RES President's Message

Dear Fellow Engineers,

It has been my honor to be President of the RES from 2020-2022. I am very fortunate to have had an extremely talented set of officers to work with including Michelle Sommerman (1st Vice President), Dennis Roote (2nd Vice President, and Treasurer), and Lynne Irwin (Administrative Director).

The Board of Directors has also provided extraordinary depth in expertise that has helped to navigate the challenges associated with the pandemic. These individuals include Joe Dombrowski (Immediate Past President), Kenton Hines, Richard Rice, Neal Illenberg, Stephen Day, Brett C. Eliasz, Mike Kurdziel, Nancy Crawford, and Timothy Howe. We could not have survived the last few years without the dedication of these individuals.

To put this in perspective, the pandemic started just before my term began in May of 2020. My first inperson event will be my last Board meeting on May 25th, 2022.

Alternatively, we created virtual events to deliver pdh-credits, and to celebrate scholarships and awards. These events have functioned to help financially sustain the RES in the absence of large-scale inperson events like the Gala.

More impressively, the leadership team expanded corporate membership which now includes 8 enterprise members (L3Harris, MKS Instruments, Stantec, M/E Engineering, Navitar, Bergman Architects Engineers Planners, Alstom Signaling, and Bosch).

Each of these changes bodes very well for the future of the RES. Despite the pandemic, I am confident that we will be able build upon the new venues we developed and restart many of the hallmark RES events we sorely miss from our past.

In many ways, it will mark a new beginning and a return to a new normal where we can resume in-person activities that serve to strengthen the engineering community within Rochester. I am thrilled that the RES will be guided by a very talented incoming leadership including Michelle Sommerman (President), Dennis Roote (1st VP), and Mike Kurdziel (2nd VP). Joining them on the Board of Directors will be Steven Day, Noah Kelly, Michael Duffy, and Leandro Aveiro. I encourage you to join us at the Annual meeting in the RMSC to celebrate our successes, the new leadership, and the scholarship and professional award winners.

I would also like to thank L3Harris for sponsoring the Annual meeting at the Platinum level! Your support helps us to carry out the programs and services that are dedicated to enhancing the profession and the community, while encouraging the growth and development of engineers and scientists for the future.

Sponsorship opportunities are still available for the Annual meeting. I hope to see you at the meeting!

All my best,

Greg Gdowski, PhD RES President

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