Rochester Engineering Society Magazine January 2018

www.roceng.org

JANUARY 2018

National Academy of Engineering Grand Challenges Scholars Program | 6

Rochester Engineering Society is gathering feedback from its membership: Please take a short survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Y86K5H3 or go to www.roceng.org and click on the link. | 3

The Rochester Engineer Published since 1922 by

ROCHESTER ENGINEERING SOCIETY, INC.

Founded March 18, 1897

Volume 96, Number 7, JANUARY 2018 (Printed & Electronic Version Available) 2,500+ Monthly Circulation (Quarterly Hard Copies, 11 issues electronically) ISSN 0035-7405

RES Mission Statement: The RES will become the lead organization for improving the image and influence of the engineering community in the greater Rochester area by: Demonstrating a comprehensive knowledge of the region’s engineering and technical capabilities; Providing the best clerical support and public relations assistance to our affiliates; Continually communicating the engineering and technical accomplishments to both the engineering and technical community and the public; Providing regular forums and networking opportunities for the exchange of ideas and discussion of issues; and, Providing programs that identify career opportunities to the region’s youth and develop the skills of the practicing engineer.

News items and articles are invited. Materials should be submitted to the administrative director at the society’s office, 657 East Avenue, Rochester, New York 14607; Phone number (585) 254-2350, e-mail: admin@roceng.org

The web site for the Engineers’ Center is at: www.roceng.org. The deadline is the 10th day of the month prior to the issue. Unless otherwise stated, opinions expressed in this publication are those of contributors, not of the Rochester Engineering Society, Inc. Advertising information may be obtained by contacting the office of the Rochester Engineering Society or going to the website at www.roceng.org.

Published every month but July. Yearly subscription is $20.00, (4 hard copies, 11 digital). You can sign up on the website for the subscription for digital copies only (free) and receive an email notice when posted.

Go to www.roceng.org to join the Rochester Engineering Society. Click on the individual membership and you can submit your application on-line.

Board of Directors: OFFICERS: President MICHAEL V. TRIASSI Optimation Technology, Inc. / mike.triassi@gmail.com First Vice President JOSEPH DOMBROWSKI, PE M/E Engineering / jdombrowski@meengineering.com Second Vice President GREG GDOWSKI, PhD University of Rochsester / Greg_Gdowski@urmc.rochester.edu Treasurer FAHRETTIN (FAZ) BAY LaBella Associates DPC / Fahrettinbay@gmail.com Past President JON KRIEGEL Retired / jkriegel@rochester.rr.com EIGHT DIRECTORS: CORNELIUS (NEAL) ILLENBERG PE Retired / nillenberg@aol.com LEE LOOMIS Retired / leeloomis46@gmail.com RICHARD E. RICE MJ Engineering / rriceaquash@gmail.com ADAM CUMMINGS, PE Town of Ontario / adamcummings22@gmail.com DANIELLE WALTERS Harris Corporation/ dwalters710@gmail.com DOREEN EDWARDS Rochester Institute of Technology /ddeeen@rit.edu MICHELLE SOMMERMAN, PE Bergmann Associates / msommerman@bergmannpc.com TBD Administrative Director LYNNE M. IRWIN Rochester Engineering Society / e-mail: admin@roceng.org

National Academy of Engineering Grand Challenges Scholars Program (cover) Page 6

contents

5 • 116th Annual Gala - Sponsorship Opportunities - 10% Discount by Jan. 21

6 • National Academy of Engineering Grand Challenges Scholars Program (cover)

8 • RES Tutoring Team at Dr. Walter Cooper Academy has begun for the 2017-18 School Year

9 • How Do You Arm a STEM Teacher with real-world application examples? Put an Engineer in the classroom!

10 •The Limited Monopoly®- Inter Partes Review - Sovereign Immunity

and the Oil States Storm in the Supreme Court

14 • Get to the Point! - Keeping Track of Your Performance 15 • Get IT Done - 10 Years After 16-17,27-28 • Professional Firms - Employee News 17-19, 48 • Position Openings 20 • Continuing Education Opportunities (PDHs) 21-22 • Engineers’ Calendar 23, 27, 44 • Campus News 25-26 • News from Professional Firms 45-46 • Directory of Professional Services 46 • Directory of Business Services 47 • Affiliated Societies and Corporate Members of the RES Membership Application and Advertising Rates are also on the website: www.roceng.org.

news of the...

• ABCD Association for Bridge Construction and Design...............36-37 • AFE Association for Facilities Engineering...........................................39 • ASCE American Society of Civil Engineers............................................42 • ASHRAE American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers....................................................41 • ASPE American Society of Plumbing Engineers....................................40 • EA Electrical Association.......................................................................30 • GVLSA Genesee Valley Land Surveyors Association.............................38

2 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER JANUARY 2018

• IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.................32-33 • INCOSE International Council on Systems Engineering..........................31 • IS&T Imaging Science and Technology...................................................34 • MPES Monroe Professional Engineers Society......................................35 • RES Rochester Engineering Society............................................2-5, 8-9 • SWE Society of Women Engineers........................................................43 • TERRA Science & Engineering Fairs............................................................24

index

President’s Message

Michael Triassi, EIT Javlyn, Inc. RES President 2017 - 18 As we all prepare our new year resolutions, the Rochester Engineering Society is gathering feedback from its membership on to how better to serve our engineering community. This includes several critical items as we make changes going forward.

How is it best to communicate with our members?

Our website has been in place for many years and could use a facelift. The hosting server we use has responsive design templates that would make it behave better on mobile devices but we are not sure if that is enough. We have not used emails very frequently to help keep down the steady stream of emails that everyone needs to parse out. Should we email more? Is it time for social media? Which one do you prefer? Could we make it easier to keep you aware of the many engineering events in our community by tweeting or using our LinkedIn site?

The Rochester Engineer magazine is one of the more popular badges of the RES. What feature do you like best? Affiliate News, Articles, Employee News, Job Postings? Now that 7 of the issues

res news - president’s message

are electronic copies, are there other things that would make it more valuable?

Can you give us grades on our most popular events, including our annual Gala dinner and the Symposium for PDH credits? How can they be more entertaining or more useful? Should we provide other networking sessions? Are PDH credits needed to make them be more attractive?

Please take the time to fill out our survey and we will work to make it happen.

HERE IS A LINK ADDRESS FOR THE SURVEY https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Y86K5H3 or go to the RES Webite and clink on the link.

Happy New Year, Mike Triassi RES President

JANUARY 2018 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 3

Rochester History Continuing with the historical sampling of the earlier writings on behalf of the Rochester Engineering Society, the years following "The Great War," into and through the “Great Depression,” continued to be a time of reaching out for the maturing Society, both locally and nationally. The meeting minutes describe a series of technical discussions and presentations intended to broaden the technical horizons of the membership (especially the CE's, ME's and EE's). The RES affiliated itself with a number of National technical societies, adopted local Affiliated Societies, frequently held joint meetings with them and continued taking action on a growing list of public matters.

Certain issues of standardization, some crucial to public safety, became the responsibility of the RES and its affiliates. In the pervasive economic downturn of the “Great Depression,” the magazine offered classified advertising for unemployed engineers, technicians and draftsmen and took other steps to try to deal with the crisis. Still, it continued its effort to shape the function, purpose and infrastructure of the City of Rochester, and beyond. Soon, war would again affect the Society, taking away many of its leaders while providing opportunities for others to step forward to fill these vacancies. In an effort to provide even greater perspective on the happenings and concerns of the day, a synopsis, featuring selected items from "The Rochester Engineer" has become an integral part of this series. The Second World War and the Korean Conflict are now history. These experiences have changed the face and, no doubt, the future of the community. The Rochester municipal leadership and the industrial community have become immersed in the cold-war, growth economy.

“The Rochester Engineer” (February 1967) (continued)

This issue provided the seventh article in its series, “Our Affiliates,” this time featuring the Rochester Section, ASME. Having become one of the first RES Affiliates, the Rochester Section, one of over 150 such ASME groups, had grown to over 450 members by 1967. RES Affiliates, and other technical organizations’ activities for the month included: American Society for Metals - “The F-111 Aircraft”, American Society for Quality Control – “Liars, Engineers & Statisticians” and American Institute of Chemical Engineers – “Happiness is Assuming Everyone is Ethical.” This issue also provided information on five public sector engineering position openings, including four opportunities at the City of Rochester Bureau of Buildings and an airport engineer at the County of Monroe.

March 1, 1967 (Board of Directors Meeting - U of R Faculty Club) The Board approved nine new membership applications. The

Board received a report on a survey of the interests and needs in the Rochester area for an Engineers’ Center. A recommendation was made that the RES seek professional with for funding and membership campaigns. An additional suggestion was made that a project manager be selected for such a project. Questions were raised regarding location, renovation costs, adequacy of meeting facilities and the challenge of increasing membership (by over 2000), in such a short timeframe.

This resulted in a brief review of several possible locations/facilities in the Rochester area, considered in recent years, all of which had been rejected by the Executive Committee, for various reasons. There then ensued an extended discussion of the procedure to be followed in this project, culminating in a single decision; to design and produce a brochure describing the Engineers’ Center Project, for use in soliciting support. A motion was then made, and passed, that a delegation from the RES be appointed to visit at least six similar engineers’ centers, toward gathering input from others’ experiences. The Awards Committee reported, presenting a motion, proposing several changes to the guidelines/requirements for selecting the “Engineer of the Year,” including participation in local (or national) engineering societies, fulltime practice (or management) in engineering, residents of Monroe (or 4 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER JANUARY 2018

A Sampling from the Archives of the Rochester Engineering Society...1897 - 1967

by Lee M. Loomis

adjacent) Counties, nominations could come from RES Affiliates or RES individual members, and that no posthumous awards should be made. The Publications Committee reported that a discussion had been held and an offer made to a possible vendor, regarding hiring them to publish The Rochester Engineer, but that it had been declined. Instead, the Board decided that the current revenue shortfalls could be overcome with a concerted effort to increase advertising.

March 29, 1967 (Special Meeting of the Board of Directors – Chamber of Commerce) The Board approved a slate of RES

officers for 1967-68 including: President – John L. Wheeler (Xerox), 1st VP – Dr. Edward Kirkpatrick (RIT), 2nd VP – Alexander M. Beebee (GM), Jr., Secretary – Gordon S. Rugg (EKCo), Treasurer – E. Philip Kron (EKCo), Directors – Cecil L. Wilder (Xerox) & G. Robert Leavitt (Taylor Instrument).

“The Rochester Engineer” (March 1967)

At the annual Engineers’ Joint Dinner, the Leo H. East Memorial Award for “1966 Engineer of the Year” was presented to Harold S. Mosher, director of engineering at Kodak Park. Architect Kevin Walsh’s rendering of the remodeled RIT Krenzer Barn as the proposed RES Engineers’ Center, was revealed by RES Engineers’ Center Committee Chair, Alexander M. Beebee, Jr., at this dinner, held at the Rochester Chamber of Commerce. Further planning, including methods of financing the estimated $300,000 development cost would be undertaken by the RES Board of Directors.

April 5, 1967 (Board of Directors Meeting - U of R Faculty Club) The Board heard a report from an RES delegation that had

recently visited the Cleveland Engineering & Scientific Center. There was consensus that, of paramount importance to the success of such a facility in Rochester would be a set of well-defined goals for its purpose and use. The Board approved a motion to increase RES annual dues to $25. Eleven new applications for RES membership were approved, including Phil T. Elliott, Ernest E. Mohr and Francis S. Nayman. The Civic Affairs Committee reported on two urgent issues; air pollution and monumentation in Monroe County. It was further explained that air quality in Rochester and Monroe County had decreased alarmingly in the past decade, and that land surveyors had reported that many permanent monuments had been destroyed by extensive recent construction work, without being replaced. The Publications Committee reported that it was considering a format change in The Rochester Engineer. Specifically, local industry would be asked to supply a cover photo, with an appropriate article of interest to be published in the same issue, and the calendar of engineering meetings and events would be moved to the center of the magazine.

Subsequent articles in this series will describe the RES' continuing outreach to other technical societies as it considered its role in this and the larger community, along with more of the activities of the RES as it moved to be of greater service to its membership, especially those suffering from current economic crises, and adopted a greater role in shaping the future of the City and its environs. Noted also, will be the contributions made by RES members in the struggle to meet the challenges coming out of World War II, as well as a hoped-for period of post-war growth and prosperity. These articles will also feature an impressive array of RES activities in support of post-war re-emergence of Rochester area industry.

We welcome your questions and comments on this series. res news - history

res - 116th res annual gala

JANUARY 2018 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 5

National Academy of Engineering Grand Challenges Scholars Program

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by Doreen Edwards and Wendi Heinzelman Engineering has had a substantial impact on the course of humanity. Indeed, we are living in an era that is seeing a more rapid acceleration of technological advances than ever before in human history.

Yet, many challenges still remain to improve society and create a more equitable, sustainable, and enjoyable future for all.

The Laboratory for Laser Energetics at the University of Rochester provides opportunities for undergraduates to pursue projects that would qualify them as NAE Grand Challenges Scholars, especially in meeting such challenges as providing fusion energy and engineering the tools of scientific discovery.

Recently, the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) put together a group of leading engineering experts from around the world who were tasked with determining the open problems and challenges that lie ahead, whose solutions will revolutionize how we live, work, and play. The result is the following set of 14 Grand Challenges, organized into the themes of sustainability, health, security, and the joy of living: http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/challenges.aspx.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Advance Personalized Learning Make Solar Energy Economical Enhance Virtual Reality Reverse-Engineer the Brain Engineer Better Medicines Advance Health Informatics Restore and Improve Urban Infrastructure Secure Cyberspace Provide Access to Clean Water Provide Energy from Fusion Prevent Nuclear Terror Manage the Nitrogen Cycle Develop Carbon Sequestration Methods Engineer the Tools of Scientific Discovery

Recognizing that our current students are the future leaders who will be addressing these important challenges, the NAE, along with several universities, devised a program to train students not only in the particulars of the individual Grand Challenges, but in a new education model to prepare engineers for the challenges they will face in the 21st century, including incorporating a range of experiential learning opportunities. This NAE Grand Challenges Scholars program (GCSP) defines a flexible framework that 6 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER JANUARY 2018

outlines 5 different areas in which students must achieve competencies, all in service of exploring solutions to one of the Grand Challenges. The five areas are: 1. Research Competency: Participation in a research project or related opportunity provides students with an opportunity to enhance their creative, analytic, and technical skills.

2. Multidisciplinary Competency: Solving the Grand Challenges requires expertise in public policy, business, law, ethics, human behavior, the arts, and social sciences as well as technical knowledge. Interdisciplinary projects or integrated curricula help students develop an appreciation for the complexity of real-world problems.

3. Entrepreneurship Competency: Entrepreneurial or innovation experiences help prepare students to translate invention and innovation into commercial reality.

4. Multicultural Competency: Multicultural experiences inside and outside the classroom provide students with the perspective required to innovate in a global economy.

5. Service Competency: Community service and civic engagement can help deepen students’ social consciousness and motivate them to bring their technical expertise to bear on societal problems.

Individual institutions determine how best to actualize the different competencies and how to map the different experiences and learning opportunities that their campuses offer to achieve these competencies. The GCSP has now cover article

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been implemented on over 40 campuses across the country, including at our own institutions, the University of Rochester and Rochester Institute of Technology.

Students who participate in the GCSP will gain a range of skills that will make them stand out when applying for jobs, fellowships, and graduate schools. In particular, students who participate in the GCSP are proactive about their education, determining which Grand Challenge they want to address and how they want to engage in exploring the selected challenge to achieve the 5 competencies. The intentionality with which they must address the different competencies, along with the reflections that they must complete throughout the program, will provide students with deeper and more enhanced learning experiences than is possible through purely course-based learning. We fully expect that the students who successfully complete the GCSP will, indeed, become our future leaders!

Students from the University of Rochester’s Engineers Without Borders chapter travelled to the Dominican Republic to implement a water disinfection system to supply a rural school, Escuela Taller Santa Maria Josefa Rosello, with potable water.

Below, we provide an overview of the implementation of the GCSP at each of our campuses.

The GCSP at the University of Rochester (UR) http://www.hajim.rochester.edu/grandchallenges/index.html The Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the University of Rochester has a rich history of engaging students in co-curricular activities to enhance their academic training. These experiences include research, community-engaged learning, internships, and global experiences. This philosophy of the importance of a range of experiences and multi-disciplinary learning matches exactly the goals of the National Academy of Engineering Grand Challenges Scholars Program (GCSP). The GCSP program on our campus provides a cohesive tie among cover article

these many experiences within the context of one of the NAE Grand Challenges. By integrating the different competencies with a unified theme of one of the Grand Challenges, we expect our students will achieve greater benefits from their education and be well positioned to solve some of society’s greatest challenges.

At the University of Rochester, we have a number of faculty across the university with interests in virtually every one of the NAE Grand Challenges, from biomedical research in our department of Biomedical Engineering and at our School of Medicine and Dentistry, to fusion research at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics, to novel educational models developed at the Warner Graduate School of Education and Human Development to the research within our Goergen Institute for Data Science, Augmented and Virtual Reality initiative and our Center for Energy and the Environment. This makes it possible for students to obtain continued on page 12 JANUARY 2018 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 7

RES News - Tutoring Team The RES Tutoring Team at Dr. Walter Cooper Academy has begun the 2017-18 School Year

Our newest RES Tutor, Maureen Duggan (aka “Miss Mo”), works on a numbers problem with one of Mr. Birthwright’s Second Graders The RES Tutoring Team has begun its good work in the 2017-18 school year at Dr. Walter Cooper Academy. Twenty RES Tutors have started working with our learners at #10 School. Fifteen of these tutors are from Bergmann Associates. Assembled into three teams (X, Y & Z), each of these tutors volunteers once a month for a two-hour assignment. The result is an equivalent three regular tutors, working every week with our students. Several fulltime (two hours, once a week) tutors have also continued their assignments, and one new tutor who has begun her first assignment.

We have seven equivalent tutors, already working with our Scholars at #10 School, and there are eight assignments that still need to be filled, including Kindergarten (2) and Fifth Grade (6). Won’t you please consider reaching out to a friend, or volunteering yourself?

We are continuing to build our Tutoring Team, for the 2017-18 school year. Please consider requesting, completing and returning an RES Tutoring Team Application. Or consider this…We have been giving “Lunch & Learn” presentations in several Rochester area firms and professional groups, to inform and inspire prospective new tutors. We have “hit the ground, running”, for the next school year, and we need your support...Can we schedule a presentation with your firm, work group, church or family?

Whether or not you think you have the time to commit to it, right now, please contact us, learn about this successful program and the opportunity it offers us to “make a difference” in Rochester’s City Schools. Let us come and meet with you, your business associates, family members, friends, or neighbors. Even just two hours a week of your time can make a big difference in the life of a student. Hear about the training each tutor will receive. Please contact the RES office, and let us know you’re interested in tutoring at Dr. Walter Cooper Academy - School #10, 353 Congress Avenue (in the 19th Ward, one block North of Genesee Park Blvd., between Post Avenue and Virginia Avenue).

Questions??? Reach out to RES Past President Lee Loomis and the RES Tutoring Team at…

Rochester Engineering Society, (585) 254-2350 via website: www.roceng.org or via email: leeloomis46@gmail.com, (585) 738-3079 (mobile & text) 8 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER JANUARY 2018

res news - tutoring

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RES News How do you arm a STEM Teacher with real-world application examples?

Put an Engineer in the classroom!

In the 1990’s, Eastman Kodak Company jumped the gun, starting a family of STEM initiatives, years before the Government coined the STEM acronym. The name of these programs was the 21st Century Learning Challenge (TCLC), and at our peek, we were 1500 engineers and technicians, visiting Rochester City School Classrooms, twice a week for two-hour visits, during the entire School Year. This effort continued for nearly ten years, and not only pre-dates our recent STEM excitement level, but delivered support on a scale we have yet to match.

Many of the volunteers in these programs were, and still are, members of the Rochester Engineering Society (RES). In the intervening twenty-five years, many have retired, or are about to retire. That makes them even more available as STEM Coaches, than they were as Kodak employees.

The RES is working to put technical people in K-12 Classrooms, throughout the Greater Rochester area, as STEM Coaches. Their presence will:

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•

•

Help the Teacher stay current with our ever-changing technology.

Provide real-World Application Examples, making whatever is being taught, real enough to be worth remembering.

Support the teachers with not only the delivery of STEM concepts, but perhaps more importantly, the design and delivery of STEM related hardware.

Last year we had six STEM Coach, doing Classroom Visitation at School #3. That was so successful that RCSD is interested in expanding this program to involve nine STEM Coaches this year.

The RES is specifically seeking Retired, Technical people, (Engineers, Technicians, Machinists, Entrepreneurs or anyone whose work would allow them to visit during School hours), as STEM Coaches.

We currently have more than 30 Coaches, and are connecting them with 13 Rochester-area Schools.

“This is a life-changing experience!”

For more information contact: Jon Kriegel  jkriegel@rochester.rr.com  585-281-5216 RES Volunteer Coordinator, Volunteer STEM Coach Please visit: stem-bridges.org res news - stem bridges

JANUARY 2018 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 9

The Limited Monopoly®

Inter Partes Review – Sovereign Immunity and the Oil States Storm in the Supreme Court

by John Hammond, PE and Robert Gunderman, PE IPR Under The AIA The America Invents Act, which is considered the most significant reform of patent law in over 50 years, became effective in September of 2011. One of the major changes implemented by the AIA is inter partes review (IPR). Under the IPR provisions of the AIA statute, a third party can challenge the validity of any claim(s) in a patent after nine months has passed from the issue date of the patent.

At the time that the AIA was being drafted, advocates of the IPR provisions argued that allowing post-grant challenges of patents would improve patent quality. IPR was also seen as a barrier to “nonpracticing entity” firms (also referred pejoratively as “patent trolls”) that were acquiring patents for the sole purpose of monetizing them via coercive licensing or litigation.

The PTAB “Death Squad” Six years into the regime of the AIA, inter partes review has proven to be very controversial.

While IPR is highly favored by large companies, overall it has weakened patent rights, much to the detriment of small companies, startups, and even individual inventors. It was intended to be a lower cost alternative to patent litigation, but instead has become a weapon used as a supplement to litigation.

IPR proceedings occur before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board of the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

IPR is conducted before a panel of three administrative law judges. The judges consider arguments set forth by the third party (the “Petitioner”) that seeks to invalidate a patent, as well as counter arguments made by the patent owner. The outcome of an IPR proceeding may be a finding that all of the claims are invalid, thus essentially revoking a granted patent.

Alternatively, only some of the claims may be found to be invalid, or all of the claims may be determined to be valid.

10 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER JANUARY 2018

“Having created the IPR mess, perhaps Congress ought not be surprised when creative minds look for ways to circumvent or eliminate it.”

A major and controversial feature of IPR is that while the Petitioner carries the burden of proving unpatentability, the standard calls for providing “a preponderance of the evidence,” i.e., showing that a given claim in a patent is more likely than not unpatentable. This is a major difference from patent litigation in U.S. federal courts, where a patent has a statutory presumption of validity. The challenger of a patent in court must prove that any given claim is invalid by “clear and convincing evidence.”

This lower standard of validity in IPR has resulted in a surge of IPR proceedings in the PTAB, with the rate of invalidity rulings being far higher than those in court. Within two years after enactment of the AIA, the rate of invalidations of entire patents under IPR was greater than 80 percent. At the October 2013 annual meeting of the American Intellectual Property Law Association, Federal Circuit Chief Judge Randall Rader referred to the PTAB IPR proceedings as “death squads killing property rights.”

Not surprisingly, IPR has become a useful tool for large companies that wish to ignore patent rights. When a small company asserts a patent, the first step by the alleged infringer is to file an IPR petition in the USPTO. Although IPR proceedings cost far less than litigation in court, in most cases, defending a patent through IPR is still a major cost to a small company, with a relatively low chance of a favorable outcome, based on past results. Moreover, in negotiations of a license of a patent, the prospective licensee can threaten to file an IPR petition in order to obtain lower royalty payments. In the limited monopoly

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y

summary, the IPR provisions of the America Invents Act have significantly lowered the overall value of patents. In turn, this has become a barrier to investment and growth of technologybased companies where significant portions of their valuations lie in intellectual property.

This stark situation notwithstanding, IPR may not remain the law of the land indefinitely. The legal premise of an IPR “workaround” is being litigated in lower courts, and the IPR provision of the AIA is being challenged in the Supreme Court.

Sovereign Immunity?

Under a somewhat creative legal theory, the pharmaceutical giant Allergan is attempting to avoid an IPR challenge to its portfolio of Restasis® patents. Restasis® is prescribed to patients who have dry eyes due to inflammation. In 2016, revenue from Restasis® was reported to be $1.4 billion, so obviously the Restasis® patents have considerable value.

To circumvent any IPR challenge, in September of this year, Allergan transferred title of its Restasis® patents to the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe in upstate NY. Typically a transfer of title of a patent would be a sale; i.e., the buyer of a patent would pay money to the seller for an Assignment of title to the buyer.

Not in this case. The Saint Regis Tribe claims that it has been paid $13.75 million to “buy” the patents and will receive up to $15 million in annual royalties as long as the patents remain in force.

In litigation, this Native American tribe is asserting that under sovereign immunity, IPR proceedings cannot be applied, and therefore, any patents that it owns cannot be invalidated by the PTAB. The outcome of the litigation remains to be seen, but this action alone has stimulated a lot of negotiations between Native American tribes and companies with significant patent portfolios, as well as predictable outrage at the gambit by others.

Several members of Congress have also bloviated on the issue, and a bill to block sovereign immunity as an IPR defense has been introduced in the Senate. Having created the IPR mess, perhaps Congress ought not be surprised when creative minds look for ways to circumvent or eliminate it.

The Oil States Challenge In another case that is on the elimination side, Oil States Energy Services, LLC v. Greene’s Energy Group, LLC, IPR is being challenged under the most basic premise: whether or not the IPR provision of the AIA is constitutional. Oil States Energy Services, LLC is the owner of the patent in dispute, U.S. 6,179,053, which pertains to oil extraction and claims “an apparatus for securing a mandrel of an [oil] well tool in an operative position.”

Following issue of the ‘053 patent, Oil States sued Greene’s Energy for patent infringement in federal district court. the limited monopoly

Greene’s Energy responded by filing an IPR Petition, and was successful in getting the USPTO to invalidate the patent. Oil States then began its constitutional challenge in lower courts, and continued to appeal up to the Supreme Court. In June of this year, the Court granted certiorari, and the case has proceeded from that point. The specific question before the Court is, “Whether inter partes review – an adversarial process used by the Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) to analyze the validity of existing patents – violates the Constitution by extinguishing private property rights through a non-Article III forum without a jury.”

This is a very significant patent law case. In addition to briefs from the Petitioner and the Respondent, almost 60 amicus curiae briefs have been filed by third parties on both sides of the issue. The Petitioner and its amici curiae contend that a patent grant is a private right, and that under the U.S. Constitution, disputes concerning private rights must be adjudicated by an Article III court (i.e., one that includes a jury). A tribunal of three administrative law judges, operating with the USPTO, is obviously not such a court. The position of the U.S. Government, as set forth in a brief by the Department of Justice, is that patents are simply “revocable privileges” or “governmentally-conferred franchises” whose creation is not associated with any natural right of an inventor.

On November 27th, the Court heard arguments from both sides, with substantial questioning and debate by the justices.

As with any case before SCOTUS, there is plenty of postargument analysis and prediction as to how the Court might rule. There is no consensus, but the analyses generally lean toward IPR being upheld. A decision by the Court is expected by next June. We hope that the Court strikes down IPR, and in so doing, restores the strength of our patent laws. Either way, we will know soon.

To browse the entire searchable library of prior issues of The Limited Monopoly® from 2005 to present, visit www. thelimitedmonopoly.com.

GRAPHIC CREDIT: © Can Stock Photo/mcgill. Reproduced under license.

Authors John M. Hammond P.E. (Patent Innovations, LLC www.patent-innovations. com) and Robert D. Gunderman P.E. (Patent Technologies, LLC www.patentechnologies. com) are both registered patent agents and licensed professional engineers. Copyright 2018 John Hammond and Robert Gunderman, Jr. Note: This short article is intended only to provide cursory background information, and is not intended to be legal advice. No client relationship with the authors is in any way established by this article.

JANUARY 2018 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 11

continued from page 7... rich experiences in any of the Grand Challenges in which they are interested.

awards ceremony on campus and listed on the NAE GCSP website as well as on the University of Rochester GCSP website.

As described previously, to complete the NAE GCSP, students must choose one of the 14 NAE Grand Challenges, which will be at the heart of how the student completes each of the 5 individual components of the GCSP (research, multidisciplinary, entrepreneurship, multicultural, and service). There are a number of different opportunities provided within the University of Rochester for students to obtain competencies in each of the individual components.

Additionally, students can develop their own opportunities or work with those in the community to obtain experiences that will provide them with one or more of the competencies.

The GCSP at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) http://www.rit.edu/kgcoe/GCSP

At the end of the program, students must compile a reflection on their participation in the GCSP, as either a poster that can be presented at the University of Rochester annual spring undergraduate research symposium, or a written reflection. The goals for the poster/written reflection are for students to: 1) coherently tie together their experiences in the program, 2) discuss how these experiences have shaped their understanding of the selected Grand Challenge and the potential solutions, and 3) have an opportunity to think deeply about what they have learned and how the GCSP experiences have shaped their education. These reflections will help the students fully realize the importance of all of the different competencies in addressing grand challenges; with the goal being that the students will bring this knowledge to bear when tackling future problems.

Students who successfully complete the NAE Grand Challenges Scholars Program will be recognized at an

At RIT, the Kate Gleason College of Engineering (KGCOE) and the College of Liberal Arts have joined forces to design a Grand Challenges Scholars Program that provides students with opportunities to work across disciplines while engaging in some of the most compelling problems that face our society. In recognizing that the Grand Challenges are infused with a host of cultural, social, political, and human complexities, this collaboration is focused on the integration of liberal arts in the engineering programs.

RIT is part of a consortium of several private, technical universities that have received funding from the Teagle Foundation to support the collaboration of faculty from engineering and liberal arts to develop GCSPs.

RIT’s Grand Challenges Scholars Program is highly flexible thereby allowing students to customize the program to match their interests.

Each student entering the program will submit a proposal that identifies how he or she intends to achieve the five core competencies. Within each competency, students may select from activities categorized as having a low, medium, or high level of engagement.

At a minimum, students must complete two low-level, one mediumlevel, and two high-level activities spanning the five competencies to become a Grand Challenges Scholar.

For the global competency, as an example, an introductory course counts as a low-level activity, a collection of three globally-related courses counts as medium level activity, and a semester working or studying abroad counts as high-level activity.

Upon entering the program, students may take an interdisciplinary course co-taught by two faculty members – one from liberal arts and one from engineering. The first iteration of this

RIT students enrolled in a course titled Grand Challenges: Clean Water presenting their final projects in a poster session

12 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER JANUARY 2018

cover article

e

course focuses on access to clean water. Future iterations could focus on other grand challenges, calling upon faculty expertise across the university.

In these courses, students examine complex situations, like the recent water crisis in Flint, Michigan, to gain an understanding of how the interplay of technology, economics, politics, and ethics can affect people’s lives.

Students can complete their high-level activities by fulfilling two requirements that are already a part of the RIT engineering curriculum – cooperative education and senior design. All RIT engineers complete approximately one year of full-time work, often working with three or four different RIT alum Samantha Husselstein working with local residents in Haiti to build companies during their third and fourth-year of and field test a waste-handling systems developed RIT’s multidisciplinary studies. Co-op assignments that significantly involve senior design students one of the fourteen Grand Challenges, as well as those that involve working abroad or in a start-up • Interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary design projects company, count as a high-level activity. During their fifth • Community service / civic engagement year at RIT, most engineering students enroll in a year • Entrepreneurial activities long multidisciplinary senior design course. In this course, • Lectures and seminars teams of students conceive, design and build prototypes or implement solutions for customers, which may be an Individuals and organizations who are interested in learning individual, a company, or a non-profit organization. more about these opportunities are encouraged to contact the GCSP coordinators at the two institutions. For the Students also may engage in undergraduate research or Hajim School of Engineering at UR, please contact Assistant entrepreneurship experiences. For an undergraduate Dean Lisa Norwood (lisa.norwood@rochester.edu). For the research experience, students can work with a faculty Kate Gleason College of Engineering at RIT, please contact mentor whose research interests intersect with one of the Associate Dean Matthew Marshall (mmmeie@rit.edu). q Grand Challenges. For an entrepreneurship experience, students can take advantage of the programming offered by the Albert J. Simone Center for Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship, including participation in Idea Lab, a weekend long event in which student teams develop and present innovative solutions to a customer problem.

Every year, GCSP students will have an opportunity to publically present their work at Imagine RIT, an annual innovation festival held in April or May (http://www.rit. edu/imagine/). Graduates of the GCSP will receive a medal and be formally recognized as a Grand Challenges Scholar.

Engaging the Community

The Grand Challenges Scholars Program will provide many opportunities for companies, law firms, and non-for-profit organizations to engage with students. Examples include: • Summer internships and cooperative education assignments • Undergraduate research

cover article

A team of RIT students are “engineering the tools of scientific discovery” by working with the Astronomy Section of the Rochester Academy of Sciences to fill a gap in the global solar RF monitoring network at a site in Ionia NY Doreen Edwards is Dean, College of Engineering at RIT and Wendi Heinzelman is Professor and Dean, Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at University of Rochester.

JANUARY 2018 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 13

Get to the Point!

Keeping Track of Your Performance It’s that time of the year again. Once a year I offer this article as an encouragement to document what you do. We all are evaluated on our performance an often our pay and promotions are linked to our accomplishments. Every year— or half-year for some people—managers and supervisors write performance appraisals to describe the strengths and weaknesses of the staff who work for them. (Performance appraisals are written about them, too, by someone further up in the organization.) This article describes a simple personal evaluation technique that can become a catalyst at performance review time.

Write a Progress Report Many of us, as part of our work, have to write regular progress or status reports describing how a project or task is progressing. We suggest using this progress report technique to describe what you, personally, have accomplished during a specific period. This is an excellent time management tool too, because it helps you understand what you are spending your time on and what may be slipping off the agenda.

Set Aside 30 Minutes On the last working day of every month, open up a new file and list particular accomplishments you had during the month, plus other factors that either enhanced or constrained your work. Include projects you worked on, courses you attended, committees you are involved in and any issues you helped resolve. Also include ideas you have about future projects and training or conferences that will improve your performance or help you become a more effective staff member.

The plan is to capture this information while it’s fresh in your mind.

Create a Template The ideal way to do this is to create a format for entering information each month. The template should have brief headings followed by a space for entering information. We suggest headings like these: Personal Progress Report

Month:______________

1. Accomplishments:

Planned

Unplanned

2. Problems/Difficulties: Impact

Steps Taken

Effect Achieved

3. Objectives:

Next month

Balance of year 14 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER JANUARY 2018

Your goal should be to record details about the key events that transpired during the month. Rather than describe what was expected of you, identify what you accomplished.

As the template shows, divide your information into three compartments: 1. What you accomplished, separating your information into the work you planned to do and work that was unexpected.

2. Problems that arose and how you coped with them.

Divide this information into three subcompartments:  What impact the problem had on your work.  What steps you took to overcome or avert the problem.  What effect these steps had.

3. What you plan to achieve during the next month and, if practicable, the balance of the year.

Summarize the Key Points When performance evaluation time approaches, read through your 12 personal reports for the past year to help remind you of your activities. This is so much more effective than trying to remember it all, and you’ll be amazed at how much you accomplished. Extract key factors to show your manager or supervisor during the performance review meeting. Write them as a summary report, using the same topic headings you used for the monthly reports. You will be surprised at the positive impact this has, when your manager sees that you have prepared for the interview and have been doing some self-evaluation.

As the year winds to an end why not start fresh by writing monthly personal progress reports. Work on finding 30 minutes on the last Friday of every month and plan to write a personal progress report. If you include this in your monthly routine, you’ll find that if all is running smoothly, you will only need to focus on your Objectives. If it isn’t working this way, you have valuable scheduling and time management information to discuss with your manager. © 2017, RGI Learning Lisa Moretto is the President of RGI Learning, Inc. For 23 years she has helped engineers improve their oral and written communication skills.

Visit www.rgilearning.com or call (866) 744-3032 to learn about RGI’s courses. get to the point

t

IT

get done 10 Years After - André Godfrey

We created an imaginary wall around a date, called it New Year’s Day and expected that somehow things will be not simply different but somehow better with the sounding of that midnight clock.

cool kids are doing it.

It works for me.

6) Get your technologies coordinated. This is a big one. It never ceases to amaze me as to the variety of technologies available that work in conflict with other technologies. Slow down….

Welcome 2018, I’ve waited a whole year for your arrival. For fun I went into my ‘way back machine’ and took a look at technology New Year resolutions from 2009. Yep, I actually keep this stuff. I thought I’d pull them out and see how we did approximately 10 years after. Actually, overall not bad.

Take a look and see what you think. The 2009 resolutions are in italics. Commentary follows in bold.

The original title was: 8 Technology Resolutions for the 2009 New Year.

1) Get a new phone. If you haven’t gone out and gotten one of these new babies, they are pretty buzz.

Interesting. I said ‘buzz’. Well, I got a new phone and I’m sure you did too. In fact, I have owned at least 6 new phones since. But I have become one of those people who is constantly looking at that damn thing. The question for 2018 is ‘do I own a phone or does the phone own me?’

2) Get a budget. Alright, not as slick as a new phone but probably more important. A budget does a lot of good. It may even justify some of that technology you want.

Still valid people.

3) Get green. The once-in-a-lifetime convergence of two worlds; savings and environmental righteousness.

Also valid and while the real world might be a little noisier, dirtier and warmer, I do believe the awareness level, especially among the young, is heightened and that’s a good thing.

4) Get an assessment. How do you know where you’re going until you know where you are?

This resonated in the business community. I know because we do a lot more technology assessments today than we did in 2009, often driven by security or compliance concerns.

Your PBX is going to the cloud with the rest of your data.

Why? Because voice IS data.

LOL or is it Ha ha? I wonder what I was getting at. Seemed important at the time but I can’t remember.

7) Get to know management. Find out what problems they have. Near term or long term. Don’t assume there is no money. Management has a miraculous way of coming up with money for projects that have a true ROI attached.

Great resolution every year. Get a ‘seat at the table’. What you offer is very important to the business’ future success but only actionable if communicated.

8) Get to know your competitor. To paraphrase one of my all-time favorite aphorisms: “If I have seen farther than other men, it’s because I have stood on the shoulders of my competitor.” Even if you think you do it better, you owe it to your company to see how others are handling similar problems.

I do this. I start with the premise that they are doing something good because they are still in business. What can I learn? How do we improve? Every day.

Welcome 2018. Glad you’re here.

Think about IT.

André Godfrey is President, Entré Computer Services, www.entrecs.com

5) Get Unified. Take a good look at the latest and greatest in collaboration and the unification of voice and data. All the get IT done

JANUARY 2018 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 15

Professional Firms Employee News LaBella Associates News LaBella Associates has promoted Steven Metzger, PE from Executive Vice President to Chief Operating Officer.

Steven Metzger, PE

The establishment of the new role of chief operating officer is in response to the firm’s robust growth. Reporting to President Robert A. Healy, the immediate focus of the COO will be on providing strategic leadership to the company’s infrastructure, specifically the firms information technology development and expanding corporate footprint. “In 2017, LaBella has hired or acquired 187 new employees,” LaBella President Robert A. Healy said. “With 40% of our workforce outside of our Rochester headquarters, Steve’s focus will be on the integration and operational infrastructure that allows our firm to grow in every LaBella office.”

Additionally, in response to its continued growth in the Rochester area, the firms civil division announced the following advancements within its management team:

Timothy M. Webber, PE

Robert J. Steehler, PE

Timothy M. Webber, PE has been promoted to Rochester regional manager of civil engineering. In this role, Tim will manage the staff, budget, backlog, business development activities and performance of the civil division’s (4) market sector groups in the Rochester office. Tim’s proven talents as an engineer and his ability to forge and maintain strong relationships with employees and clients make him well-suited to this new role.

Robert J. Steehler, PE has been promoted to site group manager. In this position, Bob will oversee the day-to-day operations of the (15) members of the site group in Rochester, and in particular, direct the contributions of the site group in the firm’s many multidisciplinary projects. Additionally, he will work closely with Tim Webber to coordinate the activities of his team with the various needs of the division. Bob’s breadth of experience with a variety of clients and abilities as a team leader will serve him well in this new position.

Michael A. Simon, CPESC, CPMSM, has been promoted to special projects group manager. In this position, Mike will oversee the day-to-day operations of the (12) members of the special projects group providing services to municipalities, utilities, and state agencies. Additionally, he will work closely with Tim Webber to develop new business opportunities for the division. Mike brings his extensive experience managing projects, energetic style, and notable people skills to this Michael A. Simon, CPESC, CPMSM key mentoring and leadership role within the Rochester office. q 16 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER JANUARY 2018

professional firms employee news

Nicholas Stewart Joins IBC Engineering Staff as Mechanical Engineer

Position Openings

IBC Engineering, an engineering consulting firm specializing in innovative design building systems, recently announced Nicholas Stewart has been appointed mechanical engineer.

In his new role, he will be responsible for design and analysis of sustainable building systems, as well as heating, cooling and ventilation within all building types. Some of his other responsibilities include writing project reports, documentation of systems in design software, as well as load calculations and equipment sizing.

Nicholas comes to IBC Engineering with more than five years of experience, most recently serving at Briggs, Inc. where he held a similar role. He is a graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology with a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering. q

Support Your Affiliate Attend A Meeting professional firms employee news | position openings

JANUARY 2018 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 17

Position Openings

18 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER JANUARY 2018

position openings

s

Position Openings

position openings

JANUARY 2018 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 19

Go to the RES Web Site for Updated Details On All Meetings - www.roceng.org

Continuing

Education Opportunities

Monday, January 8

American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) p 41 Adiabatic Cooling and Cooling Tower NYS Regulations 1 PDH Credit Speaker: Matt Shank, Evapco Place: City Grill, 384 East Avenue, Rochester Time: 12:00 noon with buffet lunch served.

Reservations: Details and reservations on the website at www.rochester.ashraechapters.org.

Wednesday, January 17 American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE)

Plumbing Coordination for New Kitchen Design 1 PDH Approval Pending

p 40

Speaker: Chris Wolak, Victaulic Place: Valicia’s Ristorante, 2155 Long Pond Road, Gates 14606 Time: 12:00 noon to 1:30 pm (please arrive by 11:50 am) Cost: $20 (member or guest), check or cash at the door.

Reservations: Contact Dave Jereckos, 585-341-3168 or email djereckos@ibceng.com by Monday, January 15th.

Thursday, January 25 Association for Bridge Construction and Design (ABCD)

Save The Date!

Tuesday, April 24, 2018 Up to 7 PDH Credits

Annual Engineering Symposium in Rochester at the Joseph A. Floreano

Close-Up Bridge Inspection Using Autonomous Drones 1 PDH Approval Pending

Speaker: Tom Engel, PE of Automodality Inc. Place: Burgundy Basin Inn, 2362 Marsh Road, Pittsford Time: 12:00 noon Costs: Buffet Lunch. $25 for Members, $30 for Non-members, $15 for Students.

Reservations: Contact David Jenkinson by January 18th to 585-364-1634, or email djenkinson@popligroup.com.

A 1 S P T R w

T

I a

R P S T C D

W

A P

calendar of events for this month's meetings

W

and meetings that are received or updated after print deadline. Please refer to the

If you wish to be listed in the calendar please send details to admin@roceng.org.

To post continuing education opportunities on this page please contact the Rochester Engineering Society, 585-254-2350, or email: admin@roceng.org 20 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER JANUARY 2018

A a

The RES website (www.roceng.org) has a

123 East Main Street, Rochester

website for updated information.

Support Your Affiliate Attend A Meeting

M

P 1 S P 1 T C R e

Rochester Riverside Convention Center p 36

Th 1

continuing education calendar | engineer's calendar

A

S

K m P R T C N R 5

Engineers’ Calendar

The engineering societies are encouraged to submit their meeting notices for publication in this section. The deadline for submitting copy is the 10th of the month prior to the month of publication. Please email to: admin@roceng.org. The meetings offering PDHs are highlighted in blue. Details about the meeting and affiliate (if in this issue) are on the corresponding page listed next to the affiliate name.

Monday, January 8

American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) p 41 Adiabatic Cooling and Cooling Tower NYS Regulations 1 PDH Credit Speaker: Matt Shank, Evapco Place: City Grill, 384 East Avenue, Rochester Time: 12:00 noon with buffet lunch served.

Reservations: Details and reservations on the website at www.rochester.ashraechapters.org.

Tuesday, January 9

Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE)

p 33

Rochester Section Excom Meeting Place: NEW LOCATION: Tandor of India (Across from South Town Plaza), 376 Jefferson Road, Henrietta, NY Time: 11:45 – 1:00 pm Cost: $5 for members, $3 for students.

Details at https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/48986

Wednesday, January 17

American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE)

p 40

Plumbing Coordination for New Kitchen Design 1 PDH Approval Pending Speaker: Chris Wolak, Victaulic Place: Valicia’s Ristorante, 2155 Long Pond Road, Gates 14606 Time: 12:00 noon to 1:30 pm (please arrive by 11:50 am) Cost: $20 (member or guest), check or cash at the door.

Reservations: Contact Dave Jereckos, 585-341-3168 or email djereckos@ibceng.com by Monday, January 15th.

Wednesday, January 17

Association for Facilities Engineering (AFE) p 39 Scholarship Night: Rochester Museum & Science Center

Keynote speaker: Joe Graves, VP of operations and project management, Cyberworx, Inc. Place: Rochester Museum & Science Center, 657 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14607 Time: 5:30 pm Cost: Catered Buffet Dinner and Cash Bar. Members $25; Non-members $30 per person Registration: Contact Brian Laurer by Friday, Jan. 12th, 585-256-6784 or blauer@gleason.com.

Wednesday, January 17

Society for Imaging Science and Technology (IS&T)

p 34

Using Deep Learning to Better Understand Vision and Language Speaker: Shagan Sah, PhD Candidate, RIT Place: Room 1275 in the Carlson Center for Imaging Science, RIT Campus.

Time: Pizza at 5:30 pm; 6:00 p.m. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Comments: Parking is available in the F lot, just north of the building. No meeting reservations are required.

Note also that this is a joint meeting with IEEE Rochester Section Signal Processing Society and they will have pizza before the meeting (5:30 pm).

Wednesday, January 17 – Friday, January 19 Genesee Valley Land Surveyors Association (GVLSA)

NYSAPLS 59th Annual Surveyors Conference & Exhibition: Honoring the Past, Shaping the Future Place: Albany Capital Center, Albany, NY Details: http://www.nysapls.org/events/EventDetails. aspx?id+990658

p 38

Thursday, January 18

International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE)

p 31

Challenges in Implementing Modular Open Systems Architecture (MOSA) Speaker: Ed Moshinsky, Director of Systems Engineering, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Time: 6:00 to approximately 7:30 pm Reservations: There are 7 host sites available. Details are on page 31 of this issue or contact Kevin Devaney at kdevaney@srcinc.com.

Support Your Affiliate Attend A Meeting Engineers' Calendar continued on page 22

engineers' calendar

JANUARY 2018 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 21

Wednesday, January 24

American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)

p 42

48th Engineer of the Year Awards Banquet Place: Monroes Restaurant, 3001 Monroe Avenue, Pittsford, NY Time: Hors d’oeuvres and cash bar at 5:30; Formal sit down dinner at 6:30; Award Ceremony at 7:30 pm.

Cost: $50 Members / $60 Non-members / Students $20 (ASCE Life Members complimentary).

Reservations: Registration link to be e-mailed to the membership or email ascerochester@gmail.com by Friday, January 14th.

Thursday, January 25

Association for Bridge Construction and Design (ABCD)

p 36

Close-Up Bridge Inspection Using Autonomous Drones 1 PDH Approval Pending Speaker: Tom Engel, PE of Automodality Inc. Place: Burgundy Basin Inn, 2362 Marsh Road, Pittsford Time: 12:00 noon Costs: Buffet Lunch. $25 for Members, $30 for Nonmembers, $15 for Students.

Reservations: Contact David Jenkinson by January 18th to 585-364-1634, or email djenkinson@popligroup.com.

Monday, February 5

Electrical Association (EA)

p 30

Annual Electrical Week Luncheon Speaker: Dr. David C. Munson, Jr., President, RIT Place: Midvale Golf & Country Club, 2387 Baird Road, Penfield, NY Time: Doors open at 11:30 am; Program begins at 12:00 noon.

Tickets: EAWNY Members $25 each, or $185 Table of 8. Non-members $30 each or $230 Table of 8. Make checks payable to the Electrical Association of WNY and mail to: PO Box 20219, Rochester, NY 14602. Or register on-line at www.eawny.com. Registration with payment is required by January 25th. Advance registration and payment is required!

Thursday, February 15

International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE)

p 31

Ontology for Systems Engineers Speaker: Barry Smith, SUNY Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and Julian Park Chair, SUNY Buffalo Time: 6:00 to approximately 7:30 pm Reservations: There are 7 host sites available. Details are on page 31 of this issue or contact Kevin Devaney at kdevaney@srcinc.com.

Save The Date!

Saturday, April 14, 2018

116th RES Annual Gala at the Joseph A. Floreano Rochester Riverside Convention Center

Support Your Affiliate Attend A Meeting 22 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER JANUARY 2018

123 East Main Street, Rochester

engineers' calendar

Campus News New season of FIRST Robotics begins with game launch during Kick-Off on Jan. 6 National telecast details this year’s theme game, POWER Up, and the challenges of the video gaming More than 3,500 teams from around the world will

to build 21st century life skills,” said Glen Pearson,

be part of the 2018 FIRST Robotics Kick Off, viewing a

Finger Lakes Regional director.

live, worldwide telecast at 10:30 a.m. Jan. 6.

The Finger Lakes Regional competition takes place Finger Lakes Regional teams will meet for the telecast

March 17-18 at the Gordon Field House and Activities

in the Performing Arts Center at Spencerport High

Center at Rochester Institute of Technology. Of the

School.

36 teams registered, the majority are from New York, New Jersey and Canada. Also registered are teams

This year’s FIRST Robotics theme takes video

from Brazil and China.

gaming and transforms it into a competitive robotics challenge. Teams have only had intriguing hints over

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and

the past several months of what the new competition

Technology), sometimes referred to as a “Sport for

game, POWER Up, will entail.

the Mind,” began in 1989 to spark interest in science through solving engineering problems in a friendly

Thirty-six regional teams of student-competitors,

yet intense competition.

mentors and teachers are expected to attend the kick off, the annual opening of the FIRST Robotics

Winners from regional competitions across the

competition season where Dean Kamen and

country participate in the 2018 FIRST Championships

members of the organization reveal for the first time

April 18-21 in Houston and April 25-28 in Detroit.

the competition game. Regional teams participate in

FIRST holds two championships in order to give more

kickoff activities, listen to guest speakers, and after

teams a chance to qualify and participate, Pearson

the game reveal, receive the robot kit-of-parts and

explained. Each championship will be open to 400

equipment for the new season. They will also be able

teams that qualify in local competitions. Winners

to see a demonstration set-up of the competition

from the Finger Lakes Regional will compete in

field in preparation for the regional event. Teams

Detroit.

have only six weeks to build their robots.

Both the kickoff on Jan. 6 and the regional event “FIRST Robotics continues to provide student-

in March are free and open to the public. More

competitors with interesting challenges, many based

information about the Finger Lakes Region FIRST

on their current interests. Video gaming has exploded

Competition can be found at www.upstatenyfirst.org

today, and we’re looking forward to how this popular

and www.rit.edu/gcr/firstrobotics. q

activity can be used as a way to encourage students campus news

JANUARY 2018 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 23

24 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER JANUARY 2018

terra news

News From

Professional Firms

Pathfinder Project Earns Engineering Excellence Award Pathfinder Engineers & Architects has been selected by The American Council of Engineering Companies - New York for a 2018 Platinum Level Engineering Excellence Award for its design of the Koffman Southern Tier High Technology Incubator. Pathfinder provided high-performance mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection engineering and enhanced commissioning for the building, which includes wet labs, dry labs and high bay space, providing a variety of space types to serve potential needs of start-up companies. The award will be presented at a New York City Gala in Spring 2018.

The new three-story, 35,000 sq. ft. facility, which opened May 2017, provides labs and shared facilities for start-up companies, providing resources and promoting growth until these companies are strong enough to graduate from the incubator. The Incubator offers invaluable mentoring in partnership with the Small Business Development Center, the Trade Adjustment Assistance Center of New York, New Jersey and Puerto Rico, as well as the Office of Entrepreneurship & Innovation Partnerships of Binghamton University.

The facility includes eight wet labs, 10 dry labs, one high space area, 22 offices, and a common area known as “the sandbox.� Tenants have access to any available space, admission to all events hosted by the Incubator, and the ability to book the conference or event room. news from professional firms

SYSTEMS DESIGN The mechanical systems focus on minimum distribution system and maximum energy performance, with variable air volume control, heat/ energy recovery from exhaust, and very high efficiency equipment.

The system includes a high-efficiency geosource heat pump / boiler hybrid system with induction chilled beam units. The induction system comprises induction coil units in the occupied spaces integrated into the ceiling that heat and cool each space.

Wet labs are provided with low flow fume hoods with VAV exhaust and pressurization control. Ventilation and make-up air is provided from three dedicated outdoor air systems (DOAS).

The large volume of outside air is the largest heating/cooling load in the facility, representing 60% of the total energy usage. Each DOAS unit is connected to the GSHP system and a 70% efficient energy recovery wheel, and has solar preheat in winter conditions.

The GSHP system benefits include a smaller boiler resulting in lower fossil fuel consumption and emissions, no cooling towers with chemical treatment, lower water consumption due to no cooling tower and lower operating and maintenance costs.

The well-field includes 40 wells 450 ft. deep under the parking lot on this urban site.

Continued on page 26 JANUARY 2018 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 25

Pathfinder Project Earns Engineering Excellence Award; continued The laboratory HVAC system accounts for 60% of the total building HVAC energy usage, and the design provides for 43% energy recovery. The labs include 11 low fume hoods, pressure control to the corridors, and visual lab safety pressure indicators. The building is 41% more efficient than ASHRAE 90.1.

All electrical fixtures in the building are Energy-Star compliant and utilize natural lighting and occupancy sensors to the greatest extent possible to minimize electrical loads.

Two 250KW natural gas generators provide emergency and standby power. A laboratory standby power distribution system includes a UPS to ensure consistent power supply for critical laboratory experiments that cannot withstand the 10 second power outage between the utility power black-out and the generator power switch over.

HIGH PERFORMANCE RESULTS Solar outside air preheating, or solar preheat, is not a new technology. Yet, when combined with high-performance systems, it can boost a building’s energy efficiency significantly. This project integrates a large solar preheat system integrated into the southern facade with the HVAC system – including energy recovery wheels in the DOAS air handling units and the GSHP system – to enhance energy performance.

The collector is perforated with tiny holes and painted a dark color to absorb maximum solar radiation. Solar radiation heats the air in the plenum, as the air is drawn through the collector and into the plenum by the DOAS air handling units.

On March 23, 2017, the Pathfinder Commissioning team tested the building’s heating systems. That day, at 9:30 a.m., the outside air temperature was 18 deg. F. The solar preheat wall raised the intake temperature to 29 deg. F and the energy recovery wheel further raised incoming air to 58 deg. F. Fan motor heat raised the discharge air to the space set point of 67 deg. F. The solar preheat wall and energy recovery wheel are fully heating this laboratory building on an extremely cold day with 6,200 CFM of outside air. No additional energy was required to heat the building.

26 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER JANUARY 2018

SOCIO-ECONOMIC The Incubator is located on an urban site in Downtown Binghamton, providing good proximity to the businesses and local government. The building orientation takes maximum advantage of solar orientation and allows space for future building expansion.

The layout of the labs allows business to expand or reduce their space size in alignment with their needs. Co-working space on all three floors encourages networking and collaboration among start-up companies and partners.

The Sandbox on the top floor of the building facilitates innovation and idea-sharing among entrepreneurs.

The Incubator, which is expected to create hundreds of jobs over the next decade, was developed through the collaboration of many public and private entities. It is expected to generate a local economic impact of more than $6 million annually, and will provide high-tech infrastructure for up to 12 companies focusing on research and development in energy, microelectronics and healthcare.

Support came from: New York State’s Empire State Development Corporation, the Southern Tier Regional Economic Development Council, SUNY Broome, Broome County Industrial Development Agency, U.S. Economic Development Administration, the Binghamton University Research Foundation, with underwriting by the Koffman Family.

Pathfinder supported the requirements for a NYSEDC Grant for the project. A $6 million grant was provided and $3.7 million of that was allocated to the building construction for a total construction budget of $14.8 million.

TEAM The design team was led by Ashley McGraw Architects, and included Ravi Engineering & Land Surveying for structural engineering, Jacobs Consultancy for laboratory consulting, and MJ Engineering for civil/site engineering. Construction was provided by Fahs Construction Company. q

news from professional firms

Campus News RIT professor among first to use James Webb Space Telescope during its inaugural run Jeyhan Kartaltepe is one of the leaders of the Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science Survey Rochester Institute of Technology astrophysicist Jeyhan Kartaltepe will be one of the first scientists to use NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope soon after it launches in spring 2019.

The Webb telescope is regarded by many as the powerful successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, with sensitive infrared detectors designed to peer 13.5 billion years into the universe’s history.

Kartaltepe, assistant professor in RIT’s School of Physics and Astronomy, is a leading member of the Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science (CEERS) Survey team selected as part of the James Webb Space Telescope Director’s Discretionary Early Release Science Program. It is one of 13 science teams that will use the $8 billion telescope first, conducting experiments during its initial cycle and testing the instruments’ capabilities.

The Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science Survey will use multiple instruments on the space telescope and test different observation modes. The international project consists of 105 astronomers from 10 countries, including 28 U.S. campus news

universities.

A decade in the making, the Webb telescope soon will be the most advanced and sensitive space telescope in operation. It will be positioned farther in space than the Earth-orbiting Hubble telescope and will carry a larger mirror (6.5 meters compared to Hubble’s 2.4 meters) and sensitive infrared detectors.

“The James Webb Space Telescope will be ground breaking,” Kartaltepe said. “It will detect some of the first galaxies that formed in the universe and will provide detailed information about the structures and physical conditions of galaxies over the age of the universe.”

Kartaltepe’s research focuses on how galaxies have evolved from the early universe to today. As a team leader on the survey, she will spearhead data processing efforts for one of the instruments and measure detailed properties of galaxies and their nuclei in order to investigate star formation and the growth of supermassive black holes in the early universe.

and validate extragalactic surveys in the near- and mid-infrared and inform the design of future James Webb Space Telescope surveys,” Kartaltepe said. Her research group, including RIT students and postdoctoral researchers, will conduct some of the first science investigations with this data set.

The larger astronomical community will have immediate access to the resulting observations. Kartaltepe anticipates that astronomers all over the world will use data products produced by the survey team in preparation for the next cycle of observations with the new telescope.

The Space Telescope Science Institute operates NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, which was developed in partnership with the European Space Agency and Canadian Space Agency. The telescope is named after NASA’s second administrator. James Webb led the Apollo lunar exploration program and a space-science initiative that resulted in more than 75 launches. q

The project will “demonstrate, test JANUARY 2018 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 27

Professional Firms Employee News Fisher Associates Announces New CEO The once part-time employee rises to lead the engineering firm and targets growth beyond Rochester Fisher Associates Board of Directors has elected Roseann Schmid as the company’s next CEO effective January 1, 2018. Schmid becomes the third CEO in the company’s 34-year history.

The announcement is the centerpiece of a larger organizational leadership change that positions Fisher Associates to grow its portfolio of professional consulting services.

Schmid joined Fisher in 2007 as a part-time engineer. She has worked as a project manager in the transportation group, highway group manager, director of the transportation market sector and vice president. Schmid served on the company’s operations committee and was closely involved with the recent implementation of the company’s human resources information system.

“Fisher Associates has provided me tremendous opportunity,” Schmid said.

“I want to continue providing similar opportunities for our talented staff as we grow into a world-class professional consulting firm.”

The firm delivers planning, environmental, engineering, landscape architecture, surveying, and construction representation services for clients in the transportation, land development and energy sectors. They service a variety of clients throughout New York State and Pennsylvania from their New York based offices located in Rochester (headquarters), Syracuse, and Buffalo and their Pennsylvania based offices located in Erie and Canonsburg. Noteworthy projects on which Fisher Associates has worked include: the I-590/Winton Road Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI) Project that improved the safety of this heavily traveled interchange with construction of the NY State’s first DDI; the National Award Winning Centerway Bridge Rehabilitation Project, which rehabilitated a deteriorated 92-year-old concrete

transition. He will serve as chief financial officer effective January 1, 2018 and will continue working closely with Schmid to oversee financial aspects of the business.

Roseann Schmid, CEO earth-filled earth arch structure and enhanced this pedestrian bridge by converting the 40-foot-wide deck to a linear park. Beyond New York and Pennsylvania, Fisher Associates provides engineering, environmental, and survey services to renewable energy clients throughout the country. A notable recent project was completion of the civil engineering and environmental compliance monitoring on the Amazon Wind Farm US East – the first wind farm in North Carolina.

As CEO, Schmid plans to focus on new markets and services. “Growth is a priority for us, both geographically as well as services we offer. I’ll be looking for those next opportunities we should consider,” Schmid said. The board cited Schmid’s reputation within the industry and her extraordinary vision for the firm as factors that make her uniquely qualified to lead.

“Her strong combination of technical knowledge and communications skills is unique to engineers and contributes to her effectiveness as a leader,” said Robert Goossen, current CEO. Goossen recently announced his retirement, but will stay with the company for another three years to ensure a smooth

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Goossen is proud that he is ceding the CEO role to a woman he hired a decade ago as a part-time project manager. He remembers pitching Schmid on the fact that she would be valued for her capabilities and would be given opportunities to grow. Her part-time status was not a concern.

“Fisher Associates takes pride in promoting people based on their skills and drive to do more,” Goossen said.

“Roseann being elected to CEO is proof of this. This philosophy is different than a lot of other firms who promote based on seniority. We have a lot of opportunities to offer that other firms don’t and we hope that this helps in attracting young talent.”

The board also elected Chris Smith as chief operating officer.

Smith has been with the firm since 1994 in various Chris Smith, COO roles including traffic engineer, traffic and highway group manager, CI manager, director of energy, business development manager for renewables and energy, and director of marketing and business development. He has successfully and profitably managed projects across every market, service line and geography offered by the firm. Smith’s role as COO is effective immediately. q professional firms employee news

SWBR Hires Architectural Designers, Structural Engineer and Interior Designer SWBR welcomes four new professionals to the firm: architectural designers Kamillah Ramos and Gregory Heinrich, structural engineer Lee Oldfield, and interior designer Amanda Olix Loomis.

Architectural designer Ramos earned her degree from the University at Buffalo and spent a full semester abroad at Peking University, where she worked with Turenscape Landscape Architecture. She credits composing oil paintings of the environment to her Kamillah Ramos

initial interest in architecture and design. “I became thoughtful of how the landscape could be manipulated using the same sort of eye for composition, color and creativity,” she said. She is a member of Greater Rochester Plein Air Painters.

As architectural designer, Heinrich is part of the Workplace Studio team, where he’s responsible for designing models and documents for the firm’s commercial and industrial clients. He received a bachelor’s degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. When asked what meaningful design means to him, he said: “Meaningful

Gregory Heinrich

design goes beyond basic function to create spaces that are both efficient and inspire the people who use them. By understanding the environmental, social and physical contexts of each project, designers can create spaces that benefit both the user and the client.” Outside of SWBR, Heinrich participates in 13thirty Cancer Connect.

Oldfield will serve as a structural engineer, specializing in mid-rise structures across SWBR’s various studios, including college campus and industrial projects.

Prior to SWBR, he spent over two years at CHA Consulting and nearly four years at Constellation Energy. He received a bachelor’s and master’s degree in civil engineering

Lee Oldfield

from the University at Buffalo.

Most recently serving as interior design consultant at The Home Depot, Olix is the newest interior designer at SWBR. She received a bachelor of arts in interior design from the University of Kentucky and a masters of business administration in entrepreneurship from Southern New Hampshire University. Olix volunteers with Catholic Action Center and Hornell Humane Society. q

Amanda Olix Loomis professional firms employee news

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ea news

incose news

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ieee news

ieee news

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Rochester Chapter

Society for Imaging Science and Technology Website: http://rochesterengineeringsociety.wildapricot.org/ISandT Our meetings are held at 6:00pm in Room 1275 of the Carlson Center for Imaging Science on the RIT campus.

NOTE THAT THIS MEETING (JANUARY) IS A JOINT MEETING WITH THE IEEE ROCHESTER SECTION SIGNAL PROCESSING SOCIETY. PIZZA IS AT 5:30PM. Everyone is welcome to attend. Parking is available in the F lot, just north of the building. No meeting reservations are required.

Wednesday, March 21, 2018 - "Integrated Photonics: Challenges and Opportunities," by Jaime Gardenas, University of Rochester.

Wednesday, April 18, 2018 - RIT Students Program Wednesday, May 16, 2018 - "Materials of Construction Test: Insuring the Use of Safe Materials in Photo Books,"

by Joseph LaBarca, Pixel Preservation International

Meeting Schedule Wednesday, February 14, 2018 - "From 8-Bit to 4K: A Leading Computational Imaging Algorithm for Digital Printing Technology," by Chunghui Kuo, Eastman Kodak Co.

Venue ideas requested – we are soliciting input regarding other possible venues for our meetings.

Wednesday, January 17, 2018 Using Deep Learning to Better Understand Vision and Language

by Shagan Sah, PhD Candidate, RIT

Abstract:

Deep learning has enabled incredible advances in computer vision, natural language processing, and general image and video understanding. Recurrent neural networks have demonstrated the ability to generate text from visual stimuli, while image generative networks have demonstrated remarkable ability to create photorealistic images. Towards appreciating these methods, this talk is divided into two broad groups. Firstly, we introduce a general purpose Steered Gaussian Attention Model for video understanding. The use of an attention based hierarchical approach along with automatic boundary detection delivers state-of-the-art results on popular video captioning datasets. In the second part of the talk, we discuss four modality transformations: visual to text, text to visual, visual to visual and text to text. In addition to reviewing recent techniques, we introduce improvements in all transformations. To conclude, we show interesting results how the generative methods can seamlessly integrate bidirectional written and visual modalities.

Biography:

Shagan Sah is a Ph.D. candidate in the Center for Imaging Science at Rochester Institute of Technology. He obtained a bachelors in engineering degree from the University of Pune, India. This was followed by a master of science degree in imaging science from Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), New York, USA with aid of a RIT Graduate Scholarship. He is interested in the intersection of machine learning, natural language and computer vision. His current work primarily lies in the applications of deep learning for image and video understanding. He has authored over 20 publications in various journals and conferences. He has worked at Xerox-PARC as a Video Analytics Intern, at Motorola as a Camera Intern, and at Cisco Systems as a Software Engineer.

Call for Nominations and Committee Assistance The Rochester Chapter Nominating Committee is starting to seek input for candidates to run in our 2018 election. We are also looking for individuals willing to make the short term effort of being on the Committee itself.

Nominations will be considered for President, VP Programs, VP Membership, Recording 34 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER JANUARY 2018

Secretary and Treasurer, all of which are one year terms.

Councilors will be considered for two year terms. Give thought to joining an active, local governing body that has provided dynamic monthly meetings on topics on the frontiers of imaging science for more than fifty years! To discuss officer requirements or to email candidate profiles, please contact us at RochesterIST@gmail.com. is&t news

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Monroe Professional Engineers Society A Chapter of the New York State Society of Professional Engineers 657 East Avenue, Rochestter, New York 14607 Dedicated to Professionalism in Engineering in the Interest of Public Safety and Welfare 2017-18 Officers: President David Roberts, PE, President-elect Chris Kambar, PE, Vice President Arthur Reardon, PE, Secretary Martin Gordon, PE, Treasurer Michael Ritchie, PE, Membership Chair Arthur Reardon, PE

How to Report the Unlawful Practice of Engineering Engineering is an important and learned profession. As members of this profession, engineers are expected to exhibit the highest standards of honesty and integrity. Engineering has a direct and vital impact on the quality of life for all people.

Accordingly, the services provided by engineers require honesty, impartiality, fairness, and equity, and must be dedicated to the protection of the public health, safety, and welfare. Engineers must perform under a standard of professional behavior that requires adherence to the highest principles of ethical conduct. – Preamble to the NSPE Code of Ethics Since the practice of engineering is vital to the welfare and health of the public, unethical and unlawful engineering practice is a matter of serious concern. Hence this topic is addressed in the latest NYSSPE Legislative Update on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VVyxetv8k8&feature=em-subs_digest). While NYSSPE stands by to assist with concerns over unlawful practice, the two primary entities involved are the NYS Department of Education and the NYS Attorney General’s office. The Department of Education is responsible for receiving, assessing, and investigating complaints. If a violation is detected, the matter is referred to the Attorney General’s Office who then pursues the matter legally.

If you need to report a complaint, instructions are provided on the Department of Education’s website at: http://www. op.nysed.gov/opd/volcompliance.htm. There is a professional discipline complaint form, as well as phone and email contact information by which to register a complaint. If you are unsure whether a matter is a potential violation, NYSSPE can assist. Please feel free to contact us by one of the methods provided at http://nysspe.org/contact-us/.

RIT offers FE Review Course for Civil Engineering Professionals

If it has been some time since you completed your engineering curriculum, preparing for the FE exam can be a daunting challenge. This is why RIT is now offering a Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Civil Exam Review Course for civil engineering professionals. The course covers all the topics that are part of the FE exam and offers weeknight and weekend sessions for working professionals. Multiple sessions will be run, with separate sessions starting in January, February, and March. For details, visit http://monroepes.org/ or contact Greg Evershed at gmeast@rit.edu.

Upcoming Area Events Saturday, February 3, 2018 – MATHCOUNTS – RIT (main campus) Saturday, March 3, 2018 – TEAMS – FLCC (Victor Campus) Tuesday, April 24 2018 – Engineering Symposium in Rochester – Riverside Convention Center July 27-29, 2018 – NAFE Summer Conference – Hyatt Regency, Buffalo, NY For event details please check our website: http://monroepes.org/upcoming-events/ As always, we encourage active membership in the Monroe Professional Engineers Society. We are constantly striving to improve your membership but we always need more help. If you are interested in becoming an active member or have any questions, please email me at dcrobertspe@gmail.com or contact MPES through our website at www.monroepes.org/ contactus/.

David C. Roberts, P.E., President, MPES

mpes news

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abcd news

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abcd news

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Genesee Valley Land Surveyors Association Website: www.gvlsa.com

Year 2018 Officers President Jared R. Ransom, LS Vice President Justin M. Roloson, LS Secretary Robert J. Avery, LS Treasurer Michael A. Venturo, LS Roy B. Garfinkel, LS, Ex-officio

Upcoming Events 2018: January 17-19, 2018 – NYSAPLS 59th Annual Surveyors Conference & Exhibition Albany Capital Center, Albany, NY February 15, 2018 – General Membership and Board of Directors Meeting 40 & 8 Club, 933 University Avenue, Rochester

Board of Directors

January 2018

2016-2018 Douglas W. Magde, LS Douglas Churchill, LS 2017-2019 David L. Standinger, LS Daniel T. Hickok, LS 2018-2020 Timothy T. Odell, LS Matthew R. Palmer Jonathan Navagh - Associates Representative

January 17-19, 2018 NYSAPLS 59th Annual Surveyors Conference & Exhibition Honoring the Past, Shaping the Future January 17-19, 2018 Albany Capital Center, Albany, NY http://www.nysapls.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=990658

February 15, 2018 General Membership and Board of Directors Meeting Professional Affiliations •

New York State Association of Professional Land Surveyors, Inc.

•

National Society of Professional Surveyors

•

Rochester Engineering Society

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40 & 8 Club 933 University Avenue, Rochester, NY 14607

gvlsa news

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Association for Facilities Engineering ROCHESTER CHAPTER NO. 21

2016/17 BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT Craig Avalone CHA Consulting, Inc. (585) 232-5610 ext. 287 CAvalone@chacompanies.com VICE PRESIDENT Dennis Roote CDE Engineering & Environment, PLLC (585) 330-6986 dennis.roote@cde-pllc.com SECRETARY Tom Acquilano Trane Supply (585) 256-1028 Tom.Acquilano@trane.com TREASURER Brian Laurer The Gleason Works (585) 256-6784 blaurer@gleason.com ASSISTANT TREASURER Ken Carr Asbury First United Methodist Church (585) 271-1050 kcarr@asburyfirst.org DELEGATE DIRECTORS Jeff Bidell – Erdman Anthony Dan Friday – NRWCSD Tom Ward - YMCA Mark Ramsdell – Haley & Aldrich CHAPTER HISTORIAN Joe Dioguardi – MicroMod CHAIRMAN, EDUCATION COMMITTEE Matthew Knights – Constellation (585) 396-8043 matt.knights@cbrands.com CHAIRMAN, COMMUNICATION COMMITTEE Thomas Coburn -The Gleason Works (585) 461-8073 tcoburn@gleason.com CHAIRMAN, MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE Joseph R. Graves – CypherWorx, Inc (585) 268-6184 jgraves@cypherworx.com

afe news

January 2018 Meeting Notice Date/Time: Wednesday, January 17, 2018 – 5:30 p.m.

Scholarship Night: Rochester Museum & Science Center

Please join us for our annual scholarship night where we will be awarding three $1,500 scholarships to highly deserving students pursuing degrees in facilities and engineering fields. The scholarship candidates are from FLCC, MCC and RIT (3rd and 4th Year). Presentations will be given by the keynote speaker and members of the Chapter 21 Board of Directors.

Keynote Speaker: Joe Graves, Vice President of Operations and Project Management, Cyberworx, Inc.

Directions: 657 East Ave, Rochester NY 14607

 From Rochester, take I-490 to Goodman St. Exit (17)  Turn left onto Goodman (coming from the west) or right (from the East)  Follow Goodman to East Avenue, Turn Right onto East Avenue  657 East Avenue is on the right

• Dinner: Catered Buffet Dinner and Cash Bar Cost: Members - $25

Non Member - $30

Payment can be accepted on our website: http://afe21.org/tours/next-tour

Please RSVP by Friday, January 12th, 2018 to: Brian Laurer

Gleason Works

(585) 256-6784 blauer@gleason.com

JANUARY 2018 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 39

President: JENNIFER WENGENDER, P.E., CPD Clark Patterson Lee 205 St. Paul Blvd Rochester, NY 14604 585-454-7600 Vice President Technical: DAVE JERECKOS IBC Engineering, PC 3445 Winton Place, Suite 219 Rochester, NY 14623 585-292-1590 Vice President Legislative: DAVID MYERS LaBella Associates, PC 300 State Street, Suite 201 Rochester, NY 14614 585-454-6110 Vice President Membership: DOUG MEIER Twin”D” Associates 1577 Ridge Road West Suite 116B Rochester, NY 14615 585-581-2170 Treasurer: ALAN SMITH, P.E. IBC Engineering, P.C. 3445 Winton Place, Suite 219 Rochester, NY 14623 585-292-1590 Administrative Secretary: ADAM KRAMER IBC Engineering, PC 3445 Winton Place, Suite 219 Rochester, NY 14623 585-292-1590 Education Chairman: JENNIFER WENGENDER, P.E., CPD Clark Patterson Lee 205 St. Paul Blvd Rochester, NY 14604 585-454-7600 Affiliate Liaison: TRAVIS JESSICK aLTHERM, iNC. 255 hUMPHREY sT. eNGLEWOOD, nj 08631 551-486-9556 Newsletter Editor: Open - please contact a board member if you are interested.

President's Message Happy New Year! 2018!!

The 2018 Engineering Symposium in Rochester will be held on April 24th this year. We are still looking for a few speakers, so if anyone has a plumbing or multi-discipline topic they would be interested in presenting at the Symposium in the ASPE track, please contact me.

We have been having record attendance at our lunch meetings and have been able to offer a PDH credit for almost all meeting topics. You don’t need to be a member (or even plumbing discipline) to attend.

Contractors, code officials, facilities personnel and anyone else who wants a good lunch, PDH credit and opportunity to mingle with peers in the industry is welcome.

Jennifer Wengender, PE, CPD Rochester Chapter President

Meeting Notice – Save the Date Topic:

Plumbing Coordination for New Kitchen Design

Date:

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Time:

12:00 Noon - 1:30 pm (please arrive by 11:50 am)

Place:

Valicia's Ristorante, 2155 Long Pond Road, Rochester, NY 14606 (just nore of Route 31, Gates)

Speaker: Chris Wolak, Victaulic

Credits: PDH Approval Pending Cost:

$20 (member or guest), check or cash at door.

Reservations: To Dave Jereckos, 585-341-3168 or djereckos@ibceng.com

by Monday, January 15, 2018.

(Chapters are not authorized to speak for the Society) 40 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER JANUARY 2018

aspe news

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Rochester Chapter

American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers Rochester ASHRAE website: www.rochester.ashraechapters.org

JANUARY NEWSLETTER

President’s Message Our meeting in December was on Regfigeration Compressors presented

by Michael Collins from Eagle Bay Refrigeration. We appreciate Michael taking the time to share his expertise with our chapter. Thank you to everyone that attended.

The ASHRAE Winter Conference and AHR Expo is quickly approaching on January 22nd through 24th in Chicago, IL. The ASHRAE Learning Institute is offering many courses during the conference.

If you would like to attend the conference or any of the courses, more information can be found at http:// ahrexpo.com.

On Friday, February 9th, 2018 the Rochester ASHRAE Chapter will be hosting is 61st Annual Valentine Dinner Dance. Jody and Matthew McGarry put on a fantastic event. Please consider ashrae news

contributing to this event and joining us. It is a terrific time with fantastic food, music and fun.

Please continue to check out our website at www.rochester.ashraechapters.org for information on upcoming chapter meetings, current officer list and contact information, chapter newsletters, and more! Also take a minute and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/#!/ashraerochester.

Bill Clark, PE, CEM 2017-2018 President Rochester Chapter JANUARY 2018 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 41

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asce news

swe news

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Campus News Telecommunications engineers develop smartphone app to assess cellular coverage and download speeds RIT Cellular Metrics app can benefit both customers and carriers toward improving service levels

Researchers at Rochester Institute of Technology developed a new smartphone app that allows users to measure the actual download speeds of cellular providers and compare results in the specific geographic area.

It also has security capabilities that can protect users’ identities.

RIT Cellular Metrics, the new app, simultaneously maps coverage areas and details the performance levels of cellular carriers in the area. The app is free and available through the Google Play store for Android devices.

“We developed a custom app because we wanted to know exactly which carrier—AT&T, Verizon, Sprint or T-Mobile—had the fastest connection speed at a given location, not just which had faster speed or better coverage on a regional level,” said Clark Hochgraf, associate professor of telecommunications engineering technology in RIT’s College of Applied Science and Technology and a member of the research team. “What we found was quite surprising. The download speeds for two carriers can be very different at one location. And the download speed for the same carrier can vary greatly when you move as little as a few hundred feet away.”

Cellular coverage and cellular internet download speeds vary by carrier services and from location to location.

The app collects background measurements of the cellular network’s speed twice a day. Collection frequency can be altered by the user and can also be done on demand. One of the key features of the app is it protects an individual’s privacy and identity.

“Our app doesn’t collect any personal information such as SIM card identity or numbers dialed, unlike other apps on the market,” Hochgraf added. “We wanted people to be able to make their own measurements and see the coverage maps without having to worry about their privacy.”

As more people download and use the app, the map will show more detail about coverage and connection speeds, including predicting how connection speeds could change throughout the day. This type of data could benefit carrier network operations to be more effective and provide better service to customers. The team is also developing a version of the app for emergency response teams to access network coverage information before going into areas affected by natural disasters or other dangerous situations.

Hochgraf is one of five faculty from CAST’s Department of Electrical, Computer and Telecommunications Engineering Technology involved in the app development. Others are: Professor William Johnson, associate professors Yossi Nygate and Mark Indelicato and Assistant Professor Miguel Bazdresch. q

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campus news

Directory of Professional Services

Geophysical Services

• Seismic

• Ground Penetrating Radar

• Electromagnetic • Vibration Monitoring

• MASW, Seismic Site Classification, Refraction/Reflection • Concrete Inspection (Voids, Rebar, Thickness, Mapping)

Mark Saunders, Geophysics Division Manager 80 Lawrence Bell Dr. Buffalo, NY 14221 T +1 716-279-3540 M +1 716-270-7856 Email: MarkSaunders@applusrtd.com

www.eco-rentalsolutions.com 855-ECO-RENT Newest Rental Fleet in the Industry Exceptional Customer and Technical Service Consistent Quality Rentals • Sales • Service

directory of professional services

JANUARY 2018 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 45

Directory of Professional Services

300 State Street Suite 201 Rochester, NY 14614

Office: 585.454.6110 Fax: 585.454.3066 www.labellapc.com

Solving soils problems for over 40 years.

46A Sager Drive, Rochester, NY 14607 Tel: 585-458-0824 • Fax: 585-458-3323 www.foundationdesignpc.com

CLEANROOMSERVICES.COM Certification  Training  Consulting Servicing Cleanroom Facilities Since 1977 ISO/IEC 17025:2005 Accredited

R. KRAFT, Inc.  (585) 621-6946 rk.cleanroomservices@gmail.com Michael S. Quagliata, Jr., PE President

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ 217 West Commercial Street East Rochester, New York 14445 585/385-1450 585/385-1482 Fax mikeq@q-techpc.com

Electrical & Mechanical Engineering & Design

Advertising Rates and Membership Application is Available at www.roceng.org

Inc. A sign, ct Deeld, NY 14526 US of u d o r fi P P. Haltaolt en f P o f.com , e r lt n a H G Gry Ha kbridge La arry@ c

40 Ro

Design Engineering Services - Concept thru Production Mechanical / Electromechanical - Consumer / Industrial All Plastic and Metal Technologies Tel: 585-388-9000 Fax: 585-388-3839

www.Haltof.com

Directory of Business Services Philip J. Welch

First Vice President - Investments

Wells Fargo Advisors Wells Fargo Advisors is a trade name used by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC

Member FINRA/SIPC

46 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER JANUARY 2018

200 Meridian Centre Blvd.

Suite 260 Rochester, NY 14618 Direct: 585-241-7546 Fax: 585-241-3986 Toll Free: 877-237-6201 philip.welch@wellsfargoadvisors.com

directory of professional services | director of business services

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Affiliated Societies of the Rochester Engineering Society American Consulting Engineering Companies of New York President, David J. Meyer, 585-218-0730 Email: dmeyer@pathfinderengineers.com American Public Works Association Monroe County/Genesee Valley Branch Past-Chairman, Geoff Benway Email: gbenway@ci.webster.ny.us American Society of Civil Engineers, Rochester Section President, Christopher Sichak, PE Email: SichakC@erdmananthony.com American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Rochester Chapter President, Bill Clark, PE, CEM Email: ashraerocnews.com American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Rochester Section Chairman, Steven Ivancic, University of Rochester American Society of Plumbing Engineers, Rochester New York Chapter President, Jennifer Wengender, PE, CPD, Clark Patterson Lee, 205 St. Paul Blvd., Rochester, NY 14604. 585-454-7600.

Email: jwengender@clarkpatterson.com Association for Bridge Construction and Design President, Mark Laistner, Popli Design Group, 585-481-1239 Email: MLaistner@popligroup.com

Advertising Rates Are Available on the RES Website at: www.roceng.org

Association For Facilities Engineering, Rochester Chapter President, Matthews Knights, 585-924-2186 x221 Email: mknights@ultrafab.com Electrical Association Executive Director, Karen Lynch Email: karen@eawny.com President, Russ Corcoran, Landmark Electric, 585-359-0800.

Email: russc@landmarkelectric.net.

Genesee Valley Land Surveyors Association President, Jared R. Ransom, LS 585-737-6881 Email: jaredransomls@gmail.com Illuminating Engineering Society of North America Inc., Rochester Section President, Pete Brinka.

Email: pete@qlsny.com Imaging Science & Technology, Rochester Chapter President, David Odgers Email: odgers@frontiernet.net Independent Entrepreneurs Council, Rochester NY Chapter Chairman, Ralph Kraft, 585-621-6946 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Rochester Section Chairman, Greg T. Gdowski, 585-275-2580 Email: Greg_Gdowski@urmc.rochester.edu Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers, Rochester Chapter President, John Kaemmerlen, 585-475-2767 Email: jxkpdm@rit.edu

International Council on Systems Engineering, Finger Lakes Chapter President, Jack Riley Email: jackri2139@hotmail.com Monroe Professional Engineers Society President, David C. Roberts, PE Email: dcrobertspe@gmail.com New York State Association of Transportation Engineers, Section 4 President, Howard R. Ressel, 585-272-3372.

Email: Howard.Ressel@dot.ny.gov New York Water Environment Association Inc., Genesee Valley Chapter (www.gvcnywea.org) President, Bill Davis, 585-381-9250 Email: william.davis@mrbgroup.com Sheet Metal & Air-Conditioning Contractor’s National Association-Rochester, Inc. Executive Director, Aaron Hilger 585-586-8030. Email: mzin@smacnaroc.org Society of Plastics Engineers, Rochester Section President, Brett Blaisdell, Bausch & Lomb, 1400 North Gooaman Street, Rochester, NY 14609 585-338-5417, Email: brett.blaisdell@bausch.com Society of Women Engineers President, Marca J. Lam, RIT Email: mjleme@rit.edu Terra Rochester Finger Lakes Science & Engineering Fair Director, Mary Eileen Wood, 315-468-1025 Email: trsef@verizon.net

Corporate Members of the Rochester Engineering Society BME Associates CHA Consulting (Champion)

IBC Engineering, PC (Champion)

LaBella Associates (Enterprise) M/E Engineering, P.C.

TY-LIN International (Champion) VJ Stanley

Erdman Anthony Associates

MRB Group

Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce (RBA)

Optimation Technology, Inc. (Champion)

Greenman-Pedersen, Inc.

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Rochester Institute of Technology, Kate Gleason College of Engineering

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JANUARY 2018 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 47

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When engineers, technologists and technicians are promoted from within, they have the technical knowledge to excel, but do they have the leadership skills they need to be successful?

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