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design. We want our robot to be operated by a leader or a social worker at the community center—because technology is designed to serve people. It has to fit in the community.”

Some onsite work was paused for a short time during the pandemic, but has since resumed with Zheng leading a research team that includes Victor Perotti, professor in Saunders College of Business; Yong Tai Wang, dean of the College of Health Sciences and Technology; Peter Bajorski, professor of statistics in the College of Science. (Under review is a Department of Health and Human Services grant proposal for the work that will also include colleagues from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.)

Wang brings more than 20 years of experience instructing and practicing Tai Chi, and Bajorski has worked previously with Zheng on a separate Department of Health and Human Services grant to measure aspects of ASD. Coupled with research in the area of the Theory of Mind—the study of human-robot interactions and the effectiveness of using robots as research facilitators—the team combines psychology and inter-personal communications with applications built on human-centered artificial intelligence, one of RIT’s key research areas.

“I think of myself as a user and builder of artificial intelligence because I design my own system frameworks, my own algorithms. Those are more elemental in the AI spectrum,” she said. “And I also look to other people’s work to add to my research. I’m standing on the shoulders of giants!”

For more information, contact Michelle Cometa at 585-475-4954, michelle.cometa@rit.edu or on Twitter: @MichelleCometa. q

CHA News

CHA Acquires North Carolina-based Frazier Engineering Wastewater Conveyance Expert Strengthens CHA's Growing Water/Wastewater Team

CHA Consulting, Inc. (CHA), an innovative engineering design, consulting and construction management firm, announced it has acquired Frazier Engineering, a leading civil engineering firm focused on sewer system assessment and rehabilitation. Frazier Engineering is based in the Charlotte, North Carolina area, with 45 employees. Frazier is known for highly specialized work on sewer system condition assessment, flow monitoring, rehabilitation design and construction management, and sewer system planning and design. The firm also has two offices in South Carolina and provides services in Virginia and Tennessee.

“Frazier Engineering is a great strategic addition to our growing water infrastructure team and brings talented technical staff and specialized capabilities that are in demand by many municipality clients,” said Jim Stephenson, CEO of CHA Holdings. “Water and sewer infrastructure is in a critical state for many municipalities, and Frazier will support our efforts to continue building a leading national firm assembling the skills necessary to address infrastructure challenges across the U.S.”

Frazier Engineering President Aaron Frazier said, “CHA has a strong reputation for delivering quality solutions with exceptional client service. We share that commitment to quality and exceeding our clients’ expectations, and we’re excited to be part of a firm with diverse national capabilities and a large geographic footprint. This acquisition will open up new and exciting opportunities for our employees and expand the services we can provide to our clients.”

Frazier will be rebranded to CHA Consulting, Inc. effective immediately. q

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