May 2009 - Boston - Wentworth Institute of Technology
Transcription
May 2009 - Boston - Wentworth Institute of Technology
news@Wentworth www.wit.edu/enews May 2009 IN THIS ISSUE: Makepeace Survey Room Dedication Makepeace Survey Room Dedication Students Receive Cutting Edge Technology Students Receive Cutting Edge Technology Diversity Networking Event Speaker Gives Sound Advice to Job Seekers Determined Director Giving Students a Unique Perspective EnvironMentors Students Present Environmental Science Fair Projects Staff Profile: Jim Lee, Lab Supervisor Using His Connections to Benefit Students in the Surveying Labs Scene Around Where at Wentworth? Representatives from Makepeace, Carlson Software, Topcon Positioning Systems, and Wentworth. Pictured (left to right): Mike D’Agostino, Peter Joyce, Jim Lee, Bill Joyce, Todd Carlson, Dave Carlson, Dr. Russ Pinizzotto, and Hank Boudreau. Wentworth celebrated the opening of the Makepeace Survey Room in honor of B.L. Makepeace, Inc., a Brighton-based reprographic, engineering, and survey supply company. The new surveying equipment and equipment storage space will directly benefit over 200 construction management and civil engineering technology students who participate in surveying classes each year. Demonstrating the critical importance of partnerships between industry and higher education and the impact these relationships can have in educating students, B.L. Makepeace, whose history with Wentworth goes back more than 50 years, made a gift of over $116,000. The state-of-the-art surveying and GPS equipment will train students and prepare them to enter the workforce. Jim Lee, lab supervisor, had a large role in facilitating the donation—to read more about Lee, see page 4 for his staff profile. Dr. Craig Capano, department head of civil, construction, and environment expressed his excitement saying, “This is cutting edge equipment that many businesses may not even be using yet, meaning students are getting valuable training and experience with the latest technology available and will be even better positioned to enter the workforce.” The event was held on April 23. News@Wentworth is produced by the marketing and communications department at Wentworth. It provides interesting campus news to faculty, staff, and students. We welcome your comments, suggestions, and story ideas; please contact [email protected] In addition to Makepeace executives and Wentworth faculty, staff, and student representatives, Makepeace’s corporate partners Carlson Software and Topcon Positioning Systems were in attendance at the dedication ceremony. Topcon surveying instruments and Carlson software are used together to integrate surveying field data collection with the latest technology in analyzing data. Industry professionals from construction management and civil engineering technology also attended the event. “Knowledge of the newest equipment in their field will make students a valuable asset,” said Bill Joyce, president of Makepeace. “Wentworth students are already known for their excellent preparation and ability to hit the ground running immediately after being employed.” Diversity Networking Event Wentworth hosted the second annual diversity networking reception for various minority professional organizations on May 12, as part of a diversity recruitment initiative with the Colleges of the Fenway (COF). The theme of this year’s event was “Searching for Employment in a Challenging Economy.” Aaron Green, president of Professional Staffing Group (PSG), presented and interacted with audience members, offering advice on how to get a job and also how to manage your time while you do not have a job. He stressed the importance of setting goals every day and recognizing progress when you meet your goals. Green reminded the audience that even though the end result might be getting the job, in the interim it is important to keep a positive attitude because looking for a job is hard work. Campus News Speaker Gives Sound Advice to Job Seekers Many organizations were represented including the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting, Latino Professional Network, National Society of Hispanic MBA’s, the Black MBA’s, Young Professional Wentworth graduates. Network, and the National Association of Asian American Professionals. In total, there were 130 attendees including graduating seniors and Wentworth alumni. “The COF diversity recruitment committee is always looking for ways to reach out to diverse organizations,” said Susan Morin, human resources manager. Determined Director Giving Students a Unique Perspective Peter Bisanz, director and founder of Entropy Films in New York, came to Wentworth in late April to speak about the making of his film Beyond Our Differences. Bisanz led a Literature in the Modern Age class for nearly 200 sophomore architecture students. Bisanz is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders. His film focuses on the positive role of faith and spirituality in modern times by exploring the fundamental unity of the world’s religions. Bisanz started his journey by simply e-mailing His Holiness the Dalai Lama, offering to volunteer, and built on his experiences and teachings—something the students found to be motivational. His film served as a way to summarize the focus of the semester, which was on notions of “the self” and how one becomes, creates, understands, acknowledges, and continually develops oneself in a frantic and thoroughly mediated postmodern society. The students enjoyed seeing the film, talking with Bisanz, and getting a firsthand glimpse at his own similar development and his process of making and distributing this film. Peter Bisanz, director of Beyond Our Differences. Bisanz’s story of success served as an inspiration for the students. “They were blown away at the fact that Bisanz left a Hollywood job to make this film,” said Gloria Monaghan, assistant professor in the Department of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Management. “They loved his message and what he stood for, and the fact that he was so young. Many of them are just realizing their dreams and he helped them see that if you are determined you will find a way to make it happen.” 2 EnvironMentors Students from Odyssey High School in South Boston presented projects to a panel of judges at Wentworth as a part of the Regional EnvironMentors Science Fair on May 1. This regional chapter is the only one in New England and all of the mentors are associated with the Colleges of the Fenway (COF). EnvironMentors is an environment-based mentoring program that helps prepare high school students for college studies and careers in related fields. This access to college program, which started in 1992 in Washington, D.C., exposes underserved students of color to career opportunities by teaching them how to research and develop science projects. Judges chose three winners who were sent on a paid trip to the National Fair in Washington, D.C., where they had a chance to receive scholarships toward their college education. The Odyssey students who qualified were John Cruz, Davon Egleston, and Shayla White. All of the students gained valuable insight by sharing their projects and sitting in on roundtable discussions with the other chapter winners. Campus News Students Present Environmental Science Fair Projects After a rigorous judging process, including interviews and questioning, winners were chosen and scholarships were awarded. The COF representatives were proud of all three of their students, and one even earned special recognition. Davon Egleston, whose project was titled Alternative Fuels, earned second place for Excellence in Experimental Science—an award given to the students who most effectively applied the scientific method to their projects. Jack Duggan, chapter coordinator and associate professor in the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environment, strongly supports the program and what it can provide for both the mentors and the students. “It is a great opportunity for young students to get exposed to possible career opportunities. Of the students involved, around 90 percent end up going to college.” John Cruz presenting his project, Lead Concentration and Soil, to the panel of judges and President Pantić. 3 Using His Connections to Benefit Students in the Surveying Labs Previous to becoming a lab supervisor at Wentworth, Jim Lee worked for B.L. Makepeace, a Brighton-based reprographic, engineering, and survey supply company. As a salesperson at Makepeace, Lee built relationships with clients so they could understand the need for the products he was selling; now his world revolves around students and their need for his expertise. After working at Makepeace, Lee synchronized his array of experiences, bringing firsthand knowledge of the industry to students. The best part of Lee’s job, he says, is seeing that a student is truly interested in the subject matter. “It is great when students come to you and ask you a question. It’s really a good feeling to know you’re experience is helping the students.” Staff Profile Jim Lee, Lab Supervisor As a lab supervisor, Lee oversees the surveying and concrete labs. “I support the fundamentals of construction, materials testing and quality control, and survey courses. My role is to set up labs for faculty and assist the students as they try to perform the various tasks,” he says. Lee has been an asset as an informational resource and he also played an instrumental role in securing the recent gift from Makepeace (see Jim Lee and Joseph Verzone, BCET ’10, in page one). When the construction management the Geotechnology Lab. and civil engineering technology programs decided to split up their survey classes, it became evident that there was not enough funding for the new equipment that was needed. Lee went to Makepeace, who in turn went to Topcon Positioning Systems and Carlson Software (corporate partners of Makepeace), and put in the effort to make something great happen. Wentworth students are now able to work on the latest GPS and surveying technologies in their labs as the result of a generous gift from Makepeace of over $116,000 made to Wentworth in the form of new equipment and room upgrades. Knowing how important the practice of surveying is, Lee wanted to ensure that all of the students would have the opportunity to use the state-of-the-art equipment. “There is a large learning curve to surveying. Wentworth students, by having the opportunity to learn on this equipment, will be able to know how to survey when they go out into the field. I’ve spoken to companies that say they prefer Wentworth students when it comes to this particular area of expertise for that very reason.” Transitioning between a variety of jobs has been a success for Lee, but over the last eleven years he has sustained one constant source of inspiration: Uechi-Ryu, a traditional style of Okinawan karate. Although karate is a hobby for Lee, he has taken the sport very seriously and was recently promoted to Sandan (third degree black belt). “I am going to keep doing it, and I figure I can make it to eighth degree if I get to be 73 years old—so that’s my goal.” Whether it is his personal or professional life, Lee has proven that when something needs to get done he will find a way to make it happen. 4 Scene Around The Office of Housing & Residential Life held their Annual Moonlight Breakfast to mentally prepare students for the rigors of final exams and their week of studying and project work. Along with activities like a pie eating contest, there was also food being served by faculty and staff (left to right): Amy Dufour, Keiko Broomhead, and Marlin Nabors. Laura Betti, BARC ’09, showed her appreciation to the Division of Technology Services team for restoring her senior project by surprising them with a beautiful cake. Staff members assisting in the recovery were (left to right): Mike Mattera, Justin Ragsdale, Justin Wu, Justin Benson, and Tomarr Sanders (not pictured). Steven Nodvin, department head of applied math and sciences, and former vice president Al Gore at the North American Summit of The Climate Project in Nashville, Tenn. 5 Scene Around Students receiving the Edward T. Kirkpatrick Cooperative Education Award at the Annual Awards Program on April 16. The Construction Management Association of America awards 11 students from Northeastern University, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Roger Williams University, and Wentworth for their achievements with scholarships totaling $22,000. Wentworth recipients included construction management students (left to right): John Eddy ’09, James Roberts ’09, Bethany Oxford ’10, Lyndsy Seiferth ’09, two Roger Williams students, Daniel Bien-Aime ’10, Sean Reynolds ’10, a Roger Williams student, and Phung Tran ’10. 6 BOSTON, Mass. – Amanda Rodgerson, who for the past three seasons has been the Head Women’s Basketball Coach at Southern Maine Community College, has been named to the same position at Wentworth Institute of Technology. Director of Athletics Lee Conrad made the announcement. Rodgerson replaces Carrie Crawford, who stepped down in May after guiding the Leopards to a 46-53 mark during her four seasons as head coach. “We are very excited about Amanda joining our staff,” said Conrad. “She has achieved a lot in a short period of time as a head coach and has a solid knowledge of The Commonwealth Coast Conference. This, combined with her energy and enthusiasm, made her the perfect candidate for the job. I am confident that our women’s basketball team will continue to develop into an upper echelon team at both the conference and regional level.” Scene Around The Annual Appreciation Day/President’s Awards Luncheon was held to honor Wentworth employees for their years of dedicated service. President Pantić acknowledged all employees who have worked at Wentworth for 5, 10, and 15 years and offered career highlights for employees celebrating 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 years. She also presented distinguished faculty and staff members with awards (pictured below with the award they received). Professor Herb Fremin, Distinguished Jane Allen, Service to Faculty. A native of Bangor, Maine, and former standout in both basketball and soccer at Service. Hampden Academy, Rodgerson, arrived at SMCC in 2004 and inherited a struggling program that featured just seven players during her rookie season. That squad would capture the Maine Small College Conference title with a 10-13 record and lay the foundation for a 2005-06 season that saw the Seawolves win a second consecutive MSCC crown, as well as winning the Yankee Small College Conference championship. With a 20-7 mark, SMCC competed in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament and featured two USCAA All-Americans. Rodgerson was voted both the YSCC and MSCC Coach of the year. This past season the Seawolves posted a 1410 mark, were the YSCC runner-up, and qualified for the USCAA Tournament. She leaves SMCC with a 44-30 record. Meagan McMullen, Service to Community. Carissa Durfee, Service to Students. Professor Samuel Montague, Distinguished Teaching/Grant Johnson Award. 7 May Commencement Highlights Subtitle goes here BOSTON, Mass. – Amanda Rodgerson, who for the past three seasons has been the Head Women’s Basketball Coach at Southern Maine Community College, has been named to the same position at Wentworth Institute of Technology. Director of Athletics Lee Conrad made the announcement. Rodgerson replaces Carrie Crawford, who stepped down in May after guiding the Leopards to a 46-53 mark during her four seasons as head coach. “We are very excited about Amanda joining our staff,” said Conrad. “She has achieved a lot in a short period of time as a head coach and has a solid knowledge of The Commonwealth Coast Conference. This, combined with her energy and enthusiasm, made her the perfect candidate for the job. I am confident that our women’s basketball team will continue to develop into an upper echelon team at both the conference and regional level.” Scene Around Title goes here A native of Bangor, Maine, and former standout in both basketball and soccer at Hampden Academy, Rodgerson, arrived at SMCC in 2004 and inherited a struggling program that featured just seven players during her rookie season. That squad would capture the Maine Small College Conference title with a 10-13 record and lay the foundation for a 2005-06 season that saw the Seawolves win a second consecutive MSCC crown, as well as winning the Yankee Small College Conference championship. With a 20-7 mark, SMCC competed in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament and featured two USCAA All-Americans. Rodgerson was voted both the YSCC and MSCC Coach of the year. This past season the Seawolves posted a 1410 mark, were the YSCC runner-up, and qualified for the USCAA Tournament. She leaves SMCC with a 44-30 record. 8 Where at Wentworth? The picture below shows an object located somewhere on Wentworth’s campus. Determine the location of the picture below and win a prize. The first person to name the location correctly wins an iTunes gift card. To submit your answer, send an e-mail to [email protected] Last month’s location: Over the door inside Watson Auditorium. Last Month’s Winners: April’s edition of Where at Wentworth had a tie for first place. The two winners were (left to right): Adrian Caraballo, BMET ’09, and Jessica Leone, BCET ’12. 9