concepts to young children can be a challenge. I have spent a number of years developing and refining a science-based program for elementary school students and this program is still in use after 25 years.

What do you consider your greatest engineering achievement?

I was fortunate enough to be involved with a product development from birth till death, involved in every step in between; engineering, manufacturing, marketing, sales, training, field installation. This exposed me to every aspect of the product life cycle.

Describe a key event or individual that had a profound effect on your career

For many years I worked for an engineering manager that I considered to be one of the best engineers I have known. He taught me how to solve problems and to this day I continue to use his lessons.

What advice would you give to our scholarship recipients?

Experience is a priceless commodity. No one has yet figured out how to get 10 years experience in less than 10 years. Listen to your colleagues and learn from their experiences.

Articulate your vision for engineering in Rochester.

I believe Rochester can be a center of innovation, fostering engineering solutions across multiple industries. Leveraging its history of industrial expertise and availability of local academic resources, Rochester can be a pioneer in existing as well as emerging technologies.

James J. Hood

Senior Scientist, Systems Engineering

L3Harris Technologies Communication Segment, Tactical Communications Division

Education:

Clarkson University, 1990, BS Electrical Engineering

Rochester Institute of Technology, 1998, MS Electrical Engineering

How have you used your engineering skills for community and professional leadership?

As President of Victor Farmington Ambulance I’ve used many Systems Engineering skills to implement best business practices and drive agency growth: project management, communications & presentations, promoting a culture of continuous improvement, metric-driven results, financial, influencing others and team motivation.

What do you consider your greatest engineering achievement?

My greatest engineering achievement is to have become a mentor to aspiring junior engineers. The pinnacle of engineering is to have mastered a subject sufficiently to teach it to others. It’s an honor to be entrusted with that significant responsibility.

Describe a key event or individual that had a profound effect on your career

My father, Joe Hood, was an Electrical Engineer at Kodak and an enthusiastic Amateur Radio hobbyist. I was fortunate to grow up in a home with my father’s engineering influence. Formal education, self-learning, experimenting, and building were encouraged and valued.

What advice would you give to our scholarship recipients?

Engineering success is a team sport. Seek good mentors, peers, and leaders. Maintain your curiosity and joy of continuous learning. Every subject is important. Become a subject matter expert in at least one area. Humble competence is a powerful tool.

Articulate your vision for engineering in Rochester.

My vision for Rochester’s engineering future is a community of creation! Envision our town leveraging premierengineering education, primary through post-graduate, fueling an engineering-driven manufacturing economy. From flour to film to the future: Rochester thrives when her engineers create!

Announcing the Award Recipients

Join us Saturday, May 4, 2023 for the Award Presentation Come congratulate Seven 2023 Engineers of Distinction

2023

Engineer of Distinction

Katie McConky, PhD

Department Head, Industrial and Systems Engineering Department

Rochester Institute of Technology

Education:

Rochester Institute of Technology, 2005, BS Industrial Engineering

Rochester Institute of Technology, 2007, MS Industrial Engineering University of Buffalo, 2013, PhD Industrial Engineering

How have you used your engineering skills for community and professional leadership?

I’m working to create a department of compassionate and service oriented industrial engineers, by focusing educational experiences and volunteer opportunities on the local community. This year we have done projects with the Pittsford Food Cupboard, ArcWorks, and are starting several teams to join the RES Tutoring team at the Dr. Walter Cooper Academy.

What do you consider your greatest engineering achievement?

Teaching! But also, securing just under a $1 million grant from NYSERDA to implement the energy efficiency and peak load management tools developed by my PhD students on the RIT campus. The project is open source and will be available to other universities as well.

Describe a key event or individual that had a profound effect on your career.

Can I choose 2? Without Dr. Michael Kuhl suggesting that I should pursue my PhD I never would have even considered it. Without Dr. Moises Sudit as my advisor and trusted colleague I never would have finished my PhD and succeeded in academia.

What advice would you give to our scholarship recipients?

If you don’t have a career plan in mind, that’s okay. Don’t be afraid to take opportunities that come your way, try out new paths you may not have even considered before. You never know what you will like or where you can have a huge impact.

Articulate your vision for engineering in Rochester.

I would love to see Rochester as THE destination for engineering education and engineering entrepreneurship. Both go hand in hand.

Harmful ‘forever chemicals’ removed from water with new electrocatalysis method

Luke Auburn, Sr. Communication Officer

POLLUTION MEETS SOLUTION: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are often referred to as “forever chemicals” because they break down very slowly. Rochester scientists have developed nanocatalysts that can more affordably remediate a specific type of PFAS called Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). (University of Rochester photo / J. Adam Fenster)

A novel approach using laser-made nanomaterials created from nonprecious metals could lay the foundation for globally scalable remediation techniques.

Scientists from the University of Rochester have developed new electrochemical approaches to clean up pollution from “forever chemicals” found in clothing, food packaging, firefighting foams, and a wide array of other products. A new Journal of Catalysis study describes nanocatalysts developed to remediate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS.

The researchers, led by assistant professor of chemical engineering Astrid Müller, focused on a specific type of PFAS called Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), which was once widely used for stain-resistant products but is now banned in much of the world for its harm to human and animal health. PFOS is still widespread and persistent in the environment despite being phased out by US manufacturers in the early 2000s, continuing to show up in water supplies.

Müller and her team of materials science PhD students created the nanocatalysts using her unique combination of expertise in ultrafast lasers, materials science, chemistry, and chemical engineering.

“Using pulsed laser in liquid synthesis, we can control the surface chemistry of these catalysts in ways you cannot do in traditional wet chemistry methods,” says Müller. “You can control the size of the resulting nanoparticles through the light-matter interaction, basically blasting them apart.”

The scientists then adhere the nanoparticles to carbon paper that is hydrophilic, or attracted to water molecules. That provides a cheap substrate with a high surface area. Using lithium hydroxide at high concentrations, they completely defluorinated the PFOS chemicals.

Müller says that for the process to work at a large scale, they will need to treat at least a cubic meter at a time. Crucially, their novel approach uses all nonprecious metals, unlike existing methods that require boron-doped diamond. By their calculations, treating a cubic meter of polluted water using boron-doped diamond would cost $8.5 million; the new method is nearly 100 times cheaper.

Harnessing PFAS chemicals in sustainable ways

In future studies, Müller hopes to understand why lithium hydroxide works so well and whether even less expensive, more abundant materials can be substituted to bring the

TEST THE WATER: Materials science PhD student Ziyi “Bruce” Meng tests samples of water to see how effective a new electrocatalysis technique developed at Rochester is at remediating perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) pollution. PFOS was once widely used for stain-resistant products but is now banned in much of the world. (University of Rochester photo / J. Adam Fenster)

DEFLUORINATION IN PROGRESS: By performing electrocatalysis using laser-made nanocatalysts adhered to a hydrophilic carbon paper, Rochester researchers have created cheaper and more effective ways to remediate perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) pollution. (University of Rochester photo / J. Adam Fenster)

MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE: The scientists adhered laser-made nanocatalysts to carbon paper that they made hydrophilic (waterattracting) using a rapid, green-chemistry process that Astrid Müller invented in earlier work. (University of Rochester photo / J. Adam Fenster)

cost down further. She also wants to apply the method to an array of PFAS chemicals that are still prevalently used but have been linked to health issues ranging from development in babies to kidney cancer.

Müller says that despite their issues, outright banning all PFAS chemicals and substances is not practical because of their usefulness in not only consumer products, but in green technologies as well.

“I would argue that in the end, a lot of decarbonization efforts—from geothermal heat pumps to efficient refrigeration to solar cells— depend on the availability of PFAS,” says Müller. “I believe it’s possible to use PFAS in a circular, sustainable way if we can leverage electrocatalytic solutions to break fluorocarbon bonds and get the fluoride back out safely without putting it into the environment.”

Although commercialization is a long way off, Müller filed a patent with support from URVentures, and foresees it being used at wastewater treatment facilities and by companies to clean up contaminated sites where they used to produce these PFAS chemicals. She also calls it a social justice issue.

“Often in areas with lower income across the globe, there’s more pollution,” says Müller. “An advantage of an electrocatalytic approach is that you can use it in a distributed fashion with a small footprint using electricity from solar panels.” q

Coursework: Advanced Lens Design teaches optics through teamwork

Luke Auburn, Sr. Communication Officer

A popular optical engineering course equips students with technical and professional skills while putting them on the radar of industry-connected alumni.

On the Syllabus

OPT 544: Advanced Lens Design

Instructor: Julie Bentley, Professor of Optics

In addition to working together on a group design project, students learn about the design of camera lenses, infrared objectives, eyepieces, microscope objectives, zoom lenses, and reflective systems. Other topics include tolerancing, sensitivity analysis, and Monte Carlo analysis. Bentley also teaches an introductory companion class— OPT 444: Lens Design—each spring.

University of Rochester professor Julie Bentley gave the nearly 40 undergraduate and graduate optics students enrolled in OPT 544: Advanced Lens Design two daunting tasks. First, design the best zoom lens for NASA’s Europa Clipper mission to explore Jupiter’s moon. Then, design the ideal zoom lens to record the mission as it blasts off into space.

Bentley’s students worked on the project collaboratively and competitively throughout the fall semester. They broke into teams to explore the myriad factors that would influence the final lens designs, including the different fields of view, sensors, packaging constraints, and photon budget. Some students helped build tools in programming

SHOOT FOR THE MOON: Professor Julie Bentley gave her Advanced Lens Design students a daunting challenge: to design ideal zoom lenses for the Europa Clipper spacecraft mission to Jupiter’s Europa moon.(NASA / JPL-Caltech)

languages like Python and MATLAB that were first developed in the class more than 10 years ago and each cohort improves upon. Others conducted market research to see what available products could feasibly meet the project requirements.

The result was that the students learned as much about project management, teamwork, and communication as they did about optics. Joanna Rosenbluth ’24, who served as the class’s lead project manager, found that she loves leading in that role and studied Bentley’s style closely.

“She’s very particular in a good way about wanting everything to be correct, and that really went into my project management style,” says Rosenbluth. “It’s pretty clear when things are wrong and running behind time, so I had checks along the process to make sure no one was getting off track. I learned from her teaching style that if you get a little off track, you can be totally in the weeds, so by keeping everyone moving, we were all able to find a successful design.”

Bentley started teaching the course annually nearly 20 years ago with fewer than 10 students enrolled. Thomas Brown, director of the Institute of Optics, says the course has grown to become one of the institute’s most popular, with Bentley teaching her largest cohort ever in the fall. He notes that everyone from third-year undergraduates to PhD students line up to take the class and that it poses a challenge for all.

“It’s one of the few courses where they really can compete on equal footing,” says Brown. “The undergraduates and graduates take all of the lectures together and put their best foot forward on the project.”

Examples of past projects include exploring lens designs

for non-destructive art analysis (2013), underwater zoom cameras for observing coral bleaching (2021), and zoom cameras for canopy animal photography in Africa (2022).

Representatives from NASA, Garmin, Optikos, Excelitas, and other companies and organizations tuned in for the students’ final presentations.

This year’s project culminated in a marathon fourhour presentation where the small groups outlined the constraints of the project, and each student showcased their final lens design.

And although the class is demanding, Bentley keeps the mood balanced with her trademark sense of humor, peppering constructive feedback with lighthearted jokes. During a pizza break midway through final presentations, she had optics senior Samuel Erdogan ’24 sing one of his parody songs based on Bentley’s classes—which range from “Lens Design” set to the tune of “Silver Bells,” to “I’m Sorry Ms. Bentley,” a twist on Outkast’s “Ms. Jackson.”

The work-hard, play-hard mentality seems infectious, and the students know that if they can excel at the challenging class, they might catch the eye of prospective employers.

FACE THE MUSIC: Students in OPT 544: Advanced Lens Design work hard, learning about camera lenses, infrared objectives, eyepieces, microscope objectives, zoom lenses, and reflective systems. Yet they also manage to balance that rigor with levity. In December, optics senior Samuel Erdogan ’24 serenaded his classmates and professor with “Lens Design,” a parody set to the tune of “Silver Bells.” (University of Rochester photo / J. Adam Fenster)

“We had about 50 people from 30 different companies in the Institute of Optics’ Industrial Associates program who listened to the final presentation,” says Bentley. “The audience includes former optics students who’ve gone on to work as lens designers at great places. People I know through industry are very interested in these students and get to watch how they perform. We had a bunch of people from NASA as well as Garmin, Optikos, Excelitas, and others. Our students are excited because they want to go get jobs at these companies.” q

LENS CRAFTERS: PhD student Yi-Ting (Sherry) Feng leads her group’s final presentation. While the course is graduate-level, it also includes advanced undergraduates. Bentley’s class is “one of the few courses where they really can compete on equal footing,” says Institute of Optics director Thomas Brown. (University of Rochester photo / J. Adam Fenster)

Researcher awarded Naval Research Grant to develop sensor array

Mechanical engineering professor and collaborators build new system based on multidirectional and highly sensitive properties of seal whiskers

Researchers at Rochester Institute of Technology are creating a novel sensor system based on the superior design and detection range found on harbor seal whiskers.

Xudong Zheng, an associate professor in RIT’s Kate Gleason College of Engineering, received a three-year, $746,000 award from the Naval Research Laboratory to build an autonomous underwater detection and tracking system with biological-level sensitivity, accuracy, and intelligence.

With demands for new sensor capabilities, increased sensitivity and accuracy could significantly advance underwater scientific explorations, such as tracking anomalies and seismic events in areas currently inaccessible or in improvements to robotic functions and military stealth missions.

From left to right, engineering faculty researchers Dongfang Liu, Xudong Zheng, and Qian Xue display the seal whisker specimen they are modeling their advanced sensor array on for improving underwater detection and recognition. Credit: Travis Lacoss/RIT

“This is the next stage of development of stronger sensors,” said Zheng, whose team published findings in Frontiers in Robotics and AI. “Some early results of our computer simulations show that the sensor array combined with ‘smart’ algorithms could provide more smart perceptions and better reasoning regarding the signal pattern and how it corresponds to flow patterns.”

Water can be an unpredictable medium to recognize objects because of limited visibility and disturbances. Zheng’s work will further demonstrate how spatial, or three-dimensional aspects of an object, can be consistently recognized. Also key to the research will be how artificial intelligence is broadly introduced into an overall system to better predict movement and identification in marine settings.

“We are trying to mimic seals’ highly sensitive sensors using the bio-inspired shape of their whisker array because it can detect a disturbance at 254 microns per second,” he said.

Seals’ whiskers have varied lengths and orientations, making their detection abilities highly accurate. They innately recognize spatial indicators as well as distance, speed, directional movement, and location. RIT’s research team is combining these technologies into one comprehensive system. Current whisker-inspired, passive sensors, although very sophisticated, often provide single measurements.

“Single sensors are unable to detect spatial information,” he added.

Spatial recognition, the ability to visualize objects from multiple perspectives and to understand objects’ relations to each other, and interpretable learning, a feature of artificial intelligence

integration, are two key system additions that can increase sensor accuracy.

“We are designing very sensitive sensors that can be tightly packed into smaller spaces and that can extract spatial information to recognize the surrounding environment with an algorithm to accurately predict the shape of an object. Based on this information, we can understand why this signal corresponds to certain types of bodies, or objects,” said Zheng.

The work began several years prior to Zheng coming to RIT. He is an expert in flow physics and biomechanics, leading the Flow Physics and Modeling Lab in the Department of Mechanical Engineering in the Kate Gleason College. Research has continued as he and his research partner and spouse, Qian Xue, began teaching at RIT in 2022. Xue, also an associate professor of mechanical engineering, is an expert in flowstructure interaction. She received a CAREER award in 2022 to explore how vibrations are captured and interpreted.

Joining them as a collaborator is Dongfang Liu, assistant professor of computer engineering, who brings expertise in AI and vision-language intelligence to the project. Associates from RIT’s 3D printing laboratories are also collaborating with the team to build test prototypes.

“We are leveraging several very strong fields at RIT—AI and 3D printing—to build this type of technology. We need these technologies to generate smaller, compact sensors and using AI we can add to the system to build even smarter sensors,” Zheng said. q

Researcher undergraduate student team qualifies for First Nations High Power Rocket Launch

Abby Reigner leads multidisciplinary team to represent RIT for the first time at a national aerospace challenge focused on Native American communities

For the first time, Rochester Institute of Technology will be represented at the First Nations High Power Rocket Launch design competition taking place this April in Wisconsin As one of only 24 U.S. collegiate teams qualifying for the event, six RIT undergraduate students are committed to building both a high-powered rocket for the challenge and a sense of community and pride.

Competitions such as the First Nations launch encourage Native American scholars to apply classroom learning to real-world scenarios. The competition requires teams to build a rocket equipped with a payload drone to reach an altitude of 2,500 feet and descend toward a specific landing zone.

Abigail Reigner (Comanche), the Rocket Launch project leader, said the team is very enthusiastic about the

RIT undergraduate students participating for the first time in the annual First Nations High Power Rocket Launch are, from left, Abigail Reigner, Ka’ualani Ceberano, Nathaniel Kilbridge, and Justin Tebbutt. They were joined by teammates Michael Elrod and Caitlyn Peck for a project meeting in Engineering Hall to build rocket components for their competition rocket. Credit: Traci Westcott/RIT

project, even when faced with a significant challenge like only one of the members having experience building a rocket.

“It’s technically challenging, but with the combined efforts of this group, we jumped in head first,” said Reigner, a fifth-year mechanical engineering BS/MS student in RIT’s Kate Gleason College of Engineering. “We look at this project as one where we can do this in parts. This is about assembling a system, made up of different parts that have to be integrated together.”

Focusing on integration is as much about rocket components as it is about the eclectic team of students from different RIT programs. Mike Elrod, a fifth-year mechanical engineering from Colchester, Conn., was a design lead on RIT’s Launch Initiative and brings competition and build experience to the group.

“He explained what needs to be done—and then some. His innovative ideas helped us shape the design of the rocket and drone,” said Reigner.

Others making up the team are:

• Caitlyn Peck (fifth-year, electrical engineering, Cobleskill, N.Y.), leads design of avionic systems for the rocket and drone, tracks group tasks, and oversees pertinent safety information;

• Justin Tebbutt (fifth-year, electrical engineering, Ridgefield, Conn.), is working to obtain his FAA drone pilot license. He is working on specifications for the drone’s electronic system to ensure transmission data between the drone and ground crew.

• Ka’ualani Ceberano (third-year, Native Hawaiian, motion picture science, Kapolei, Hawaii) is assistant project manager, and Nathaniel Kilbridge (third-year, psychology, Truro, MA) leads project PR and communications. Both are developing an outreach program based on the project they’ll present to students at the Harley School in Rochester to talk about college experiences and potential careers.

“Ka’ualani and Nathaniel are combining their experiences at RIT so far with their knowledge of indigenous communities to plan and implement a K-12 activity that is not only STEM-based but also incorporates the Future Steward Program attitude toward everyday indigeneity. They are working with FSP adviser, Kendall Scott,” said Reigner.

The Annual First Nations Launch is open to students attending a Tribal College or university, a Native American-serving non-tribal institution or who are active in the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES). Reigner was instrumental in writing the project proposal that won two funding grants—$4,000 from Launch event sponsor, Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium, and a $2,000 NASA New York State Space Grant. She heard of the competition through her connections to several campus and professional groups including RIT’s Future Stewards Program and AISES, two of the many organizations on and off campus she remains involved with as a student leader.

Opportunities for Native American/First Nations students is important to Reigner personally and as someone seeking a career in engineering. Reigner, from Boyertown, Pa., expects to graduate this May. When she began at RIT, she selected the university as one that had a strong Native American affinity program.

“This is a way to share cultures, to learn about New York’s Native people, the Haudenosaunee, and to connect to this great culture,” she said. “Programs like the rocket competition become so much more that putting together different technologies. It’s a way to be role models for other Native American students who are considering college. This is a way for them to see that RIT can deliver on its commitment to students from our communities and maybe attract more students.” q

• Civil Engineering

• Architecture

• Construction Phase Services

• GIS/Mapping Services

• Grant Writing & Administration

Continuing Education Opportunities

Friday, April 12

Association for Bridge Construction and Design (ABCD)

Spring Seminar – Earn up to 6 PDHs. NOTE: Virtual participation for the seminar will no longer be an option.

Place: Batavia Downs Gaming Center, Batavia, NY

Time: 7:15 am Check-In; 8:00 am Program Begins

Cost: Members - $125; Non-Members - $150; Full Time Students - $35. This includes breaks, lunch and PDH certificates.

Registration: Registration began March 1st. Go to the ABCD website, www.abcdwny.com. For additional information contact Jonathan Herman PE, 716-989-3318 (jherman@gpinet.com) or Tomas Andino PE, 585-428-6535 (tomas.andino@cityofrochester.gov).

The RES website 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

To

Monday, April 15

American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) p 50

Annual Refrigeration Tour – KM Davies Company Cold Storage - 1 PDH approval pending

Place: KM Davies, Williamson, NY

Time: 5:30 pm (Dinner and presentation included)

Registration is on the website. LIMIT OF 40 attendees so be sure to register fast! Details on the ASHRAE website: www.rochesterashrae.org

Thursday, April 18

Rochester Engineering Society (RES) p 7

Continuing Education - RES Virtual Courses - 2 PDHs

Theme: Rail Signaling

Place: Zoom

Time: 1:00 to 5:00 pm

Cost: $20 for RES Members, $30 for Non-members

Registration: Registration will be available on the RES website calendar. Registration closes at midnight, Wed. April 17th There will not be a May CE Course. There are three CE courses in June (check the RES website calendar for details when available).

the Rochester Engineering Society, 585-254-2350, or email: therochesterengineer@gmail.com

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: Therochesterengineer@gmail.com The meetings offering PDHs are highlighted in blue. Details about the meeting and affiliate (if in this issue) are on the corresponding page listed next to the affiliate name.

Tuesday, April 2

Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) p 48

EXCOM Meeting

Place: Hybrid, via WebEx and in-person (see vtools for venue and WebEx login) Time: Noon to 1:30 pm

Registration for this meeting is at: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/406208

Wednesday, April 3

American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)

Night Out at the Rochester Americans party deck as we celebrate 100+ years of engineering excellence!

Time: 7:00 pm

Cost: CET Students - $15; Life Members - $20; Members - $30; Non-Members - $40; Younger Members (under 35) - $25.

Registration at the Rochester website: https://sections.asce.org/rochester

Thursday, April 4

Rochester Engineering Society (RES) p 7

Monthly Social Gathering

Place: Rohrbach’s, 97 Railroad Street, Rochester, NY 14609

Time: 5:00 pm

Registration: Please register so we know how many people are attending! www.roceng.org and go to the calendar

Monday, April 15

American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) p 50

Annual Refrigeration Tour – KM Davies Company Cold Storage - 1 PDH approval pending

Place: KM Davies, Williamson, NY Time: 5:30 pm (Dinner and presentation included)

Registration is on the website. LIMIT OF 40 attendees so be sure to register fast!

Details on the ASHRAE website: www.rochesterashrae.org

ENGINEERS' CALENDAR, Continued

Wednesday, April 17

American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE) p 54

Sprinklers 101 – the evolution of sprinklers.

Speaker: Pjil Gunning - Victaulic, Sponsor: Victaulic

Place: Three Heads Brewery, 186 Atlantic Avenue, Rochester, NY 14607

Time: 12:00 Noon

Reservations: Luke Lawatsch: llawatsch@labellapc.com, 585-454-6110. Additional details will be available on the website at www.aspe.org/rochester

Wednesday, April 17

Society for Imaging Science & Technology (IS&T) p 44

Part II: Digital Camera Myths, Misstatements, and Misunderstandings by Wayne Prentice

Place: Hybrid meeting. Both in-person and on-line. In-person location is the Irondequoit Public Library, 2nd Floor, Room 213, 1290 Titus Avenue, Irondequoit, NY 14617. Online (zoom): https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85456407145

Meeting ID: 854 5640 7145

Time: 6:00 pm. Additional details at http://roceng.org/ISandT

Thursday, April 18

International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) p 52

Mini Presentation: SE in Early-Stage R&D Working Group by Mike DiMario, Co-chair

Presentation: Cornell University MBSE Project Update by Ryan Hughes, Cornell University Pose Graduate Student

Place: By Zoom only this month. The session will be recorded for INCOSE members to view later.

Time: 6:00 to 7:30 pm (eastern).

Cost: No cost to attend, but you need to register.

Registration: Attendees need to pre-register by sending an email to Susan.Urban@incose.net

Thursday, May 2

Rochester Engineering Society (RES) p 7

Monthly Social Gathering

Place: Rohrbach’s, 97 Railroad Street, Rochester, NY 14609

Time: 5:00 pm

Registration: Please register so we know how many people are attending! www.roceng.org and go to the calendar

Friday, May 3

Electrical Association (EA)

Casino Night to benefit the Kessler Burn Center at URMC

Place: New location – Locust Hill Country Club, 2000 West Jefferson Rd, Rochester

Time: 6:00 to 10:00 pm

Cost: $70/ticket.

Details on the website: https://www.eawny.com

engineers' calendar

Saturday, May 4

Rochester Engineering Society (RES) p 6 RES Awards Program – EOY, YEOY, EODs, YEOY Finalists & Scholarship Recipients

Place: University of Rochester

Time: 10:30 am

Cost: $35/pp. Sponsorships available (award recipients + one guest are free).

Registration: Registration will be available on the RES website calendar soon.

Tuesday, May 7

Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) p 48 EXCOM Meeting

Place: Hybrid, via WebEx and in-person (see vtools for venue and WebEx login)

Time: Noon to 1:30 pm

Registration for this meeting is at: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/411008

Monday, May 20 - Wednesday, May 22

Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) p 48

2024 IEEE Systems and Technologies for Remote Sensing Applications Through Unmanned Aerial Systems (STRAUS) Conference

Place: SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY

Registration is at https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/403032

Wednesday, May 29

Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) p 46

UL924 & UL1008: What You Need To Know – ISO-10102023 – One Hour Live Training

Presented by: Isolite

Place: Dinosaur BBQ (upstairs meeting space), 99 Court Street, Rochester 14604

Time: 12:00 noon to 1:00 pm

Cost: $35 for IES members; $40 for non-members. Includes lunch.

Registration and details on the website at http://www.iesrochester.org/events

Rochester Chapter Society for Imaging Science and Technology

Website: http://roceng.org/ISandT

IS&T Rochester Chapter Speaker Series

Location: Hybrid meeting. Both in person and on-line

In-person: Irondequoit Public Library - 2nd Floor Room #213

1290 Titus Avenue

On-line (Zoom): https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85456407145

Meeting ID: 854 5640 7145

Wednesday, April 17, 2024 at 6:00pm

Part II: Digital Camera Myths, Misstatements, and Misunderstandings

by Wayne Prentice

Abstract:

The digital camera system is deceptively complex. Understanding camera operation/design requires some knowledge of the parts: photometry, radiometry, optics, sensor physics, sensor design, signal processing, image processing, color science, statistics, human perception, and image/video encoding. With all these parts, it is easy to miss something.

This talk is a part II to the talk given in January. Additional topics include gamma encoding, noise analysis of a CFA with clear pixels, depth of field and a close look at very high ISO imaging.

Bio:

Wayne has been working in the imaging industry for over 35 years. He has a BSEE from Clarkson University and a Masters in Imaging Science from RIT. Wayne has worked on imaging equipment ranging from x-ray, CAT scanners, MRI, extraterrestrial imaging, and digital cameras. Much of Wayne's digital camera experience came from 17 years working at Kodak R&D, product development for digital cameras. He holds 15 US patents in digital imaging. At Kodak Wayne became the lead image scientist and manager for Digital Camera R&D group. He was responsible for competitive testing, image quality testing, new feature development, and image science aspects of product commercialization. Wayne has worked as an independent contractor over the past 5 years providing solutions to a wide range of imaging challenges, mostly in the areas of developing custom camera applications, computer vision and HDR imaging.

2024 Bridge Awards

ABCD is Accepting Nominations for the ABCD 2024 BRIDGE DESIGN AWARDS

The Western New York Chapter of the Association for Bridge Construction and Design is requesting submissions from the membership for our 2024 Bridge Design Awards program. The Award honors owners, designers, and contractors for outstanding bridge projects throughout Western New York. Submissions may involve new or rehabilitated bridges, single or multi-span structures, which have been completed and opened to traffic in 2023

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

Bridge Cost - Under $2,000,000

Bridge Cost - $2,000,000 to $10,000,000

Bridge Cost - Over $10,000,000

For categorization purposes each submission may contain only one bridge, even if the project as a whole consists of multiple bridges. Submissions are judged on the project merits - design, requirements, use of innovative technology, schedule and coordination, site conditions, constructability, and complexity - as well as the Entry Documentation - narrative description, photos, sketches, project features, and overall entry presentation

SUBMISSIONS ARE DUE BY APRIL 12, 2024

Submission instructions are available on the ABCD website: www.abcdwny.com

For Questions or Information, contact:

Eric Yahn (585) 458-9750

Eyahn@bvrconstruction.com

Rebecca Stump (716) 710-3943

RStump@collierseng.com

***SAVE THE DATE – MAY DINNER: MAY 22 at TERRY HILLS***

Rochester, NY Section

P.O. Box 23795

Rochester, NY 14692

www.ies-rochester.org

IES ROCHESTER PRESENTS

UL924 & UL1008: What You Need To Know

ISO-1010-2023 – One Hour Live Training

PRESENTED BY

NFPA 70, the national electrical code, details 2 different types of Emergency Lighting Control Devices devices that guarantee that life safety lighting will be on at desired illumination levels in the event of an emergency. This course will help mitigate the confusion regarding the specification of these devices and understand their applications in the real world.

Prerequisite Knowledge:

Knowledge of life safety systems, particularly a high level of understanding of the purpose of emergency lighting inverters and generators. In particular ISO-1001/ISO-1002 would be a perfect lead-in to this course.

HSW Justification:

This program covers life safety: Safe egress & illumination of buildings in the event of an emergency.

Learning Objective 1:

Understand the background technology where ALCR (Automatic Load Control Relay) and BCELTS (Branch Circuit Emergency Lighting Transfer Switch) devices need to be deployed.

Learning Objective 2:

Learn the difference between the technologies and review how they sit within one-line diagrams.

Learning Objective 3:

Understand some of the real-world tradeoffs between the device types as it relates to wiring, proximity and ease of testing.

Learning Objective 4:

Understand the integration of lighting controls with the different types of ELCDs and review some tricks for how to reduce costs in systems.

Wednesday May 29, 2024 – 12:00PM-1:00PM

Cost: $120 per person

Includes breakfast, driving range, 18 holes, cart, lunch and drink tickets

Lunch only: $40

Roasted chicken, Italian sausage, penne marinara, roasted potatoes, greens

Registration, Breakfast, Social Hour & Driving

Range: 7:45 a.m. - 8:45 a.m.

Shotgun Start: 9:00 a.m.

Lunch will be served after the tournament (approx. 2pm)

Participant Names:

1.

2.

3.

4.

Please Make Checks Payable to:

ASCE – Rochester Section

Corporate Sponsorships:

$200 - Hole Sponsorship (Sign)

$225 - “Longest Drive” or “Closest to Pin” Sponsorship

Corporate Sponsorships:

(All packages include registration for four golfers and hole sponsorship.)

$625 - Team Sponsor (save $55 on foursome + hole sign)

$700 - Driving Range Sponsor

$750 - Breakfast Sponsor

Annual 18-Hole Scholarship Golf Tournament

Four-Person Scramble Format

Monday, June 10, 2024

Webster Golf Course | 440 Salt Road, Webster, NY

PROCEEDS WILL BENEFIT THE ASCE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM TO SUPPORT OUR FUTURE CIVIL ENGINEERS

Colleagues, friends, and family are all welcome to join the fun. Foursomes and individual sign-ups are welcome.

To register or sponsor a hole, contact

Josh Rodems

Phone: 585-498-7944

Email: joshua.rodems@collierseng.com

Reservations and Payment Due by May 24, 2024

Company Name and Address:

Email:

Phone:

Send Completed Form and Payment to:

Josh Rodems

Colliers Engineering & Design

280 E. Broad Street, Suite 200 Rochester, NY 14604

Phone: 585-498-7944

Email: joshua.rodems@collierseng.com

Reservations and Payment Due by May 24, 2024

Section Officers

Cha i r

Kelly Robinson

Vice Chair

Emmett

Ientilucci

Treasurer

Lyle Tague

Secretary

Eric Zeise

Chapters & Groups

AES & COMSOC

Cristiano

Tapparello CS & CIS

Bo Yuan

EDS & CSS

Sean Rommel EMBS

Cristian Linte GRSS

Emmett

Ientilucci LIFE

Jean Kendrick

Mark Schrader

APS & MTTS

Danielle Walters

Photonics

Bruce Smith

Parsian K.

Mohseni

PES & IAS

Kelly Robinson

Jean Kendrick

Message from the Chair

Dear Colleagues,

April 2024 Newsletter

Our IEEE Rochester Section Executive Committee (ExCom) meets monthly to plan events and hear the latest news from around the region . Our next ExCom meeting will be on Tuesday, May 7 from noon to 1:30 pm.

An invitation to register at https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/411008 will be distributed via e-mail. Please feel free to register for our in -person lunch meeting or for virtual attendance. By attending our ExCom meeting you will have an opportunity to provide valuable input on ways to serve our local IEEE members and the broader Western New York technical community. Please feel free to register using the above link for our in-person lunch meeting or for virtual attendance.

The 2024 IEEE Systems and Technologies for Remote Sensing Applications Through Unmanned Aerial Systems (STRAUS) conference will be held May 20-22, 2024, at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY. Registration is at https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/403032.

For more information, please visit www.stratus-conference.com

Our IEEE Rochester Section is organizing 3 presentations for Thursday June 6, 2024, as part of the Rochester Engineering Society continuing education program. Please watch for the May RES Magazine for more details.

I look forward to working with you!

Regards,

Kelly Robinson, PE, PhD Chair, IEEE Rochester Section

Back to Table of Contents

SPS

Eric Zeise TEMS

Paul Lee

Young Professionals

Eric Brown

Student Chapters

Univ. of Rochester

Ming - Lun Lee RIT

Jamison Heard Committees Awards

Jean Kendrick Communicati ons

Christine Frayda

Howard Bussey Newsletter

Mark Schrader

PACE

Bruce Rubin

Histor ians

Ram Dhurjaty

Mark Schrader

Liaisons RES

Greg Gdowski

RCSS

William Brewer

IEEE GRSS STRATUS UAV Conference May 20-22, 2024

Dr. Emmett J. Ientilucci, Region 1 Area Chair and Vice-Chair of the Rochester section, is a principal organizer of the Geoscience Remote Sensing Society 2024 STRATUS UAV Conference .

STRATUS is an in-person conference that brings together academics, industry representatives, and domain specialists to share perspectives on this rapidly evolving field of a wide range of topics. Since its inception in 2016, STRATUS went from a one-day to a two-day to what is currently a three-day conference.

Based on the feedback from previous attendees, the conference has been expanded to reach people beyond the original scope of a Western New York audience.

What sets the non-profit STRATUS 2024 Conference apart from other specialized or larger UAS meetings are the important interdisciplinary topics ranging from the latest challenges in UAV platform design and technology to sensor design, information gathering and processing, and modeling to produce data that support decision -making. Applications are focused on Upstate NY, Finger Lakes, and Lake Ontario Regions and include the following:

• Environmental Mapping, Monitoring and Modelling

• Remote Sensing

• 3D and Multi-view Imaging

• Platforms, Calibration, Sensor, and Imaging Systems

• Multi-sensor Data Fusion

• Technologies and Applications

• Algorithm and Image Processing

• Photogrammetry

• Policy, Public Perception and Privacy Issues

• K-12 Education

The 2024 IEEE GRSS STRATUS UAV Conference is now accepting abstracts for talks. You are invited to review the call for abstracts at: https://stratusconference.com/call-for-abstracts

In the future look for registration at: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/403032

Imaging Spectrometry XXVII: Application, Sensors, & Processing

Dr. Emmett J. Ientilucci is co-Chair of this aligned SPIE conference (OP423). Members interested in the STRAUS conference may also want to attend or present at this conference. Please visit the following for more information about the topics covered by this conference and to see the Call for Abstracts: https://spie.org/opo/conferencedetails/imaging -spectrometry-spectrometry

Dear ASHRAE Family,

Rochester Chapter American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers

Rochester ASHRAE website: www.rochesterashrae.org

Last month, we had ASHRAE Distinguished Lecturer Julia Keen visit our chapter for a presentation on “Recruiting and Retaining Gen Z.” As we all know, our industry is facing significant staffing challenges because of an aging workforce and a lack of interest from the younger generations. Her presentation was an insightful look into the expectations, communication styles, and unique attributes of the next generation, so that we might all be more successful at rebuilding the pipeline of talent in our industry. Thank you, Professor Keen, for making the effort to visit our chapter and presenting us with such valuable information!

As Dr. Keen’s presentation was our last of the year at the Strathallan, I would like to take a moment to thank their staff for doing a wonderful job hosting our meetings this year. We are a demanding group for a Monday lunch event, and they always went the extra mile to meet our needs. We look forward to hosting our chapter events with you in the future.

Our chapter year is winding down, and we only have a few events remaining. Coming up this month will be our annual Refrigeration Tour. This year we will be holding our tour at K.M. Davies Company Cold Storage in Williamson, NY. The tour is scheduled to start at 5:30 PM on Monday, April 15th, and the entire event is expected to run for 2.5 hours. Dinner and a presentation will be included. Please visit our website to register and be sure to do it fast! We are limited to 40 attendees, and this has been reported to be a very popular tour from other local industry groups. Thank you, Mike Nohle, for coordinating this tour for us.

Our final event of the season will be our annual Golf Tournament on Tuesday, May 21st. This will be held at Ravenwood Golf Course, and registration starts at 11:00 am with a shotgun start at 12:15 pm. Dinner to be provided by Dinosaur Barbecue after the tournament. Please visit our chapter website for ticket and sponsorship forms. All tickets must be purchased through RF Peck in advance of the tournament! No tickets will be sold at the door! We have sold out the last several years in a row, so please don’t wait to buy tickets! I look forward to seeing you all there. Many thanks to Jim Browe and Kacie Sutton for the hard work they put into this event year after year. Here’s to hoping the weather is kind to us!

Sincerely,

Jim Parks, ASHRAE Rochester Chapter President 2023-2024

Thank You, Rochester Engineering Society!

By the time you read this, the 2024 Terra Rochester Finger Lakes Science & Engineering Fair will have been held with 63 students presenting 55 projects, 40% more than last year!

Thank you

Harold Clark TRFSEF Director

trfsef@terraed.org

Projects ranged from “Spices as Fungicide” (Grade 7) to “Electrolyte Solid Oxide Fuel Cells” (Grade 12) See them all at Fair/Showcase (Password: FairDay).

• RES Members for encouraging students to participate and volunteering to be judges

• Lynne Irwin and the Office for the excellent publicity

Don’t miss the chance to judge at the GENIUS Olympiad June 14

Finger Lakes Chapter of INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL ON SYSTEMS ENGINEERING

April 2024 Chapter Meeting

 Mini Presentation: SE in Early-Stage R&D Working Group (ESR&D WG)

o Presented by Mike DiMario Co-chair.

Context:

The purpose of the Systems Engineering in Early-Stage Research and Development (ESR&D) Working Group (WG) is to provide an open forum for the development, application, and dissemination of systems engineering principles, best practices, and solutions using a graded approach to scaling systems engineering applications to ESR&D projects. Scaled systems Engineering in ESR&D will enable higher return-on-investment of pure and applied research to achieve successful productization.

 Feature Presentation: Cornell University MBSE Project Update:

o Presented by Ryan Hughes, Cornell University Post Graduate Student

Abstract:

Ryan will present the status on this year’s MBSE project at Cornell University

This meeting will be on Thursday, April 18th, 6 – 7:30 pm (eastern). Attendees can attend via zoom.

The session will be recorded for INCOSE members to view later Attendees need to pre-register. To register, send an email to Susan.Urban@incose.net.

The zoom link will be sent out a few days before the meeting. There is no cost to attend the meeting. Sorry, for this month the Rochester host site is unavailable.

IF YOU HEARD ABOUT THIS MEETING FROM RES, PLESASE LET SUSAN URBAN KNOW.

44th Annual Invitational Golf Outing

Monday July 15, 2024

LeRoy Country Club

7759 East Main Rd, LeRoy NY 14482

Schedule & Golf Package

10:00 a.m. SHOTGUN START at Club House [Registration opens at 9:00 am]

REGISTER EARLY FOR DISCOUNTED PRICE!

EAWNY Members $400/Foursome ($420 after 6/21)

Non Members $420 ($440 after 6/21) Price is determined by date payment is received!

Price Includes: 18 Holes of Golf, cart, coffee and donuts at registration, lunch at the turn [choice of hotdog or hamburger, chips and beverage], one free beverage ticket (good at the beverage cart), buffet dinner and prizes.

Beverage Tickets

Each golfer receives one free beverage ticket that can be used at the Beverage Cart. Additional drinks may be purchased directly from the Beverage Cart Driver [cash only] .

Hole Sponsorship

Here's an opportunity for your company to be a sponsor of EAWNY's 44th Annual Invitational Golf Outing. A $100 per hole sponsorship will display your company name at the tee for all EAWNY member golfers and guests to see. Show your company's contribution and dedication to the Electrical Association and check the appropriate box on the Registration/Sponsor Form.

Buffet Dinner

Even if you are not a golfer, reserve now for dinner. Tickets are only $30 per person.

Come out early to enjoy LeRoy Country Club's facilities. Join the golfers for cocktails before dinner.

Prize Donations

Prizes are needed and will be greatly appreciated

The value should be approximately $25 or greater. Donations indicated on Registration/Sponsor Form will be recognized in the program.

Electrical Association of Western New York PO Box 20219, Rochester, New York 14602-0219

Phone: 585-382-9545

www.eawny.com ~ karen@eawny.com

President/: DAVE JERECKOS

IBC Engineering, PC 3445 Winton Place Suite 219 Rochester, NY 14623 585-292-1590

Vice President Technical: LUKE LAWATSCH

Labella Associates 300 State Street Suite 201 Rochester, NY 14614 585-454-6110

Vice President Legislative: TREVOR SAX

IBC Engineering, PC 3445 Winton Place Suite 219 Rochester, NY 14623 585-292-1590

Vice President Membership: REBECCA KOLSTAD

Kolstad Associates 40 Harrison Street Rochester, NY 14605

Treasurer / Education Chair: JENNIFER WENGENDER, P.E., CPD CPL

255 Woodcliff Drive, Suite 200 Fairport, NY 14450 585-454-7600

Administrative Secretary: ADAM KRAMER

Bergmann

280 E. Broad Street Suite 200 Rochester, NY 14604 585-498-7802

Newsletter Editor: NADIA THOMPSON

Turner Engineering

359 West Commercial St, Ste 2190 East Rochester NY 14445 (585) 381-3360

Affiliate Liaison: EMILY MILLER

WMS Sales 9580 County Rd. Clarence Center, NY 14032 (716) 741-9575

Rochester Chapter Website: www.aspe.org/rochester

President's Message

Happy April everyone!

Well spring is here! We will be continuing our vest giveaway for our members in good standing that attend 4 meetings this season. I wanted to let folks know that the 2024 ASPE Convention is coming up on October 18-24 in Columbus, Ohio. Additionally, the CPD exam dates are April 15-26, 2024, for anyone interested in sitting for this exam. Registration information for the Convention shall be announced as soon as it becomes available.

We have 78 Members with consisting of 48 Full, 16 Associate and 14 Affiliate members. In that group of 78 members we have 19 PE’s and 9 CPDs Of the those that attend meetings, about half are Members. If you attend meetings but are not a member, we are always glad to see you but please consider joining the Rochester Chapter of ASPE

We will be continuing to meet each month in-person at the Three Heads Brewery (186 Atlantic Ave, Rochester, NY 14607)

Reminder, we have our annual Golf outing at Victor Hills on Thursday June 13th, tee time at 10am - lunch and dinner included. Cost is $90 per person for golf lunch and dinner. Sponsors are always welcome!

Dave Jereckos, Chapter President

(Chapters are not authorized to speak for the Society)

Meeting Notice – Save the Date

Topic: Sprinklers 101 – the evolution of sprinklers

Speaker: Phil Gunning – Victaulic

Sponsor: Victaulic

Location: Three Heads Brewery – 186 Atlantic Ave, Rochester 14607

Date: Wednesday, April 17, 2024, 12:00PM

RSVP: Luke Lawatsch: llawatsch@labellapc.com (585) 454-6110

L3Harris

Affiliated Societies of the Rochester Engineering Society

American Consulting Engineering, Companies of New York

President, Pat Nicoletta, PE

American Public Works Association

Monroe County/Genesee Valley Branch

Chairman, Peter Vars, PE, American Society of Civil Engineers, Rochester Section President, Tyler C. Burke

Electrical Association Executive Director, Karen Lynch

Genesee Valley Land Surveyors Association

President, Jared R. Ransom, LS

American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Rochester Chapter President, Matt Kremers

American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Rochester Section

Chairman, Berto Perez

American Society of Plumbing Engineers, Rochester NY Chapter President, David Myers

Association for Bridge Construction and Design President, Ashley Freeman PE

Illuminating Engineering Society of North America Inc., Rochester Section President, Jennifer Abraham

Monroe Professional Engineers Society President, William Grove

New York State Association of Transportation Engineers, Section 4 President, Christopher Reed

IES ROCHESTER MEETINGS ARE BACK !!!

SEPTEMBER 29,2021 - 7:00 PM FREE Event

Rochester Plant Engineers President, Brian Laurer

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

Imaging Science & Technology, Rochester Chapter President, Bruce Pillman

Sheet Metal & Air-Conditioning Contractor’s National Association Rochester, Inc.

Executive Director, Don Fella

Wednesday October 13 - 12:00 Noon

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Rochester Section

Basics of Modern Theatre Lighting System Design

Chairman, Kelly Robinson

Power Distribution & Control

Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers, Rochester Chapter President, Tim Gallman

International Council on Systems Engineering, Finger Lakes Chapter President, Teresa Fronk

Society of Plastics Engineers, Rochester Section President, Brett Blaisdell

Terra Rochester Finger Lakes Science & Engineering Fair Director, Harold R. Clark, PhD