Indiana Tech Magazine – Winter 2022 by Indiana Tech: Marketing

MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS | WINTER 2022

INDIANA TECH PROUDLY INTRODUCES:

The Talwar College of Engineering and Computer Sciences Ravi (BSME, 1965) and Eleanor Talwar are two of Indiana Tech’s most loyal and generous supporters. The university has proudly named its College of Engineering and Computer Sciences in their honor. Read more on page 12.

PHOTO: Ravi Talwar speaks during a Homecoming 2014 ceremony during which he was inducted into Indiana Tech’s Alumni Hall of Fame.

FEATURES

14 HOMECOMING 2021 When October returned to the Fort Wayne campus, so too did all the smiles, camaraderie and everything else that makes homecoming great.

Winter 2022

20 HEALTH LEADERSHIP

22 PH.D. IMMERSION WEEKEND

We are expanding our programming to meet global health challenges and help students pursue a wide range of health care careers.

Held each fall and spring on the Fort Wayne campus, the residencies provide invaluable experiences for our Ph.D. students.

INSIDE TECH 04 Letter from Our President

While the challenges of the pandemic are not fully past, the energy and enthusiam of the Warrior family has been welcome on our campuses. Across the University 06 Around the Regions

The pandemic isn’t keeping our Military and Veteran Services team from helping active military members and veterans pursue an education. 07 Faculty Update

Learn more about the academic pursuits of our faculty outside of the classroom. 07 Tech’s Top Picks

In this issue, we ask faculty and staff, “What was the first concert you attended?” 08 Tech Happenings

Indiana Tech promotes Dr. Scott Liebhauser as its first dean of online learning to continue the expansion and refinement of the university’s wide range of online programs. 10 A Few Words with…

Director of online learning Mary Beth Graham has positively impacted the university in a variety of ways since her arrival in 2019. 24 College of Arts &

Sciences Roundup

Our new state-of-the-art DNA lab is giving students invaluable experiences in forensics. 26 College of Business Roundup

28 Talwar College of

Engineering and Computer Sciences Roundup

Professor of industrial and manufacturing engineering, Dr. Steve Dusseau, earns prestigious national honor. 30 Skating for Long-Term Success

Led by an experienced coach, a graduate student and 18 freshmen, Indiana Tech’s new women’s hockey team is enjoying an incredible start.

34 Athletics Roundup

New indoor track and field complex at Warrior Park will be named after coach Doug Edgar. Path of a Warrior 36 From the Desk of

Kristi Jarmus

With her first homecoming under her belt, Kristi is looking forward to an action-packed 2022. 38 Alumni Spotlight:

Russel Rhodes

Rhodes, a 1958 aeronautical engineering grad, went from an Indiana farm to NASA, where he enjoyed an incredible 52-year career. 40 Making a Difference:

Fred Benn

The Benn Scholarship will provide for a student’s four-year education and, hopefully, empower them to find their own path to innovation and altruism. 42 In Memoriam

Fort Wayne Football Club played its debut season over the summer with Tech students playing key roles.

Forensic science major Sydney Williams works in Indiana Tech’s new Forensic DNA Analysis Laboratory.

ON THE COVER:

Indiana Tech Magazine

Letter from Our President Fall 2021 saw the Indiana Tech community return to a more typical rhythm on main campus, across our regional locations, and in our online classes. While challenges related to the pandemic remain with us, it’s been wonderful to experience more activity around the university, and to see our students thriving inside and outside of the classroom. A significant reason why students thrive here is the commitment of our alumni in helping us fulfill our mission. There are no better examples of this than Ravi and Eleanor Talwar. Ravi earned his bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Indiana Tech in 1965, and in the years since, he and Eleanor have been steadfast in their support of our university. For all that they have done, and continue to do, for our students, the leadership team here recommended that our College of Engineering and Computer Sciences be named in their honor. Indiana Tech’s Board of Trustees unanimously agreed at their December 2021 meeting. It’s my pleasure to share that our College of Engineering will now be known as the Talwar College of Engineering and Computer Sciences. You can learn more about the Talwars and their commitment to Indiana Tech on page 12. All of us at Tech were happy to welcome back so many alumni and friends to campus for Homecoming Weekend in October. From the Athletics Hall of Fame dinner and induction ceremony to reunion class events and the annual President’s Dinner, it was a weekend full of fun and reminiscing. On page 14 you can read more about this special event. Later in October, we hosted another special event — the groundbreaking for the new Doug Edgar Indoor Track. Made possible by the extraordinary generosity of an anonymous donor, the new facility will open in the fall of 2022. This state-of-the-art venue will be the home of our men’s and women’s track and field teams — teams that have won 14 NAIA indoor and outdoor national titles since Coach Edgar started as head coach in 2010. My sincere thanks to our anonymous donor for making this facility possible, and to all who joined us for the groundbreaking. Learn more about the Edgar Indoor Track in our Athletics Roundup on page 34.

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Building the future here has always meant much more than constructing facilities, as seen in our feature on our growing programs in non-clinical health care on page 20. Our new certificate program and master’s degree in Global Health Leadership, along with our nationally recognized programs in Health Information Technology and Health Information Management, are preparing students for careers in critically important fields. Serving students well also means continuing to innovate in our design and delivery of course content. On page 8 in our Tech Happenings feature, you can learn more about ongoing enhancements to our online programs. We’ve expanded our online academic team under new leadership, and added more robust website content and resources for online students. These efforts have not gone unnoticed by students and the media, with Indiana Tech recently being named among Newsweek’s top 100 Online Colleges in America for 2022. Our Ph.D. in Global Leadership program continues to thrive, too, with a welcome return to our inperson immersion event on campus last September. The program is also offering a new pathway that enables those who hold an M.B.A. to enter our program seamlessly in pursuit of their Ph.D. Learn more about fall immersion and the new M.B.A. to Ph.D. pathway on page 22 and online at phd.indianatech.edu. These are just a few of the many inspiring things that the Warrior community is working on these days! For more on what’s happening around our university, be sure to check out our College Roundups, starting on page 24. I wish for each of you a healthy and prosperous 2022. Warm regards,

Karl W. Einolf, Ph.D. President

Volume 19, Issue 1 Karl W. Einolf, Ph.D. President

Institutional Advancement Dan Grigg Vice President for Institutional Advancement Dave Stevens Senior Director of Institutional Advancement Mary Lasits Senior Director of Institutional Advancement Jennifer Ross Director of Advancement and Executive Operations Kristi Jarmus Director of Alumni Relations Kayla Paz Director of Advancement Services Erin Johnson Assistant Director of Institutional Advancement and Grants Administration

Marketing Brian Engelhart Vice President for Marketing and Communication Matt Bair Director of Marketing and Communication Jennifer Murphy Director of Marketing, College of Professional Studies Julie Farison Creative Director Sarah Suraci Graphic Designer Elle Helm Graphic Designer Joel Kuhn, BS ’12, Web Developer Randy Smith Director of Photo and Video Amber Owens, MBA ‘21, Social Media Manager

Indiana Tech online: IndianaTech.edu

Please send comments, news and feature story ideas to: Indiana Tech attn: Marketing 1600 E. Washington Blvd. Fort Wayne, IN 46803 phone: 260.422.5561 or 800.937.2448, ext. 2250 email: marketing@IndianaTech.edu The editors reserve the right to edit articles for length and clarity. Articles may be reproduced with permission and proper attribution. Our Mission: Indiana Tech provides learners a professional education; prepares them for active participation, career advancement and leadership in the global 21st century society; and motivates them toward a life of significance and worth.

Indiana Tech Magazine

ACROSS THE UNIVERSITY Around the Regions

SERVING THOSE WHO SERVE:

MILITARY AND VETERAN SERVICES UPDATE Indiana Tech has a long history of providing military and veteran students with support and resources to help them realize their educational goals. The Military and Veteran Services team has one purpose: to come alongside students who have access to military education benefits and help them navigate systems and maximize the benefits available to them. “We try to take on whatever role we need to with the students we serve,” says Ryan Ozbun, director of Military and Veteran Services at Indiana Tech. “Whether they’re recently deployed or transitioning to civilian life after a long military career, we’re here to help navigate that change.” The Military and Veteran Services team works with active duty service members, veterans, military spouses and any family members who have access to GI Bills and other military education benefits. The military tuition assistance system is not always easy to navigate, so Ozbun and his team take an active role in coordinating benefits to ensure students are able to focus on the important things—their careers, their education and their family obligations. “Sometimes that means we’re taking phone calls and answering texts at all hours of the day, but it’s why we’re here,” says Ozbun. While the COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on higher education, Indiana Tech’s Military and Veteran Services team experienced

Winter 2022

one of their best years to date in 2020-21. Indiana Tech enrolled more than 800 military students, and Ozbun says that’s a credit to all the hard work his team put in during the years leading up to 2020. “I attribute our success to what this team does every day—helping military and veteran students and building Indiana Tech’s reputation in the military and veteran community,” says Ozbun. “During the pandemic and in the months that followed, we were able to rely on a strong referral network to keep our enrollment numbers up, and that was a direct result of the work this team put in.” This fall, in-person education fairs and other events at military bases and armories are resuming, and that’s a positive sign for Ozbun and his team. “We’re hitting any and every event we can get into,” says Ozbun. “We were fortunate to be able to participate in virtual events for the past year and a half, but for my team and the audience we serve, face to face is just better for connecting with people.”

The Military and Veteran Services team is gearing up for continued growth, as the team expands into new markets. In addition to a continued growth in Florida and other states in the Southeast, Ozbun’s next target is the state of Texas. He’s making inroads this fall by attending events in the Houston and Austin areas, and expects that growth will continue well into 2022. Another stop in the map is California, with a particular emphasis on the San Diego area. While these are ambitious goals for any university, Indiana Tech’s flexible online certificate and degree programs are a great fit for military and veteran students. Coupled with the skills and expertise of each member of his team, Ozbun is confident they’re up for the challenge.

Faculty Update Dr. Carrie Duke, assistant professor of English, presented highlights from her essay, “‘Long Days under the Sloped Glass’: Greenhouse Memories in ‘Transplanting,’” which was newly published in A Field Guide to the Poetry of Theodore Roethke. She was one of four contributing authors chosen to present her work at the Roethke Foundation Spring Reading Series.

Tech’s Top Picks

Dr. Jeff Bourgeois, assistant professor, Ph.D. in Global Leadership, coauthored the 2021 SAGE Most Publishable Leadership Education Paper entitled “Reimagining Culture with Care and Inclusion: Support Networks for Foreign-born Leadership Educators.”

For this issue of Indiana Tech Magazine, we asked our faculty and staff: What was the first concert you attended? Here are some of their replies:

Naga Aditya Musunuri, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, had his article “Solutocapillary Marangoni flow induced in a waterbody by a solute source,” published in the Journal of Fluid Mechanics in July.

New Kids on the Block

Bob Dylan

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA

FORT WAYNE / 2006

FORT WAYNE / 1977

Amy Burge, Quality Assurance Manager

John Scaer, Financial Aid Counselor

Maureen Gladieux, Administrative Assistant

Guns N Roses

Led Zeppelin

Loreena McKennitt

Dr. Yun (Suky) Su, assistant professor of mathematics, presented “Use Kahoot and GeoGebra to Engage Students and Enhance Learning” at the Mathematical Association of America Math Fest conference in August.

OSHKOSH, WISCONSIN / 1988

INDIANAPOLIS / 1977

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE / 2016

Scott Liebhauser, Associate VP for Academic Affairs

Pam Fech, Enrollment Manager

Holly Young, CPS Admissions Representative

The Righteous Brothers

Doobie Brothers

CLEVELAND / 1982

COLUMBIA, S. CAROLINA / 1979

TAMPA, FLORIDA / 1997

Brian Hickam, Director, McMillen Library

Cindy Verduce, Director of the Career Center

Jennifer Gaff, Staff Accountant

Dr. Julie Good, associate professor of biology, was featured in the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine: “Profiles of Women in Medicine: 1920-2020.” Additionally, she served as lead trainer for the Small World Initiative (SWI) summer training institute for the second year.

Huey Lewis and the News

DC Talk

Ricky Nelson

CINCINNATI / 1984

DETROIT / 1993

Chris Dickson, Associate VPStudent Services

Dave Rumsey, Associate Dean of the College of Engineering and School of Computer Sciences

Sally Kauffman, Admissions Counselor

Dr. David Rumsey, associate dean of the College of Engineering and School of Computer Sciences, was invited by Times Higher Education to be a panelist for its July webinar, The Future of STEM Education: Supporting Continuous Improvement in Teaching and Assessment.

Cheap Trick RICHFIELD, OHIO / 1981

Jim Lipocky, Women’s Soccer Coach

All-4-One MERRILLVILLE, INDIANA / 1995

Stephanie Zimny, Softball Coach

Genesis CLARKSTON, MICHIGAN / 1978

Peggy Canales, Associate Professor of IME

Boston

311 BOSTON / 1997

Jessica Gagnon, Instructional Designer/Project Manager

REO Speedwagon ATHENS, OHIO / 1980

Dave Stevens, Senior Director of Institutional Advancement

Faith No More MARQUETTE, MICHIGAN / 1992

Scott Thum, Director of Student Financial Services

Shaun Cassidy CHICAGO / 1978

Robin Seaton, Admissions Representative

Def Leppard CLARKSTON, MICHIGAN / 1992

Carrie Rodesiler, Assistant Professor of English

Indiana Tech Magazine

ACROSS THE UNIVERSITY Tech Happenings Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Celebration to feature Brown v. Board of Education originator Indiana Tech’s 4th annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Celebration breakfast event will feature Cheryl Brown Henderson, originator of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case, and civil rights activist. Opening remarks will be provided by Karrah Herring, the state of Indiana’s first-ever chief equity, inclusion and opportunity officer, followed by Ms. Brown Henderson’s keynote address, “Addressing a Sense of Belonging.” This year’s Community Celebration will take place Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022, at 8 a.m. at Indiana Tech’s main campus in Fort Wayne. Seating is limited and tickets are required. To learn more and to purchase your tickets for this special event, please visit diversity.indianatech.edu/ mlk-celebration.

New leadership for Tech’s online programs Indiana Tech has created a new academic leadership position at the university, dean of online learning. Dr. Scott Liebhauser, Indiana Tech’s current associate vice president for academic affairs, has taken on the new role to continue the expansion and refinement of the university’s wide range of online programs. In addition to the new dean of online learning position, the university has also expanded its online curriculum development team, and will be adding three new online professor of practice positions. The new positions are dedicated to developing online curriculum, training faculty members in online instruction, teaching online courses and working on student success and retention. Indiana Tech has also launched a new website dedicated to its online programs, online.indianatech.edu. Current and potential online students can learn about certificate and degree programs offered by the university, career services, the experiences of other Indiana Tech students and more on the new site.

Winter 2022

Tech named among America’s Top Online Colleges by Newsweek The university was recently named among the country’s top 100 online colleges by Newsweek in its rankings for 2022. Rankings are based on extensive surveys of online college students, and a range of additional institutional data and indicators. Indiana Tech earned a 4-star rating in this year’s online colleges survey. For more information and to view the full list, visit newsweek.com/americas-bestonline-learning-schools-2022.

TWIST XXXII For the 32nd time, area business leaders joined Indiana Tech faculty, staff, alumni and students on the links for the annual Trask/Walls Invitational Student Tournament (TWIST) on a beautiful Sept. 19 at Chestnut Hills Golf Club. Started by two Indiana Tech professors, Dr. Jeffrey Walls and the late Walter Trask, TWIST gives alumni and area employers a chance to network with students and teach them the business side of golf. Proceeds from the event benefit the Moore/Trask Scholarship Fund at Indiana Tech, the Indiana Tech golf program and the Alumni Scholarship Award. TWIST XXXII sponsors included Asher Agency, BKD CPAs and Advisors, Bobick’s Golf, Cap’n Cork, Chipotle, CMa Plus, the Dinner Detective, Elevatus Architecture, Engineering Resources, the Fort Wayne TinCaps, Innovative Control Systems, Michael Kinder & Sons, Mid-American Cleaning Contractors, Mike’s Car Wash, Parrish Farms, Summit Mechanical, Dr. Jeff Walls and Jarrod Williams. Sponsorships allow students to play for free and connect with players from those organizations. Congratulations to our 2021 winners and thanks to all who joined us this year. Be sure to join us on Sept. 18, 2022, for TWIST XXXIII!

FIRST PLACE TEAM

FIRST PLACE TEAM (left to right in photo)

Nicholas Quick, Megan Quick, Dr. Jeff Walls, Tyler Willette TIED FOR SECOND PLACE Beth Bergeron, Sarah Buck, Stephanie Parks, Lori Stinson Matej Krasny, Cameron Chabot, Will Campbell, Zachary Bennet CLOSEST TO THE PIN Bobby Frieson LONGEST PUTT Dan Erdei LONGEST DRIVE HOLE #9 Sarah Banister LONGEST DRIVE HOLE #18 Tyler Willette

Faculty, staff, students and alums team up to Crush Hunger once again The Indiana Tech community came together again this fall for a friendly competition with area universities to benefit Community Harvest Food Bank. The 7th Annual U Can Crush Hunger campaign beat its overall goal of 100,000 pounds of food donated to Community Harvest, winding up the three-week competition with nearly 140,000 total pounds donated. The generosity of the Warrior community propelled the university to a fourthplace finish, with 14,027 pounds of food donated. New initiatives as part of Tech’s Crush Hunger campaign this year included a 5K run, a community concert at Promenade Park in downtown Fort Wayne and Halloween trickor-treating for canned goods by Tech students. While this year’s campaign has ended, you can learn more about the food bank and how to support their work at communityharvest.org.

Indiana Tech Magazine

ACROSS THE UNIVERSITY A Few Words with...

MARY BETH GRAHAM Indiana Tech offered its first online course in 2006 and has been at the forefront of online education ever since. Making sure the university stays there is Mary Beth Graham’s passion. The director of online learning has been with the university since 2019 and has impacted online learning in a variety of ways. First of all, she leads a team of instructional designers (her “Team Awesome”), which is responsible for creating engaging, relevant courses for new online programs and redesigning existing courses to make them easier to navigate, more engaging and more relevant. Secondly, Mary Beth works with our online faculty to provide them with support and guidance that will enable them to deliver quality learning experiences for our students. Finally, she works closely with our online support team, which provides daily support for our online learners, the Office of Student Success, our

admissions counselors, the Warrior Information Network, Information Technology Services and others across campus who are dedicated to helping our students succeed. “I am so impressed with the wide network of support that we have for our online learners,” Mary Beth said. “It’s an honor to be able to work closely with the academic deans, associate deans and faculty as we continue Indiana Tech’s legacy of excellence and innovation. I feel blessed to be a part of the Indiana Tech family.”

ITM: You began your career in the corporate world, working for DuPont corporation, and then as a chief financial officer. What lured you toward higher education? MBG: In college, I was very involved in residence life, spending one year as a resident assistant and then two years as a hall director. These roles were very centered in education and helping students in their development. At the same time, I also was a teaching assistant for our College of Business, so I was already very focused on training. As I entered the corporate world, so many of these skills were transferable, and I had a successful career in business. I found myself missing students and the education field, so I took the opportunity to teach part time for a local community college where I could help prepare students for their careers. I prided myself on being able to make connections between what we were learning in the books and the business world. Before I knew it, I was teaching full time and loving every minute. ITM: Once you started teaching, you gravitated toward building new online programs and improving the quality of existing programs. What is it about this kind of work that resonates with you? MBG: I became involved in online learning because I saw it as a great opportunity to provide anytime, anywhere learning, especially for working adults. As one of the early adopters of online learning at my institution, I wanted to make sure that we did it right, and so I got quite involved in training my faculty colleagues. In 2003, I was fortunate to represent my institution in a groundbreaking training through MarylandOnline and was part of a grant aimed at establishing quality standards for online learning. This was the start of what would become Quality Matters (QM) and the QM Rubric which today is used across the world as the standard for quality online courses. As you can tell, I am quite passionate about not only the value of online learning, but also providing learners with a quality online learning experience. I am a certified master reviewer and a training facilitator with Quality Matters. In these roles, I am able to help institutions ensure that their online courses are designed based upon the latest research and best practices. I am also able to help faculty across the world become better online instructors. From my experience, I am able to apply my knowledge to online programs at Indiana Tech and toward supporting our online faculty. ITM: Although you have only been with us for a couple of years, you have been able to accomplish a lot since you have been here. What are some of things you are most proud of that you and your team have been able to accomplish?

Winter 2022

MBG: Since I joined Tech, we have completely transformed how we design online courses. Courses are designed by a team consisting of an experienced instructional designer/project manager and a faculty subject matter expert. Our process is based on key concepts of alignment between learning objectives, instructional resources, learning activities and assessments, and is designed to meet the standards of the QM Rubric. Under the new process, we have designed/ redesigned approximately 146 courses. In addition, we have defined what we call the gold standard for online courses at Indiana Tech. This includes features are that built into every new online course and are designed to make our courses easy to navigate, include instructions that are easy to understand, learning resources that are relevant and current and assignments that include deliverables tied into what learners will be able to do in their careers. ITM: What are some improvements coming in the short term? MBG: In the short term, we are designing more online courses for new programs, as well as redesigning more of our existing online courses. Within the next few months, all of our online courses will include Tech Live Reflections—an opportunity for students to engage with their

instructors and classmates each week. From these proud parents of two wonderful adult children. sessions, students can glean expertise that our My daughter currently lives in Washington, DC and faculty provide, as experienced professionals in is director of operations for a member of congress. their field, as well as She has endured the guidance they are 12 brain and spinal “...we have completely able to provide for surgeries over the past more difficult concepts six years because of transformed how we and skills. a connective tissue design online courses. disorder called EhlersITM: What are your Danlos Syndrome. Courses are designed by long-term goals for As a result, she has the university? a team consisting of an become an advocate MBG: One of my for those with rare and experienced instructional goals is for Indiana invisible illnesses, and designer/project manager Tech to have national she began a nonprofit recognition and a solid organization, The and a faculty subject reputation for the Zebra Network, to matter expert.” quality of our online provide on-theprograms—not only ground support for the quality of its online courses, but also for for patients and caregivers, and her story has superior instruction by experienced faculty who been published across the world. My son is an are experts in their field and who are trained aerospace engineer, lives in Huntsville, Alabama, specifically in online course delivery. I also want and has our entire family very excited for the us to continue to help as many people as possible upcoming Artemis space mission! reach their career goals while balancing busy lives as professionals, caregivers and family members. ITM: What can you share about your family? MBG: My husband, Bob, and I live in Maryland; we’ve been married for 30 years, and we are the Indiana Tech Magazine

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

The Talwar College of Engineering and Computer Sciences New name recognizes the family of distinguished 1965 graduate Ravi and spouse Eleanor Talwar

hen Ravi Talwar, BSME 1965, first left his home country in the early ‘60’s, he went with the love and support of his family. Still, he felt a little uncertain about what he might experience so far from home. “When I came to Indiana Tech nearly 60 years ago, it was the first time I had the opportunity to travel outside my home country of India,” he notes. “I was not sure what to expect, but my parents supported and encouraged me. I soon found out that Indiana Tech was also a place where people would support and encourage me.” Talwar went on to earn his Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Indiana Tech, and soon after began a long and distinguished career as an engineer, business manager, and entrepreneur. He met his future wife, Eleanor, not long after his time at the university. In the years since, the Talwars have become steadfast supporters of the university in myriad ways. They’ve shared their time, talent and treasure to help students have the same opportunity for support, encouragement and quality education that Ravi found during his time at Tech. In recognition of their outstanding commitment to the university and its students, Indiana Tech has named its College of Engineering and Computer Sciences in honor of the Talwar family. The Talwar College of Engineering and Computer Sciences name will go into effect immediately, having been

Winter 2022

B C A. Mr. Ravi Talwar, BSME ‘65, and his wife, Eleanor at Indiana Tech’s Franco D’Agostino Art Gallery B. A rendering of the renovated Zollner Engineering Center, to be completed in Fall 2023 C. The Talwars being recognized for their support of Indiana Tech by then-president Dr. Arthur Snyder

recommended by the university’s senior leadership and unanimously supported by Indiana Tech’s board of trustees at their most recent meeting in December 2021.

to being active in his community as a SCORE mentor. Talwar has also been the President and Owner of RJ Rebar, Inc. and RTW Industries, Inc.; the Managing Director of JEDAC, a joint venture of General Electric and a Saudi Arabian company; and the “For many years, the Talwars Vice President of Manufacturing have given generously of their for Wellman Thermal Systems, Inc. In 2018, he was named an time, talent and treasure to help Outstanding Industrial Engineer by build Indiana Tech into what it Purdue University in recognition of his exceptional professional is today, and what it will become achievements.

Indiana Tech President Karl Einolf shares that, “Ravi and Eleanor Talwar exemplify a deep commitment to our students and to our mission of preparing them for successful careers and lives of significance and worth. For many years, they have given generously in the future.” —Indiana Tech of their time, talent and treasure to In describing the experience help build Indiana Tech into what President Karl W. Einolf, Ph.D. of learning that the College of it is today, and what it will become Engineering and Computer Sciences in the future. I can think of no one would bear the Talwar name, Ravi confides, “When Eleanor more deserving of an honor such as this. All of us at Indiana and I first learned of this honor from President Einolf, my first Tech are grateful for their longtime support, and proud to have thoughts were of my parents, and of how this recognition is really them as members of our Warrior family.” for them. Thanks to them, and with the help of Indiana Tech, my In addition to the BSME degree he earned at Tech in 1965, family and I have been able to achieve success and give back to Talwar was recognized for his longstanding commitment to help others succeed. Eleanor and I look forward to being involved the university with an honorary doctor of engineering degree with students here at the university for years to come.” in 2013. He also holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Delhi The home of the newly christened Talwar College of Engineering University in India and a Master of Science degree in industrial and Computer Sciences will be the expanded and renovated engineering from Purdue University. He was elected to the Zollner Engineering Center on Indiana Tech’s main campus in Indiana Tech board of trustees in 2016, and currently serves as Fort Wayne. The first phase of that project will be finished in the chair of the board’s academic affairs committee. fall of 2022, with final completion set for the fall of 2023. For In his professional life, Talwar is the President and Owner of more information on the new engineering center, Tishler Industries, Inc. and Gate City Steel, Inc., in addition visit indianatech.edu/zollner.

Indiana Tech Magazine

WHENOCTOBERRETURNED TO THE FORT WAYNE CAMPUS THIS YEAR SO, TOO, DID THE SMILES, THE CAMARADERIE AND ALL THAT BEAUTIFUL ORANGE INDIANA TECH IS USED TO ENJOYING DURING HOMECOMING AND FAMILY WEEKEND.

Winter 2022

AYEARAFTER

COVID-19movedtheuniversity’s annualcelebration to an online format, Tech alumni, students, faculty, staff, family and friends eagerly came together—from Oct. 1 through 3—to reminisce, socialize and enjoy being on campus throughout the long weekend. Spirit Week prepared the campus for weekend festivities with many students, faculty and staff decorating their residence halls, classrooms and workspaces in full-on orange and black, and donning their best Tech gear. Indiana Tech encouraged everyone in the Warrior Nation to find a way to give back in their community for Tuesday’s Warrior Day of Service. On Thursday, revelers stoked the school spirit in Andorfer Commons for the Warrior Homecoming Party. Friday kicked off with a welcome event in the Uytengsu Center, where alums caught up with old friends and made new connections with today’s Indiana Tech community. Campus tours were offered by Indiana Tech students, with the highlight being an up-close look at the progress being made on the Zollner Engineering Center expansion and renovation project. When completed in the fall of 2023, Zollner will be brand new and nearly double in size—an inspiring and innovative learning environment that will give students enhanced opportunities to explore and master their fields of study.

Indiana Tech Magazine

The President’s Dinner celebrated the establishment of six new endowed scholarships named for: Dr. Alan E. Baumbaugh

Tonis and Kay Paide

Class of 1973, Physics

(Tonis Paide) Class of 1961, Electrical Engineering

E. Rick Gesue

Melvin Wessler

Class of 1962, Mechanical Engineering

Class of 1969, Electrical Engineering

John D. Kistner

The Einolf Family

Class of 1965, Electrical Engineering Julia Bockstahler

Winter 2022

Alumni Recognition Later Friday, the Fireside Party proved to be a fun environment for all ages with an alumni social tent, a cornhole tournament, face painting and pregaming for fans of the men’s hockey team. The Warriors dropped their hard-fought season opener that night, 5-3, to Davenport University.

CLASSES OF 1960 AND 1961

CLASS OF 1971

60-YEAR HONOREES

50-YEAR HONOREES

Charles Brothers

William Borger

B.S. ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING, 1961

B.S. ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING, 1971

Ronald Claes

Thomas Cameron

B.S. MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, 1961

B.S. MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, 1971

William Clark

Charles Coder

B.S. MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, 1961

B.S. MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, 1971

William Davis

Robert Downin

B.S. ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING, 1961

B.S. ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING, 1971

Cecil Gene Dominique

Larry Flick

B.S. MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, 1961

B.S. MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, 1971

A jam-packed Saturday began with the annual Prayer Service in Wegener Chapel welcoming a full house of alumni, students, family members, faculty and staff. It led into the Party on the Square—an afternoon of fun in Scully Square with food trucks, an ice cream social, music, games and comedian and juggler, Marcus Monroe.

Stephen Hoover

Michael Gensic

B.S. CIVIL ENGINEERING, 1961

B.S. CIVIL ENGINEERING, 1971

Vincent Kavlick

Stephen Henson

B.S. CHEMICAL ENGINEERING, 1961

B.S. CIVIL ENGINEERING, 1971

Joseph Moore

Thomas Hesmond

B.S. ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING, 1961

B.S. CIVIL ENGINEERING, 1971

The annual Alumni Recognition and Awards Ceremony luncheon took place in the Snyder Academic Center’s Multi-Flex Theater, where four special awards were presented (see page 16) and members of the reunion classes of 1961, ’71, ’81, ’91, 2001 and 2011 were recognized (see the list to the right).

David Paul

Terry Tegtmeier

B.S. CIVIL ENGINEERING, 1961

B.S. CHEMISTRY, 1971

Gary Hall

Charles Wissuchek

B.S. ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING, 1960

B.S. PHYSICS, 1971

Zohrab Tazian

Thomas Woebkenberg

B.S. CIVIL ENGINEERING, 1960

B.S. MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, 1971

The annual President’s Dinner took place Friday night inside the Schaefer Center. Hosted by President Einolf, Indiana Tech honored its major donors for their generous support of our students. Sophomore Julia Bockstahler, a Presidential Scholarship winner who is studying computer science and biology, delivered a compelling speech about overcoming a debilitating medical condition and finding her place at Indiana Tech, thanks to scholarship support.

CLASS OF 1970 50-YEAR HONOREES Peter Costisick B.S. CHEMICAL ENGINEERING, 1970

Ronald Kantorak

Herbert Zimmermann B.S. MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, 1971

CLASSES OF 2000, 2010 AND 2011 20- AND 10-YEAR HONOREES

B.S. MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, 1970

Salfariana Ansenden

George Levy

B.A. MARKETING, 2000

B.S. CHEMICAL ENGINEERING, 1970

Kim Clapp

Leonard Ochs

B.S. BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION,

B.S. CHEMICAL ENGINEERING, 1970

2006; MBA, 2011

Ronald Richard

Delandra Moore

B.S. CHEMICAL ENGINEERING, 1970

B.S. ADMINISTRATION, 2010

Heinz Wegener

Madalyn Sade-Bartl

B.S. ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING, 1970

B.S. BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, 2011

Sheri Stahlhut B.S. BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, 2010; MBA, 2019

Indiana Tech Magazine

Special Awards A

G.O.L.D. Alumnus of the Year

Matthew Hansen — MS ENGINEERING MANAGEMENT, 2018 / BS NETWORK ENGINEERING, 2014 Matt’s Indiana Tech education has helped him elevate to Microsoft’s lead architect for Fortune 50 Health and Life Sciences Organizations. He was on the technical front lines, helping health care organizations innovate and adapt using technology throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Since earning his graduate degree from Tech in 2019, he achieved a graduate certificate in cybersecurity from MIT and is currently now doing post-graduate work at the University of the Cumberlands in cybersecurity with a focus

CPS Alumnus of the Year

Alumni Volunteer of the Year

on cloud-enabled security for embedded medical devices. In all, he holds over 50 industry certifications. Matt has been an adjunct faculty member at Indiana Tech since 2015 and earned Adjunct Faculty of the Year in 2018. He took over as advisor of Indiana Tech’s cybersecurity team, the Cyber Warriors, in 2015. He is still with the Cyber Warriors, now as their coach, and has built them into a national powerhouse.

Alumni Hall of Fame

Aisha Arrington

Ronald Kantorak

Zohrab Tazian

—MS ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP, 2016

—BS MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, 1970

—BS CIVIL ENGINEERING, 1960

As a working mother of three, Aisha—already working in her chosen field—carved out time to complete her Master of Science degree in Organizational Leadership at Indiana Tech in 2016.

This award was established in 2007 to recognize overall outstanding dedication and commitment to Indiana Tech.

The Alumni Hall of Fame was established in 2005 to honor outstanding Indiana Tech graduates who have reached an exceptional level of professional and personal achievement. It is one of the highest honors that our university can bestow.

Since then, Aisha successfully completed the Leadership Fort Wayne program in 2017 and was appointed to Fort Wayne’s Metro Human Relations Commission in 2019 by Mayor Tom Henry. Aisha is a passionate servant leader, committed to innovation within her field, and she is active in her community. As executive director of the nonprofit LTC Ombudsman program, she is a staunch advocate for quality and improvement in long-term care facilities for all nine counties of Northeast Indiana.

This year’s recipient, Ron Kantorak, has been an active alum since graduating from the university in 1970. In addition to being a President’s Club member for more than 20 years, Ron has been a guest lecturer in freshmen engineering classes about the engineering design process for the last five years. He and his wife Cathy established the Corporal Jonathan F. Blair Memorial Scholarship to honor their great-nephew Jonathan, who was killed at the age of 21 during a combat operation in Iraq. Additionally, Ron spearheaded efforts to establish and endow the Theta Xi Scholarship in Engineering and solicited scholarship support from his fraternity brothers. He has also been instrumental in generating support for the Zollner Engineering Center expansion and renovation project.

Born in an Armenian village, Zohrab and his family were forced from their homeland when he was a child and relocated to a refugee camp in Lebanon during World War II. In 1957, after seeing a flier about Indiana Technical College’s programs, Zohrab came to the United States. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the university in 1960 and started a successful civil engineering firm, Z.K. Tazian Associates, in Fort Wayne. Zohrab became the youngest member of Indiana Tech’s board of trustees in 1970, the first of 27 years he would spend on the board, many of which were as its vice chair. In 1989, he received an Honorary Doctor of Engineering degree from Indiana Tech. In 1993, Zohrab, and his late wife Nicki, established the Nicki and Zohrab Tazian Scholarship at Indiana Tech. Now, at age 90, he is one of the two co-chairs of the Building a Century of Excellence Campaign and has made a significant commitment to the campaign.

C 18

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BY THE NUMBERS For the rest of the day, the spotlight shone brightly on Indiana Tech’s athletic teams. That afternoon, in between games of a men’s and women’s soccer doubleheader vs. Aquinas, the university was presented the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Commissioner’s Cup for the Warriors’ excellence amongst its conference peers during the 2020-21 academic year. Indiana Tech won WHAC titles in 19 different sports to capture the cup for the fourth time in school history. On the pitch, the men beat Aquinas 1-0 while the ladies dropped their match, 4-1. A little later, the women’s ice hockey team played its first home game in program history and won 6-2 over Grand Valley St, behind two goals from Izzy Pettem-Shand. You can read more about the women’s hockey team beginning on page 30. Inside the Schaefer Center that evening, the Indiana Tech Athletics Hall of Fame honored its 22nd Hall of Fame Class, which featured the 1969 men’s volleyball team, the 1991-92 women’s basketball team, men’s basketball standout Dwayne Tubbs (1995) and softball standout Jessica Williams (2010).

ATHLETICSHALLOFFAME This issue’s By The Numbers feature gives you a closer look at Indiana Tech’s Athletics Hall of Fame.

Induction Classes

126 Total Inductees

Fourteen Different Sports baseball • men’s basketball • men’s cross country men’s golf • men’s soccer • men’s tennis • men’s track and field • men’s volleyball • softball • women’s basketball women’s cross country • women’s track and field women’s volleyball • water polo

88 Men

33 Women

Five Teams 1998 baseball • 1994-95 men’s basketball 1969 men’s volleyball • 1991-92 women’s basketball 2008 women’s volleyball

INDUCTEES BY SPORT

JESSICA WILLIAMS

20 Baseball

Softball

40 Men’s Basketball

Water Polo

Men’s Cross Country

28 Women’s Basketball

Men’s Golf

Women’s Cross Country

Men’s Soccer

Women’s Soccer

Men’s Tennis

Women’s Track & Field

Men’s Track & Field

Women’s Volleyball

Men’s Volleyball

Admin Support/Manager

DWAYNE TUBBS

Indiana Tech Magazine

Health Leadership University expands programs to meet global health challenges

the world continues to navigate the coronavirus pandemic, the need for skilled and experienced leaders in a variety of health fields has only grown. Indiana Tech is helping meet this need through new and existing programs that help students pursue a wide range of health care careers. Starting in January 2022, the university will launch three new programs in global health leadership: a new master of science in global health leadership degree, a new concentration under its existing master of business administration degree and a new graduate certificate. The programs are designed to help organizational leaders in business, health care, the non-profit sector, government and more address wide-ranging global health challenges and opportunities. All three programs will be offered fully online. Students will learn about topics including global disease management, health care finance, global health leadership, decision-making for global health and more. Classes in the four-course global health leadership certificate program are also credit bearing; those who earn the certificate can transfer 12 full credit hours into the 30-credit master’s programs at Indiana Tech. The curricula for the new Indiana Tech global health leadership programs were developed through a collaboration between Indiana Tech’s College of Business, its Ph.D. in Global Leadership program and Sue Ehinger, executive leadership coach and former Parkview Health Chief Experience Officer and President of Parkview 20

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INTRODUCING THREE NEW PROGRAMS IN GLOBAL HEALTH LEADERSHIP

Master of Science in Global Health Leadership degree Health Leadership Concentration under the existing Master of Business Administration degree Global Health Leadership Graduate Certificate

Hospital & Affiliates. Collaborations like these, with industry experts and partner organizations, enable Indiana Tech to effectively tailor course and degree offerings to meet the needs of students and employers. Dr. Kate Watland, Indiana Tech’s vice president for academic affairs, notes, “Now more than ever, the need for leaders in global health has never been clearer or more critical. The coronavirus pandemic has only magnified the need for leaders who are prepared to create and implement strategies and solutions to a broad range of global health challenges. With our experience in global leadership programs, our extensive nonclinical health programs and our long history with technology and analytics, Indiana Tech is uniquely qualified to offer global health leadership programs like these.” Sue Ehinger, Indiana Tech executive-in-residence and global health program leader, agrees, saying,

“Meeting the health care challenges of today and tomorrow will take health care organizations, businesses, community members, non-profits and government agencies all working together. The new Indiana Tech programs are designed to develop that next generation of leaders who can work in collaboration to create more resilient, more responsive and more effective health systems in communities here at home and around the world.” As noted by Dr. Watland, the new global health leadership programs add to Indiana Tech’s wide range of programs in health professions. The university’s health information technology and health information management programs are accredited through the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM), while its health care administration and health care management programs are part of its College of Business, accredited by the

International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE). At the traditional undergraduate level on main campus, the university’s recently-introduced bachelor’s degree programs in biology and health science are also thriving. Students in these programs are preparing for careers in medicine, research, public health, medical technology, allied health fields, pharmaceuticals and more. These programs have continued to attract a high level of interest from prospective students interested in contributing to solving the challenges of today and tomorrow in health care and related fields. Learn more about Indiana Tech’s extensive program offerings in health care and other fields by visiting academics.indianatech.edu.

Indiana Tech Magazine

Ph. D. Immersion Weekend Twelve years ago, Indiana Tech launched the region’s first doctoral program, its Ph.D. in Global Leadership.

ince then, the program has produced 120 graduates who now serve as organizational and higher education leaders here and around the world. One of the advantages of the program is that it’s delivered online, a convenient feature for those all over the world who are interested in this growing field of study. What makes it really work for students, however, is immersion weekends— residencies that are held each fall and spring on the Fort Wayne campus. Students in the Ph.D. in Global Leadership program are required to participate in one immersion weekend per year. These events align with critical points in course progression to assure adequate progress is being made on development of research skills and critical analysis capabilities necessary to produce the dissertation. Residencies are structured to include seminars in current issues related to global leadership, lectures, guest speakers and opportunities for students to interact with faculty concerning development of their qualifying paper and dissertation. In addition to keynote presentations given by some of the sharpest minds in the field of global

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leadership, students are given opportunities to network in formal and informal settings, witness live dissertation defenses and attend workshops specialized in their current academic level and interest. “Any doctoral program is a major undertaking for postgraduate students,” said Dr. Joshua Long, acting director of Indiana Tech’s Ph.D. program. “The immersion weekends offer our doctoral students the opportunity to spend an intense period of time with their subject matter, focusing on emerging trends in research that face global leaders. This journey is not taken alone, but in conjunction with colleagues and faculty members.” Dr. Angie Fincannon, dean of the College of Business, added, “Spending three days on campus, meeting with their faculty and classmates, and engaging in an intensive weekend of sessions and activities, is one of the most impactful opportunities of our program,” she said. “Graduates reflect time and time again how their times at immersion shaped their research and their engagement.” The most recent immersion weekend, themed LEAD IT: Lessons from the Field, was Sept. 16 through 18; it focused on leadership lessons learned from experiences in various industries, countries and situations. The spring immersion weekend will be held April 7 through 9. Learn more about Indiana Tech’s Ph.D. in Global Leadership at phd.indianatech.edu

STUDENT PERSPECTIVES FROM THE FALL IMMERSION

Amanda Dubois-Mwake EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, FUTURE 5 Stamford, Connecticut I am currently done with my coursework and am about to start the qualifying paper phase. Immersion allowed me to meet with my chair, in person, and others who are currently in the QP and dissertation phase. I was also able to serve as a student ambassador, which hopefully helped those

who are new to the program. My favorite part of immersion is the opportunity we get to socialize and engage with faculty and fellow students. We learn just as much from the informal time with colleagues as we do from structured workshops.

Deirdre Hendersen BENEFITS AUTHORIZER, SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION Chicago, Illinois I have attended all but one immersion, whether in person or virtual, since 2018. Immersion weekends serve as a motivator for me. I love interaction with the faculty, staff and other students. The programming during immersion weekends and the breakout sessions are enriching and reinforce the course material. Immersion weekends allow participants to have

conversations with faculty and peers that assist with moving forward in the dissertation journey. During immersion there are numerous opportunities to learn about study skills, research methods and various software programs that can assist with research for the continuous enrollment courses.

Kumari Sherreitt GRANTS COORDINATOR, THE ARC OF ALACHUA COUNTY, INC. Gainesville, Florida I 100% believe my program was enriched and supported by the immersion weekend. As expected, it was meeting and networking with classmates and professors that really made it worthwhile. I knew from others telling me in class groups how important the immersion was for them to

hone in on their dissertation topic or find a chair for their dissertation. I wanted to be sure I took advantage of those resources while at immersion and found professors very open to speaking about my dissertation.

Ephraim Post CONTRACT OPERATIONS MANAGER, NTVI FED LLC Roswell, New Mexico In this online world, immersions add a good deal of value to this program. It develops a sense of community, which is essential, and falls right into a component of leadership, which is building trust. We must trust our professors and one another, and it is

difficult to do this unless we get to know each other. I left the weekend knowing I belonged in this program; that I can and shall complete this and enjoy it along the way.

Indiana Tech Magazine

Academic Roundup COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES

New DNA lab giving students invaluable forensics experience In August 2020, Indiana Tech took a big step in bolstering its forensic science degree program when it hired Dr. Alexander Sinelnikov as the program lead. The assistant professor of biology brought with him a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and Genetics from Notre Dame, more than 20 years of extensive experience working in the field and a comprehensive game plan for getting students the contemporary, hands-on experience they need. In September, thanks to Dr. Sinelnikov, Indiana Tech’s Forensic DNA Analysis Laboratory and classroom was realized. “This is up-to-date technology,” Dr. Sinelnikov said. “Our students are learning with the same tools that forensic data analysts are using in contemporary laboratories around the world.” The new learning environment contains: ↘ Independent workstations where DNA samples are extracted, purified and prepared for analysis ↘ Three machines—a thermal cycler, a quantitative polymerase chain reaction instrument and a genetic analyzer— which are integral to the analysis process ↘ Gene Mapper ID-X, a software that students use to interpret the data coming from the genetic analyzer This program enhancement will help students better prepare for a variety of laboratory-based and advanced forensic science opportunities,

Winter 2022

including law enforcement, corporate or industrial lab work; microbiology and geneticsbased diagnostics and discovery; biotechnology; and policy creation or public relations within government sectors. “The forensics laboratory has enhanced my learning experience by giving me the opportunity to do the laboratory work that a forensic scientist would do,” said biology major Nekeima Obike of Jacksonville, Florida. “In this class, I was able to extract unknown DNA from fabric and go through the process of profiling the DNA, which would help one identify its source. That is something I never thought I’d have the opportunity to do as an undergrad student, so I am grateful for the new forensics lab.” For Sydney Williams of Wauconda, Illinois, the new lab is preparing her to be a forensic analyst in a field that has intrigued her since sixth grade. “This equipment is helping me develop techniques that I will be using when I further my career in

this field,” Sydney said. “I chose this career path because sixth-grade me found something that she was good at in science class—working with DNA. From there, I fell in love with science and criminal justice, which led me down the path of forensic science and brought the two things I loved into one. I also knew I wanted a field that would help people. I can do that here without being directly connected with the victims’ families.” In addition to laboratory courses, these instruments and software will be used by students for research projects during their junior and senior years. This part of the program will provide students with opportunities to present results of their research at regional and national scientific conferences. Technology and protocols related to DNA analysis continue to advance at a rapid pace. As such, Dr. Sinelnikov continues to seek collaborations with regional and national partners to ensure our students are able to take advantage of this ongoing progress.

Adjunct Cohn is Indiana’s top sportswriter Indiana Tech adjunct professor and longtime sportswriter for the Journal Gazette, Justin Cohn, was named the Corky Lamm Sportswriter of the Year by the Indiana Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association in September. Cohn has been with the Fort Wayne daily newspaper since 1997. He is best known for his coverage of the city’s professional hockey team, the Fort Wayne Komets, who have won five league championships during his time on the beat.

Indiana Tech chosen to host an Indiana High Tech Crime Unit Indiana Tech’s Center for Criminal Justice has been identified by the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council (IPAC) as a site for one of the state’s 10 High Tech Crime Units, which will be established and available to assist all of Indiana’s prosecutors with the processing of digital evidence. Thanks to legislation enacted during Indiana’s 2021 legislative session, IPAC will fund the High Tech Crime Units, which are geographically located throughout the state to cover all 92 counties. Through these partnerships with local universities, prosecutors’ offices will work hand in hand with local law enforcement and college students to analyze and process digital evidence. The result will be faster turnaround for investigations and more thorough investigations, leading to more just outcomes. Dr. Alexander Sinelnikov Forensic Science Program Lead

“Indiana Tech’s criminal justice and cybersecurity programs have built strong reputations within the state, so we are extremely proud and grateful to be selected for this initiative. Our students will work closely with the Allen County Prosecutors Office to get real-world experience in investigation and evidence collection—experience that will be invaluable when it comes time to enter the workforce,” said Dominic Lombardo, director of Indiana Tech’s Center for Criminal Justice. “We appreciate the confidence shown in us by the

Allen County Prosecutor’s Office and the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council.” In the coming months, Indiana Tech’s site will be equipped with necessary staff, hardware and software to make it fully operational in early 2022. At that point, the counties of Allen, Adams, DeKalb, Huntington, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben, Wells and Whitley, and their prosecutors’ offices, will have access to state-of-the-art technology that they previously lacked.

Dominic Lombardo DIRECTOR OF INDIANA TECH’S CENTER FOR CRIMINAL JUSTICE

“This is quite an honor for Indiana Tech and a testament to the hard work Professor Lombardo has done to develop a top-notch criminal justice program at our university,” said university president, Dr. Karl W. Einolf. “The learning opportunities for our students and the benefit to the region will be outstanding.” Other universities selected to host High Tech Crime Units include the University of Notre Dame, Indiana University, Purdue University, Ball State University and Indiana State University.

Indiana Tech Magazine

Academic Roundup COLLEGE OF BUSINESS To reinforce learning and networking experiences outside of his classroom, Dr. Jeff Walls, professor of business, has taken a group of Indiana Tech students to the Society for Human Resource Management national conference each year since 1993. This year’s conference was in Las Vegas from Sept. 8 through 12. This year’s group included (left to right): Brittany

Dyer earns prestigious honor from the NAIA Craig Dyer, associate professor of sport management and Indiana Tech’s faculty athletics representative (FAR), was awarded the 2020-21 NAIA Faculty Athletics Representative of the Year in September. Named in honor of past vice president of NAIA Legislative Services and NAIA Hall of Famer, Wally Schwartz, this award recognizes a faculty athletics representative who exemplifies the loyalty, enthusiasm and honesty that Mr. Schwartz showed on behalf of the NAIA. Craig Dyer

Professor Dyer has been at Indiana Tech since 2004 and has served as the university’s FAR since 2007, working with student-athletes, coaches, staff members and administrators on rules education, eligibility appeals and eligibility certification.

Dr. Fincannon named dean of the College of Business After guiding Indiana Tech’s Ph.D. in Global Leadership for nearly three years, Dr. Angie Fincannon has been chosen as dean of the College of Business, filling the void left when Dr. Kathleen Hanold Watland became the university’s Vice President for Academic Affairs in July.

Dr. Angie Fincannon

While with the Ph.D. program, Dr. Fincannon led many successful initiatives, including revitalizing the curriculum and launching the Ph.D. Pathways program and writing workshops for Ph.D. students. She has more than 25 years of experience in higher education, having previously served in faculty, academic and administrative leadership roles at Taylor University and Purdue Fort Wayne.

Winter 2022

McMichael, Drennan Sorrell, DeAnna Kimbrell, LaToya Price, Tammy Carey, Jill Lewis, Cassandra Crickard, Dr. Walls, Emrah Catic, Anel Rizvic, Kim Siercks, Emma Tuominen, Hadley Hopkins, Sam Reagin, Dillon McArthur and Anthony McMichael.

Tech students integral to the debut of the Fort Wayne Football Club When professional soccer made its return to Fort Wayne this past spring, Indiana Tech played a significant role—both on and off the pitch. Five Warriors—Max Amoako, Pep Casas, Noe Garcia, Will Harris and Luke Jones—made the Fort Wayne Football Club (FWFC) roster for its first USL League Two season and accounted for eight of the club’s 14 goals during its 14-game season. Garcia, an exercise science major from Puerto de la Cruz, Canary Islands, scored the first goal in franchise history in a 2-1 May 23 home loss to Toledo Villa FC, and led the team with five tallies on the year. Equally as important was the work done by Indiana Tech students off the field. Eight additional Warriors—Hope Baker, Danielle Blagojevic, Dan Dill, Jack Koshko, Rene Sanchez,

primarily for social media. Having that kind of stage to showcase his work taught him so much about the creative process and the interpersonal work that goes into the finished product.

Chloe Smithley, Israel Vaides and Stephanie Vargovich—provided invaluable service to the first-year club while gaining precious careerrelated experience in internship roles. “I believe the Indiana Tech student partnership with Fort Wayne FC was the most beneficial relationship to the organization. It helped us be more connected to the community, and being able to provide meaningful experiences for these sport management students was mutually amazing,” said Anna Magner, who was FWFC’s director of marketing during the team’s first year. Indiana Tech’s relationship with FWFC started after Dr. Shane Fudge, Indiana Tech assistant professor of sport management, reached out to the team early in 2021 to inquire about partnership opportunities. From there, internship roles began evolving for our students. “Game day operations were crucial tasks students performed, but they did much more than that to help our club thrive,” Magner said. “Those additional experiences included researching other clubs in the league, and performing team operations such as ticketing, community outreach, social media

marketing, customer service and merchandising and inventory.” For Dill, of Springfield, Tennessee, this internship was a valuable experience. “In my position, overall game day operations management, I was tasked with a different objective for each game so I could get experience working all pieces of the game day puzzle. Throughout the season I set up tents, sold and scanned tickets, operated opening-ceremony machinery, set up field equipment, and I was included in team marketing and promotional meetings,” Dill said. “I know that my work was appreciated because I was often tasked with more work on top of just being there for game day.” Baker, of Fort Wayne, agreed. “I was a part of the beginning of a sports organization, an experience most people don’t get to be a part of,” she said. “I dedicated my time and energy into everything I did, and everyone’s hard work and effort is what helped make the first season so successful.” FWFC reached out to Vaides to capture photography and video, and create digital content,

“I had to focus on all different aspects of marketing when I created for them—What do the fans want to see? Will this be enjoyable? Is this good for FWFC’s image? Am I conveying my message clearly? I had to keep asking myself all these different questions to make sure I was releasing the best work possible to the organization,” Vaides said. “Without the students, I don’t know how we would’ve gotten through game day operations. They made the season more enjoyable and possible,” Magner said. “They were on time, confident and always willing to learn more. They asked the right questions and weren’t afraid to try something new. I think they walked away from the experience with a lot of new knowledge.” After the end of the season, FWFC underwent some organizational changes that will affect the club’s day-to-day operations for its second season. Professor Fudge is working with the club to continue this successful relationship. “These are the types of real-world learning experiences we are looking to provide for our students every year. These are the types of experiences that tie all of the classroom learning together and make it click,” Fudge said. “It’s a win-win for our students and for our partner organizations.” Indiana Tech Magazine

Academic Roundup

Dusseau receives award from SME

TALWAR COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND COMPUTER SCIENCES

Dr. Steve Dusseau, professor of industrial and manufacturing engineering, was chosen in October as one of five university professors in the nation to receive the Society of Manufacturing Engineers’ 2021 Distinguished Faculty Advisor Award. Established in 2011, the award is presented to SME student chapter faculty advisors to recognize their continued oversight and engagement efforts advocating for students and the manufacturing industry. Faculty advisors share their expertise to integrate real-world design projects into their classrooms, offer on-site research lab experience, sponsor attendance at industry conferences and co-author scientific papers published in peer-reviewed journals and professional conferences. “Professor Dusseau is always looking to provide his students with enhanced learning opportunities that reinforce what they are learning in their books,” said Dr. Ying Shang, dean of the College of Engineering. “This is a well-deserved recognition for Steve and we are very proud of him.”

Cybersecurity major recaps prestigious internship opportunity In the spring issue of Indiana Tech Magazine, we introduced cybersecurity major, Param Mehta, and told you about the prestigious summer internship he earned from the Army Cyber Institute at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. This eight-week course was designed to give interns real-world experience in futuristic cyber research as it relates to the security of the nation. Fresh back from his internship, Param, who is also a member of the U.S. Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), sat with Indiana Tech Magazine to share his experience. ITM: Where do you hope your cybersecurity degree and this internship experience will take you? PM: I want to be a part of the Army’s Cyber Command* as my long-term career because I have

Winter 2022

always wanted to serve my country while doing what I love best, cybersecurity! ITM: How much closer are you to achieving this goal as a result of your internship? PM: I feel I am a stronger and more competitive candidate in contrast to my peers. During my internship, I was able to quickly learn and adapt to different programming languages and cyberrelated soft skills. These skills and experiences are helping me pursue independent research for my senior project on malware family analysis.

project, I learned how different types of programming languages (C++, Python, Rust, etc.) can be used to develop a robust tool that will detect a malware’s behavior within the operating system. I also researched different types of malware families to understand how they function and behave with Windows processes and system calls. This research helps with developing malware attribution rules for the API-analyzer to efficiently detect and flag instances of specific malware families. My senior project is an extension of the research and work I was doing during my internship.

*Launched in 2014, the U.S. Army Cyber Command integrates and conducts fullITM: Give a brief recap of your internship spectrum cyberspace operations, electronic experience. warfare and information operations, insuring freedom of action for friendly forces in and PM: I worked alongside a cyber officer/cyber through the cyber domain and the information researcher as a cyber research intern to study and environment, while denying the same to develop an API-analyzer to attribute and detect our adversaries. Positions within the Cyber Command are very competitive. various types of malware families. While on this

’72 grad organizes donation to EE program Al Hernandez’s Indiana Tech education served as his launching pad toward a successful career in the world of the electrical power grid. In August, the 1972 electrical engineering graduate was back on campus, giving back to a university and an industry that helped him achieve a great level of success. Hernandez, the founder and current minority owner of Powerserve Technologies of Jupiter, Florida, and his wife, Linda, orchestrated a donation of two electrical relays from Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) of Pullman, Washington. He and SEL application engineer, Jon Larson, traveled to Fort Wayne in August to make the donation to the university’s electrical engineering program and to train program lead, Professor Zakariya Al-Hamouz, how to use the equipment. “I thank Powerserve Technologies and Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories for this generous donation to our university,” said Dr. Ying Shang, dean of the College of Engineering and School of Computer Sciences. “Our students will be able to use this equipment to gain hands-on experience that will make them more marketable in the power systems and automation job market.” According to Hernandez and Larson, they wanted the donated relays to match up with what protection and control engineers would see in a real energized substation control house. With them, students will be able to perform complex protection and control work on a live system and in accordance with industry standards. “My hope is that Indiana Tech will be able to get some recruiting benefit out of this donation,”

Dr. Su is the 2021 Leepoxy Award winner

Al Hernandez, right, stands with Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories engineer, Jon Larson, during their visit to Indiana Tech in August.

Hernandez said. “If the university creates a lab with this equipment, that would give students a very unique learning experience, especially at the undergraduate level. Then any engineer who takes the lab and likes the work will find there are vast opportunities out there because there is a national shortage of these types of engineers. It benefits Indiana Tech and the whole electric power industry and, hopefully, some engineers for Powerserve Technologies.” Hernandez has been a part of the electric power industry since leaving Indiana Tech. After graduating, the Miami native moved back south to join Florida Power and Light, where he worked until 1995 when he was downsized from his position of manager of substation engineering. Then, Hernandez founded Powerserve Technologies, a subcontractor that provides engineering, construction and testing services for an array of utility and industrial clients. Florida Power and Light is Powerserve’s top customer.

Recently, Hernandez sold a majority of the company to key employees, including his son, with provisions that will make sure the company will always be employee-owned. He still goes into the office to help out with some engineering work and special projects. But now he spends more time playing tennis and enjoying cruises with his wife. “My wife and I have endured some very tough times, but I think that because we always tried to do the right thing we were greatly blessed in the end,” Hernandez said. He added, “I was fortunate to choose Indiana Tech. Its small classroom learning environment helped me earn my electrical engineering degree and obtain the knowledge to pass the PE (Principles and Practice of Engineering) exam. That provided me with opportunities for advancement and increased responsibility. Today, I see an outstanding college campus with the same small classroom environment, but with greater opportunities for students.”

Assistant professor of mathematics, Dr. Yun (Suky) Su, was awarded the 2021 Leepoxy Award for Teaching Innovation in September. This award was established in 2008 by community supporter and owner of Leepoxy Plastics, Larry Lee. It is given annually to a full-time faculty member who challenges students to continually progress to higher levels of thinking, engages students in active learning activities and connects to students in innovative ways to positively impact their experiences at Indiana Tech.

“Suky’s contributions to our university are amazing, and I am so happy for her,” said Indiana Tech’s Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Kate Watland. “She is a beloved professor, a wonderful colleague and a true team player whom this university and its students can always count on for excellence.”

Skating for Long-Term Success BY JUSTIN A . COHN

Winter 2022

New Warriors women’s hockey team led by experienced coach, grad student, 18 freshmen

Brooklynn Moore

Jaclyn Van Schubert

Dakota Bowler

Izzy Pettem-Shand

Megan Yakiwchuk

Team Captain

Defense / Alternate Captain

Forward / Alternate Captain

High scorer

inding talented hockey players is one thing. Getting a team to jell together—on and off the ice — to build a foundation for years of success, that’s quite a bigger task altogether. The Indiana Tech women’s hockey team, early in its inaugural season, has so far found the balance of winning games and creating a culture that could make it a national power.

“... it’s really satisfying and rewarding to see all that hard work starting to pay off even as early as it has been.”

“I think it’s been us spending a lot of time together,” said Brooklynn Moore, the captain and eldest player on an exceptionally young squad. “A lot of the girls not only live together in the dorms, but they also just genuinely get along. So I think a lot of the time we put into hanging out with each other and getting to know one another, it’s really helped us both on and off the ice.”

The Warriors were 12-4-1 through Dec. 11, a sterling start for a roster of 19 players that includes—wait for it—18 freshmen. “‘Surprising’ may not be the right word to describe (our start). ‘Satisfying’ would be a better word,” head coach Scott Hicks said. “You put in all the work during the last 18 months to recruit, build from scratch and put everything together. To see it come together like this with these kids, and to see the effort that they’re putting in, it’s really satisfying and rewarding to see all that hard work starting to pay off even as early as it has been.”

Hicks, 37, had been in the position of building a new hockey program before, having led Miami (Ohio) from 2010 to 2020 with a 155-66-19 record that included national championships in the American Collegiate Athletic Association in 2014, 2016 and 2017. He was ACHA’s Coach of the Year twice. In 2020, Indiana Tech’s men’s hockey coach, Frank DiCristofaro, phoned Hicks, a longtime friend from their days playing against one another, to ask if Hicks had any suggestions for potential coaches for a soon-to-be announced women’s team at Tech. With the COVID-19 pandemic affecting funding at Miami, Hicks expressed his interest in the job, to the surprise of the folks at Indiana Tech. “Sometimes things work themselves out in a way you don’t expect,” Hicks said. “The more I learned from conversations with (DiCristofaro, former athletics director Debbie Warren and current AD Jessie Biggs), and through my own research, Indiana Tech just checked all the boxes that I would need to move on, in terms of the support from the university, the facilities, the budgeting. I saw it as an opportunity to move on and advance my career, rather than be stagnant, and I think it was a good move for me.” Hicks’ plan included bringing in talented young players so the Warriors could grow their roster and excel in the future. Freshman recruits were tantalized by the knowledge that they could immediately play, and Hicks has left some open slots so he can recruit to “fill in the gaps” without having to cut anyone in the coming years.

Indiana Tech Magazine

Winter 2022

Moore, a stay-at-home defenseman from Valencia, California, came to Indiana Tech as a graduate student in business management with two years of remaining athletics eligibility.

“My word means a lot and I don’t want to bring a kid from Calgary, Alberta, and cut her after a year. I don’t think that’s right,” said Hicks, who graduated from Northern Kentucky in 2008 with a degree in liberal arts. “So I had my plan, ‘This is what we’re going to stick with.’ And it gives us the flexibility to keep these kids and continue to work with them, grow, build and move our program forward.” But Hicks, whose assistant coaches are Jessie Rushing and Nicole Cato, knew he needed a veteran in the locker room to hold it all together. Enter Moore, who had played for him at Miami and thought her playing days were over after the pandemic ended the 2019-20 season prematurely and led to no 2020-21 campaign for the RedHawks. Moore was completing her sports management degree at Miami, with designs on getting into coaching, when Hicks convinced her to check out the facilities and graduate programs at Indiana Tech with the hope she’d be willing to play for the Warriors. “I knew she was somebody I could count on and could trust,” Hicks said. “She’s somebody who has been through a lot in her life, in terms of playing in a bunch of different places and being away from home, more importantly. I knew the value that experience would have on these 18 freshmen would be huge… She was hesitant until she got up here and saw everything that we had and were able to do.”

“The hockey knowledge is there,” Moore said. “The challenge has been breaking habits. Maturity is definitely our biggest challenge, however, I think they’re starting to realize real quick that they all have to come together to make this happen, myself included. So I think it’s just making them take a step back and think, ‘OK, this is probably not how we should go about things on and off the ice.’ It’s breaking old habits, that’s probably my biggest challenge with them.”

“I’ve tried to keep (the players) humble. I’ve been telling them, ‘Listen, wins and losses don’t matter. It’s about establishing our culture. It’s about putting all the foundation pieces in place...’”

“I think our biggest thing is just really putting Indiana Tech on the map in the ACHA in the female side of things. The men’s program has done a great job of building theirs over the last couple of years, so we just really wanted to carry that into the women’s side of things,” she said. “We really just talked about making sure that we’re known out there in the league and making a good rep for ourselves, a good name for ourselves.” The Warriors’ alternate captains are defenseman Jaclyn Van Schubert from Barrie, Ontario, and forward Dakota Bowler of Weyburn, Saskatchewan. The early leading scorers were Megan Yakiwchuk, from Airdrie, Alberta, who had four goals and eight points in seven games, and Isobel Pettem-Shand from Calgary, who had three goals and eight points. Goaltender Izzy Varner, who hails from Montrose, Minnesota, had played all seven games and owned a 1.43 goals-against average with a .932 save percentage. With such a young team, there have been some growing pains and moments when Hicks and Moore, 21, have looked at one another, as if to say, “What have we gotten ourselves into here?” Some of the freshmen hadn’t experienced highlevel instruction before and the learning curve in women’s college hockey—which, unlike the men’s game, doesn’t have checking — can be steep. Occasionally, Moore admitted, she must take a breath and recall what it was like for her when she was 17 or 18 years old and finding her way in college hockey, then use those memories to guide the young Warriors.

The Warriors’ early success has the team hoping for things it didn’t think possible when practice first started Sept. 1—a trip to the national tournament now seems attainable — but wins and losses won’t change the ultimate goal: Setting up Indiana Tech for long-term success. “I’ve tried to keep (the players) humble,” Hicks said. “I’ve been telling them, ‘Listen, wins and losses don’t matter. It’s about establishing our culture. It’s about putting all the foundation pieces in place, so that in Years 2, 3 and 4, we take those leaps.’ And they’ve bought into that and I think our culture and the chemistry they’ve all had together is part of the reason we’ve been successful.” The early season feats included victories over Miami, 4-1 at the SportONE/Parkview Icehouse on Oct. 8 and 2-1 at Oxford, Ohio, on Oct. 9, which Hicks termed “bittersweet.” The Warriors, whose regular season runs through Feb. 19, stress team play over individual success. Considering their first 25 goals were scored by 12 different players, it seems to be paying off. “I think we’re working on being a really fluid team,” Moore said. “We like to move the puck a lot, so instead of being a lot of individuals, we try to get everyone involved.”

Indiana Tech Magazine

ATHLETICS ROUNDUP

2021

Ground is broken for Indiana Tech’s new indoor track and field facility Members of the Indiana Tech community —including alumni, members of its board of trustees, faculty, staff and students—joined local dignitaries at Warrior Park on Thursday, Oct. 28, to celebrate the beginning of the Doug Edgar Indoor Track project.

Warriors as an assistant coach in 2008, and was promoted to head coach in 2010. In the years since, Indiana Tech has won 14 NAIA national championships in indoor and outdoor track and field, across men’s and women’s competitions. He has been named the NAIA coach of the year 11 times, and under his leadership the track and field programs earned three consecutive NAIA Program of the Year honors from the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, from 2015-16 to 2017-18.

The groundbreaking came roughly five months after it was announced Indiana Tech had received a $4 million donation from an anonymous donor to build the facility. In September, the university revealed the facility would be named—at the suggestion of the donor—after its men’s and women’s track and field coach, Doug Edgar.

The facility will include a six-lane competition track installed by Beynon Sports, an industry leading manufacturer of track and field/athletic surfaces. The interior of the track will have a turf surface, which will allow other athletic teams to utilize the space. The facility is expected to be complete in time for the indoor track and field season starting in the late fall of 2022.

Under Edgar’s leadership, Indiana Tech has become one of the nation’s top track and field programs. He started with the

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22 teams, 177 student-athletes garner NAIA Scholar Awards The Indiana Tech Department of Athletics was recognized for an outstanding 2020-21 academic year during the NAIA’s National Awards Day in September. A record 177 student-athletes earned NAIA ScholarAthlete honors, with 21 programs having at least one Scholar-Athlete. The Warriors had 22 teams garner NAIA Scholar-Team status, just one under the program best that was set for the 2019-20 year. The women’s volleyball team had the highest varsity team grade point average with a 3.67.

Warriors earn NAIA CoC recognition Indiana Tech was recognized in July as an NAIA Champions of Character Five-Star Institution Award winner and earned Gold Level status with a perfect score. Tech recorded 100 points on the NAIA CoC scorecard, which measures institutions on their demonstrated commitment to the Champions of Character program. Points are awarded in character training, conduct in competition, academic focus, character recognition and character promotion. Indiana Tech was one of 16 universities to earn a perfect score for the 2020-21 program. The Warriors were one of 58 schools to earn Gold Level status and have now reached the Gold level mark for five consecutive years.

Scan the QR code to see a list of winners (or visit ind.tc/kkg).

Lipocky, Bokhart earn their 100th coaching wins at Tech Indiana Tech women’s soccer coach Jim Lipocky earned his 100th victory at the university and 133rd of his career when the Warriors won their season opener, 6-0, against Indiana University Northwest. Eighteen days later, interim men’s soccer coach, David Bokhart, notched his 100th coaching win at Tech as the Warriors beat Huntington University, 2-0.

Bokhart Indiana Tech Magazine

PATH OF A WARRIOR From the Desk of Kristi Jarmus, Director of Alumni Relations

HELPING TO SHAPE THE FUTURE Time is passing far too quickly. When I started as director of alumni relations in January, Homecoming 2021 seemed so very far away and then—poof—in the blink of an eye, it is a memory. What a wonderful weekend it was, meeting, and greeting our alumni at various events. Thank you to all who traveled from near and far to attend Homecoming 2021, and congratulations to our reunion attendees and our alumni honorees. Finally, a big thank you to all who helped to make the weekend a success. Here are a few things that have stuck with me after my first homecoming at Indiana Tech:

SAVE THE DATE:

Homecoming 2022 Sept. 30 to Oct. 2, 2022

I really, really enjoy my job. The best part of it is meeting alumni and hearing stories about their wonderful experiences at Indiana Tech. The opportunities to meet and share with new people grew exponentially during homecoming. It was a great weekend and I hope you can join us next year! Save the date now, Sept. 30 to Oct. 2, 2022. I cannot wait for the Zollner Engineering Center expansion and renovation project to be completed. I’ve been eagerly awaiting the completion of this beautiful addition to our campus since construction began, just south of my office, in midsummer. My anticipation grew after seeing how much excitement this project generated during homecoming tours of campus. The Zollner building is such an important piece of our university’s history and alumni are ecstatic about the innovative and inspiring learning environment it will become. Learn more about the project at indianatech.edu/zollner or reach out to me if you would like to support it. Women’s hockey looks good at Indiana Tech. Being born in Winnipeg, I was excited when men’s hockey became a sport at Indiana Tech. Now that we field a women’s team, it’s double the fun. It was

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great to see our program win its very first home game during homecoming. If the success of our men’s program is any indicator, I see a bright future in store for our women Warriors. Our sports teams are excellent, period. That, too, hit me during homecoming when our was awarded the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Commissioner’s Cup for having the winningest program in the WHAC during the 2020-21 academic year. What’s really cool is that you can follow our teams and watch many of their competitions at indianatechwarriors.com. I am already looking forward to next year! Speaking of which, we will be looking for reunion class captains from 1962, 1972, 1982 and 1997. If you are interested in serving in this capacity, please contact me. What is coming up next in the world of alumni relations? The next alumni association online meetup will be held on Jan. 26. Alumni with graduate-level degrees are invited to attend. If you are interested, please contact me for the Zoom link. Also, watch for a short survey that will be sent out in February to all alumni to gather feedback on a few key areas of alumni engagement. Finally, I am extremely excited to announce that we are partnering with an organization that will help us capture and share your stories through our Alumni Oral History Project. More information will come in spring of 2022. I wish you health, happiness, joy and prosperity in the new year! Best always, Kristi

ALUMNI NOTES Do you have an update you’d like to share with your Warrior Nation? Perhaps you have a new position or earned yourself a promotion, maybe you tied the knot or your family is growing, or even built something that’s changed the world in some small (or not-so-small) ways. We’d like to hear about it! Send your stories or questions to Matt Brown at alumni@indianatech.edu. We love to brag about our alumni! DUSTIN MCDOWELL, B.S. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 2020

CHARMAINE (COCKERHAM) QUINN, B.S. COMPUTER INFORMATION SYSTEMS, 2002

A special education teacher with Peru Community Schools, Dustin earned a master’s degree in special education from the University of Saint Francis in August.

Charmaine, a senior project program manager at AT&T, earned an M.S. in Information Technology from Purdue University.

ALLY ZENDA, B.S. PRE-LAW, 2021

ROBERT GABBARD JR., B.S. HUMAN SERVICES, 2013

Ally has been accepted into the University of Toledo College of Law.

Robert earned an M.A. in Human Services Counseling from Liberty University.

NICHOLAS MASTEJ, B.S. NETWORK ENGINEERING, 2017

ROBERT BROCKERS, A.S. GENERAL STUDIES, B.S. ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP, 2017

Nicholas joined the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) as a summer associate in the Information Technology Directorate at IDA’s Alexandria, Virginia, headquarters.

Robert became regional manager of field operations for Charter Communications in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

AMANDA DICKS, B.S. BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING, 2016

Dustin McDowell

Tanya Wood

Ally Zenda

Robert Brockers

Nicholas Mastej

Drew Martin

Amanda Dicks

Dana Howard

DREW MARTIN, MBA, 2017 Drew was hired by Premier Bank as vice president of commercial lending in September.

Amanda was honored as the Project Manager of the Year for 2020 by the BALSA Group. She recently received her Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis after defending her thesis, “Human iPSC Tissue-Engineered Cartilage for Disease Modeling of Skeletal Dysplasia-Causing TRPV4 Mutations.”

Raymond was promoted to the rank of First Sergeant in September by the Indiana State Police and will be assistant commander of the information technology section.

TANYA WOOD, B.S. BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, 2021

DANA HOWARD, B.S. BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, 2020

Tanya Wood has been promoted to senior transportation analyst for CTB, Inc. of Milford, Indiana.

Dana was named branch manager of Centier Bank’s Carmel location in August.

RAYMOND E. BENN III, CERTIFICATE IN ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP

Keep us connected! Your stories are what make Indiana Tech proud—and we want to hear from you! Share your successes, update your information, learn about the Alumni Association and find ways to connect with your peers, friends and faculty members on our website at Alumni.IndianaTech.edu. You can also email your updates to Alumni@IndianaTech.edu. Indiana Tech Alumni Group

@IndianaTechAlum

Indiana Institute of Technology Indiana Tech Magazine

PATH OF A WARRIOR Alumni Spotlight

Russel and his wife, Janice, stand next to an oil pipeline in Fairbanks, Alaska. Russel helped the company that installed the pipeline determine how it should be insulated to properly function during cold Alaskan winters.

FROM SOYBEANS TO THE STARS BY J U S T I N A . CO H N

Russel Rhodes, who grew up on an Indiana farm never having seen an airplane in flight, was embroiled in a bit of a disagreement with some of the world’s greatest minds when it came to aeronautics. His Indiana Tech education in tow, Rhodes was at Cape Canaveral, Florida, as part of the NASA group attempting to launch a Saturn I rocket, when a liquid oxygen fill-and-drain valve did not register as being closed, leading to an initial decision to abandon the early 1960s launch.

hodes spoke up, famed aerospace engineer Wernher von Braun listened and took Rhodes’ advice, and the launch was saved. “They called a scrub and I said, ‘I don’t know why you’re scrubbing.’ It wasn’t just a few seconds and von Braun was standing in front of me wanting to hear my proposals,” Rhodes, 85, recalled. “So I said, ‘Well, here’s what I propose to do.’ All my associates were standing around and they were shaking in their boots. They said, ‘You’re going to blow this.’ I told them I knew what I was doing.” Rhodes’ workaround included setting up a manual component panel to match the automatic configurations of the time, saving the launch. It was just one great moment from a career with NASA that spanned 52 years—though he’s still active in some roles, such as with the Space Propulsion Synergy Team that promotes better communication between technology users and developers in the industry. Not bad for a guy from Tippecanoe High School, who had grown up working in the fields and milking cows after school, then graduated 38

Winter 2022

from Indiana Tech with a B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering in 1958. “The most amazing thing, and the gratifying aspect of Indiana Tech, was that (before) I went there I didn’t have any money. My father had allowed me to plant 20 acres of soybeans and … he told me whatever you make off that you can have to start your schooling,” Rhodes said. “I made $600 to start. It doesn’t sound like much today, but it was pretty good for a start. However, I had to find work right away (when I started school) and I found that was pretty difficult, even in an industrial town like Fort Wayne. Then I heard an announcement over the PA one day that they wanted students for part-time work.” Rhodes worked in the research and development lab and, through various opportunities given to him as an Indiana Tech student, began getting equal parts classroom and real-world experience in Fort Wayne. Among his duties were testing magnet wire equipment for local companies, maintaining the Allen County Courthouse clock and repairing equipment for the electrical engineering department. “The memorable aspect was all the experience I got from all the jobs they gave me there, and the process was highly valuable,” Rhodes said. “I learned more from that than I would have just from classwork. So, it couldn’t have been more ideal.” All the while, he knew he wanted to get into aeronautics. “I don’t know why. Growing up on a farm, I’d never seen an airplane,” he said. “But I had it fixated in my mind that I wanted to work with airplanes, I wanted to be an airplane designer,

so that’s why I chose aeronautical engineering. People would say, ‘Why did you pick that one? It’s a tough one.’ I said, ‘I don’t worry about whether it’s tough or not, that’s the one I want.’” After graduating from Indiana Tech, Rhodes found it difficult to get a job because employers knew he was likely to be drafted soon. He indeed went into the Army, which assigned him to the Ballistic Missile Agency in Huntsville, Alabama, and connected him with people who would eventually want him for NASA—where he would work even after his military commitment was fulfilled. Along the way he met his wife Janice—Russel was working at Fairchild Stratus in Hagerstown, Maryland, on a classified Army program, and Janice was a schoolteacher— “Growing up on a and they went on to have six farm, I’d never seen kids and 15 grandchildren. They now live in Indian Harbour an airplane, but I Beach, Florida.

had it fixated in my mind that I wanted to be an airplane designer... so that’s why I chose aeronautical engineering. People would say, ‘Why did you pick that one? It’s a tough one.’ I said, ‘I don’t worry about whether it’s tough or not, that’s the one I want.’ ”

Russel Rhodes’ career of design, development and operation of transportation systems took him to well-known projects such as the Space Shuttle and Skylab programs.

On the shuttle, for example, Rhodes said: “One of the things we had to manage was 58 propellant fluids on that vehicle and 28 of them would have to be serviced every launch. And that doesn’t mean 28 locations, that means 28 different types and multiple locations for several of them. … And in the meantime you had to come up with designs to safely load that stuff. I had to be pretty forceful and impose design restrictions on the vehicle such that we could safely handle it.” Indiana Tech has had many connections to the space program—when the Saturn V was launched, Rhodes said, there were three people from his aeronautical class participating—and he’s proud of the accomplishments the U.S. has made in reaching for the stars. “I listened to all those people who had told me how crazy I was and that we’d never go to the moon and that it was just pie-in-the-sky,” Rhodes said. “The day we launched that mission (to the moon in 1969), Apollo 11, I took the family and we flew to Chicago and I said, ‘I want to be in my home area where I grew up and see the reaction of these guys who’d told me how stupid I was.’” Indiana Tech Magazine

PATH OF A WARRIOR Making a Difference INTRODUCING THE FREDERICK J. BENN III AND KATHY L. BENN SCHOLARSHIP

LIGHTING FIRES OF AMBITION BY J U S T I N A . CO H N

As president of Advanced Automatic Sprinkler, Inc., which specializes in the design and installation of residential fire sprinkler systems, Fred Benn cares deeply about making people safer. It just so happens to make financial sense, too.

“If

you look at it from a homeowner’s point of view, if you buy a house with fire sprinklers in it, it’s going to cost you less to live in that house than the same house without fire sprinklers because the insurance company likes them so much that they’re going to take half the cost of the fire insurance off your homeowner’s (policy),” Benn said. Benn’s career has been one of innovation and safety initiatives, the kind of thinking he helped hone at Indiana Tech, where he graduated in 1970 with a degree in mechanical engineering— unaware that it would take him into an industry where he could help design technology used by NASA and nuclear power plants and to make average people’s homes better. With the creation of the Frederick J. Benn III and Kathy L. Benn Scholarship, which will provide for a student’s fouryear education, Fred Benn hopes future Tech students can be empowered to find their own paths to innovation and altruism. “I just thought that when this whole thing started it would be good to find somebody who’s deserving and needs some help, to put them through college and help them do something with their life and hopefully do something good for humanity,” said the 74-year-old Benn. Benn, who came to Indiana Tech from Massachusetts, was working for General Motors through a summer training program while studying in Fort Wayne. He assumed that

Winter 2022

after graduation he’d be set for a career in the automotive industry, but he wound up a victim of downsizing.

Frederick J. Benn, c. 1970 BSME Degree Program

Receiving the Russell P. Fleming Technical Service Award, the highest technical honor of the National Fire Sprinkler Association, in 2019

To learn about scholarships available to Indiana Tech students, visit: ↘ giving.indianatech.edu/funds/ scholarships ↘ financialservices.indianatech.edu/ scholarships

can sell that house for $100,000 whether it has sprinklers or not, so it’s just a cost they didn’t want to do and it kind of became a lightning-rod situation for them that they were fighting.”

“One summer, I was in the tool engineering department. The next summer, I became Flashover, when a room gets so hot that production line foreman at the Cleveland everything is set ablaze at once, is something automotive plant and on the line with UAW Benn talks about when it comes to safety, workers,” Benn said. “Here I am, a 20-yearespecially with modern materials difficult old snot-nosed kid, and I got grievances to suppress. for the color of my tie or by telling “Flashover now “I just thought that somebody they had a phone call, happens before the and they weren’t happy with when this whole fire department gets somebody like me.” to the scene. So anyone thing started it His Tech degree helped him land at that’s in the house is would be good to Automatic Sprinkler Corporation dead before the fire of America, which took him around department can get find somebody who’s the world on various engineering there. You’re talking deserving and needs projects, such as the space shuttle 3,000 to 4,000 people launch facility at Cape Kennedy. per year die in home some help to put them To illustrate the complexity of fires,” Benn said. “And through college and those tasks, Benn said to imagine there’s an answer for a fire and how you can smother it it. You get sprinklers help them do in 35 milliseconds. in and the sprinkler something with closest to the fire goes A turning point in his career came in off, probably a minute their life.” the early 1980s with Operation San after it starts, and it Francisco, an initiative that involved lowers the temperature fire chiefs, sprinkler executives, politicians, at the scene and smothers the fire, so a lot of times insurers and others at a Marriott hotel slated when the fire department arrives, the fire is for demolition. The concept was to run scenarios already out. If it isn’t, it’s just contained. and compare the existing technology, namely smoke management systems akin to giant “It’s hard to justify, in my mind, if you have an exhaust fans, with sprinklers. answer to these deaths, and it’s going to cost the people less money, then why aren’t you putting “I met a lot of fire chiefs and I saw a need for it in?” residential sprinklers from that and that’s how we started our company,” said Benn, who Benn received the Russell P. Fleming Technical started Advanced Automatic Sprinkler, Inc., Service Award, the highest technical honor of the in San Ramon, California, in 1985. National Fire Sprinkler Association, in 2019. He’s spent much time working with fire marshals, writing safety codes that have become standard and sitting on boards with like-minded people, and he was a force in helping California and Maryland adopt mandatory sprinklers for new homes. He hopes sprinklers will someday become mandatory everywhere.

He appreciates the skills gained at Indiana Tech. “It was more of the hands-on engineering education than the theoretical education,” he said, noting that he hopes future students are able to excel similarly, perhaps through the Frederick J. Benn III and Kathy L. Benn Scholarship.

“For years, we’ve fought the home builders’ association because they were just adamant they didn’t want to put sprinklers in because it’s a bottom-line cost to them,” Benn said. “They Indiana Tech Magazine

IN MEMORIAM We have learned of the deaths of the following alumni and friends. If you would like to send a memorial gift to honor someone, please contact Dan Grigg at 800.937.2448, ext. 2440.

Martin J. Paliokas Leesburg, Virginia Mechanical Engineering, 1949

James E. Nottke Johnson City, Tennessee Aerospace Engineering, 1967

Claudia Thomas Ora, Indiana Business Administration, 1998

Eldon L. Hansen Dallas, Texas Mechanical Engineering, 1958

James B. Gunraj Orange, California Civil Engineering, 1954

Don E. Beeson Mason, Ohio Physics, 1963

Daniel B. Eastep Villa Hills, Kentucky Aeronautical Engineering, 1950

Francis G. Matt Bristol, Virginia Civil Engineering, 1964

Nelson D. Wenrick New Carlisle, Ohio Civil Engineering, 1960

Antonio B. Eclavea De Pere, Wisconsin Master of Business Admin., 2001

David A. Stensland Monroeville, Indiana Mechanical Engineering, 1968

Courtney M. Wright Tampa, Florida Civil Engineering, 1948

Adam F. Shahbazi Marquette, Michigan Electrical Engineering, 1961

Dean M. Reily Red Lion, Pennsylvania Electrical Engineering, 1959

Frank J. Affeldt Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania Electronic Engineering, 1959

Harry J. Shallenberger Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Electrical Engineering, 1951

Alan L. Vanderheyden Geneseo, Illinois Mechanical Engineering, 1959

H. Alan Harp Stuart, Florida Electrical Engineering, 1961

Allen L. Heydrick Denton, Texas Electrical Engineering, 1960

Brandon J. DeJonge Fort Wayne, Indiana Web Development, Information Systems, 2018

Russell M. Broughton Anderson, South Carolina Business Administration, 2003, 2006

Anthony J. Thomas Old Bridge, New Jersey Mechanical Engineering, 1961

Dale St. Peter Indianapolis, Indiana Business Administration, 1999

Anthony G. Recchia Sacramento, California Aeronautical Engineering, 1960

Neville F. Vatcha Saint Louis, Missouri Chemical Engineering, 1964

Bernard J. Havens Fort Wayne, Indiana Radio Engineering, 1952

Ronald L. Alt Crossville, Tennessee Mechanical Engineering, 1958

Carl E. Hainer Grand Rapids, Michigan Electronic Engineering, 1957

John D. Sites Lima, Ohio Mechanical Engineering, 1969

Charles E. Coleman Galion, Ohio Electrical Engineering, 1965

Walter P. Tittman Fort Wayne, Indiana Mechanical Engineering, 1974

Charles E. Jackson Mansfield, Texas Electrical Engineering, 1956

Peter Stabovitz Johns Island, South Carolina Mechanical Engineering, 1950

Charles H. Seelig Woodburn, Indiana Mechanical Engineering, 1961

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Frederick S. Klein San Bernardino, California Civil Engineering, 1952 George A. Sefton West Chester, Ohio Aeronautical Engineering, 1958

DeVon A. Wilson North Manchester, Indiana Chemical Engineering, 1943

George McCubbin Sequim, Washington Civil Engineering, 1956

Francis D. Griffith Fort Wayne, Indiana Mechanical Engineering, 1950

Gerald E. Gilbertson Jackson, Tennessee Mechanical Engineering, 1951

Donald H. Meyer Cedar Rapids, Iowa Electrical Engineering, 1948

Gerard D. Parker New Rochelle, New York Civil Engineering, 1953

Donald R. Schaber Fort Wayne, Indiana Chemical Engineering, 1949

Gernard R. Payton Fort Wayne, Indiana Criminal Justice, 2019

Donald W. Culp Rushsylvania, Ohio Aeronautical Engineering, 1956

Luther E. Blankenship Albuquerque, New Mexico Electronic Engineering, 1958

Earl A. Stanek Chatfield, Minnesota Mechanical Engineering, 1957

William E. Carroll Greenwich, New York Civil Engineering, 1960

Earl L. Coonrod Everett, Washington Mechanical Engineering, 1961

Harry L. Albrecht Fort Wayne, Indiana Electrical Engineering, 1966

Earl E. Shirtum Lansing, Michigan Civil Engineering, 1950

Henry Davis Southfield, Michigan Electrical Engineering, 1957

Monica L. Potter Marion, Indiana Business Administration, 1999, 2001 Herman J. Meyer Phoenix, Arizona Electronic Engineering, 1968 Hearold W. Montgomery Tucson, Arizona Electrical Engineering, 1950 Randell D. Johnson Indianapolis, Indiana Business Administration, 2004 Clyde E. McCray Rittman, Ohio Electrical Engineering, 1958 James M. Fick Fort Wayne, Indiana Physics, 1969 James R. Bannister Fort Wayne, Indiana Mechanical Engineering, 1963 Jay A. Musselman Alba, Texas Civil Engineering, 1952 Jeffrey L. Balser Hicksville, Ohio Electrical Engineering, 1968 John R. Aker Indianapolis, Indiana Mechanical Engineering, 1955 John R. Ulery Lake Jackson, Texas Civil Engineering, 1974 John W. Korpal Santa Maria, California Electrical Engineering, 1957 Darrell L. Johnson Covington, Georgia Business Admin., 2003, 2004 Joseph E. Urbassik Palo Alto, California Mechanical Engineering, 1949

Kathleen H. Stahl Fort Wayne, Indiana Business Administration, 1993

Jeanaria R. Thomas Fort Wayne, Indiana General Studies, 2016

Tadek Brzytwa Decatur, Alabama Mechanical Engineering, 1967

Kieran J. O’Farrell Glendale, Arizona Electrical Engineering, 1956

Ronald W. Malanowski Aiken, South Carolina Mechanical Engineering, 1969

Larry D. Odelius Conroe, Texas Mechanical Engineering, 1958

Joseph D. Latona Clarence Center, New York Civil Engineering, 1966

Thomas A. Tracy Sidney, Ohio Mechanical Engineering, 1973

Thomas J. Motley Reading, Pennsylvania Civil Engineering, 1958

Lawrence R. Hutker Rockledge, Florida Mechanical Engineering, 1961

Howard W. Ackerman Superior Township, Michigan Electronic Engineering, 1961

Thomas L. Bosserman Fort Wayne, Indiana Chemical Engineering, 1969

Richard A. Morris Marion, Indiana Electrical Engineering, 1964

Orland C. Sheese Indianapolis, Indiana Radio Engineering, 1945

Warren H. Rushton Mesa, Arizona Mechanical Engineering, 1962

Martin J. Paliokas Leesburg, Virginia Mechanical Engineering, 1949

Valdur Pratka Yaphank, New York Electrical Engineering, 1963

Gerald A. Stehno The Colony, Texas Mechanical Engineering, 1958

Max J. Graf Fort Wayne, Indiana Mechanical Engineering, 1950

Ralph J. Spayd Jasper, Indiana Electronic Engineering, 1958

William J. Savel Cogan Station, Pennsylvania Electronic Engineering, 1963

Michael A. Crone Huntington, Indiana Business Administration, 2016

Raymond L. Knapp Mogadore, Ohio Civil Engineering, 1960

William L. Porter Florence, Kentucky Mechanical Engineering, 1964

Joseph P. Chamberlain Clearwater, Florida Electronic Engineering, 1961

Richard W. Barney Western Springs, Illinois Mechanical Engineering, 1958

William M. Ellison Laurens, South Carolina Mechanical Engineering, 1958

William H. Mathies Northville, Michigan Civil Engineering, 1984

Robert C. Small Denton, Texas Electronic Engineering, 1961

Nat Kobitz Baltimore, Maryland Aeronautical Engineering, 1951

Robert A. Koehlinger Warren, Indiana Electrical Engineering, 1961

William M. Pace Plymouth, Indiana Master of Business Administration, 2003

Norman S. Palazini Woodstock, Connecticut Electronic Engineering, 1959

Robert Clevenger New Concord, Ohio Mechanical Engineering, 1959

Edward J. Ondak Littleton, Colorado Electrical Engineering, 1964

Russell J. Griffiths Tucson, Arizona Mechanical Engineering, 1959

John C. Calmes Indianapolis, Indiana Org. Leadership, 2016

Sue E. Smart Elkhart, Indiana Master of Business Admin., 2013

Marc J. Dabal Argyle, Texas Business Admin., 2008, 2010

Sukhminder Singh Enid, Oklahoma Civil Engineering, 1958

Gerald Winship Champlin, Minnesota Electrical Engineering, 1963 Ray E. Lewis Spokane, Washington Mechanical Engineering, 1947 Subhanul Haq Electrical Engineering, 1962 Lewis Hunkler Fort Wayne, Indiana Electronic Engineering, 1957

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Remember This?

SAVE THESE DATES

Commencement day is our university’s favorite day of the year. Even if you don’t remember the day in the picture, certainly you remember the day you graduated from Indiana Tech.

Commencement for Graduate Students May 13, 7 p.m. Main Campus, Fort Wayne

Share your memories (and photos, if you have them) with us at alumni@ indianatech.edu. It’s possible we’ll share them in a future issue of Indiana Tech Magazine.

Commencement for Undergraduate Students May 14, 12:30 p.m. Allen County War Memorial Coliseum TWIST XXXIII Sept. 18

Homecoming 2022 Sept. 30-Oct. 1 Main Campus, Fort Wayne

Indiana Tech Magazine – Winter 2022

Articles inside

Making a Difference

Alumni Spotlight

Letter from Our President

Skating for Long-Term Success

Tech Happenings

Talwar College of Engineering and Computer Sciences Roundup

College of Business Roundup

From the Desk of Kristi Jarmus

Around the Regions