RES President's Message

Dear Fellow Engineers,

It seems hard for me to believe that the Covid pandemic started shortly before my term as President began in 2020. However, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. The RCSD of Monroe County has finally ended the mask mandate!

I had many goals for the RES when I began my term as President. While this outcome has been extremely disappointing, I now realize that my primary role has been to pivot the organization to get us through the pandemic. I believe I am the first President in the history of the RES to have not presided over an Annual Gala in over 120 years. All of our in-person events and tutoring efforts were either suspended or cancelled over the last two years, forcing us to think about how to financially survive the dramatic loss in income that resulted. This could not have been accomplished without the help of numerous volunteers on the Board of Directors, contributors to the RES magazine, and students that have helped with our web pages. It most certainly could not have been done without the efforts of our Administrator Director Lynne Irwin who has stuck with us through the financial hardships. What makes the RES special are the people that help make everything possible. Even in the worst of times, this has been a memorable journey that has impacted me in ways that I could not have foreseen. As a team, we have grown the corporate membership of the RES, we have delivered virtual training sessions that have provided much needed pdh credits, we have continued to deliver scholarships and professional awards, and we have even found ways to provide virtual tutoring when possible. We have remained an engineering community, despite the inability to get together in person. My term as President will close at the end of May with my first in-person event in two years when we get together for the Annual Meeting. I ask that you come help us celebrate a new beginning that marks our survival, the incoming officers, and most importantly this year’s scholarship and professional award recipients.

While one unfortunate chapter in the history of the RES closes, another is quickly unfolding with the tragedy in Ukraine. Our thoughts are with all of our members that have family and friends residing in Ukraine. I personally understand the anger and anguish with respect to the human suffering and dislocation caused by war. We fully support the global pursuit of peace. If you would like to voice your opinion on this tragedy, please feel free to send us an editorial comment for publication in the RES magazine. In this issue you will find news about the RES Continuing Education Series (pg 7), which includes sessions that provide insight into the structural and mechanical challenges in building and adding on to medical facilities. Don’t miss this opportunity on March 24th to obtain 2 pdh credits! Please contact us If you would like to have a special topic covered as part of our Education Series or if you would like to contribute a session yourself! We are always looking for new seminars for the Education Series and articles for the magazine! I would also like to express my congratulations to MRB Group in acquiring Parrone Engineering! It is great to see local groups partnering and growing within our community!

If there isn’t enough in this issue, we have posted even more RES issues on our web pages dating back to 2014! You now have quick access to nearly 100 issues of the RES magazine!

Don’t forget to set aside time in May to join us for the Annual meeting!

All my best, Greg Gdowski, PhD President, RES

MARCH 2022 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 5

Greg Gdowski, PhD University of Rochester RES President June 1, 2020 - May 31, 2022