Echoes Spring 2018

SPRING 2018

SERVING THE WORLD

ROSE-HULMAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Contents

IN THIS ISSUE

8 FLYING HIGH

COLUMNS/ FEEDBACK 2

Message From The President

3

Elephant Ears: Readers’ Feedback

28

The Bailey Challenge

12 TOY STORY

14 SERVING THE WORLD 4

4 STORM RELIEF

Storm Relief

7 Mobile-izing Volunteers

8 Flying Air Force Two 10 On Sea and Land 11 Students Give Back 12 Redesigning Fun 14 Changing A Community’s Face 16 Center Stage Couple

WINT

Echoes Honored

17 ER 20

We’ve been delighted to learn that alumni are enjoying reading the revamped Echoes. The Council for the Advancement and Support of Education’s 2017 Pride of CASE V Awards Program recently presented the alumni magazine with a bronze award for publication excellence and creativity. The magazine was stacked up against nominees from colleges and universities in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin.

SPRING 2017

NSION DIMEEERING W E N N I A N ENG I

ROS

E-H

AN ULM

CAN

HOW YOU ECT. TO SEE EFF COV ER INSIDE L 3-D COVER CIA VIEW SPE

LOOK

ROSE-

IT N INST HULMA

N F TECH UTE O

OLOGY

INS

TIT

UTE

OF

HN TEC

Echoes is produced three times annually by the Office of Communications and Marketing to keep alumni and friends informed about the activities of Rose-Hulman graduates, students and faculty. Overhauled in 2015 to focus on impact and relevance for readers, the jazzed-up magazine reflects the institute’s role as an innovative national leader in undergraduate STEM higher education, while helping deepen the special relationship between Rose-Hulman and its alumni.

OLO

GY

Rose-Hulman also received the top gold award for the #RoseHulmanGetsMe social media campaign and a silver award for the quality of work created by staff photographer Bryan Cantwell—featured in a photo album on pages 24-25.

“Rose-Hulman is acknowledged as the nation’s top undergraduate engineering college, and we are proud to bring additional external recognition to the institute,” says Mary Wade Atteberry, vice president for communications and marketing.

ALL SMILES

Contents

IN THIS ISSUE

24 CAMPUS IN FOCUS

SPECIAL FEATURES

& NEWS

21

Terminal Optimism 18

A BIRCH ON THE ROAD

Safe Travels 20

36

Guest Editorial 21

Award-Winning Alumni 26

‘SHOW’ CASE

Class Notes 29

In Memoriam 33

Rosebuds 34 Weddings 35

Memory Lane: 36 The Rose Show

CAMPUS

CONNECTION

Vice President for Institutional Advancement: Steven P. Brady Alumni Association President: Dan J. Price, Class of 1975

Photography Archive Research: Ryan Weir, User Services, Logan Library

Office of Communications and Marketing: Bryan Cantwell, Photographer; Hyung-Jung Chang, Graphic Designer; Arthur Foulkes, Writer; Shaun Hussey, E-mail Marketing and Social Media Manager; Hayley Kuepers, Internal Communications Manager; Dale Long, Executive Editor and Director of Media Relations; Stacey Muncie, Digital Storyteller and Editor; Traci Nelson-Albertson, Creative Director; Paul Shepherd, Senior Director of Communications and Marketing; Alia Shuck, Senior Project Manager; Steve Voltmer, Web Manager; Majel Wells, Coordinator

Contributing Designers: Chris Denison, Traci Nelson-Albertson, Hyung-Jung Chang

Contact E-mail: Dale.Long@rose-hulman.edu Contributing Writers: Herb Bailey, Arthur Foulkes, Steve Kaelble and Dale Long

Campus News 23

Photo Album: 24 Cantwell’s Creativity Parting Shot: Back Page Living Wall

Photographers: Chris Bauer/AECOM Hunt Construction, Andrew & Megan Byrley, Bryan Cantwell, Tech. Sgt. Robert Cloys/U.S. Air Force Office of Public Affairs-89th Airlift Wing, Chaka Hannah, Terry Miller/Miller Photography, New Orleans Aviation Board/Office of Communications, Kevin Rees, Paul Skarpness, Jeff Trang/Airbus Helicopters Inc., Software Engineering Professionals, U.S. Navy

Office of Alumni Relations: Ben Paolillo, Executive Director; Lauren L. Jackson, Associate Director; Emma Campbell, Coordinator; Holly Presley, Coordinator

Executive Editor: Dale Long

National Recognition 13

PUBLICATION CREDITS Vice President for Communications and Marketing: Mary Wade Atteberry

Cover Design: Becky Hochhalter, Professional Artist Class Notes/Alumni News Contact: Send alumni news and address updates to alumniaffairs@rose-hulman.edu Echoes is published by: Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, 5500 Wabash Ave., Terre Haute, IN 47803 Digital copy of this issue is available at https://issuu.com/rosehulman It is the policy of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology to admit students on the basis of their academic ability.

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology does not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, citizenship status, disability, veteran status or sexual orientation.

ECHOES

|

SPRING 2018

From the President

@ROSEHULMANPREZ

T

he Engineers’ Creed contains a pledge “to place service before profit, the honor and standing of the profession before personal advantage, and the public welfare above all other considerations.”

I would say that all our STEM students subscribe to this creed, and I see it regularly as they apply their problem-solving skills to address local community needs or travel halfway around the globe to build sanitation systems or bring water to impoverished areas. As this issue of Echoes attests, they continue to serve their country and communities as alumni.

an engineer, scientist or mathematician does has a direct or indirect connection to serving others and improving lives.

The young adults who come to study at Rose-Hulman learn this right away. We have first-year biomedical engineering students redesigning toys for Terre Haute children with disabilities, while others are showing youngsters in one of the city’s low-income neighborhoods how to grow a community garden (while teaching them science and math concepts).

And speaking of projects, many of you might remember The Rose Show, through which as a student you showcased your projects to the community. (See Down Memory Lane, page 36.)

We are reviving The Rose Show this year with an updated format to enable alumni, companies and other professionals to interact with students, provide feedback and make connections.

The Rose Show will be on May 2 at the Sports and Recreation Center. Details are at http://bit.ly/2HgZQz3.

You can help us evaluate senior design projects— or pitch one of your own. You might want to scout potential talent for your firm. Or, you can simply come out and see what today’s students are up to.

BY JIM CONWELL, PRESIDENT conwell@rose-hulman.edu

Some of the alumni you will read about on these pages are leading America’s nuclear submarines, serving our diplomatic corps, assisting with hurricane recovery efforts, and analyzing effective disaster evacuation methods— even developing software to mobilize volunteers. You could argue—effectively—that virtually everything

2

You’ll have another opportunity to see a campus update on May 25 when we dedicate the renovated and expanded student center with Mike (ChemE, 1974) and Linda Mussallem, whose generous lead gift made this $25-million project possible. (See story on page 23) We are deeply indebted to them for this act of service to our students.

If we don’t see you for one of these events, please don’t be a stranger to campus. This is your home and we welcome you back any time!

Moench Bunch

Radio Memories

I have several pleasant and unique memories of Herman Moench (Down Memory Lane, Fall 2017). As a student at Rose Polytechnic Institute (September of 1955 until June of 1959), I frequently saw Moench’s smiling face walking down the center hallway of what is now Moench Hall. Then, in March of 1962, while a master’s candidate at the University of Kansas, I received a call from Herman (acting president) asking if I might be interested in returning to become Rose’s football coach, and invited me to discuss the possibilities. I recall that we met in the President’s Office, with Moench being joined by Board of Managers representative Ruel Fox Burns and professor/acting athletic director Ed Eckerman. The meeting went well and I received a letter from Moench (dated April 5, 1962) informing me that the board had authorized my appointment (effective Sept. 1, 1962). I will always be grateful to Moench for giving me the opportunity to be a football coach.

I can’t tell you how excited I was by the Down Memory Lane article “Waves of the Past­— and Future” (Spring, 2017) about the campus radio station, WMHD. Then I noticed the picture from the Terre Haute Tribune-Star, with me among three former student broadcasters. What a great way to end the issue on a high note! As I was reading, I was hopeful that the article might mention the myth of the call letters. We always heard that the MHD stood for Mike Henson’s Dream, but I never knew if that was true or not.

– Carl T. Herakovich (CE, 1959) Football Coach, 1962-63 Athletic Hall of Fame Member

Words of Wisdom I really enjoyed the Down Memory Lane article about Herman Herman Moench Moench (Fall 2017).

He was my mentor in 1960 and 1961, my junior and senior years. I have many fond memories of working with him as I prepared to enter the working world. He gave me extremely valuable advice for my career. That advice has proven spot-on for my career as an engineer and manager for 56 years.

Thanks for the memories.

– Charles W. Smith (EE, 1961) Class Agent President/CEO, Sonant Corporation

Good Times in Templeton Seeing the picture of Herman Moench and Gene Zwerner (1934) in the Down Memory Lane (Fall 2017) brought back great memories about good times I had as a student worker in the Templeton Building, location of the alumni/development offices. Vice President of Development Ron Reeves (EE, 1958; HD, 1997) was a fixture on the west end of the building, along with Secretary Donna Snedeker, Communications Staff Member Kent Harris, Alumni Director Jim Schwartz (1954), Print Shop Director Jack Bagley and Zwerner (planned giving director). Thanks for bringing back memories of these good times!

– Paul G. Heit (EE, 1980)

Elephant Ears

READER FEEDBACK

–Robert “Rob” C. Hochstetler (EE, 1991)

Patents Aplenty We received several patents from alumni.

(Keep them coming!)

David A. Yeager (ME, 1968) passed along an interesting story on one of his patents. Ford mistakenly donated one to Kansas State University as a tax write-off, not knowing that the patent was actually being used in production.

They tried to retrieve it, but Kansas State lawyers sued Ford for patent infringement.

– Dale Long, Executive Editor, Echoes Send information about the name and number of each patent to dale.long@rose-hulman.edu.

(No patent pending submissions.)

Historically Speaking Owen B. March (CE, 1956) passed along a column by Columbus Dispatch travel writer Steve Stephens about the legacy of Thomas Corwin Mendenhall, Rose Polytechnic’s second leader (1886 to 1889).

Thomas Mendenhall

Mendenhall later became superintendent of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. Two iconic places were named in recognition of his leadership: the Mendenhall Glacier and the Mendenhall Valley near Juneau, Alaska. Read the column at http://bit.ly/2x2AxPr.

We welcome getting feedback on stories in each issue. Send Elephant Ears items to:

dale.long@rose-hulman.edu or Dale Long, executive editor-Echoes, CM 14 Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology 5500 Wabash Ave., Terre Haute, IN 47803.

ECHOES

|

SPRING 2018

3

Cover Story

HELPING HANDS

Rose

an - H ul m

E H T O T

e u c s Re 2017

STORY

BY DALE LONG

4

ALUMNI PROVIDE EXPERTISE AND AID IN RESPONSE TO NATURE’S FURY

In the wake of the devastating hurricanes that crippled Tex as, Florida and Puerto Rico l ast year, Rose-Hulman alumni rolled up their sleeves and got to work.

Three Category 4 storms struck the United States and its territories during a one-month period last fall. First, slow-moving Hurricane Harvey slammed the Texas Coastal Bend with 130-mph winds and drenched the outskirts of Houston with more than 51 inches of rain. As that storm was ending, Hurricane Irma battered the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Florida Keys and southwest Florida. It was followed by Hurricane Maria, whose path rocked Puerto Rico with winds exceeding 155 mph.

Damage estimates range as high as $500 billion from the three catastrophic storms, with people in these regions still feeling the effects through damaged homes and businesses, destroyed vehicles and disrupted lives.

FLYING TO THE RESCUE Jeff Trang spent 21 years as a U.S. Army officer and helicopter pilot, but did not anticipate the extent of destruction he saw levied upon Texas by Hurricane Harvey.

The 1983 electrical engineering alumnus led a team from Airbus Helicopters Inc. to assist in relief efforts in the immediate aftermath of the storm.

Two Airbus helicopters airlifted approximately 19,000 pounds of food, water and supplies to the city of Beaumont, which had been completely isolated by flooding and inaccessible by road. Many areas in Beaumont and Orange were without electricity and water due to the inundation.

“This mission was one of the most rewarding and satisfying that I have ever flown in 35 years of flying helicopters,” says Trang, a Texas resident who has been the vice president of technology and flight operations with Airbus Helicopters since 2015.

He adds, “Everywhere we turned there were people in need of assistance.”

Trang conducted a variety of reconnaissance flights to assess the state of key infrastructure throughout the ravaged region, including highways, bridges, levees, power stations, pipelines, petroleum refineries and distribution facilities, and warehouses. During one mission, his team noticed a large natural gas line had ruptured in the middle of a river crossing. A nearby refinery isolated the pipeline to prevent a possible explosion or further environmental damage.

Other flights supported the Houston Police Department in assessing flood damage in areas that were deluged by as much as 10 feet of water. This information helped officials evaluate a mandatory evacuation plan for residents and develop action plans to prevent looting.

bring relief supplies and services into Beaumont and Houston.

Cover Story

HELPING HANDS

“We saw many people on the verge of tears when the supplies finally arrived,” Trang remarks. “The fruits of my labor in the military (he retired as a lieutenant colonel) were long-term and many years in the making. They did not have the immediate impact that we saw supporting Hurricane Harvey.”

HEAPING SERVINGS OF SOLACE Charles Rose has lived in Sarasota, Fla., for more than 30 years.

He’s familiar with the destructive power of hurricanes and other tropical storms, and has been a volunteer with the Florida Baptists organization to operate two field kitchens whenever needed. The 1963 civil engineering graduate served as the group’s (CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE)

Chaka Hannah (ME, 1993) removed damaged drywall, carpet, flooring and furniture from homes flooded in the Houston area by Hurricane Harvey.

Trang also supported in locating lost herds of livestock, the vast majority of which were stranded in standing water and without feed—far from their original pasture land. His team also found the first open route for trucks to

Opposite Page: Airbus Helicopters Inc. airlifted food, water and supplies to help residents of Beaumont, Texas, recover from the devastating effects of Hurricane Harvey last fall. Jeff Trang (EE, 1983) assisted in the efforts.

ECHOES

|

SPRING 2018

5

Cover Story

HELPING HANDS (CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE)

assistant state feeding coordinator from 2009 through 2014, and now is the state callout coordinator, using a “robocall” system to find the 40 people needed to operate each kitchen that can provide as many as 25,000 meals per day.

So, Rose was busy in the weeks following Hurricane Irma. He helped set up the cooks, servers and support staff for kitchens serving displaced residents in

REBUILDING AND REFUELING When Hurricane Harvey hit the Texas communities of Port Aransas and Rockport, Kevin Rees and his wife, Irma, jumped in to help.

“The enormous power of a hurricane is hard to really comprehend until you experience it firsthand,” says Kevin, a 1981 mechanical engineering alumnus living with Irma in Corpus Christi, Texas. The couple’s church continues to host ReachGlobal ministry’s volunteer support teams from throughout the country that have been descending to assist uninsured homeowners seeking to rebuild on their properties. Irma has been cooking meals for the 40 to 60 volunteers who have been staying at the church since last September.

Naples and South Miami for three weeks until power was restored to the region and people began moving back into their homes.

Kevin also has used his skills as a certified Texas windstorm inspector to assess the storm damage.

“Everyone who works is a volunteer,” notes Rose, who also has worked in field kitchens following damaging storms in other regions of Florida and Mississippi. “I’m always a phone call away from providing

In the Houston area, 1993 mechanical engineering graduate Chaka Hannah volunteered to help neighbors and friends remove debris left over from Hurricane Harvey.

Kevin Rees (ME, 1981) found this severely damaged boat barn in Rockport, Texas, while assessing the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.

6

a helping hand. Living in Florida, you get used to dealing with nature’s wrath over the course of a lifetime.”

“The enormous power of a hurricane is hard to really comprehend until you experience it firsthand.”

Kevin Rees (ME, 1981) He removed damaged drywall, carpet, flooring and furniture from homes, delivered lunches to neighborhood work crews and distributed relief supplies at a nearby community center.

“Luckily, my family and I were spared any major damage to our house, which needed only minor roof repairs. Unfortunately, some of my friends and neighbors weren’t so lucky. I did what I could to help the community get back to normalcy as quickly as possible,” Hannah said.

The cavalcade of alumni bringing storm relief also included graduates Josiah and Erin (Campbell) Wang, who provided relief work in Beaumont, Texas, in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, and Shawn Kujawa, who spent several long days and nights restoring power for millions of Florida Power & Light customers affected throughout southern and western Florida following Hurricane Irma. He is a project manager for the energy company’s transmission and substation operations.

DAMAGE PATROL Alumni Erik Moore and Rees are using their engineering expertise to assess structural damage of residential and commercial buildings resulting from Hurricane Harvey, which damaged or destroyed nearly 135,000 homes, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Moore has examined hundreds of homes and businesses in the Houston metropolitan area, while educating insurance adjusters on how to make quality inspections in order to enhance the claim review process. This past January,

the 1997 mechanical engineering graduate made a presentation at the National Association of Catastrophic Adjusters in Las Vegas, covering such topics as wind versus hail damage, safety during inspections, and ceramic tile installation and flood damage.

“I have learned that there’s little you can do to beat Mother Nature, especially when dealing with floodwaters,” says Moore, who managed 30 engineers investigating more than 4,000 damage claims from Hurricanes Sandy (2012) and Irene (2011), which impacted the eastern U.S. Atlantic coastline.

Meanwhile, Rees is one of the few individuals certified as a Texas Windstorm Inspector in the Corpus Christi area. He is helping to meet the overwhelming demand to inspect damaged buildings throughout the state. Insurance companies are requiring windstorm certification inspections before repairs can be made to roofs, windows and other external structures along the Texas coast. A Professional Engineer’s license is required to perform inspections and obtain the certificate.

Now that most of the clean-up operations have been completed and reconstruction is underway, Rees is helping ReachGlobal ministry perform volunteer windstorm inspections for homes on the lengthy waiting list for repairs. n

Mobile-izing Volunteers Rose-Hulman alumni have shaped a new mobile application that enables not-for-profit, community service agencies and employers to quickly mobilize volunteers, especially Millennials, who are willing to serve but tend to be less connected through service organizations.

CommunityHERO (CommunityHERO.com) was developed by Software Engineering Professionals (SEP), a Carmel-based company employing more than 50 Rose-Hulman alumni, including Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jeff Gilbert (BSME, 1985; MSEM, 2006), President Raman Ohri (CPE, 1993), Director of Software Engineering Jon Fuller (CPE, 2004), and Director of Security and Operations Paul Pringle (CS, 1986).

Serve Together Kokomo used the app to bring together more than 40 organizations, including church and charitable groups along with government and business leaders, for a Weekend of Service event that saw 250 projects completed. People came together from five counties to put new roofs and siding on houses, feed more than 5,000 people and clean up city parks. The app and integrated web administrative portal assisted event leaders in managing all aspects of the event.

CommunityHERO also helped support tornado cleanup efforts in Tipton County in late 2016.

The system was linking volunteers with projects within hours after the storm struck homes and businesses throughout the area.

“People generally want to help and are often unaware of the needs around them. It is easy to feel like the world doesn’t need our energy and skills,” Gilbert says. “For years the local Rotary Club, Kiwanis Club and other service groups have been a primary source of helping hands for events and causes. The Millennial generation isn’t joining these clubs, even though they want to be active in their communities. They connect to the world through their mobile devices. We need them. We need everyone.

CommunityHERO is taking today’s technology to connect everybody together.”

Introduced in the fall of 2017, CommunityHERO is being used by TechPoint Foundation for Youth to schedule science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) mentors in more than 400 Indiana elementary and middle schools that are adopting a hands-on STEM curriculum designed to better prepare the state’s youth for the future.

ECHOES

|

SPRING 2018

7

Cover Story

Matt Clausen Flying High at Controls of Air Force Two STORY BY DALE LONG PHOTOS BY ROBERT CLOYS

As an U.S. Air Force pilot, Lt. Col. Matt Clausen has the special task of flying high-level government passengers, including Vice President Mike Pence (right), aboard Air Force Two.

8

commander, Clausen is in charge of approximately 130 aircrew members and a half dozen aircraft.

Y

ou’ve no doubt seen the photos of Vice President Mike Pence making appearances at special events, here and there across the country and around the world, including the most recent Winter Olympics in South Korea.

If you’ve ever thought about how he got there, you’re not alone.

How the vice president and other governmental dignitaries get to their destination safely is something that’s on the mind of U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Matt Clausen. The alumnus commands the 99th Airlift Squadron outside Washington, D.C., a part of the 89th Airlift Wing, with a special task of flying high-level personnel wherever they need to be and whenever they need to go.

This means Clausen’s regular passengers—besides Pence, the former Indiana governor—are the Secretary of Defense, Secretary of State, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and First Lady. As

That puts him in charge of, among other things, Air Force Two. Clausen explains that “Air Force Two, just like Air Force One, is not any particular aircraft, but a call sign for the vice president or any aircraft the vice president is flying on.”

Cover Story

MILITARY SERVICE

While Clausen can’t discuss specific missions, he says getting these top-level leaders where they’re going safely and on time “has been the pinnacle of my flying career. While some may look at this job solely as flying individuals from point A to point B, the decisions made as the result of each and every mission have both national and international impact.”

It’s been quite a trip in itself for Clausen, who came from the Indiana community of Brazil to attend nearby Rose-Hulman, where he earned an electrical engineering degree in 2000. “Toward the end of high school, I knew that I wanted to pursue a career in the Air Force to fly,” he recalls. “I was applying to both the Air Force Academy and Rose-Hulman.

Ultimately, Rose-Hulman and ROTC won out.”

Clausen figured he would serve in the Air Force one way or another—the question was in what capacity.

“Prior to my senior year at Rose-Hulman, I did not know that I was going to have the opportunity to fly in the Air Force. I was preparing to enter the Air Force most likely in an engineering career capacity,” he says. “Once I was selected to have this opportunity, I knew that being a pilot in the Air Force was in my future.”

Not long after Clausen’s time at Rose-Hulman, the military world changed dramatically. The September 11 attacks occurred while he was finishing undergraduate pilot training in Columbus, Miss. Shortly after he was qualified to operate C-17 Globemaster III aircraft, Clausen was deployed to fly combat missions throughout the Middle East.

(CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE)

AF-2

“While some may look at this job solely as flying individuals from point A to point B, the decisions made as the result of each and every mission have both national and international impact.”

— Lt. Col. Matt Clausen, EE, 2000 Commander, U.S. Air Force 99th Airlift Squadron

ECHOES

|

SPRING 2018

9

Cover Story

MILITARY SERVICE (CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE)

As part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, “I participated in the C-17’s first combat airdrop, opening the Northern Front,” he says. It was an airdrop on the first night of the coalition ground campaign that delivered a thousand “Sky Soldiers” behind enemy lines into northern Iraq.

The mission was a first for the C-17, and the largest

Service at Sea...

Looking for a Rose-Hulman military connection at sea? Look no further than our nation’s nuclear submarine fleet, where three alumni have significant roles.

Richard Correll, who received a chemical engineering degree in 1986, is a rear admiral in the U.S. Navy responsible for undersea operations in the U.S. Central and Pacific commands. The area spans from the International Date Line to the Suez Canal, and Correll is based in Yokosuka, Japan. He formerly commanded the USS Topeka and Submarine Squadron 11 in San Diego, and was a military assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Defense for strategy plans and forces.

Paul Skarpness, a 1985 computer science and electrical engineering graduate, is a senior advisor to the Navy’s Pacific fleet commander for nuclear weapons oversight and policy, based in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. In this role, he helps ensure the safe, secure and effective technical operation and maintenance of fielded Navy nuclear weapons and systems. Skarpness retired in the fall of 2015 as director of operations for Pacific submarine forces.

He commanded several nuclear submarines during a 33-year military career that has been spent in uniform and as a government civilian.

And now, 1999 mechanical engineering graduate Andy Cain is set to take command this spring of the Navy fast-attack nuclear submarine USS Helena, stationed in Norfolk, Va. He has been the executive officer of the USS Hartford, managed ship schedules and deployment preparations for Submarine Squadron 15 operations in Guam, and was an officer for two other vessels in the nation’s nuclear submarine fleet.

Matt Clausen (EE, 2000) earned meritorious conduct and heroism military honors for his combat airdrop missions that contributed to the successful Operation Iraqi Freedom.

combat airdrop since the 1989 invasion of Panama. For that Iraq mission, Clausen’s crew was awarded the Clarence MacKay Trophy for meritorious conduct and the Distinguished Flying Cross for exhibiting heroism while in aerial flight.

Clausen’s service since then has included piloting the C-17 at Air Force bases in Washington and Oklahoma, and serving as an instructor for future C-17 pilots. He also served on the staffs of the Air Mobility Command and the United States Transportation Command. From there he was hired to be part of the 89th Airlift Wing and joined its 99th Airlift Squadron, becoming commander in April 2017.

And while his military service is not an engineering career, Clausen says he brings with him valuable lessons from his undergraduate years. “If Rose-Hulman taught me one thing, it is to never give up,” he says, noting the demanding curriculum. “Setting your sights on a goal and never giving up is what got me through Rose-Hulman. It is that same determination and commitment that I believe have allowed me to be where I am today.” n 10

Gene LeBoeuf

...And, on Land Eugene (Gene) LeBoeuf’s latest military adventure is serving as the deputy commanding general of U.S. Army operations in Africa and director of U.S. Army Reserve forces throughout the African continent. The 1985 civil engineering alumnus has been a brigadier general in the U.S. Army Reserve based at military operational headquarters in Vicenza, Italy, since late last spring. This position has expanded his experiences with senior-level leadership and management of security force assistance, and has enabled him to assist in humanitarian efforts throughout Africa. LeBoeuf is on military leave from his position as a civil engineering professor at Vanderbilt University.

Students Making a Difference An after-school program is transforming Terre Haute’s Ryves neighborhood at its roots. English professor Mark Minster and students from Rose-Hulman’s HERE program are teaching a group of elementary school students valuable lessons about the environment and healthy living through an outdoor garden where pumpkins, corn, beans and herbs are grown each year. Kids are learning where food comes from and are being introduced to basic scientific concepts, such as hypothesizing, observing changes in their world and recording growing achievements. Learn more about the program at goo.gl/ge72mb.

648,946: The number of Homework Hotline tutoring sessions that Rose students have had in assisting middle and high school students with math and science principles since the program’s inception in 1991. Thirty students are available Sundays through Thursdays during each school year by phone at 1-877-ASK-ROSE or through chat, e-mail or other online resources at www.AskRose.org. The hotline has received calls, emails and chats from nearly every state.

Cover Story

UPDATING CAMPUS CONNECTIONS CENTERPIECE

For the past 19 years, students have helped bring holiday joy to thousands of Wabash Valley children and families by contributing bicycles and tricycles in a community service project. Teams work together to assemble, inspect and sort the bicycles at the institute’s facilities operations office. Then the Chances and Services for Youth organization distributes the bicycles to area families before Christmas. Learn more about the fun times at http://bit.ly/2Cbp6Yi.

29,000: The units of blood donated to the Indiana

Blood Center since 1977 by students, faculty and staff through campus blood drives (four annually). The blood is used by hospital patients throughout the state.

350: The students, faculty and staff volunteers

completed projects for 35 community organizations during the 2017 Day of Service, an annual event organized by the Office of Student Activities.

3,477: The volunteer hours of 612 students on

60 projects through winter quarter of 2017-18 school year.

$54,000: The amount raised annually by student groups for a variety of national, state and local causes.

Engineering Without Borders Students in the Engineers Without Borders organization are dedicated to improving life for people living in developing countries through sustainable engineering projects. They are currently planning to build latrines in the community of Gomoa Gyaman in Ghana, after bringing a chicken brooder house and community center to Obodan in that African country. From 2009 to 2014, EWB-RHIT collaborated with the Batey Relief Alliance communities in Dominican Republic to help provide a medical clinic and six latrines.

Other Projects: Students donate mittens, gloves and scarves to benefit elementary school youngsters each winter.

Trees planted by Rose students are helping beautify Terre Haute, and earn a designation as a Tree City, USA, Community.

Making Things Happen Students are using their tinkering skills to help others through Make It Happen, a campus organization that’s living up to its name. In its three years of existence, students have completed a variety of projects to help others in need. Last year, they created a lift to assist volunteers in transporting goods at a Terre Haute food pantry. The program’s pilot project entailed developing a therapeutic device for a 5-year-old child in Moldova.

More projects are being designed and constructed under co-advisor Ashley Bernal, an associate professor of mechanical engineering and 2007 alumna.

ECHOES

|

SPRING 2018

11

Cover Story

LESSONS LEARNED

Brite Ideas

STORY BY DALE LONG PHOTOS BY BRYAN CANTWELL

Adapted Toys Illuminate Students’ Ingenuity

Redesigned versions of such popular games as Battleship and Lite-Brite are generating smiles for children with motor skills and visual challenges, and for the first-year engineering students who created the newfangled toys.

As part of a new design studio classroom, student teams modified existing toys, redesigned other games and created new fun-filled adventures that have been added to an adaptive lending library provided by

12

Reach Services, a Terre Haute, Ind.-based agency.

Parents, teachers and therapists are signing out the toys for the children to use at play.

A “Bigger, Better Battleship“ adapts the classic strategy game with larger playing board and game pieces for people with visual difficulties. Instead of the game’s usual number system (letters A through J for columns; numbers one through 10 for rows), children use a simple system of Watch students discuss how they developed the Bigger Better Battleship game at http://bit.ly/2F8RdGp

Utility Belt that allows children to carry figurines featuring the Batman, The Joker and The Riddler characters to play several games; and a backpack that uses the popularity of the “Star Wars” movie character Yoda to give clients a variety of physical exercises to improve range of motion and motor skills.

The modified Operation game has children using a magnet at the end of a lightsaber device to extract “Star Wars”-themed game pieces from the game board.

colorized rows and columns to guess where their opponents’ battleships are stationed within the playing board.

Opposite page, left: Students incorporated a simple-to-follow coloring system and bigger game pieces to adapt the “Bigger, Better Battleship” game for people with visual difficulties. Another student team created a Lite-Brite Special Grip to help children grab the game’s small colored pegs.

Opposite page, right: A backpack inspired by the “Star Wars” movie character Yoda gives product users a variety of physical exercises to improve range of motion and motor skills.

Modifications to the popular Operation game have youngsters applying a magnet at the end of a lightsaber device, crafted from crutch handles, to allow game pieces (depicting ships and characters from the “Star Wars” movies) to be extracted from imbedded locations throughout the game board. A second saber with weaker magnets and tweezers challenges advanced players.

Other redesigned toys include the Lite-Brite Special Grip, a tool that allows children with fine motor disabilities to grab the small, colored pegs to create fun designs on the game board; a Batman

Toys are in high demand at Reach Services Inc., according to Suzy Thompson, the agency’s executive director. The organization assists nearly 1,700 people annually.

“The best part of all this is that each project was created especially for us. This isn’t something that we or the parents of our clients could get off the shelf at a store,” says Thompson. “Our clients have been having so much fun with these new projects.”

The fun has extended to the Rose-Hulman students, along with great learning experiences.

machine tools to create other toy pieces.

“Our students enjoy seeing that they have skills, even as first-year students, that can help others,” says Patsy Brackin, professor of mechanical engineering. She helped develop the integrated learning design studio classroom through support from the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network.

Cover Story

LESSONS LEARNED

Biomedical engineering student Elizabeth Fiutem, a member of the Bigger Better Battleship development team, adds, “Building something that makes others happy motivates you to go further as an engineer. It’s amazing what we did in our first 10 weeks at Rose-Hulman.

I can’t wait to see Hands-on learning allowed what more we can first-year students to use new skills to redesign toys. do in the future.” n

Students used 3-D printing techniques to create large toy destroyer and aircraft carrier pieces for the Bigger Better Battleship game. A programmable Bluetooth technology audio system within the Yoda-themed backpack allows a therapist, parent or caregiver to give vocal commands—in Yoda’s voice—to encourage clients to move two lightsabers throughout a therapy session. Students used

National Recognition in Engineering Education ABET, the global accreditor of college and university programs in STEM disciplines, singled out Rose-Hulman among six U.S. higher education institutions that are providing innovative design program approaches to undergraduate engineering education.

In particular, Rose-Hulman was highlighted for presenting impactful engineering design experiences through focused small-team work, starting in the first year.

“Engineering Change: Lessons from Leaders on Modernizing Higher Education Engineering Curriculum,” an ABET issue brief published at the end of last year, notes that the institute’s faculty and academic leadership “have paid close attention to its students, their strengths and technology itself.”

Other colleges cited were Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Rice University, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Boston’s Olin College of Engineering and Maryland’s Capitol Technology University.

ECHOES

|

SPRING 2018

13

Cover Story

OPEN WIDE

CHANGING THE FACE OF A COMMUNITY

MICHAEL BENNETT TAKING A BITE OUT OF PATIENTS’ DENTAL ISSUES

STORY BY STEVE KAELBLE PHOTOS BY BRYAN CANTWELL

Michael Bennett (ME, 1973) is an oral surgeon whose practice has two offices in the Indianapolis area.

14

Cover Story

OPEN WIDE

M

ichael Bennett draws a logical line connecting his mechanical engineering education to his work as an oral surgeon.

“The human body,” he says, “is just one big machine.”

An even more pertinent point, from his perspective, is that his daily work with patients feeds his need to interact with and serve the needs of people. That’s what he missed when, after graduating in 1973, he ventured into his first engineering job at General Electric Co. “They put me in a cubicle and gave me a slide rule and a piece of paper,” he says. “I needed more people contact.”

Bennett felt that an undergraduate background in science would make an excellent foundation upon which to build a medical profession. “I was trying to decide between going to medical school and going to dental school,” he recalls.

He favored the much-faster educational track toward becoming a dentist over the years it would have taken to emerge as a practicing physician. In 1979, he became the first African-American to graduate as an oral and maxillofacial surgeon from the Indiana University School of Dentistry.

Many in medical professions are driven by a passion to serve others. In Bennett’s case, he’s especially motivated to serve those whose life circumstances make it more difficult to access oral surgery services, including those in lower-income neighborhoods like the area in Chicago where he grew up.

That’s why one of his two offices is based more centrally near the urban heart of Indianapolis, a part of town that most oral surgeons left behind years ago in a quest for more affluent—and better insured— suburban patients. There are significant oral hygiene issues in lower-income neighborhoods, Bennett says, and not as many options nearby. In Indianapolis, those who rely on public transportation often find it hard to reach services in the suburbs.

“My practice [at the Indianapolis office] is probably 75 percent Medicaid-supported casework,” says Bennett, whose second office is located in the Indianapolis suburb of Fishers. Medicaid is not known as the most generous payer, and it limits services that aren’t always enough to meet a patient’s needs, he says.

“If a patient comes in with six bad teeth and only four extractions on the [Medicaid coverage] plan, a lot of times I will just go ahead and do the other two”—

payment or not, he says. Bennett Michael Bennett brings the latest technologies into also is determined to bring his treating patients with a patients the latest technologies, variety of dental services. such as 3-D imaging, as he provides services that range from wisdom tooth removal and dental implant procedures to bone grafting, treating facial injuries, and diagnosing and treating oral pathology.

Bennett’s passion for serving others goes well beyond teeth. “Basketball has been a big part of my volunteer life,” he says. While building his oral surgery practice, the former Rose-Hulman basketball player volunteered as a basketball coach in multiple places, including at his children’s schools and in inner-city leagues. He now serves as an assistant coach at Bishop Chatard High School in Indianapolis.

“It’s something that I enjoy doing. It’s a break, and kids keep me young,” says Bennett.

His impact also is felt back at Rose-Hulman, especially when it comes to promoting diversity in the professions of engineering and dentistry. Michael was one of several lead donors to commit to establishing a minority scholarship on campus which provides specific support for the institute’s National Society of Black Engineers student members. He started a similar scholarship program at the IU School of Dentistry to annually support minority dental and dental hygienist students.

“It’s important that I give back to others,” Bennett says, expressing gratitude for the discipline and life lessons he learned in his years at Rose-Hulman.

“Rose-Hulman helped me get through dental school. I learned how to organize my time—and dental school is all time management.” n

ECHOES

|

SPRING 2018

15

Cover Story

WORLD TRAVELERS

TOGETHER IN FOREIGN

STORY

BY DALE LONG

SERVICE Andrew and Megan (Greenwell) Byrley have traveled

far since they first trod the boards—and fell in love— on the stage of Rose-Hulman’s Hatfield Hall Theater.

The 2009 mechanical engineering alumni have been part of America’s Foreign Service diplomatic corps for nearly eight years—Andrew as a security engineer, consular officer and economic officer; Megan as an engineer and facility manager.

These assignments have taken them from Washington, D.C., to U.S. embassies in the

Megan and Andrew Byrley (both ME, 2009) have lived throughout Africa and Central America as part of America’s Foreign Service diplomatic corps.

capital cities within some of the world’s most exotic countries: Senegal on Africa’s Atlantic coast (20122014), Central America’s Belize (2014-2016) and Mauritania, on the African western coast (since 2017).

Andrew has assisted U.S. citizens who have encountered problems while traveling overseas, and now works with American companies looking to do business in Mauritania. Along the way, he has reached out to help local citizens address community needs.

Megan uses her engineering and problem-solving skills to provide technical, project management and customer service support for the daily operations of the U.S. embassy headquarters.

As an economic officer, Andrew Byrley (middle) helps citizens address community needs.

16

Andrew became interested in foreign service when he stopped by a Department of State information booth at a career fair while completing his master’s degree in robotics and automation engineering at Georgia

Megan Byrley (top, right) has introduced women to STEM topics in each country she has lived as an engineer for the Foreign Service corps.

introduced middle school-aged girls in Belize to STEM topics through periodic tours of the embassy compound, pointing out the building’s mechanical and electrical systems. She also shares stories about her own personal struggles as a female engineer.

Cover Story

WORLD TRAVELERS

“It is always my goal to ensure that the women I meet know they can do STEM work. In all three of our overseas assignments, women are rarely seen in technical fields,” says Megan, one of only 25 female facility managers in the State Department.

Megan also has worked with Belize community groups to update the electrical system and enhance a monthly outdoor movie night at a local park. These events, bringing together residents and government officials, have grown in popularity.

“Being caring members of your community, no matter where you are, makes a positive impact,” she says.

Institute of Technology. A desire to “contribute more directly to our country’s foreign policy” led him to pursue more extensive training in diplomacy.

Megan joined Andrew in Washington, D.C., after the couple was married during the summer of 2011.

While they originally met in a Differential Equations 1 class at Rose-Hulman, their romance grew as lead actors in a variety of Drama Club productions throughout their undergraduate years.

In Belize, as part of the country’s 2015 Earth Day celebration, Andrew helped organize a recyclable shopping bag program that encouraged the reduction of plastic bags usage by local supermarkets in order to improve the environment. Customers using U.S. Embassy-issued recyclable bags received a 5 percent discount on future grocery purchases. The initiative was so popular in the capital city of Belmopan that it was replicated in San Pedro and the island of Ambergris Caye, where Andrew also organized an Earth Day tree planting event for schoolchildren.

Meanwhile, Megan has been a longtime advocate for women to consider careers in science, technology, engineering and science fields. In Senegal, she started a job-shadowing trades program to encourage women to improve their skills in plumbing, electrical, heating, ventilation and air conditioning work. She

Admitting that she can speak only a handful of words in the languages used by people in the countries the couple has lived (mostly French, but also Pulaar, Hassaniya, Wolof and Modern Standard Arabic), she says drawings on a whiteboard are her most effective form of communication. “I have found that the only reason the people I supervise don’t know something is because they haven’t been given the opportunity to learn it,” Megan says.

The couple’s government assignments sometimes find them living apart for several months at a time, for a total of 21 months during the course of their marriage.

They seldom return to the U.S., and when they do it is to spend time with family and close friends.

“We have definitely seen more of the world than we would have otherwise,” Andrew remarks from Nouakchott, Mauritania’s capital and one of the largest cities in the Sahara (population slightly less than 1 million). “We have a lot of memories of experiences that will stick with us forever...We shook former President Barack Obama’s hand, met the Prime Minister of Belize, and fed and petted a tapir and a jaguar.”

He notes: “When we are overseas, we build relationships, and we use those relationships to meet our goals—not because we want to use someone for our own gain, but because we accomplish more when we work together.” n

ECHOES

|

SPRING 2018

17

Alumni Feature

BAYOU BUILDER

TERMINALLY OPTIMISTIC CHRIS BAUER ENHANCING CUSTOMER FLIGHT EXPERIENCES

Chris Bauer and his wife, Christa, celebrated their 10-year wedding anniversary in the spring of 2017 with a special getaway trip through the Adriatic and Mediterranean seas. Like most of today’s airline travelers, they brought along a variety of technology devices to keep them in contact with family, friends and work throughout the trip.

That plan went out the window early in their travels.

Christa’s iPhone became inoperable halfway through the trip because of low battery power, with few available electrical outlets for a quick recharge, and poor Wi-Fi connections that made laptop usage challenging for the couple in most of the airports along their journey.

Their traveling experience is one many have shared.

Technology is one of the most frustrating aspects of airline travel today—a time in which the number of people flying continues to rise across the United States, according to TripAdvisor.

STORY

BY DALE LONG

Chris Bauer (left) joined Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards (in suit) and other project leaders at a site review of the North Terminal Project.

“ Building a massive structure in a swamp has been quite a construction challenge.”

Chris Bauer, CE 2001 Project Director, AECOM Hunt

18

As the project director for the construction of the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport’s North Terminal, set to open early in 2019, Chris Bauer is making sure its travelers have state-of-theart amenities at their fingertips. The nearly $1-billion project will be a showpiece in aviation architecture and meet the demand of an airport that hosted a record 12-million passengers in 2017—the seventh consecutive year of passenger growth for the facility.

All of this is happening before Bauer’s eyes, as he helps oversee a joint venture for his direct employer, AECOM Hunt, as well as Gibbs Construction, Boh Bros. Construction Co. and Metro Service Group.

At just under 1 million square feet, the construction project is the largest in New Orleans history, and is expected to help boost a region that’s still recovering more than a decade after Hurricane Katrina.

The North Terminal Project is a nearly $1 billion expansion that will help the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport meet increasing flight services and passenger traffic.

It features concourses sprouting from a main center structure. The project, expanded once since its original design, is scheduled to be complete in 2019.

When complete, the new terminal will have a long list of amenities that will please travelers coming from throughout the world to visit The Big Easy.

A spacious, single area for security screening will replace the current hodgepodge of concourses with separate security gates. There also will be a first-of-the-kind, in-line baggage collection system, a consolidated check-in area, a parking garage, a centralized utility plant and a ground transportation staging area. Restaurants will offer a taste of New Orleans cuisine, and eventually better transportation routes will allow travelers to easily catch a show at a nearby jazz club in the French Quarter district, or enjoy one of those delicious beignets at the downtown Café du Monde.

And, there will be plenty of technology. Travelers will have easy access to electrical outlets at each seat in the terminal and strong Wi-Fi connections throughout the building, with concourses sprouting from a main center structure. Security personnel will be using full body scanners and facial recognition technology to screen passengers.

Networking capabilities will process thousands of transactions at on-boarding stations, restaurants, gift shops and car rental agencies. That doesn’t even include the technology needed by the Federal Aviation Administration to monitor flights, plane refueling and maintenance operations.

Alumni Feature

BAYOU BUILDER

“If you can think it, this place probably has it,” says Bauer, a 2001 civil engineering alumnus.

“The designers have thought of just about everything. If not, they will be adapting things along the way. As with any construction project, we’re getting design changes almost every day.

With this project, I suspect that we’ll be making changes up until the opening day of operations.”

Construction of the North Terminal Project began in January 2016 on land just north of the existing terminal. The open-concept structure was envisioned by world-renowned Argentinian architect César Pelli, starting in 2011. Then the Crescent City Aviation Team, another joint venture, completed the design, including extensive scale-model testing to ensure that the new terminal and airport complex will withstand hurricane-force wind and rains, along with other weather-related issues. Portions of the current terminal were flooded and suffered structural damage from Hurricane Katrina.

“Building a massive structure in a swamp has been quite a construction challenge,” Bauer admits. “You don’t get a true picture of what it takes to build in New Orleans until you get in the current airport tower and look around. The entire airport may be beneath you, but off to your right, at eye level, is the (CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE)

New features in the airport terminal project are a spacious, single area for security screening, replacing the system within most airports of having concourses with separate security gates.

ECHOES

|

SPRING 2018

19

Alumni Feature

BAYOU BUILDER (CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE)

Mississippi River, to your left is Lake Pontchartrain (with 630 square miles of water) and behind you, off in the distance, is the Gulf of Mexico.”

This terrain required crews to install thousands of 100- to 115-foot-long precast concrete piles for the terminal complex and 2-million cubic yards of sand to form a solid foundation for the entire airport site. There is also a storm water pump station to help alleviate drainage issues, and a power plant that will make the airport self-sufficient. Large glass windows will allow natural lighting inside the terminal and reduce energy consumption.

The project expanded earlier this year from its original 30-gate plan to include a third concourse with five additional gates. This will accommodate international flights from Europe and Latin America, along with expanding flight service to a variety of U.S. carriers.

The North Terminal Project will help welcome visitors to New Orleans and all of its amenities for business and tourism.

“It’s been quite an undertaking.

However, we’re still on schedule and making progress every day,” Bauer says. He adds that construction on the project has encountered weather hardships from last fall’s Hurricane Harvey and surprisingly frigid conditions this past winter.

When complete, flights will make a transition to docking at the North Terminal, while using the existing runway system.

Bauer is no stranger to working on high-profile projects. In his career with AECOM Hunt, he has been the construction manager for the reconstruction of the Florida Citrus Bowl football stadium in Orlando, Fla. (2013 to 2015); senior project manager for the renovation of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Dodger Stadium (from 2012 to 2013); project manager for the construction of the Tampa Bay Rays’ spring training baseball facility in Port Charlotte, Fla. (2008 to 2009); and project engineer for construction of the Philadelphia Phillies’ spring training ballpark in Clearwater, Fla. (2003 to 2004).

“With this [New Orleans] airport project, I’m branching out from sports venues into new exciting areas,” he says.

“I’m learning new construction techniques, and conquering new professional and personal challenges. These are exciting times for civil engineering.

There are many current and future projects to improve the country’s infrastructure system.” n

20

SAFE TRAVEL De-Icing System Keeps Winter Travelers Flying Airline travelers safely arrive at their destinations across the world each winter through an aircraft de-icing system developed

by E Solutions, an Indianapolis-based automation and integration company with Greg Bielefeld (CHE, 1987) serving as general manager.

The patented de-icing system is the most accurate glycol-to-water blend in the business and has become an economical alternative to previous treatment methods, according to E Solutions. It and other projects are being used at more than 20 high-volume airports,

including Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta, LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy in New York City, Dulles in Washington, D.C., O’Hare in Chicago, Logan in Boston and Detroit’s Metropolitan.

Recently, airports in Atlanta and Salt Lake City also have constructed E Solutions’ de-icing stations at the end of runways. This new system centralizes de-icing efforts and reduces delays during winter storms and other weather-related events. The solution’s run-off is contained to reduce environmental contamination.

Several Rose-Hulman alumni have joined other E Solutions’ engineers in developing, designing and implementing the airport project solutions, according to Bielefeld.

Finding Out What Makes Startup Communities Tick GUEST EDITORIAL

NICK BIRCH

ME, 2014 CO-FOUNDER, PROPELUP

The city or area you live in is a bubble. It has a uniqueness to the people, culture and opportunities. I have spent the entirety of my life living within the bubble of the Midwest, specifically growing up in central Illinois and then being in Indiana for my college and post-college years.

Reprinted with permission from Venturebeat.com

Based on a conversation with a friend in mid-May of 2017, I determined I wanted to spend time in other bubbles to broaden my perspectives on my three passions: tech, startups and education. So, I packed up my car and set out to spend 84 days on the road. In total, I drove 10,348 miles, went through 28 states and the District of Columbia, and talked to dozens of people in up-and-coming tech communities.

including Minneapolis, Indianapolis and Cincinnati. The reality is that perception really matters. For example, Indianapolis may be close to two of the top undergraduate engineering schools in the country, Rose-Hulman and Purdue University, but has struggled historically to attract graduates to stay in Indiana. Instead, they flock to the coastal tech communities. Programs like Xtern, coordinated by Indianapolis-based TechPoint, is helping expose more college students to the Indianapolis startup scene to improve those numbers, but we still have a long way to go.

Alumni Feature

UPDATING CAMPUS ROAD CENTERPIECE WARRIOR

(CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE)

There are three things that coalesced from my journey that I think up-and-coming startup communities need to focus on:

1|

YOU HAVE TO HAVE A C ENTER O F GR AVIT Y

A common question I was searching to answer in each city was “Where’s THE place that I can go to get a sense of the tech community in this area?”

birch

Two that really stuck out to me were 1871 in Chicago and Capital Factory in Austin. Both of those are co-working spaces that are unapologetically for high-potential tech startups, not freelancers and service providers. What this creates is a clear center of gravity for programming, incubators and accelerators, and investors. For example, 1871 had on-site mentors available every day, and several early-stage venture capital (VC) groups had offices in the space. It’s not exactly Sand Hill Road in Silicon Valley, but building a company is a contact sport, and being able to regularly have bump-ins or short catch-ups face to face with investors is a huge asset.

2|

TH E COM MU N IT Y’S STO RY M AT TERS

Most of the mid-market cities in the Midwest lay claim to having up-and-coming tech communities,

ECHOES

|

SPRING 2018

21

ROAD WARRIOR

(CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE)

Tech entrepreneurs have to believe they can be successful in their community. The influencers in both the public and private domain have to tell that compelling story, tell it often, and build the ecosystem within their community to attract and retain entrepreneurs and talent.

3|

YOU HAVE TO PL AY THE LONG GAME

Communities are built over decades, not years. Unicorns exist, such as the $2.5-billion acquisition of ExactTarget by Salesforce in 2013, which has led to a windfall of new startups in Indianapolis. But those are rare occurrences in up-and-coming startup communities. In the years since (2013 to 2016), Indiana still ranked 30th in the U.S. for total VC funding, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers data.

A long-term approach is necessary to foster successful startup communities. They need to develop strategies for attracting, retaining and retraining talent pipelines for the myriad roles in

22

tech startups. They need to think about how to create centers of gravity, like 1871 and Capital Factory, so that when coastal VCs are considering where to visit or set up an outpost office, it is clearly evident. They need to think about community-building events like South by Southwest or HUBweek, a weeklong event series that happened to be occurring in Boston during my visit. They need to think about how to attract and give entrepreneurs a kick-start with programs like Arch Grants in St. Louis and LaunchKC in Kansas City, which award grants to startups that commit to build their company in that community.

None of these initiatives will likely have two- to three-year payback periods. They will take a decade or more to become game-changers.

To become a top startup community will take a lot of hard work, leadership and foresight, but is that any different than building a company? We should approach community building with the same mentality as startup building—just get started. n

Nick Birch is Entrepreneur in Residence for Rose-Hulman’s Escalate program and Rose Innovative Student Entrepreneurs Club.

Entrepreneurial Journey Nick Birch visited the following communities July 23 to Oct. 14, 2017, to examine their entrepreneurial spirit: INDIANAPOLIS CHICAGO ST. LOUIS KANSAS CITY DENVER BOULDER SEATTLE SAN FRANCISCO SAN DIEGO AUSTIN HOUSTON ATLANTA WASHINGTON, D.C. NEW YORK CITY BOSTON

Alumnus’ Bequest to Increase Computing Diversity Richard L. Conn’s interest in impacting computer science education and the field of computer science has resulted in a $1.1-million bequest to his alma mater’s Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering.

The gift will assist Rose-Hulman in meeting several of its strategic goals regarding computer science and software engineering, including improving diversity among the student body and faculty. Other key initiatives include expanding interdisciplinary and global experiences, developing course curriculum that addresses emerging technical areas, and addressing societal needs for more college graduates with computer science and software engineering skills.

Samantha Staszak was among the 18 percent of female students earning computer science degrees from Rose-Hulman in the 2015-16 academic year—higher than the 16-percent rate for all U.S. institutions.

Strides are being made to increase that percentage in the future.

“Rick believed so deeply in Rose-Hulman and the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering that he left the bulk of his estate to support computer science and software engineering,” says J.P. Mellor, CSSE department head. “Through this exceptionally generous gift, Rick’s legacy will live on and enable us to enhance our students’ educational experience.”

Caterpillar Chief to be Commencement Speaker Caterpillar Inc. chief executive officer Jim Umpleby will return to campus May 26 to present the commencement address, two years after receiving an honorary doctorate in engineering from his alma mater.

The 1980 mechanical engineering alumnus became chief executive of Caterpillar, the world’s leading heavy equipment manufacturer, Jan. 1, 2017. Since then, he and his management team have positioned the company for continued marketplace growth and profitability.

Wall Street investors appear to like the company’s performance and prospects, with the stock price hitting record highs last year. Caterpillar was named a “Stock to Watch” in 2018 and into the future by the Barron’s financial publication.

Umpleby, a Rose-Hulman trustee and former student body president, was added to the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum’s board earlier this year, and he recently was elected to the Chevron Corporation’s board of directors.

Umpleby was named a trustee of the institute in 2015. He received the Rose-Hulman Alumni Association’s Career Achievement Award in 2000.

Conn, a 1976 computer science graduate with cum laude academic honors, had a long and varied career assisting in research projects as a computer programmer and software specialist for the U.S. Army, Texas Instruments Inc., General Electric Co., Lockheed Martin Corp., Microsoft Corp. and The MITRE Corp. He also had been an assistant professor of software engineering at Monmouth University (N.J.), and an adjunct faculty member at four other colleges. He died late in 2016.

Campus News

HAPPENING PLACE

Besides starting a STEM scholarship at Rose-Hulman, Conn served on the CSSE department’s advisory board for nearly 15 years and helped arrange for former department head and emeriti professor Cary Laxer to participate in a Microsoft Faculty Research Summit.

Reflecting national trends, computer science and software engineering at Rose-Hulman have seen significant and sustained enrollment increases for more than a decade, and computer science is now the institute’s second-largest major. Women earned 18 percent of the computer science degrees awarded by Rose-Hulman for the 2015-16 academic year—higher than the 16-percent rate for all U.S. institutions.

Help Us Dedicate Student Union May 25 We’re in the home stretch of the $25-million expansion and renovation of the student union, supported by a $9-million lead gift from Linda and Mike Mussallem. A special dedication ceremony is planned May 25, starting at 5 p.m. This will allow alumni and others to get an inside look at all of the building’s new features.

The project updated the 84,900-square-foot student center while adding 19,010 square feet of new space for student relaxation and dining. The new addition was completed first, and has already become a hub of student activity.

New features include “The Living Room,” expanded student lounge spaces with a coffee/smoothie bar and a “Living Wall” featuring 1,458 plants; “The Lake Room,” a new 120-person dining/meeting space; a renovated dining room and Chauncey’s Place; new outdoor patio and gathering spaces; suites for the Office of Corporate Engagement and Office of Career Services; and new and refurbished conference rooms, with high-quality audio-visual technology.

Look for more about this new building in the summer issue.

ECHOES

|

SPRING 2018

23

Photo Album

IN FOCUS

SPECIAL TIMES, SPECIAL PLACE

BRYAN CANT WELL P H OTO G R A P H ER

Rose-Hulman is filled with thinkers and tinkerers who thrive in a campus culture that is distinctive, collaborative and innovative.

Campus photographer Bryan Cantwell captured a variety of those experiences in a collection of photographs that earned Silver award recognition in the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education’s Pride of CASE District V Awards Program. These images, reflecting many of the institute’s distinctive attributes, have been featured on the college’s website and in publications like Echoes.

“My favorite parts about working at Rose are the people and the diversity of the experience,” says Cantwell, a staff member for the past 2 years. “It’s very cool to be around interesting students doing really amazing things.” Photography has played a role in Cantwell’s life since childhood, as his dad was passionate about photography and the family home featured a darkroom. He currently has seven cameras, down from 10 at one point. His brother Patrick, a mechanical engineering professor on campus, also enjoys taking pictures.

24

IN FOCUS

ECHOES

|

SPRING 2018

25

Alumni News

TAKING NOTE

Success & Service ALUMNI, FACULTY AND STAFF RECOGNIZED BY ALUMNI ASSOCIATION FOR CAREER ACHIEVEMENTS AND SERVICE Honor Alumni Awards

The institute’s highest alumni award, this distinction recognizes exceptional alumni achievement in any field, vocational and/or voluntary. It honors those who have attained and maintained extremely high stations in their chosen fields and in their service to society.

J. Steven Flannigan Electrical Engineering, 1968 Flannigan made significant contributions in the early development of microprocessor technology and then helped establish Compaq Computer Corp. He built an alliance for the company with Microsoft that helped lead to a sale to Hewlett-Packard. He is active in charitable organizations in Santa Fe, N.M. Roger K. LaCosse Mechanical Engineering, 1971 A 35-year career with BFGoodrich included a variety of engineering, purchasing and manufacturing roles throughout the world.

He retired in 2006 after being the first project manager for a plant in Shanghai, China. He has been a class agent and Varsity R Club member.

Fujio (Fudge) Matsuda Civil Engineering, 1949 The son of Japanese immigrants in Hawaii, Matsuda would go on to serve his country, state and profession. He was president of the University of Hawaii from 1974 to 1984.

He then led the Japan-America Institute of Management Science and worked for several not-for-profit groups.

Richard (Dick) K. Osburn Mathematics, 1967 NASA called upon Osburn’s problem-solving skills to provide ground navigation support for several Apollo projects, including the aborted Apollo 13 mission. He later supported Skylab and early Space Shuttle flights before being director of flight design for Rockwell Space Operations.

26

Career Achievement Award

Honoring alumni (graduated at least 20 years) whose professional achievements have brought distinction to themselves, credit to the institute and benefit to their communities.

R. Neil Irwin Civil Engineering, 1963 After adding a law degree, Irwin had a successful 45-year legal career in Phoenix, Ariz., and now directs The Irwin Companies, focusing on areas of real estate, farming and consulting.

He also has served his community in many ways, including co-founding the Downtown Phoenix Partnership.

Donald W. Lincoln Physics, 1986 Lincoln is a highly decorated physicist who is a fellow of the American Physical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science for his work contributing to the discovery of the top quark and the Higgs boson.

He is a senior scientist at Fermi National Accelerator Lab. Raman N. Ohri Computer Engineering, 1993 Ohri is a certified project management professional who has been president of Software Engineering Professionals since 2015. He is an Indianapolis Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation ambassador and is helping Eleven Fifty Academy create an ecosystem of coding talent in central Indiana.

Learn more about this year’s alumni award winners at http://bit.ly/2DDaFZv

Distinguished Young Alumni Award

Recognizing alumni from the last decade who have achieved significant success after graduation in the areas of career achievement, community service and dedication to their alma mater.

Cate M. (Walker) Dragani Biomedical Engineering, 2007 Dragani has had increasing responsibility as a scientist at Johnson & Johnson, now serving as a senior manager in the rapid response organization.

She has earned Six Sigma Green Belt certification and several awards. She also is involved with many community activities in New Jersey.

Elliot I. Goodman Mechanical Engineering, 2007 Goodman has steadily increased responsibilities in manufacturing over his young career. He is a senior mechanical/systems engineer with Accelerated Machine Design and Engineering.

He was the Young Alumni Representative to the Board of Trustees from 2014 to 2015.

Steven (Steve) T. Jugle BS Chemical Engineering, 2006 MS Chemical Engineering, 2007 Jugle is drawing upon his engineering and legal training as a patent attorney with Baker Botts LLP in Dallas, Texas. He also works pro bono legal matters, and volunteers with the South Dallas Legal Clinic. He was chair of the Class of 2007’s 10-year reunion.

Stephen A. Lewis BS Applied Biology, 2007 MS Engineering Management, 2009 Lewis is a senior systems engineer at ICTT System Sciences in Terre Haute, Ind., and has been an advocate for systems education.

He has provided volunteer tax assistance and counseling for the elderly.

Eric W. Volz Mechanical Engineering, 2007 After starting as a mechanical development engineer for Cummins Inc., Volz earned a law degree and is now a patent attorney with Frost Brown Todd, LLC in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was named an Ohio Rising Star in intellectual property for 2018 and Frost Brown Todd Mentor of the Year in 2017.

Collegian Rose Award

Recognizing Rose-Hulman alumni employees whose work elevates the institute’s mission and strengthens alumni connections, and who have been advocates for lifelong relationships with the institute.

Kevin Lanke Economics, 1997

Lanke is completing his 20th year as the primary sports information contact for Rose-Hulman, where he is assistant athletic director for sports information and communications.

He has received the President’s Outstanding Service Award and Athletic Department’s Jess Lucas Award.

Alumni News

TAKING NOTE

Honorary Alumni Award

Recognizing faculty and staff members for demonstrating strong and selfless commitment to the institute, professional achievement and dedication to the betterment of their respective departments.

Jameel Ahmed Head, Biology & Biomedical Engineering

Mary Greer Switchboard Operator

Rachel Romas Student Alumni Association Award Recognizes outstanding leadership in the Student Alumni Association.

The award is named for Romas, who was the group’s advisor from 2015-2017.

Mitchell Lozier Senior Mechanical Engineering

ECHOES

|

SPRING 2018

27

BY PROFESSOR EMERITUS HERB BAILEY

Bailey Challenge There were more than 90 solvers of the fall problems. Problem 2 and the bonus were difficult for many of you. They also were challenges for me.

The problems below may be a little easier, but not too easy. Some of you have asked for the meaning of the emeritus title that appears after my name. The origin of the word goes back to Latin in describing a soldier who had served one’s term. In modern times it could refer to a paroled prisoner or a retired teacher.

WI NTER PRO BLEM 1

WI NTER PRO BLEM 2

Grandpa gave his grandchildren $198. He gave to each grandson as many dollars as he had granddaughters, and he gave to each granddaughter as many dollars as he had grandsons. Find the six combinations of grandchildren that are possible.

Using a pan balance, find the least number of known weights needed to weigh any number of pounds (without fractions) from 1 to 13 inclusive. The known weights can be placed on either or both of the pans.

WI NTER BO N US PRO BLEM 2

WI NTER BO N US PRO BLEM 1

A rectangle, whose length is twice its width, encloses four triangles. The areas of the outer triangles are 2, 3 and 4 as shown (not to scale).

Find the area of the inner triangle.

The current rage is to combine the arts with math. Fill in the blanks in this limerick: A dozen, a gross and a score Plus three times the ____ ____ ____ ____

4

All divided by seven Plus five times eleven

?

2

Is nine squared and not a bit more

3

SOLUTION TO FALL BONUS PROBLEM 1 BC , OC BC AC tan(30°)= and sin(AOC)= .

AC OC From the figure we have, tan(5°)=

B

5°

A

30° O

C

tan(5°) Solving gives sin(AOC)= ≈ .152 tan(30°) Thus

AOC ≈8.71°.

A number of solvers found

AOC ≈10.03°.

SOLUTION TO FALL PROBLEM 2 If H is Stanley’s height, then H/3 is his dig rate. At t=T1 his head is above ground by H-T1* H/3. At t =T2 his feet are below ground by T2*H/3, and thus his head is below by T2*H/3-H. Hence T2*H/3-H=3(H-T1* H/3).

Combining this equation with T1+T2=29/4 gives T1=19/8 and T2= 39/8.

Send your solutions to Herb.Bailey@rose-hulman.edu or to: Herb Bailey, 8571 Robin Run Way, Avon, IN 46123. Alumni should include their class year.

Congratulations to the following solvers of the fall problems: ALUMNI: T. Jones, 1949; J. Moser, 1956; A. Sutton, 1956; H. Brown, 1957; D. Bailey, 1959; J. Kirk, 1960; L. Hartley, 1961; R. Ireland, 1961; J. Ray, 1961; R. Turecky, 1961; N. Hannum, 1962; B. Lovell, 1963; S. James, 1965; T. McLeish, 1968; R. Dutton, 1969; A. Englehart, 1969; T. Baumgardner, 1970; G. Gladish, 1970; S. Jordan, 1970; C. Kinney, 1970; E. Arnold, 1971; D. Jordan, 1971; S. Sample, 1971; J. Tindall, 1971; T. Nelson, 1972; D. Hagar, 1972; J. Sanders, 1972; R. Collins, 1973; R. Kominiarek , 1973; M. Marinko, 1973; J. Zumar, 1973; S. Sims, 1974; C. Wheaton, 1974; P. Eck, 1975; J. Turner, 1975; M. Bailey, 1976; J. Schroeder, 1976; P. Van de Motter, 1977; P. Hahn, 1979; R. Priem, 1979; J. Slupesky, 1979; M. Dolan, 1980; R. Joyner, 1980; P. Gunn, 1981; S. Nolan, 1981; R. Roll, 1981; K,. Borgman, 1982; M. Taylor, 1982; J. Marum, 1983; R. Shafer, 1983; K. Walter, 1983; L. Beckham, 1986; S. Blonigen, 1986; B. Wright, 1986; D. Johnson, 1987; M. Lancaster, 1987; C. Abenour, 1989; B. Burger, 1990; R. Hochstetler, 1991; C. Schlimm, 1991; R. Wilkinson, 1991; J. Atkins, 1994; M. Young, 1994; J. Markwardt, 1995; M. Ley, 1997; M. Pilcher, 1998; P. Abell, 1999; C. Ehrhart, 1999; S. Dupal, 2006; T. Hannum, 2007; T. Homan, 2007; M. Trowbridge, 2008; D. Schoumacher, 2010; M. Schoumacher, 2010; C. Eley, 2012; M. Yuhas, 2013; and J. Munson, 2014 FRIENDS: A. Andrews, S. Bonney, T. Cutaia, E. Evans, L. Evans, A. Foulkes, J. Ley, K. McCann, J. Marks, L. Metcalf, R. Meyer, J. Nees, L. Puetz, M. Rosene, A. Siebenthaler and D. Voltmer 28

MATHEMATICAL HOUSE CALLS Mike Rosene is one of several examples that you don’t have to be an alumnus to enjoy solving Herb Bailey’s mathematical puzzles in each Echoes.

Early in his tenure as an orthopedic surgeon in Terre Haute, Ind., Rosene became aware of the challenges, and began solving them. “Because I’ve never met a word problem that I could ignore, I was hooked,” he says.

Then, Bailey became one of Rosene’s patients and a friendship developed.

They have kept in touch since the doctor left the city in 2000 for semi-retirement in Maine and now full retirement in Wilmington, N.C. As a former physician who dabbles as a household mechanic, electrician and architect, Rosene brings a different approach to each set of problems.

“I’m not school-trained in advanced math, so the math majors have a leg up sometimes because they can recognize a problem that calls for a formula or system that has become part of their armamentarium,” he says. “I do love algebra and geometry in their usual form, but I employ other practical tactics.

I have made tables with Excel, drawings with AutoCAD or models from cardboard. On one occasion, the solution was in the form of a shop-formed piece of wood.”

And, Rosene likes keeping up with his former patient through the stories Bailey weaves within each challenge.

“I find Herb’s wanderings about non-math subjects very enjoyable.

It would have been fun to be in his classroom,” he says. “Although I was not his student in the usual sense, I think I know Herb as well as many students might, because he was my patient and we have been friends for many years. Not only do I enjoy his humor, I try to reciprocate with some comments and teasing of my own embedded in the ‘Sols’ (Herb’s word for “Solution”) which I hope he has found amusing.”

–Dale Long, Executive Editor, Echoes

70s

80s

Charles E. Wickersham (PH, 1973) is an independent director with SCI Engineered Materials Inc. after retiring as materials analysis and development manager for First Solar Inc. He has contributed to 22 patents and more than 45 articles in scientific journals.

Michael D. Hlavaty-LaPosa (CHE, 1981) is providing managed information technology and security services/technology to small- and medium-sized businesses through TeamLogic IT’s office in Seattle, Wash. He has spent more than 25 years in wireless tech management.

Timothy W. Smith (CE, 1975) is in semi-retirement as deputy city manager for Springfield, Mo. He spent 22 years as an administrator for nearby Greene County.

Gregg A. Lowe (BSEE, 1984; HD, 2014) has started his next tech adventure as president and chief executive officer of Cree Inc., a lighting-class LED innovator based in Durham, N.C. He led Freescale Semiconductor from 2012 through 2015 and had a 28-year career with Texas Instruments.

Jonathan W. Shoemaker (CE, 1978) is director of operations at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where he was a crew chief for AMS’s Legends racing program. He had been director of operations for Eagle’s Landing First Baptist Church and Christian Academy in the Atlanta area.

Mark D. Weber (ME, 1979) is chief operating officer with Federal Signal Corporation after being president and chief executive officer with Supreme Industries Inc.

Leslie “Les” P. Duellman (ME, 1985) was featured in Dirt Modified Magazine’s October 2017 issue about his family’s career in racing full-sized dirt cars.

Gary W. Parker (ME, 1985) is chief operating officer with Kentucky Trailer, a division of R.C. Tway Company. He previously was director of manufacturing with Great Dane Trailers.

James M. Peck (CE, 1985) is the chief engineer for Montgomery County in Indiana. He previously owned a civil engineering design firm, and has worked on high-profile private sector development projects throughout the Midwest.

Alumni

CLASS NOTES

Stephen Spicklemire (PH, 1985) received the Homer L. Dodge Citation for Distinguished Service to the American Association of Physics Teachers. He has spent most of his college teaching career at the University of Indianapolis, serving since 2013 as chair of the Department of Physics and Earth-Space Science.

Roger R. VanDerSnick (ME, 1985) joined the Indianapolis Colts during the 2017 season as chief sales and marketing officer. He has more than 30 years in sales/marketing with International Management Group College, International Speedway Corp., NASCAR and Procter & Gamble.

William R. Bradford (EE, 1986) is president and chief executive officer with the Electronic Components Industry Association. He previously led global sales with Freescale, ON Semiconductor and Entropic Communications.

Doug Collett Issues a Gridiron Challenge on ESPN’s ‘GameDay’ Doug G. Collett’s passions for Rose-Hulman and its athletic programs were on public display late last fall when he managed to put forth a college football challenge — his Fightin’ Engineers could take on recent NCAA Division I title contender Clemson University.

The 2015 civil engineering alumnus managed to get the tongue-in-cheek sign–a staple and popular feature on ESPN’s football “College GameDay”— featured on the iconic show before the 2017 Army-Navy game Dec. 9 in Philadelphia.

The sign stated: “Rose-Hulman Wants Clemson.” (At that time, Clemson, the defending national champion, was the country’s No. 1-ranked team.)

“It was really a spur-of-the-moment thing,” Collett says, recalling the moment that gave his alma mater some national publicity. “I was in [Philadelphia] to watch my future brother-in-law play for West Point. Once the sign was made, it was pure luck that I got it on air...You’re basically in a sea of people all trying to get their signs on TV. It’s mainly luck, and maybe a couple hard elbows.”

Collett is a former Rose-Hulman football and baseball player whose father, John (CE, 1988), was a four-year football letter winner on campus.

ECHOES

|

SPRING 2018

29

Alumni

CLASS NOTES

Erik Jansen Takes Rose-Hulman to New Heights Erik N. Jansen (right in photo) is a self-confident person. However, even he admits to being a little apprehensive at the prospect of ascending the nearly 11,000-foot high Mount Baker, the northern-most peak in the Cascade volcanic region. After all, Jansen was 61 years old, hadn’t attempted a climb like this in 20 years, and was still feeling the lingering effects of nearly frostbitten feet from a similar wilderness adventure.

“I’m always up for a challenge,” says the 1978 electrical engineering major from Mercer Island, Wash. Slightly more than eight hours after his 2 a.m. start, Jansen joined the four-member climbing team in getting to the top and unfurling a Rose-Hulman flag in the 25 mph winds. It took only four hours for him to climb down. Besides being a personal challenge, the trek allowed Jansen to raise funds to support the Washington Trails Association, an organization maintaining the state’s trail system in federally owned lands.

Andrew W. Burtner (CHE, 1986) was inducted into the Kennett Old Timers Baseball Association Hall of Fame. After being a pitcher for the Fightin’ Engineers, he had a successful mound career in adult baseball leagues around Houston, Texas, and Columbus, Ohio.

John A. Collett (CE, 1988) is the 2018 president for the Asphalt Pavement Association of Indiana. He is president of Wabash Valley Asphalt Company, based in Terre Haute, Ind.

90s Gary L. Ruston (CE, 1990) is this year’s president of the Indiana Water Environment Association. He is a senior project manager with Wessler Engineering’s Wastewater Group, based in Greenwood, Ind. Christopher J. Barron (PH, 1991) is a senior regulatory specialist with Normandeau Associates in Bedford, N.H., after retiring as commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ New England district.

Robert C. Hochstetler (EE, 1991) earned a master’s degree in public administration, specializing in regional sustainability, from Clemson University. He is president and chief executive officer of Central Electric Power in Columbia, S.C.

30

Kevin J. Token (EE, 1991) is chairman and chief executive officer of BSA LifeStructures, an architecture and engineering design firm for health care, higher education, and science and research markets. He rejoined the company in 2008 to launch an office in his hometown of St. Louis, Mo. Luther E. “Earl” Wilkinson (CE, 1991) is the water services officer with Colorado Springs (Colo.)

Utilities. He has more than 26 years working for municipal government operations, previously as director of public works for the city of Pueblo, Colo., and as a senior professional engineer for Toledo, Ohio.

William N. Eccles (EE, 1992) is serving as senior administrator for the Town of Tolland, Conn., after being elected last fall to his third two-year term on the town council. Professionally, he works in engineering, sales and marketing for Bloomy Controls.

Dejan N. Nenov (CPE, 1992) is vice president of software engineering with Resonant, Inc., based in Goleta, Calif. He formerly founded Panaton Software, was chief technology officer with Safari Books Online and was vice president of engineering with X1 Technologies Inc. Vernon J. “Jay” Tarrh (ME, 1992) is plant manager of Wabash National’s operations center in Lafayette, Ind.

Jeffrey L. Papa (ECON, 1993) has been appointed to the Indiana Task Force on Public Defense, a panel examining possible improvements to Indiana’s public defender services. He also is adjunct professor at Indiana University, teaching courses in public law and the legislative process.

Kenneth N. Whah (ME, 1994) is chief operating officer with Hanson Logistics, a third-party logistics company based in St. Joseph, Mich. He formerly was director of North American logistics operations for Whirlpool Corp.

Tiffany S. (Blandin) Trusty (BSEE, 1997; MSEM, 2007) received the 2017 Golden Laurel Award from the Indianapolis Recorder for supporting Indianapolis’ tech diversity initiatives.

William “Tyler” T. Jewell (CS, 1998) is chief executive officer and director of the board for WSO2, based in Mountain View, Calif. He also is a partner of Toba Capital as an angel investor of $100 million in a variety of tech enterprises. Jewell is former CEO of Codenvy, a category-leading company acquired by Red Hat in 2017.

Bryan D. Whitsell (ME, 1998) earned a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Arizona State University. He is employed at a robotics company in Atlanta, Ga.

Erin L. Gawron (CHEM/MA, 1999) successfully defended her doctoral thesis in analytical chemistry at Georgia Institute of Technology. She returned to college after teaching high school science for 10 years. Gawron has started a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada.

Stephen F. McIrvin (CHEM, 1999) used his background in science and robotics to develop learnrichly.com, a website providing fun and educational ways for kids to appreciate all things related to science and technology.

Randy L. Sible (ME, 1999) is general manager with Tegra Medical’s production plant in Hernando, Miss., his latest assignment in more than 17 years of management experience in medical devices, aerospace/defense and equipment manufacturing.

Jennifer J. Taylor (ECON/MA, 1999) was promoted to partner with Ernst & Young’s central regional network, based in Indianapolis, Ind. She had been a senior manager on professional practice and regulatory matters for 17 years, after earning a master’s degree in accounting from Indiana University.

00s Elizabeth M. Hagerman (CHE, 2000) was selected one of Indiana’s 2018 Forty Under 40 by Indianapolis Business Journal for her achievements as Rose-Hulman’s vice president for corporate engagement and Rose-Hulman Ventures. She has helped grow the institute’s corporate engagement activity and developed valuable connections between students and external communities.

Joshua D. Hulett (ME, 2000) is vice president of product for traditional brewers with Keurig Green Mountain, Inc., based in Boston, Mass. He had several leadership roles in product development during 14 years with Whirlpool Corp.

Jason A. Kahlhamer (CHE, 2001) is director of research, development and engineering for Ecolab Inc.’s North American laundry, pool and spa services division. He has spent his entire career with the company in Minneapolis, Minn.

Brad A. Stull (CE, 2002) is chief estimator for Verdex Construction, based in West Palm Beach, Fla. For the past 20 years he has worked on a variety of multifamily, hospitality, commercial and senior living projects throughout South Florida.

Eva M. (Barlow) Nickelson (MA/CS, 2003) was awarded the inaugural Young Professional Award for Combat Survivability by the National Defense Industrial Association. She is a technical staff member at Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Lincoln Laboratory, analyzing and testing air vehicle survivability for the U.S. Air Force.

Alumni

CLASS NOTES

Michael D. Martin (BSCPE, 2004; MSEM, 2011) received the 2017 Jess R. Lucas Alumni Leadership Award, recognizing a former Rose-Hulman residence life staff member for distinguished career achievements. He is an Appirio account executive and has been a Salesforce MVP for the past three years.

Yaw Aning (CE, 2007) was one of 10 outstanding young central Indiana professionals under 40 years old named “Indy’s Best and Brightest” by Junior Achievement of Central Indiana.

He is a successful entrepreneur who co-founded Sticksnleaves, a product development and consulting firm in Fishers, Ind. Jacob A. Krall (CS/SE, 2007) is director of engineering for Fog Creek Software’s manuscript operations. He has worked with the company since 2013 and formerly was a software engineer with Cheezburger Inc.

Tonya Combs Leading Patent Strategy for Lilly BioMedicines As the senior director and general patent counsel for Eli Lilly and Company’s Lilly BioMedicines business unit, Tonya L. Combs leads a team of patent attorneys that is responsible for the creation, acquisition and defense assistance of global patent portfolios. The 2001 chemical engineering alumna also assists in handling a variety of intellectual property issues, including patent infringement and/or validity opinions, and competitive analysis of granted patents and pending patent applications to support business leaders in making strategic decisions for Lilly’s pipeline and marketed BioMedicines pharmaceuticals. Combs has spent her entire professional career with Eli Lilly, starting as a chemical engineer in the research labs before moving over to address legal matters after earning a law degree, with summa cum laude academic honors, from Indiana University. She is a steering committee member of Indiana’s Chiefs of Intellectual Property, and a board member for Tangram, Inc., a nonprofit organization supporting individuals with disabilities.

ECHOES

|

SPRING 2018

31

Alumni

CLASS NOTES Samantha L. Anderson (BE, 2008) is a lifecycle quality manager with Ethicon Inc. in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she has worked since 2017.

Whitney D. Zimmerman (EE, 2009) has become a management consultant with McKinsey & Company’s general strategy practice. He formerly had a variety of engineering and production roles across the globe with BMW Manufacturing Co. He also co-founded a digital assistant for young children, KinderMate, a finalist in University of Chicago Booth School of Business’ Global New Venture Challenge.

Michael M. Morris (ME, 2008) is a partner specializing in intellectual property cases with the law firm of Woodard, Emhardt, Moriarty, McNett & Henry LLP in Indianapolis, Ind. Rachel A. Brynsvold (CHE, 2009) is a senior statistical analyst with Walmart Technology in Austin, Texas.

10s

Mark J. Intihar (BSEE, 2009; MSEM, 2011) has a new job as lead design release/resident engineer with Aptiv in the San Francisco, Calif., area.

Brant L. Gurganus (CS, 2010) is a senior software engineer specializing in cybernetics with CSX Corp., working from Indianapolis, Ind. He formerly was a senior consultant with Guilford Group.

Nathan P. Richter (ME, 2009) earned a master’s degree in business administration from Butler University. He is director of sales with Bastian Automation Engineering in Greenfield, Ind.

Rebecca J. (Anderson) Culp (ME, 2011) is the lead information technology engineer for Raytheon’s Meridian Engineering operations, based in Tucson, Ariz.

Jason J. Sauppe (CS/MA, 2009) and Allison V. (Terrell) Sauppe (CS/SE, 2009) are assistant professors of computer science at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Jason earned a doctorate from University of Illinois in 2015, the same year Allison completed her doctorate at University of Wisconsin.

Emma E. Barrasso (EP, 2011) has founded her own consulting company, EB Results, while being a Ross Leaders Academy Fellow in University of Michigan’s Master of Business Administration program.

|

BIO: Biology

EM: Engineering Management

32

|

|

CE: Civil Engineering

EN: Environmental Engineering

| |

CHE: Chemical Engineering MATH: Mathematics

|

|

CHEM: Chemistry

|

Mary “Betsy” E. Jones (BE/IS, 2013) was lead researcher on a new study published in Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport on the benefits and risks for men with careers as elite cricket players. She is completing doctorate studies at the University of Oxford.

C. Daniel Parks (ME, 2013) is an associate in the intellectual property group for Faegre Baker Daniels law firm’s office in Indianapolis, Ind. He focuses on domestic and international patent preparation and prosecution in the mechanical and electromechanical arts. Parks earned a law degree from Indiana University in 2017.

Jack A. Pringle (MA, 2013) earned a master’s degree in agriculture from Cornell University.

Casey J. Levitt (BSBE, 2014/MSEM, 2015) has been promoted to engineering project manager with National Instruments in Austin, Texas. She has worked for the company since graduation.

Ming Cheung (center) was pleasantly surprised by being one of 14 people recognized as an achievement award winner at the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers’ 2017 national conference in Chicago. The 2006 mechanical engineering graduate was cited by the manager and human resources officer at his employer, The Timken Company, for making significant discoveries and important advances in his career, while being acknowledged as a leader of large business or societal initiatives.

Cheung is a machine tool industry specialist and account manager at the company’s plant near Philadelphia, Pa.

BE: Biomedical Engineering

Jonathan W. Nibert (BSCPE, 2012; MSEM, 2013) is a core electrical architecture engineering with Ford Motor Co., where he has worked since 2013.

Garrett Meyer (ME/MA 2014) is modeling the thermodynamics of power plants as an engineer for Black & Veatch, based in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Kendal J. Rosenbaum (CE, 2015) is a project manager with CE Solutions, based in Carmel, Ind. He earned a master’s degree in structural engineering from Purdue University in 2016 while Price working for KJG Architecture in West Lafayette, Ind.

CPE: Computer Engineering

ME: Mechanical Engineering

|

|

CS: Computer Science

OE: Optical Engineering

|

PH: Physics

| |

MAJORS KEY EE – Electrical Engineering SE: Software Engineering

Alumni

CLASS NOTES

In Memoriam ‘Mr. Rose-Hulman’ Had Caring Spirit, Eagerness to Help Others Ronald G. Reeves (EE, 1958; HD, 1997), 82, died Feb. 5, 2018, in Terre Haute, Ind. He was affectionately known as “Mr. Rose-Hulman” after serving the institute and its alumni for 30 years, 24 of them as vice president of development and external affairs. Reeves was responsible for successful fundraising and public relations programs that brought unprecedented financial support and recognition to Rose-Hulman, including the largest fundraising effort in Rose-Hulman history–the “Vision to be the Best” campaign. Reeves also developed public relations programs that resulted in the institute earning a national reputation as a leader in education.

Reeves’ caring spirit, kind heart and an eagerness to assist others were recognized with the Alumni Association’s Honor Alumni Award in 1977,

John H. Taylor (ME, 1942), 96, died July 22, 2017, in The Villages, Fla. He retired as chairman of Taylor-Pohlman Inc. in Orchard Park, N.Y. William Schumann (ME, 1947), 89, died Sept. 18, 2017, in Temple, Texas, from injuries suffered in a vehicle accident that also claimed the life of his wife, Martha. He retired from General Motors Corp.’s Allison Division after being a flight test engineer in the early development of aircraft turboprop engines.

Wayne F. Walter (ME, 1949), 91, died Dec. 13, 2017, in San Jose, Calif. He retired as a systems engineer with IBM. Robert L. Powell Sr. (EE, 1951), 89, died Aug. 17, 2017, in Manhattan Beach, Calif. He retired as a design branch manager with McDonnell Douglas Corp.

Robert R. Dedert (EE, 1953), 86, died Sept. 1, 2017, in Bethlehem, Pa. He retired from the Allen-Bradley Co. before founding two enterprises, Engineered Systems and Sytrex Systems.

Jack R. Hughes (ME, 1955), 87, died Dec. 6, 2017, in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. He retired as an engineer with Boeing Company.

James L. Massey (ME, 1958), 87, died Dec. 31, 2017, in Lancaster, Ohio. He was an engineer with Sieco Inc. and later worked for RLM Engineers as a consultant.

Wilbur J. Steele (CE, 1958), 81, died Jan. 4, 2018, in Palm Desert, Calif. He was a construction engineer for the California Department of Transportation, contributing to several projects to assist the transportation system in the Los Angeles area.

Vern S. McKenzie (CHE, 1960), 81, died Nov. 20, 2017, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He was a high school math and science teacher before returning to engineering as a quality control and assurance leader for the 3M Company, Winnebago Industries and Midland Forge. He was a Fellow of the American Society for Quality.

Charles R. Gilbert (EE, 1962), 77, died Dec. 19, 2017, in Albuquerque, N.M. He was an engineer with GE Aircraft Engines.

the President’s Outstanding Service Award, and induction to the Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005 for being Rose-Hulman’s “No. 1 fan in the stands” and attending thousands of athletic events. A conference room in the Office of Institutional Advancement, located inside Hatfield Hall, was dedicated to Reeves in 2016.

Reeves was adviser for the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity campus chapter for several years, and past members honored Reeves by renaming the campus house for him. He received ATO’s National President’s Service Award in 1970.

A Terre Haute native, Reeves was deeply committed to his hometown.

He received several honors for his leadership and service to several local organizations and philanthropic causes.

Fred H. Terry (BS/MSEE, 1962), 77, died Sept.

14, 2017, in Memphis, Tenn. He retired after 40 years of college teaching, spending 20 years as dean of engineering at Christian Brothers University (Tenn.).

He also did heart research at the University of Tennessee’s School of Medicine.

Vaughn R. Love (ME, 1964), 74, died Sept. 15, 2017, in Greenwood, Ind. He retired from Cummins Engine Co. after a 33-year engineering career.

James S. Abel (ME, 1965), 75, died Nov. 13, 2017 in Tucson, Ariz. He retired as an engineer with Commonwealth Edison in Chicago.

Michael J. Hanley (PH, 1968), 71, died Sept. 11, 2017, in Lexington, Ky. He was a retired engineer and anesthesiologist.

Stephen P. Mueller (ME, 1968), 71, died Jan. 25, 2018, in West Chester, Ohio. He worked as a manufacturer’s representative in technical sales.

Thomas A. Glesige (EE, 1969), 70, died Sept. 21, 2017, in Nashville, Tenn. He retired after 20 years with Caterpillar Financial and as a commander in the U.S. Navy.

Thomas A. Dyer (ME, 1970), 69, died Dec. 4, 2017, in Greenwood, Ind. He was an engineer with Mainline Conveyor and Pentek Corporation.

Joseph C. Wadz (CHE, 1970), 68, died April 21, 2017, in Roselle, Ill. He was formerly operations manager with Metropolitan Water Reclamation in Des Plaines, Ill. Robert W. Rossman (ME, 1975), 64, died Nov. 27, 2017 in West Harrison, Ind. He spent his career as an engineer and consulting engineer, while also being a volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician.

Randall E. Simon (ME, 1975), 64, died Oct. 17, 2017 in Mount Vernon, Ind. He retired after spending his professional career with Vectren and Southern Indiana Gas and Electrical Company.

William (Bill) F. Yochman (ME, 1976), 63, died Sept. 3, 2017 in West Chester Township, Ohio.

He was a sales engineer in the automation industry.

Anthony (Tony) J. Hable (ME, 1982), 57, died Nov. 11, 2017, in Clinton, Ill., with his wife, Karen, from injuries sustained in an automobile accident. He spent his professional career working as an engineer for the municipal power station.

Jeremy C. Effing (CE, 1994), 45, died Dec. 3, 2017 in Greensburg, Ind. He took over a family business, Effing and Norton Construction, in 2014 after working with Wagner Truss Manufacturing and Barth & Associates.

Robert C. Rogers (CE, 1994), 47, died Dec. 9, 2017 in Indianapolis. He owned Rogers, Inc. and was an engineer with Farah and Sons Engineering, A&F Engineering, Master’s Heating and Cooling, and Indiana Department of Transportation.

FAC U LT Y / STA FF / FRI E N D S Roy Dean Hill, 84, died Aug. 22, 2017, in Las Cruces, N.M. He was a chemistry professor for 55 years, teaching at Rose-Hulman from 1968 until 1979. He then completed his career at New Mexico State University.

Andre Lacy (HD, 1985), 78, died Nov. 27, 2017 in southern Africa. He was a successful Indianapolis businessman and philanthropist who was a former Rose-Hulman trustee.

Delbert (Bud) C. Staley (HD, 1981), 93, died Oct. 10, 2017, in Rye, N.Y. He attended Rose Polytechnic Institute only briefly in the early 1940s, but kept a lifelong relationship with the institute, formerly serving as a trustee. Staley was chairman and president of New York Telephone (NYNEX) for 10 years before retiring in 1989.

Marvin (Jack) Whittington, 86, died Dec. 19, 2017, in Greencastle, Ind. He was a member of the academic housekeeping staff for 28 years, retiring in 1995.

ECHOES

|

SPRING 2018

33

Alumni

CLASS NOTES

Rosebuds Paul Drury (EE, 1998) and wife, Sara, had their first child, Elsie, Dec. 1, 2017.

The family lives in Fort Wayne, Ind., where Paul is a senior principal electrical engineer with The Raytheon Company.

Clint T. Bryant (CE, 2004) and wife, Jane, welcomed their first child, Evan James, Sept. 13, 2017. The family lives in Terre Haute, Ind. Clint is the highway maintenance director with Indiana Department of Transportation’s Crawfordsville district.

Sarah M. Rice (BE, 2008) and husband, Alexander T. Fine (CS, 2007), had a daughter, Mary Gwendolyn, July 24, 2017.

Brianna N. Butchart (CHE, 2010) and husband, Barrett Rankins, had a son, Andrew, May 12, 2017. The family lives in Springfield, Ore., where Brianna works with International Paper Company.

Matthew A. Johnson (CPE, 2005) and wife, Heather, welcomed their second child, Matilda, Jan. 5, 2018. The family resides in Lino Lakes, Minn.

Matt is a principal systems engineer with Boston Scientific’s interventional cardiology operations.

Ryan K. Gulden (ME, 2006) and wife, Jessie, had their second daughter, Layla Quinn, Aug. 4, 2017. They live in Middleton, Wis., where Ryan is an implementation director with Epic Systems.

Devin M. Cook (CE, 2007) and wife, Kristen, had their second child, Landon, April 29, 2017.

The family lives in Plainfield, Ind. Devin has been promoted to a project manager with TLF, Inc., a structural engineering firm in Indianapolis, Ind.

Johanna S. Moore (AB, 2011) and husband, Andrew R. Kruth (SE/CS, 2011), welcomed a son, Clyde, Feb. 19, 2017. The family recently moved to the Dayton, Ohio, area. Andrew is a software consultant for Big Data and Johanna teaches science in high school.

Matthew “Ryan” Hogue (BSME, 2012/MSEM, 2014) and wife, Sarah, welcomed a daughter, Lillian Mae, Aug. 11, 2017 in Blacksburg, Va. Ryan is a mechanical engineer with Federal-Mogul Corp.

Samantha J. Ellerman (CHE, 2012) and husband, Dennis Tewell, had their first daughter, Matilda Lucille, Aug. 16, 2017. The couple lives Kansas City, Mo., where Samantha is a process engineer with Burns & McDonnell.

Jesseca R. Zapf (ME, 2007) and husband, Gregory D. Lyons (BE, 2006), had daughter, Mackenzie Rose, Aug. 19, 2017.

John K. Baughman (EE, 2008) and wife, Lora, had a daughter, Taylor Elaine, Sept. 9, 2017. She joins brothers Carter and Grant in the family.

Kelli A. Phillips (CE, 2012) and husband, William “Amos” Denny (CE, 2012), had a son, Solomon Amos, June 2, 2017.

The family lives in Terre Haute, Ind.

W E WA N T YOU R N E W S !

34

Send news and photographs to alumnirelations@rose-hulman.edu

Weddings Michael S. McDaniel (EE, 1987) married Sherrie Parnell Oct. 7, 2017 in Lumberton, N.C. The couple lives in Placitas, N.M. Michael is lead engineer with Honeywell International’s advanced manufacturing engineering group.

Sophia J. Percival (BE, 2009) married Nicholas Kappas Sept. 16, 2017 in French Lick, Ind. She is a drug product program manager with Catalent Biologics (formerly Cook Pharmica) in Bloomington, Ind.

Caroline A. Andersen (BE, 2011) married Jeffrey Milton May 13, 2017, at her parents’ Indiana home. Travis D. Vanderberg (ME, 2010) served as witness for the nuptials.

The couple resides in Kansas City, Mo., where Caroline is a U.S. maintenance and engineering manager with BCS Company.

Ejimofor (EJ) C. Oruche (BE, 2011) married Chelsea Willett Oct. 14, 2017 in Los Angeles, Calif.

He is a senior product manager with CBS Interactive.

Samuel E. Harris (CS, 2013) married Devon E. Trumbauer (BE, 2013) June 18, 2016, outside Seattle, Wash., where they reside. Sam is a software developer with Kaggle, a subsidiary of Google, while Devon is a manufacturing engineer with EKOS Corp.

Ryan E. Hohl (ME, 2014) married Haley K. Bowyer (BE, 2016) Aug. 12, 2017, in Rose-Hulman’s White Chapel. They live in Martinsville, Ind. Ryan is a structural analysis engineer at Allison Transmission.

Haley is a sustaining engineer with Cook Medical.

Alumni

CLASS NOTES

Benjamin I. Paul (SE/CPE/CS, 2015) married Sydney K. Short (EE, 2017) Sept. 24, 2017, in Bothell, Wash. Benjamin is a software engineer with Microsoft Corp. and Sydney is a research scientist/engineer at the University of Washington.

Davis P. Robinson (CS/MA, 2015) married Janelle M. Weir (CPE/CS, 2015) Sept. 23, 2017, in Bloomington, Ind. They live in Manchester, N.H. Davis is a data scientist with Hartford Insurance Co. and Janelle is a test/ product engineer with Texas Instruments.

Josiah Xai-Hui Wang (ME, 2016) married Erin Ruth Campbell (BE, 2015) July 29, 2017, in White Chapel at Rose-Hulman. They both work in the area of Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn.

Jordan A. Bosse (CE, 2017) married Joy L. Atzinger (CE, 2017) Dec. 9, 2017, in White Chapel at Rose-Hulman. They live in Fishers, Ind. Jordan is a road group staff engineer at American Structurepoint, while Joy is a water resources engineer at RQAW Corp.

Brendon L. Mattiuz (ME, 2017) married Rachel M. Phillips (CHE, 2017) May 28, 2017, in Rose-Hulman’s White Chapel. They live in Indianapolis, Ind., where Brendon is a test methods engineer with Eli Lilly and Company, and Rachel is a process improvement manager for GTR.

Logan J. Laflin (ME, 2013) married Tamara Walter Oct. 21, 2017 in Wyandotte, Mich. The couple lives in Southgate, Mich., where he is a seat design engineer with Toyota Boshoku.

Austin J. Weatherford (CE, 2013) married Libby Ogden June 17, 2017, in Destin, Fla. The couple lives in Los Angeles.

He is an operations manager with Nestle Waters North America.

Sydney B. Miller (ME, 2017) married Abraham Phillips Aug. 18, 2017, in Enumclaw, Wash. The couple lives in Indianapolis, Ind., where Sydney is a performance engineer for Rolls-Royce.

ECHOES

|

SPRING 2018

35

DOWN MEMORY LANE

BACK TO THE FUTURE:

STORY

BY ARTHUR FOULKES PHOTOS FROM ARCHIVES

THE ROSE SHOW The annual Rose Show allowed students to show off a variety of innovative projects for their time.

W

orld fairs were in their heyday in the early 20th century, thrilling crowds with the wonders of the maturing industrial age. By 1927, the leaders of Rose Polytechnic Institute chose to start their own miniature version of this global phenomenon, calling it The Rose Show. Every two years from 1928 to 1940, this popular public event featured exhibits from each of the institute’s academic departments and student clubs, along with outside companies and organizations.

The early shows took place over three days and attracted thousands of visitors to campus. The first, directed

by Professor Clarence C. Knipmeyer, featured 225 exhibits, including 48 by the Department of Electrical Engineering alone. Visitors paid to attend the show, and printed material

36

assured guests that exhibits were “arranged in such a manner that there will be no danger to any spectator” as long as they obeyed signs and followed directions.

Total attendance at the first show was posted at 3,486.

By 1932, attendance reached its peak with 6,765 people visiting 285 exhibits. Attendance remained well over 5,000 until the last show of this original period.

Designed to impress the public with the remarkable work taking place at Rose Poly, the show was advertised on radio, posters The Rose Show placed around Terre Haute, and by was a significant athletic coach Phil Brown and the event on campus traveling Rose Glee Club. In later and provided years, the original shows included an opportunity educational exhibits and others for students to that were purely entertaining. The demonstrate and Department of Chemical Engineering explain the work had 25 exhibits in the 1928 show, they were doing to a general audience.

including a display about dry ice—“a new method of preserving and shipping perishable food.” Civil Engineering’s many exhibits included “hydroelectric development” and a model railroad. And an electrical engineering exhibit demonstrated burglar alarms with the tongue-in-cheek sales pitch: “Girls, buy one of these and catch your man.”

Despite some lighthearted exhibits, there is no doubt that the original Rose Show was serious business.

The school newspaper, The Technic, described the 1934 show as “one of the most important events in school history,” in part because it required students to plan, organize and execute the event, and answer questions from the public about their presentations.

Six years later, the paper estimated 14,000 student hours went into preparing the 1940 exhibition.

For reasons not fully known, perhaps due to World War II, The Rose Show disappeared after 1940 and—with the exception of a one-day “Little Rose Show” in 1952—would not return until the institute’s centennial The Department of Civil Engineering’s balsa wood bridge contest was always a favorite Rose Show attraction.

The Rose Show Returns!

The Rose Show will be back to dazzle the campus community and the general public Wednesday, May 2, just for a single day (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.), as seniors display nearly 100 design projects in the fieldhouse area of the Sports and Recreation Center.

Students always put on a great show that impressed campus visitors and parents.

year of 1974. It would then appear intermittently for the next 27 years, sponsored by the Blue Key Honor Society. As with the original show, the reincarnated Rose Show included exhibits from each academic department, outside companies, and student clubs and organizations.

The civil engineering department’s balsa wood bridge-busting contest was a big attraction. These new Rose Shows were a single day and were included as part of Family Weekend activities in the spring.

The Rose Show vanished once again after 2001. Professor Rob Bunch, who joined the physics and optical engineering faculty in the 1980s, said crowd sizes started dropping over the years, as the science and technology on display became available through the local children’s museum, YouTube videos and other outside outlets.

Though not quite a World’s fair, while it lasted, The Rose Show was a significant event on campus and provided an opportunity for students to demonstrate and explain the work they were doing to a general audience. As Bunch remembers, “It was just a great thing for Rose to do for the community.” n

We’re especially seeking alumni to get involved. Register to attend The Rose Show and help select the best projects to receive awards, while taking advantage of this opportunity to mingle with students, professors and fellow alumni. Visit http://bit.ly/2HgZQz3 to learn more.

The Future Back Then Here is a sampling of titles from past Rose Show exhibits:

1928 to 1940 A Modern Sewage Treatment Plant X-Rays Types of Amplifiers “Edisonia” Historical Relics Loaned by Mr. Thomas A. Edison Tennessee Valley Authority Display “Love-O-Meter”

1974 to 2001 Cup of Coffee Made from Raw Sewage Waste-Eating Bugs How to Make Miniature Plastic Bottles Balsa Wood Miniature Bridge Breaking Kissing Holograms Removing Color from Kool-Aid Solar Phantom Solar-Powered Car Chemistry Magic Show

ECHOES

|

SPRING 2018

37

5500 WABASH AVENUE TERRE HAUTE, IN 47803 Address Service Requested

PARTIN G SHOT The expanded student union came to life this winter when a Living Wall, with 1,458 potted plants, brought artistic charm and a breath of fresh air to the new Living Room. It’s a place where students can play some pool, grab a cup of coffee, study or relax in social spaces, and enjoy a great view of Speed Lake. Take a look inside the building at www.rose-hulman.edu/NewUnion. (Photo by Bryan Cantwell)

STAY CONNECTED with Rose-Hulman through our website www.rose-hulman.edu.

Also become a fan of Rose-Hulman’s Facebook page or follow us on Twitter and Instagram @rosehulman.