New York City College of Technology
Fall 2012 Vol. 5, No. 1
State Okays Construction of New Academic Complex 2,108 Degrees Conferred at June 2012 Commencement Exercises Computer Systems Professor XiangDong Li Named 2012 Scholar on Campus
City Tech Students and Faculty Participate in Brooklyn Historical Society’s SAFA Fellowship Program
Dale Tarnowieski
Hospitality Student Awarded Wine Media Guild Scholarship
Jewel Trowers Escobar Michele Forsten Jessica Malavez
President’s Service Awards Ceremony City Tech Professor Seeks to Vindicate Survivors’ Accounts of ‘Titanic’ Disaster ‘New Tech Times’ Named One of Nation’s Top 10 College Newspapers Connections is the online magazine of New York City College of Technology of The City University of New York, 300 Jay Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201-1909, © 2012. All rights reserved.
Editor in Chief
Contributing Editors Jamie Markowitz
Graphic Designer
2012 COMMENCEMENT EXERCISES City Tech marked the annual rite of passage for graduating students at its 72nd Commencement Exercises on June 4, 2012 at Jacob Javits Center North in Manhattan. President Russell K. Hotzler conferred 2,108 degrees, including 1,144 associate and 964 baccalaureate, the highest total since the imposition of tuition in 1976. The Honorable Eric Adams, New York State Senator, 20th Senatorial District, and a 1984 graduate of the College, delivered the commencement address. A member of the New York State Senate since 2007, Senator Adams represents one of the most vibrantly diverse districts in all of New York, covering sections of Borough Park, Crown Heights, Flatbush, Park Slope, Prospect
Heights, Sunset Park and Windsor Terrace. Senator Adams received his associate degree in data processing (now computer systems technology) from City Tech, a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a master’s degree in public administration from Marist College. In 1995, Senator Adams, a former police officer, co-founded 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care, a group comprised of law enforcement personnel and their supporters, to provide assistance and subsidies to community-based organizations in the city. He also is a former chairperson of the Grand Council for the Guardians
and serves on the board of the Eastern District Counseling Service, an organization that assists former substance abusers in living productive lives without dependency on drugs or alcohol. His highly regarded instructional workshops,”What to Do When Stopped by the Police,” have helped thousands of young people throughout New York learn to interact with the police, using conflict resolution skills. These forums have been duplicated throughout the country. Other speakers included Class of 2012 Valedictorian Richard A. Fisher, a technology teacher education major and Purple Heart recipient. The 2012 Salutatorian was Keila Joann Jimenez, a hospitality management major.
RadTech Reception Marks Launch of New Baccalaureate Program Nearly 150 Department of Radiologic Technology & Medical Imaging students, faculty, alumni, Advisory Commission members, College administrators and representative of other organizations with which the department has articulation agreements attended an April 2012 reception marking the launch of the department’s new Bachelor of Science in Radiological Science Program. Pictured here are Department of Radiologic Technology & Medical Imaging Assistant Professors Jennett Ingrassia, Zoya Vinokur, Anthony DeVito, Evans Lespinasse and Eric
Lobel, Professor and Chair Mary Alice Browne, City Tech President Russell K. Hotzler and Dean of Professional Studies Barbara Grumet. Others joining in the celebration were Bronx Community College Radiologic Technology Program Director Virginia Mishkin, Hostos Community College Radiologic Technology Program Director Charles Drago, Bronx Community College Nuclear Medicine Program Director Alfred Romito, Bellevue Hospital Center School of Radiologic Technology Program Director
Peter Castagne and Director of Radiology Services Veronica Bugenis, and Radiologic Technology Program Directors Kenneth Martinucci and Sergeo Gilbaud from SUNY Downstate Medical Center. http://www.citytech.cuny.edu/alumni
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COMPUTER SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY PROFESSOR XIANGDONG LI NAMED 2012 SCHOLAR ON CAMPUS
Dr. XiangDong Li
Dr. XiangDong Li was named City Tech’s 2012 Scholar on Campus for his outstanding work in the emerging fields of informational security and quantum computing. He has been involved in many research fields from nuclear physics, quantum computing and information security to radio frequency identification and sensor network technology. He has won numerous CUNY awards, including nine PSC-CUNY grants for research in computer simulation, quantum computing and sensor network, the President’s Service Award, Perspectives Award for Science/Technology Writing and
four Certificates of Recognition for scholarly achievement. Dr. Li, an associate professor in the College’s Department of Computer Systems Technology, delivered the 2012 Scholar on Campus lecture,”The Long Journey from Computer to Quantum Computer,” in April. The talk, sponsored by City Tech’s Professional Development Advisory Council, traced the development of computing technology from abacus to computer and discussed the future of quantum computing. In collaborating with NYU-Polytechnic University, Li, who began teaching at City Tech in 2002, was principal investigator on a 2004 National Science Foundation-supported project which developed the country’s first virtual laboratory for information assurance education and research. In 2005, he helped develop and became manager of the Department of Defense-supported Information Security Laboratory at the College, The City University of New York’s first such lab, which has been implemented as a University-wide model. It supports student research and offers courses in computer security, network security fundamentals and advanced security technologies. Dr. Li is on the faculty of the CUNY Graduate Center, where for its PhD programs
in computer science and physics he developed an interdisciplinary study course in classical and quantum computing and leads a research group on quantum information. He began teaching his new course,”Monitoring, Auditing, Intrusion Detection, Intrusion Prevention and Penetration Testing,” in fall 2012. Currently, he is collaborating with U.S. Navy Research and Development Center scientists, and was chosen to conduct research on quantum information at the center through the Office of Naval Research Summer Faculty Program in Washington, DC. Dr. Li has published many scholarly articles in professional journals including Physics Review, and sits on the editorial board of the International Journal of Information and Computer Science. He has presented at international conferences hosted by the International Society for Optics and Photonics, Cybernetics, Information Technologies, Systems, and Applications (CITSA), and the International Workshop on Advanced Image Technology (IWAIT), serving on the program committees of CITSA and IWAIT. He also has presented at the West Point Information Assurance Workshop and American Society for Engineering Education Conference.
New CUNY Documentary Film Premiers at City Tech How trauma experienced as normal by young men of color affects their participation in their college education is the focus of a new documentary that premiered at City Tech in February 2012. A New Normal: Young Men of Color, Trauma, and Engagement in Learning, was funded by a grant from The City University of New York Diversity Projects Development Fund and filmed over the course of a year on location at City Tech and at Kingsborough Community College. Featured were 20 City Tech and Kingsborough students and Dr. Carlyle Van Thompson, acting dean of the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment at Medgar Evers College. The documentary was produced by the husband and wife team of Paul Schwartz,
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LCSW, MA, a City Tech counselor, hostility, apathy, indifference and and his wife, Joni Schwartz, resistance. EdD, an assistant professor Though initially the students at LaGuardia Community believed that counseling wouldn’t College. Independent filmmaker make a difference, many who Richard Osborne-Morse, their participated in counseling found godson, shot and edited the it helpful. Writing about traumatic documentary. experiences and engaging in Research for the film showed group discussions with peers, Kaliym Grant that the young men perceive whether in a classroom or the trauma they experienced – from counseling setting, proved therapeutic for verbal abuse to violence – both in and them. Some commented on feeling relieved out of school during their middle or after expressing their emotions. high school years as an ongoing part of Plans are to screen the documentary on life that they must accept. The impact other CUNY campuses and in community of these experiences expressed itself settings. It also will be shown in October in the classroom as absenteeism, lack 2012 at the American College Counseling of investment, emotional and physical Association’s National Conference in distancing, verbally shutting down, Orlando, Florida.
City Tech Mechatronics Technology Center Hosts First Annual Robotics Tournament of Champions
With support provided by the National Science Foundation, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Electronics Technicians Association and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, City Tech’s Mechatronics Technology Center hosted the First Annual Robotics Tournament of Champions in April 2012. The tournament was open to undergraduate students from New York metropolitan area colleges pursuing degrees in various engineering fields and featured their robotic design projects. The competition was established to enable participating students to gain a better understanding of the design process from start to finish, as designing and building something from an idea is integral to the engineering field. The Robotics
Tournament of Champions stressed the multidisciplinary nature of product design and provided participants with a hands-on opportunity to practice engineering and have fun at the same time. The winning team included City Tech Computer Engineering Technology Professor Dexter Patrick, faculty advisor to the team, and City Tech students Denis Fadeyev, Ali Harb and Raymond Yap. The three students built a motorized mechanical monster named”FasTrak_MS” that efficiently followed a straight line to its target destination in the shortest route possible. A Queensborough Community College team took second place in the competition, and another City Tech team took third place.
2011 Guest Speaker on Campus Awarded Pulitzer Prize for Drama December 2011 guest speaker on campus, Quiara Alegria Hudes, was later awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for her play,”Water by the Spoonful,” about an Iraq war veteran struggling to find his place in the world, which will open in New York in December. In a lecture demonstration for Departments of Entertainment Technology and English students and faculty last winter, Hudes discussed another work, the Tony Awardwinning”In the Heights.”
STEP Academy City Tech Team Takes Third Place in Statewide Robotics Competition A team of local high school students enrolled in City Tech’s pre-college programs won third place at the first statewide Science & Technology Entry Program Robotics Competition held in spring 2012 during the 14th Annual STEP Statewide Conference in Albany. Members of the team and the positions they held included Rama Sagna, mechanical engineer; Adrian Ayuso, electrical engineer; Eduardo Arguello, computer engineer; and Tiara Mills, industrial engineer/designer. Despite formidable odds, the team came in third after working closely with the academy’s staff, Ivonne Barreras and Edna Padillo; two City Tech faculty members, Professors Andy Zhang and Iem Heng; and two college mentors, who were supported by Principal Judy Henry of Science Skills Center High School and its Math Assistant Principal Edison Teano. The development of this award-winning project included students conducting research, designing their entry and building it, and writing an abstract for the competition. They competed against 11 teams from other NYS STEP programs.
STEP Academy prepares students to enter college and improve their participation rates in science, mathematics, technology, engineering and the licensed professions. At City Tech, the initiative is currently in its first year of a five-year implementation plan funded by the College, the New York State Education Department and the New York City Department of Education to increase the number of Latinos who graduate from college and become math teachers.
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CITY TECH LAUNCHES OPENLAB City Tech recently launched a new digital platform – the City Tech OpenLab – designed to enhance teaching, learning and collaboration at the College and create a virtual community for students, faculty and staff. Unlike closed online education systems, OpenLab allows everyone at City Tech to communicate with one another across the College, and to share their work with the world on the public Web. It aims to create an environment that encourages collaboration, creativity and experimentation. Because students can use the OpenLab for both coursework and extracurricular activities, it gives them access to the college community on a 24/7 basis. This is especially valuable at a commuter campus like City Tech and for students who are balancing family and work commitments with college life. OpenLab members can share information about themselves and their academic
interests on their profiles, create and participate in courses, projects and clubs, build electronic portfolios to showcase their achievements and make friendship connections. The openness of the OpenLab encourages collaboration among faculty in different departments on interdisciplinary courses and projects, between students and faculty on research work, and between
Living Laboratory of Brooklyn Waterfront Is Digital Learning Focus of $3.1 Million Grant Awarded to City Tech City Tech students, faculty and curriculum will connect to the dynamic”living laboratory” of the Brooklyn Waterfront in new and creative ways thanks to a $3.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education (DOE). English Professor Matthew K. Gold is leading the five-year project entitled”A Living Laboratory: Redesigning General Education for a 21st-Century College of Technology.” Building on a series of recent grants to City Tech from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Science Foundation that have supported interdisciplinary study of Brooklyn’s shores, the grant will help the College take advantage of its prime location at the foot of the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges. The project takes an approach to learning that utilizes the natural and built environments around City Tech and their social, cultural, environmental, political,
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professional and literary histories as classroom. In doing so, it builds on faculty expertise in place-based education and student interest in new technologies. The grant was awarded by the DOE’s Strengthening Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Title V Program, which has the goal of improving retention and graduation rates of Hispanic and low-income students. For City Tech, the additional goal is to prepare students for leading roles in the cutting-edge technological and professional workforce. Toward this end, faculty and administrators will redesign the College’s general education curriculum, create a state-of-the-art digital platform for teaching and learning, integrate comprehensive outcomes assessment into the curriculum, and establish a restricted endowment to support the recently-created Center for the Study of the Brooklyn Waterfront.
students, faculty and staff on college committees. The OpenLab was rapidly adopted by the college community, even before its official launch. An earlier version in August 2011 attracted almost 1,000 users by the end of the fall semester, and the current version now has more than 2,300 users.
State Okays Construction of City Tech’s New Academic Complex In April 2012, President Russell K. Hotzler announced that The City University of New York had received formal approval from the State to begin construction of City Tech’s new academic complex. This approval follows extensive efforts on the part of the Chancellery and numerous elected officials to help secure the commitments needed to fund and authorize actual construction. The new 350,000 square foot complex will replace facilities that are more than 100 years old and include state-of-theart science and clinical facilities, a new theater, gymnasium and student wellness center. The complex will provide the modern environments needed to support faculty and to successfully prepare our students for high-tech professional career opportunities. Demolition of existing facilities will begin soon.
CITY TECH STUDENTS AND FACULTY PARTICIPATE IN BROOKLYN HISTORICAL SOCIETY’S SAFA FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM City Tech students Samuel Garvett, John Johnson, Miguel Lantigua, Shakwan McRae, Jennifer Ramos and Gary Jean-Juste participated in a competitive summer 2012 fellowship program at Brooklyn Historical Society (BHS) as part of its Students and Faculty in the Archives (SAFA) project. Faculty participants included Peter Catapano and Geoff Zylstra, social science, Justin Davis, humanities, Robin Michals, advertising design and graphic arts, Barbara Mishara, architectural technology, and Jody Rosen and Matthew Gold, English.
Funded by a three-year, U.S. Department of Education FIPSE grant, this prestigious onemonth fellowship enabled participants to further develop research and critical thinking skills – skills they had begun honing during class visits to BHS in academic year 20112012. All SAFA summer fellows engaged in intensive primary source research in order to complete a scholarly exhibit at BHS and shared their findings at a public symposium in August. The exhibit will remain on display until it is replaced by a new SAFA project fellows exhibit in 2013.
DEPARTMENT OF NURSING MARKS 50TH ANNIVERSARY The Department of Nursing at New York City College of Technology celebrated its 50th anniversary at an on-campus gala reception and catered dinner, awards ceremony and silent auction in April 2012. The event attracted 150 paying guests, with proceeds going to the department’s student scholarship program. Two musical groups, Ron Carlton and Backed Up Soul and The Based Quartet, provided lively entertainment throughout the evening. The staff of the College’s Office of Development played an instrumental role in helping stage the scholarship fundraiser. During the reception, department alumni, students, faculty and staff honored three
friends and supporters of City Tech’s nursing program: Rosanne Raso, RN, MS, CNAA, senior vice president for nursing services at Lutheran Medical Center and co-founder/co-president of the Brooklyn Nursing Partnership; Thomas Smith, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, chief nursing officer and senior vice president at Maimonides Medical Center; and Hon. Yvonne J. Graham, NYS associate commissioner of health and former Brooklyn deputy borough president and CEO of the Caribbean Women’s Health Association. Other speakers included City Tech President Russell K. Hotzler and Dean of Professional Studies Barbara Grumet, who talked about
City Tech’s collaboration with BHS and the SAFA project is in direct response to the College’s ongoing institutional emphasis on increased growth and expansion of undergraduate research. It affirms the increasing importance of undergraduate research as an experience critical to the training and development of students possessing 21st century competencies in the knowledge, skills, ethics and technologies essential to the modern workplace. For more on the SAFA project, visit http://safa. brooklynhistory.org/.
the critical role the department has played in helping meet America’s critical shortage of nurses. The two commended Professor Kathryn Richardson, retiring department chair, for all that she has done to enhance the nursing program.
From left, Rosanne Raso, Kathryn Richardson, Thomas Smith and Hon. Yvonne Graham
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CONTINUING EDUCATION Continuing Education Students Tour Toren Residential Tower Cogeneration Plant in Brooklyn In February 2012, BFC Partners, developers of the new residential tower, Toren, at Flatbush Avenue Extension and Myrtle Avenue in Brooklyn, and Debra Salomon, certified LEED and green building professor with City Tech’s Division of Continuing Education, conducted a tour of the new building for students learning about green construction and design. The tour provided the group with an insider’s view of Toren’s cogeneration plant – said to be the only one in a New York City residential building – which fuels electrical, heating and cooling needs while lowering the burden on utility companies. Salomon teaches a program called”Green Building and Maintenance,” which assures that students learn the most current and applicable skills of the trade. Other features of the new building include occupancy sensors, which optimize lighting usage based on occupancy in all stairwells and common areas; reflective
roofing pavers that reduce solar heat gain, lowering the need for air conditioning; low-VOC (volatile organic compound)
paints that have fewer toxins and are safer for residents; and a filtration system that pumps fresh air into each unit.
Online Registration for Continuing Studies Center Online registration is now available for Continuing Education Center courses and programs at http://www.citytechce.org/. Whether one wishes to enter the job market for the first time, upgrade skills, change careers, or enrich one’s life, the Continuing Studies Center at City Tech offers quality, affordable courses for busy adults. At the same web address, interested parties can also sign up for the Center’s newsletter and access the Center’s course and program catalog.
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STUDENT ACHIEVERS MAKING THEIR MARK ON CAMPUS AND OFF CITY TECH STUDENTS SWEEP AWARDS AT FEDERAL RESERVE VIDEO COMPETITION
The repercussions of unwise credit card use were successfully conveyed by City Tech students as they swept the three top awards at a video competition in late 2011 sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Office of Regional & Community Outreach and the New York Bankers Association. Kenneth Bordes-Hollon, the grand prize winner and a sophomore majoring in entertainment technology, had his video, Credit Costs, shown in theatres in Brooklyn, Manhattan
and Queens. In addition to these screenings, he received a $2,000 cash award, career counseling and lunch at the Federal Reserve, a private tour of the Gold Vault and the New York Federal Reserve Museum, and a tour of key bank operations and functions. The second prize-winning video, It’s a Dog’s Life, was by Chih-Yao Yang, a senior, Maria Sideris, a junior, and Chin Sheng”William” Hsieh, a senior. Ron Hatcher, a sophomore, and Miguel Angel Valderrama, a senior, placed third for The Visit.
Student’s Play Published in ‘The Best American Short Plays 2010-2011’ “A Marriage Proposal” by City Tech student Kimberly La Force was published in The Best American Short Plays 2010-2011 released in August 2012. The series has been the standard of excellence for one-act plays in America for
more than 70 years. La Force submitted the work written for her English 1141 course at the urging of Associate Professor Jane Mushabac, who produced and directed the one-act play on campus during City Tech’s 2011 Literary Arts Festival.
VISION CARE TECHNOLOGY STUDENTS HONORED AT SPRING 2012 AWARDS CEREMONY
Three outstanding New York City College of Technology students were honored during the spring 2012 semester in ceremonies hosted by the Department of Vision Care Technology. Abigirl-Grace Adebanjo was presented with the New York State Society of Opticians’ (NYSSO) $500 Future of Opticianry Scholarship Award by NYSSO President Ethan Browne and Professor Joseph B. Sollecito, adjunct faculty member and a NYSSO director, in recognition of her academic achievements and promising future in the field. Also, honored with a $250.00 scholarship was Allen DelPeche. Department Chair Robert Russo also presented the $250 Joseph L. Bacotti Scholarship Award to outstanding student Joseph Nawlo on behalf of the Opticians Alliance of New York. Professor Bacotti founded the department more than 40 years ago and the scholarship in his memory is presented to an honoree who has displayed high ethical and moral conduct as a student. http://www.citytech.cuny.edu/alumni
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MORE STUDENT ACHIEVERS CITY TECH TEAM TAKES ‘BEST ATTORNEY’ AND ‘SPIRIT OF AMTA’ AWARDS IN REGIONAL COMPETITION City Tech’s Department of Law & Paralegal Studies-sponsored Mock Trial team took two awards in the rigorous American Mock Trial Association Regional Competition held in Easton, PA, in February 2012. Under the guidance of Assistant Professor Noel R. Garcia, the City Tech team members were law and paralegal students Mina Abusafe, Fida Abdallah, Saudia Gillespie, Janna Hakim, Clair Plaisir, Doug Triglianos and Terel Watson, chemical technology student Pablo Mota, and entertainment
‘NEW TECH TIMES’ NAMED ONE OF NATION’S TOP 10 COLLEGE NEWSPAPERS
Congratulations to the staff and management of New Tech Times, City Tech’s student newspaper, on being selected as one of the Top 10 College Newspapers in the nation by the Associated Collegiate Press at its National College Journalism Convention.
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technology student Nathan Yamplosky. To its credit, the City Tech team was selected by its peers to receive the Spirit of AMTA Award, given to only one team for civility, justice and fair play. Terel Watson earned a Best Attorney award for the second year in a row, and Douglass Triglianos fell only one point short of earning his own Best Attorney award. In individual rounds, Clairsine Plaisir and Nathan Yamplosky were considered the best of the six witnesses called in every round.
HOSPITALITY STUDENT AWARDED WINE MEDIA GUILD SCHOLARSHIP
Hospitality management program senior Daisy Perry was awarded a scholarship from the Wine Media Guild at a dinner ceremony in June 2012. The award was both financial and career developing. The dinner, which was held at Abe and Arthur’s, was a BYOB event in which Perry
had the chance to taste Madeira dating back to 1889, two ports from 1978 and a number of other rare and precious wines from around the world. Perry spent part of summer 2012 studying in Paris with the Thomas Aherns Study Abroad Program.
MORE STUDENT ACHIEVERS WINNING DESIGNS IN ‘COMMUNICATING ACROSS THE CURRICULUM’ POSTER COMPETITION
Pictured here are three poster designs by New York City College of Technology students Crystal Huang, Yat Lo and Andres Tavera that raise in the viewer the conscious need for students and faculty to”listen, speak clearly and project.” The posters are part of a
College-wide campaign to promote better communication skills. All three students, two of whom have since graduated, were enrolled in Advertising Design & Graphic Arts Professor Nasser McMayo’s Design Team class.
CITY TECH TEAMS PARTICIPATE IN ASEE DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING COMPETITION Two City Tech teams, Loop-O-Scope and Rare Loop Finder, participated in this year’s American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) Design and Manufacturing Competition held in San Antonio, TX, on June 12, 2012. The goal for the competition was for Department of Mechanical Engineering Technology and other teams to design and manufacture a device that could be used to detect the formation of a loop by endoscope tubing inside a patient’s body and warn the doctors performing an upper endoscopy procedure.
Both City Tech teams did an excellent job in presenting their devices at the competition, demonstrating outstanding professionalism, teamwork and enthusiasm. The Loop-O-Scope team used stretch sensors embedded into the endoscope to detect the formation of the loop, while the Rare Loop Finder team used fiber optics to detect the loop’s formation. In the end, the Rare Loop Finder team placed third in the competition.
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FACULTY & STAFF ‘BEST PAPER AWARD’ FOR PROFESSOR NALVEN AT INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
Fredric Nalven
“Questions have arisen in all times and places since thinking, language-using humans first walked the Earth,” says City Tech Professor of Social Science Fredric Nalven,”regarding what makes human beings think, feel and behave as they do.” Over time, attempts to answer such questions gave rise to the field of psychology. But over its history, approaches to the study of psychology both evolved and devolved and during the 20th century psychology focused on”brain” and lost its”mind.” But could it happen, Professor Nalven wonders, that the field will return to a study of itself that takes mind as well as brain into account? At an April 2012 International Organization of Social Science and Behavioral Research Conference presentation in Atlantic City, NJ, that took Best Paper Award, Professor Nalven talked of the paradigmatic reduction in psychology.”Increasingly, what used to be called plain old ‘psychology’ is now called ‘neuroscience,’” he said,”giving it the cloak of ‘hard science.’ Most obvious has been the substitution of the word ‘brain’ for the word ‘mind,’ as though they are equivalent.” According to Nalven, psychology was born in 1879, when German
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psychologist and philosopher Wilhelm Wundt established the first psychology lab in Leipzig, Germany. The avowed purpose of the new science was to study the contents of consciousness by looking into one’s own mind, a process Wundt called”introspection.” From the work of Wundt and others emerged”structuralism,” the first school of thought to describe and explain the human mind and human behavior. A contender for the role of first psychologist was America’s Williams James, who proposed that mind studies primarily include introspective techniques as well as the search for behavioral and neural correlates of conscious and subconscious activities. From James’ work and that of English naturalist Charles Darwin and other scientists of the time evolved a different perspective on the workings of the mind known as”functionalism.” A 1906 article in Psychological Review called for reconciliation between these two competing schools of thought. Structuralism and functionalism were not so different, the article argued, because both were concerned with the”conscious self.” Over the decades that followed, both schools lost ground, giving way to”behaviorism,””humanism” and “psychoanalysis.” The subsequent work of Austrian psychiatrist Sigmund Freud looked at psychology from a largely”neurological point of view” that discarded the idea of the existence of”higher consciousness” and the”human spirit.” But one of Freud’s students, Carl Jung, later introduced an approach to psychology that again included the idea of the existence of”spirit” in the workings of human consciousness. Later still, American behaviorist BF Skinner turned everything on end again by asserting that there was no such thing as”mind,” only behaviors that were the result of”operant conditioning.” Skinner’s theory abolished the”autonomous inner man” and viewed human behavior as controlled by an external environment largely of humankind’s own making.
Several years ago, Keith Harris, PhD, chief of research for the Department of Behavioral Health in San Bernardino County, CA, lent support to those who today suggest that there is more to the self than the electrochemical operations of the physical brain and nervous system. Dr. Harris wrote that for many lay people, the assertions that consciousness, self and free will exist”will seem self-evident, certainly not assertions that should require a complex argument to demonstrate. After all, even if we concede that our sense of self arises from neurological processes, it seems obvious to us that we are something much more than the entrained firing of billions of neurons.” Professor Nalven contends that all too many psychologists now view concepts like”mind” and”consciousness”’ to be ”unnecessary fictions beyond the pale of science. The study of consciousness scarcely exists in psychology today.” He considers this a turn of events with problematic educational and larger sociological implications for humankind. “Nobody has offered even a vaguely reasonable explanation,” Professor Nalven asserted in his award-winning presentation,”of how the electrochemical mixture coursing through my nerve cells gives rise to my awareness that I exist as a knowing, feeling being. This is where brain and mind meet and a transformation must occur. Unless and until we understand this, any suggestions about mind-body relationships must be viewed as speculative.” In his talk, Professor Nalven further contended that some progress toward the reintegration of”mind” and”brain” is taking place today. For more than 35 years a practitioner of”meditation” – an exercise by means of which the mind focuses on itself – he is encouraged by the fact”that many of even the most conservative neuroscientists are beginning to regard meditation as perhaps the best way to study the workings of the human mind.” This suggests to him the reemergence of the notion that there is more to human consciousness than the physiological processes of the brain and the firing of those billions of neurons.
FACULTY & STAFF
CITY TECH PROFESSOR SEEKS TO VINDICATE SURVIVORS’ ACCOUNTS OF ‘TITANIC’ DISASTER
A century after the sinking of the Titanic – a disaster retold and reconstructed in films, books, art and science – Richard Woytowich has presented a new theory about how the doomed luxury liner broke apart, giving credence to the accounts of survivors that were dismissed at the time.
Richard Woytowich
In Maryland in early April 2012, just a few days before the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, City Tech Professor of Computer Engineering Technology Richard Woytowich, a marine forensics expert, presented a paper on the disaster at the First
International Marine Forensics Symposium. The paper looked at statements made by survivors at the official British and American inquiries, and re-examined key portions of their testimony in light of what engineers and other technologists now know about how the ill-fated passenger liner broke apart. Professor Woytowich has been studying how the ship sank since 1998. In 2007, working with technical historian Roy Mengot, he developed a computer model showing that the breakup of the ship could
have started in the ship’s bottom rather than at the uppermost decks, as is popularly assumed. That work, which grew into a technical paper presented locally in 2009 and published in a journal in 2010, was prompted by the release of photographs taken in 2005 by an expedition to the wreck in which the fractured edges of two pieces of the ship’s bottom were shown. When Woytowich first saw the edges of the actual bottom pieces of the wreckage, he immediately felt that he was looking at the parts that failed first, not those that failed last. This issue could not be resolved completely by building a computer model. Some aspects could be investigated by looking at the wreckage, but others could only be resolved by re-examining the testimony of survivors. The vast majority of survivors who testified at one or both of the inquiries did not voluntarily state or know, if asked, whether the ship broke apart or not. However, more than a dozen survivors testified that they saw Titanic break in two while still afloat and only four stated that the ship sank intact. Those who said the ship broke apart were not believed by the official inquiries, and their testimony was only vindicated when the wreck was discovered lying in two pieces separated by 2,000 feet of smaller debris on the bottom of the Atlantic. Woytowich believed that there would be a dual benefit to re-evaluating the testimony of the Titanic survivors who participated in the two inquiries. Re-reading their testimony in light of the reconstruction that he and Mengot developed might improve our understanding of the testimony, and it might lead to improvements in the reconstruction of the breakup. If, as Professor Woytowich believes, the breakup started in the bottom as opposed to the top of the ship, then much of the process would have occurred near or below the surface of the water, and the extent to which each survivor could see what happened would have depended on his or her location in the near pitch-black of a moonless continued on page 12 http://www.citytech.cuny.edu/alumni
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night and after the ship’s lights had gone out. In that case, conflicts in testimony could be explained, and the credibility of all of the survivors who testified could be restored. Woytowich’s paper also presented a refinement of the breakup, better reflecting what the survivors said. But his conclusions had to be further revised after the release in mid-April 2012 of new images of the wreckage. The new images strengthened
his conviction that the breakup started in the ship’s bottom. He is hopeful that further analysis of the new images will not only lend additional support to that conclusion, but also shed more light on some of the more mysterious aspects of the breakup. Woytowich has also investigated other aspects of the sinking of the Titanic. In 2003, he wrote a paper,”Riveted Hull Joint Design in RMS Titanic and Other Pre-WWI Ships,” based on research he had conducted during
the previous five years. His calculations showed that some of the joints involved in the impact were only about 27 percent as strong as the plates they connected. While the joints involved in the breakup were stronger, Woytowich noted that some portions of the ship’s midsection were more strongly riveted than others – a difference which he felt was not given enough weight by other investigators.
MANHATTAN GALLERIES FEATURE WORKS OF THREE CITY TECH FACULTY MEMBERS
Bernard Aptekar’s ‘Arthur Miller Thinking’ (2008)
The works of three City Tech faculty members, Bernard Aptekar, Barbara Kitai and Jenna Spevack, were displayed at Manhattan galleries during spring 2012. Bernard Aptekar’s”Portraits of an Intellectual and Political Landscape,” was featured at the Kosciuszko Foundation American Center of Polish Culture through June 12. The exhibition was comprised of stunning portraits of well-known political and intellectual figures and was previously
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Jenna Spevack converts everyday objects into minifarms.
shown at the Galicia Jewish Museum in Krakow, Poland in 2011. Jenna Spevack’s “8 Extraordinary Greens” was at Mixed Greens through June 2. The exhibit featured pieces of furniture – a desk, couch, chair, victrola and set of drawers – that doubled as mini-farms growing greens. The work touched on several different topics, including urban agriculture, food justice, Brooklyn community service and permaculture design. An exhibition of
Barbara Kitai’s photography,”Photography for the Moment, Now and Eternity,” featuring the Gardens of Claude Monet and eternal images of Israel, was on display at the Cloisters Gallery through June 12. Aptekar and Spevack are faculty members in the Department of Advertising Design & Graphic Arts and Kitai is a faculty member in the Department of English.
FACULTY & STAFF PRESIDENT’S SERVICE AWARDS CEREMONY
Brooklyn borough president Marty Markowitz presenting City Tech President Russell K. Hotzler his seven year Service Award
City Tech President Russell K. Hotzler bestowed President’s Service Awards on 67 members of faculty and staff at a May 2012 ceremony held at The Cathedral Basilica of St. James Pavilion in Downtown Brooklyn. The annual ceremony, organized by Cynthia Butts and the Human Resources Department, honors employees who have completed 7, 15, 25, 35 and 40 years of service to the College; faculty who have completed 20, 40 and 50 semesters as adjuncts; and staff who have served 15 years as part-time college assistants. Click here for a complete list of 2012 awardees.
PROFESSOR RUSSO RECEIVES ‘2012 OPTICIAN OF THE YEAR AWARD’ At the New York State Society of Opticians State Annual Convention Gala in Verona, NY, on May 5, 2012, Professor Robert J. Russo, chair of City Tech’s Department of Vision Care Technology since 2003, received Optician of the Year Award. The award was presented by the New York State Society of Opticians and is presented to a licensed optician who has elevated the standards of Ophthalmic Dispensing in New York State and served in the best interest of the Society.
A NEW LITERARY ARTS JOURNAL GROWS IN BROOKLYN
A new star-studded institution is in the making in the borough – a literary arts journal titled 2 Bridges Review, which recently debuted at City Tech. 2 Bridges Review distinguishes itself from other college of technology literary arts journals in several ways. One is its roster of high-profile contributors, which includes former U. S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins. “The journal aims to be international in scope, to expand the concept of community outside City Tech’s and CUNY’s borders,” explains Assistant Professor of English and Editor-in-Chief Kate Falvey, who co-founded the journal with her City Tech colleague, poet and Associate Professor Monique Ferrell. 2 Bridges Review is available online at http://2bridgesreview.org. http://www.citytech.cuny.edu/alumni
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Bookshelf Where Earth
and
Space Technologies Meet
Mohammad Razani As a young boy growing up in Iran, City Tech Professor Mohammad Razani was fascinated with space travel and its potential to benefit humankind. His passion
The GPS
for
has shaped his career and his scholarship, inspiring the publication of his new book, Information, Communication, and Space Technology (CRC Press, 2012). The book
Writing: Grammar, Punctuation,
and
breaks ground in a previously unexplored area – the juncture of information communications technology and space technology.
Sentence Structure
Jane Feder fundamentals of writing into The GPS for Writing: Grammar, Punctuation, and Sentence Structure (Kendall Hunt, 2012). Playing on the idea of a Geographic
“Grammar is really a navigation system for writing,” says City Tech Professor Jane Feder. Professor Feder has compiled her entertaining way of approaching the
Urban Reader
for
College Writers
Urban Reader for College Writers (Kendall Hunt, 2011), edited by City Tech Assistant Professor of English Lubie Grujicic-Alatriste, contains a component unique among writing textbooks – suggestions for civic engagement
Language: Communication
and
Positioning System, this user-friendly book steers both students and experienced writers through the mechanics of writing by finding the fun in the study of language.
Lubie Grujicic-Alatriste
activities.”It offers an education that can be applied immediately,” says GrujicicAlatriste.”Students get passionate about topics if they think they can change things.” With her book as a guide, students learn to think globally and act locally by conducting
on-campus surveys and participating in activities such as community actions around sustainability issues and the use of public space, visuals, tasks and clear crisp language to address 21st century students raised in the electronic age.
Human Behavior: The Linguistic Essays
of
William Diver
Alan Huffman and Joseph Davis In Language: Communication and Human Behavior: The Linguistic Essays of William Diver (Brill, 2011), co-edited by City Tech Professor Alan Huffman and City College Professor Joseph Davis, the two cover Driver’s work from 1969 to 1995. The intellectual founder of the Columbia
Debates
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in the
School of Linguistics, Diver rejected the sentence and its categories, embracing instead”meaningful form, its distribution in authentic discourse, and the orienting principles of general human behavior.” Diver discovered that relatively little of what people communicate through
Digital Humanities
Matthew K. Gold
“The digital humanities promise to transform the liberal arts,” asserts Assistant Professor of English Matthew K. Gold,”and perhaps the university itself” in Debates in the Digital Humanities (University of
Minnesota Press, 2012), a collection of essays by leading figures in the burgeoning field that address the upheaval new technology is creating in the humanities. Including works by Ian Bogost, Georgia
Speculative Evaluations: Essays
on a
A new book, Speculative Evaluations: Essays on a Pluralistic Universe (Rodopi, 2012), by Associate Professor of Social Science Hugh McDonald proposes a pluralistic universe and evaluates competing theories on speculative topics
such as nature, technology, space, time and the relation of mind and matter. The work is a response to recent reductionist tendencies in philosophy proposing that everything is material and of one kind only. McDonald argues for the actuality of mind and mental
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language is actually encoded in language itself. Words and grammatical forms have meanings that act like hints, with people relying heavily on their powers of inference and their ability to jump to conclusions about what message is intended.
Pluralistic Universe
Institute of Technology, Cathy N. Davidson, Duke University, and Michael Witmore, Folger Library, the book examines the benefits and challenges of applying digital technology to study of the humanities.
Hugh McDonald images that cannot be reduced to matter in the form of the brain. Imagination creates images which are then actualized in the world.
Who’s News? Dean Pamela Brown, School of Arts & Sciences, and Associate Professor of Mathematics Delaram Kahrobaei, moderated a workshop,”Leadership in Higher Education,” at the CUNY Graduate Center in April 2012. City Tech Provost Bonne August was a guest speaker. Professor Mary Alice Browne has stepped down as chair of the Department of Radiologic Technology & Medical Imaging. Department faculty members have elected Assistant Professor Evans Lespinasse to succeed her. Retired Department of Hospitality Management Professor Leo Caproni, Darmouth College’s Class of 1942 president who taught many members of City Tech faculty currently on the hospitality management staff, recently headed a Dartmouth Class of 1942 Executive Committee that organized and published Dartmouth at War, a 448-page collection of heart-wrenching memoirs, diary entries, letters, photos and maps provided by more than 100 men of the Class of 1942 recalling their World War II experiences. City Tech Director of Assessment and Institutional Research Tammie Cumming and team traveled to Notre Dame University in Lebanon in
January 2012 to assist that institution’s engineering programs with their ABET accreditation efforts. In a second trip in June 2012, Cumming and team members Rachel Tsang and Ramon Moncada conducted a session on the assessment system developed at City Tech that took a Best Presentation Award at the 2012 Association for Institutional Research Annual Forum held in New Orleans, LA. City Tech Director of Communications Michele Forsten was inducted into the City College of New York (CCNY) Communications Hall of Fame at a dinner saluting her and other honorees held in May 2012 at the National Arts Club in Manhattan. Forsten is a graduate of CCNY. Adjunct Associate Professor of Astronomy and NASA consultant Gregory L. Matloff, a member of the prestigious Icarus Interstellar group of international space scientists, served as a panelist on the topic of”The Race for Space: Is Weaponization Inevitable” for the Fletcher Club of New York, The Fletcher School, Tufts University. Lieutenant Lionel Presume was appointed acting director of the Office of Public Safety in May 2012 following the resignation of his predecessor.
A photo collection,”Indiana Farmers,” by City Tech Department of Hospitality Management Chair Elizabeth Schaible was featured in a May 2012 Brooklyn Food Coalition Food Conference group exhibition that focused on people and places connected to changing our food system. An article about Advertising Design and Graphic Arts Associate Professor Jenna Spevack’s”Birds of Brooklyn” project was featured in the June 5, 2012 issue of OnEarth Magazine. An audio feature is available at http://www.onearth. org/media/audio-birds-ofbrooklyn.
LOWCOST DENTAL HYGIENE SERVICES
Pearl Building, 2nd Floor 259 Adams Street (south of Tillary), Downtown Brooklyn
By appointment only Alumni/college community/ general public Clinic schedule and other information/appointment at 718.260.5074
Eyeglasses Clinic
In Memoriam
REDUCEDCOST SERVICES
Daria Bouadana Physics
Pearl Building 3rd Floor 259 Adams Street (south of Tillary), Downtown Brooklyn
Waverly Hundley Business Elizabeth Norton Student Affairs
By appointment only
Lois E. Park Health Studies
Alumni/college community/ general public
Victor Strozak Chemistry
Clinic schedule and other information/appointment at 718.260.5298
We’re on... www.facebook.com/citytechalumni
Dental Hygiene Clinic
and as City Tech Alumni http://www.citytech.cuny.edu/alumni
as CityTechAlumni
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FOUNDATION CORNER Best of New York Awards for Ten Outstanding Community Builders
More than 320 guests gathered to honor ten outstanding community builders at the 2012 Best of New York Award Dinner in the Trianon Ballroom at the Hilton New York in May. The annual event is hosted by the New York City College of Technology Foundation. Proceeds from the dinner support foundation-sponsored scholarships and other student financial assistance and professional development programs. This year’s Honorary Dinner Chairs were Alan Aviles, president and CEO, NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation, and Peter M. Meyer, president, New York City Market, TD Bank. City Tech graduate Michael Lomonaco ‘84, celebrity chef and managing partner, Porter House New York at Time Warner Center, again served as Master of Ceremonies. James Johnson ‘70, director of
catering for the Hilton, brought greetings on behalf of the hotel. Best of New York Award honorees were Daymond John, J. Alexander Martin, Carl Brown and Keith Perrin of FUBU/The Collection; Steve Hindy, co-founder, chairman and president, The Brooklyn Brewery; Joyce Randolph Charles, star of ”The Honeymooners”; Yvonne Riley-Tepie ‘92, vice president, U.S. field marketing, TD Bank; and Terry Tang, founder and CEO, TMI Food Group. Honored with Distinguished Alumnus Awards were Angela Hines, Esq. ‘98, Legal Aid Society Juvenile Rights Practice and founder and executive director of ”Project Window,” and Jesus I. Coombs ‘05, deputy director of construction services, New York Department of Citywide Administrative Services.
City Tech Receives $398,700 Grant from Jewish Foundation
New York City College of Technology received a $398,700 grant from Jewish Foundation for Education of Women (JFEW). The grant established the JFEW Scholars program, which will award 20 scholarships of up to $2,500 per year to students pursuing associate degrees initially in healthcare programs. Students enrolled in computer information systems will receive awards during the program’s second year. JFEW is a New York City-based, nonsectarian organization that helps women with financial need meet their education and career goals through scholarships and opportunities for professional development.
Earl Zimmerman, Esq. Joins City Tech Foundation Board Earl Zimmerman, a member of Sutherland’s Corporate Practice Group, joined the Board of Directors of the New York City College of Technology Foundation in March 2012. Mr. Zimmerman advises clients on mergers and acquisitions and securities transactions, insurance
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linked trades (ILTs), and distressed insurance situations. He has lectured internationally on transferring credit risk through insurance and reinsurance, securitization of insurance and reinsurance products and risks,”cut-through” clauses, and mergers and acquisition issues.
FOUNDATION CORNER
FOUNDATION GRANTS The City Tech Foundation is pleased to have provided grants during 2011-2012 Academic Year to the following Departments and Programs: DEPARTMENT PROGRAM Architectural Technology
Society of Registered Architects
Architectural Technology
Trip to Turkey
Construction Technology
Steel Bridge Competition
English
Back in the Heights
English
Brooklyn Historical Society Program
English
Literary Arts Festival
English
Poetry in the Park
Hospitality Management
Paris Exchange Program
Law & Paralegal Studies
NYS Court of Appeals Trip Hospitality
Mathematics
Math Club Officers
Mathematics
Peer-Led Team Learning International Society
Physics
Poster Session
Radiologic Technology
Registry Review Program
Restorative Dentistry
Nobel Biocare Training
COMING SOON! Major Gifts Campaign & Naming Opportunities Watch for details!
RETIREES LUNCHEON A luncheon for City Tech retirees in April 2012 featured a presentation by renowned trust attorney Barton P. Levine on how proper estate planning can avoid estate taxes and how revocable and irrevocable Trusts can provide for all of the provisions typically found in Wills, while avoiding the delays, high costs and inconvenience of a probate proceeding. Mr. Levine also discussed avoiding time-consuming guardianship proceedings, Barton P. Levine multiple state probate proceedings, the need to spend down assets in the event of a catastrophic illness or nursing home stay, and preserving one’s home and assets for family and loved ones.
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FOUNDATION CORNER
2012 DONOR RECOGNITION RECEPTION DRAWS MORE THAN 125 GUESTS
On April 26, more than 125 donors attended a City Tech Foundation-hosted 2012 Friends of City Tech Donor Recognition Reception and unveiling of the annual Donor Plaque. Held each spring, the event is one of the
ways the Foundation expresses appreciation to donors for the generous support they provide City Tech student scholarship and other financial assistant programs. Speakers included City Tech President Russell K.
MOTHER’S DAY TRIBUTE RAISES SCHOLARSHIP DOLLARS Mother’s Day is a time to celebrate not only our mothers, but all of the inspirational women who touch our lives. A May 2012 Mother’s Day Tribute campaign enabled City Tech alumni, students and others to list the names of special women in their lives as well as a brief message in a full-page ad that appeared on May 13 in the Brooklyn, Queens and Bronx editions of the New York Post. The campaign, which will be repeated annually, was sponsored by a grant from TD Bank, with proceeds from the paid listings used to fund City Tech student scholarships.
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Hotzler and retired New York City Civil Court Judge and Foundation Board Secretary Alice Fisher Rubin.
PLANNED GIVING Contact the City Tech Foundation at foundation@citytech.cuny.edu for a free booklet on How to Make a Will That Works. Complete information on remembering City Tech in your will is available at http://www.citytech.cuny.edu/ aboutus/foundation/giving.shtml.
ALUMNI NEWS
Class Act! Svetlana Akhmadieva ‘11 Designs Powerful Anti-Fracking Billboard When thousands of citizens opposed to”fracking” presented their case to legislators in Albany this past spring, some of them carried posters of a controversial billboard created by City Tech alumna Svetlana Akhmadieva. Russian-born Akhmadieva, who graduated in June 2011 with a bachelor of technology degree in communication design, designed the nowfamous anti-fracking billboard that was mounted in South Montrose, near the town of Dimock, PA, where water contamination
linked to gas drilling has, for more than three years, made some families’ well water undrinkable. Three days after the billboard went up, a drilling company and pro-fracking groups succeeded in forcing its removal, sparking the billboard company to declare that it would no longer accept advertising from citizens involved with controversial issues. Since then, the image has become ubiquitous, appearing in YouTube videos, on T-shirts and buttons, and at hearings of the New York State Legislature, U.S. Congress and New York City Council. The billboard image is still displayed in Dimock, however – on a garage roof, so that low-flying planes and cars driving by can see its message. Akhmadieva considers herself a supporter of environmental organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund and Greenpeace, rather than a street activist, but believes it was very important for Dimock to put up the billboard.”Every day we drink clean water from our tap,” she asserts,”and we never think about it. Water is an essential part of our lives, and the situation in Dimock absolutely cannot be left like this. The people there were struggling and suffering with this problem and couldn’t get it fixed, so they decided to expose the situation.”
ALUMNI NETWORKING EVENT The New York City College of Technology Alumni Association hosted a spring networking event at TD Bank in Downtown Brooklyn in March 2012. Open to all alumni and their friends, the event attracted 104 guests and included a presentation by Nilda Perez,
CEO and founder of Aspire 4 Life Inc., on networking”dos” and”don’ts” and the benefits of networking events. Jessica Malavez, newly appointed alumni relations director, organized the event as a refresher for City Tech graduates to help them navigate the volatile job market.
AUTO, HOME AND RENTERS INSURANCE Liberty Mutual offers an auto, home and renters insurance program for City Tech alumni. So far this year, 57 alumni saved an average of $343.90 on auto insurance!* Call 1-800-524-9400 or click for more information. Please refer to group #111826. *Average figure based on a February 2011 sample of auto policyholder savings when comparing their former premium with those of Liberty Mutual’s auto and home insurance program. Individual premiums and savings will vary.
THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION WANTS YOU!
The City Tech Alumni Association is currently seeking graduates to serve as Class Agents and as members of the association’s Board of Directors. Board membership offers rewarding opportunities to shape the direction of the Alumni Association by promoting and strengthening relationships with City Tech alum. Please e-mail a letter detailing the reasons you are interested in joining along with your résumé to alumni@citytech.cuny.edu. Thank you for your interest.
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ALUMNI NEWS
ALUMNI NEWSMAKERS Hospitality management graduate Ashley Alioto placed third at the 23rd U.S. Pastry Competition held in early April 2012 at Jacob Javits Center in Manhattan. Ebow Dadzie, assistant pastry chef at the Marriot Marquis in Manhattan, was presented the Award for Outstanding Achievement in Pastry & Baking Arts by fellow alumnus and Hospitality Management Professor Jean Claude at the Black Culinarian Alliance’s 19th Annual Cultural Awareness Salute Dinner in April 2012. City Tech nursing program graduate Gail DeGannes-Hoyte was saluted by the New York State Senate in an April 2012 Senate Resolution recognizing her designation as recipient of the Health Care Advocate Award later bestowed at the 5th Annual Men of Distinction and Women of Valor Awards Ceremony in May. “Mr. Complex,” true to his name, is a well-known recording artist, performer, director, actor, burgeoning author and entrepreneur. His diverse artistic output spans several hip hop and film eras. A 1991 graduate of City Tech’s advertising design and graphic arts program, Mr. Complex was known to his fellow students as Corey Roberts. He rose to prominence as an emcee, establishing a cult following in the mid-90s following the release of three critically acclaimed solo
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albums”Hold This Down,””Twisted Mister” and”The Complex Catalogue.” Hospitality management alumna Dalila Mercado, assistant general manager, Restaurant Associates, was honored in May 2012 at the department’s annual Baccalaureate Celebration. City Tech environmental control technology graduate Kevin O’Brien, vice president of Gilbane Building Company, served as Grand Marshal of the Queens County St. Patrick’s Day Parade in March 2012. Alum Roger Redhead, a graduate of City Tech’s program in computer engineering technology, is now camp director of Starrett City’s Oasis in Brooklyn, bringing creative energy and more than 10 years of youth development experience to his position.
PET INSURANCE A recent survey predicts that pet parents will spend $12.2 billion on veterinary care in the coming year. Woof! That’s a lot of scratch. When your four-legged pal is sick or injured, the last thing you want to do is worry about the financial strain. Instead, you can be prepared with pet insurance coverage, available at discounted rates through the Alumni Insurance Program. In addition to accidents and illnesses, Petplan offers full coverage for hereditary, congenital and chronic conditions. For more information on other insurance products available through the City Tech Alumni Association, visit www. meyerandassoc.com/ma/citytech.
DEFENSIVE DRIVING COURSES FOR ALUMNI, STUDENTS AND FACULTY
Hospitality Management graduate and City Tech faculty member Anthony Smith placed first at the 23rd U.S. Pastry Competition held in early April 2012 at Jacob Javits Center in Manhattan. Architectural technology program graduate Montgomery Wilkinson became creative director for Reconstruct Art’s Emerging Artists division in October 2011. Reconstruct Art aims to educate, provide outlets for artists and work with upcoming artists by exhibiting their work.
In March 2012, the Alumni Association sponsored an on-campus Liberty Mutual-hosted six-hour driving course approved by the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles for more than 30 City Tech graduates, students and faculty with a valid New York drivers license. Participants were offered a 10 percent savings off any liability and collision insurance for three years following the date they completed the course. Participants were also able to lower their auto insurance premium and have up to four points removed from their driving record.