Democrat & Chronicle: Essays

Transcription

Democrat & Chronicle: Essays
Democrat & Chronicle: Essays
1 of 2
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/200...
Place an Ad
Customer Service
Subscribe
Our Mission
Local News
Home
Sports
Weather
Opinion
Jobs
Search Rochester:
Cars
All
Business
Obituaries
Real Estate
Living
Apartments
6
Entertainment
Shopping
Nation/World
Classifieds
Travel
64º | Hi 76º / Lo 47º
Dating
Forecast » Mostly Sunny
Search sponsor
Go
Advertisement
ESSENTIALS
Santosh Kumari brings to RIT from India passion for physics
Sports
Opinion
Blogs
Forums
Thumbs: up / down
Health
Entertainment
Living
Business
Columnists
Multimedia / Photos
Video
Last seven days of news
Fri | Sat | Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu
News
1999-Present Archive
Post Comment
(May 6, 2007) — Born on the Fourth of July in New Delhi, India, Santosh Kumari Kurinec perhaps was destined to
come to the United States — which she did, in 1985, as a permanent resident (later becoming a U.S. citize n).
Back in New Delhi more than a decade earlier, Santosh felt such excitement, which she still distinctly remembers
today, at hearing the words of astronaut Neil Armstrong coming from an old tube radio, one that could barely
receive the Voice of America: "The Eagle has landed." Apollo 11 had touched down on the moon in 1969.
It was that short and crackling, but voluminous sentence, along with the space and nuclear programs of the
1970s, that sparked Santosh's interest in physics and ultimately led her to earn a doctoral degree at the
University of Delhi.
Article tools
Print this
email
Reprint info article
Article tools sponsored by
Advertisement
Early on, her parents had stressed the importance of math and science, often praising American scientific and
technological advancements.
Weather
Obituaries
Nation / World
Classifieds
Mobile Site
E-Newsletters
The energy crisis of the late '70s steered Santosh toward work on solar cell development in India; and, a few
years later with the semiconductor industry growing, she was drawn to microchip development.
"I had the best possible education and doctoral experience in India," Santosh says.
"During and after my Ph.D., I was publishing and in touch with researchers in the United Kingdom and United
States."
NEIGHBORS
Brighton
Chili
Fairport / Perinton
Gates
Greece
Henrietta
Irondequoit
Penfield
Pittsford
Rochester
Santosh's parents had migrated to Delhi before the partition of India and started life from scratch.
They had vivid memories of West Punjab (which became part of Pakistan in 1947) and of British rule, memories
that they shared often with their daughter. "Their strength helped me start my life in the U.S.A. also from scratch,"
she says. She moved to the United States in 1985.
More than 7,000 searchable
listings available
Raised during the Cold War, Santosh credits life in democratic and secular India for providing her an obj ective
view of the world that she cherishes tremendously.
Santosh's only child, Jivan, was born in Tallahassee, Fla., in 1987. Moving to Henrietta in 1988 brought her closer
to relatives residing in western New York and Toronto.
And as a faculty member at the Rochester Institute of Technology, Santosh received support in raising her son,
who is now a sophomore at Columbia University.
Victor
Webster
AROUND TOWN
ROCMoms
Rochester Magazine
Events Calendar
Wine Country
Insider
ConXion
However, growing up here wasn't just Cub Scouts and theme-park visits for Jivan; when he was little, he
accompanied his mother to technical conferences and on frequent trips to India.
Her 18 years at RIT — the past six as department head of microelectronic engineering in RIT's Kate Gleason
College of Engineering — have given Santosh opportunities to make educational contributions integrating
research with teaching.
She finds it very fulfilling to see students graduate and become successful.
"This May," Santosh notes, "we're celebrating the 25th anniversary of RIT's microelectronic engineering program,
which was started by professor Lynn Fuller.
ALSO ONLINE
Help Center
"I owe a great deal of gratitude to him, to my colleagues in Florida and RIT, and to my families on both sides for
my professional success."
Coupons
Dining / Nightlife
NIE Program
Personals
Shopping
Weddings
She adds: "My son and I are grateful for our western New York, Eastern European and North Indian heritage.
"But two months shy of my next July 4th birthday, and 22 years after permanently arriving in the United States, I'm
proud to call myself an American—and a Rochesterian."
Rommel, of Fairport, is an assistant professor of microelectronic engineering at Rochester Institute of
Technology.
Crossword
Sudoku
Post a Comment
TV Listings
5/11/2007 9:46 AM
Democrat & Chronicle: Essays
2 of 2
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/200...
Horoscopes
RSS Feeds
This article does not have any comments associated with it - be the first to post a comment.
Podcasts
Forums
Archives
Last seven days of news
Fri | Sat | Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu
1999-Present Archive
Democrat and Chronicle Interactive
E-Newsletters
Sign up for E-Newsletters.
Samples:
Latest News
FingerLakeWine.com
Business News
RSS feeds are also available.
Podcasts
Subscribe now
Download a pod or vodcast:
Sports Exchange
Varsity Voices
At the Movies with Jack
Account
EZ Pay
Contact us
Advertisement
CUSTOMER SERVICE: Place An Ad • Manage Your Subscription • Contact Us • Submit A Story Idea • Jobs With Us • Our Mission • Feedback
IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS: Circulation Customer Service: (585) 232-5550 Toll Free (NY State only) 1 (800) 790-9565 • Circulation: (585) 2 32-5509
Classified Advertising: (585) 454-1111 • Retail Advertising: (585) 258-2552 • Advertising Toll Free (NY State only): 1 (800) 767-7539
Newsroom: (585) 258-2214 • Death Notices: (585) 546-7000
PARTNERS: Jobs: CareerBuilder.com • Cars: Cars.com • Apartments: Apartments.com • Homes: Homescape.com • Shopping: ShopLocal.com • Gannett Co., Inc.
Gannett Foundation • USA Today • USA Weekend
GANNETT NEW YORK NETWORK: Binghamton • Elmira • Ithaca • Poughkeepsie • Rochester • Utica • Westchester • WGRZ-TV, Buffalo
Copyright © 2007, The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, All rights reserved. Users of this site agree to the Terms of service and Privacy Policy/Your California Privacy Policy (Terms updated March 2007)
Mailing Address: 55 Exchange Boulevard | Rochester, New York 14614 | (585) 232-7100
5/11/2007 9:46 AM