May 2009 - Boston - Wentworth Institute of Technology

news@Wentworth
www.wit.edu/enews
May 2009
IN THIS ISSUE:
Makepeace Survey Room
Dedication
Makepeace Survey Room Dedication
Students Receive Cutting Edge Technology
Students Receive Cutting Edge
Technology
Diversity Networking Event
Speaker Gives Sound Advice to
Job Seekers
Determined Director
Giving Students a Unique
Perspective
EnvironMentors
Students Present Environmental
Science Fair Projects
Staff Profile:
Jim Lee,
Lab Supervisor
Using His Connections to Benefit
Students in the Surveying Labs
Scene Around
Where at Wentworth?
Representatives from Makepeace, Carlson Software, Topcon
Positioning Systems, and Wentworth. Pictured (left to right):
Mike D’Agostino, Peter Joyce, Jim Lee, Bill Joyce, Todd Carlson,
Dave Carlson, Dr. Russ Pinizzotto, and Hank Boudreau.
Wentworth celebrated the opening of the Makepeace Survey Room in honor of
B.L. Makepeace, Inc., a Brighton-based reprographic, engineering, and survey
supply company. The new surveying equipment and equipment storage space
will directly benefit over 200 construction management and civil engineering
technology students who participate in surveying classes each year.
Demonstrating the critical importance of partnerships between industry and
higher education and the impact these relationships can have in educating
students, B.L. Makepeace, whose history with Wentworth goes back more than
50 years, made a gift of over $116,000. The state-of-the-art surveying and GPS
equipment will train students and prepare them to enter the workforce. Jim Lee,
lab supervisor, had a large role in facilitating the donation—to read more about
Lee, see page 4 for his staff profile.
Dr. Craig Capano, department head of civil, construction, and environment
expressed his excitement saying, “This is cutting edge equipment that many
businesses may not even be using yet, meaning students are getting valuable
training and experience with the latest technology available and will be even
better positioned to enter the workforce.” The event was held on April 23.
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In addition to Makepeace executives and Wentworth faculty, staff, and student
representatives, Makepeace’s corporate partners Carlson Software and Topcon
Positioning Systems were in attendance at the dedication ceremony. Topcon
surveying instruments and Carlson software are used together to integrate
surveying field data collection with the latest technology in analyzing data.
Industry professionals from construction management and civil engineering
technology also attended the event.
“Knowledge of the newest equipment in their field will make students a valuable
asset,” said Bill Joyce, president of Makepeace. “Wentworth students are already
known for their excellent preparation and ability to hit the ground running
immediately after being employed.”
Diversity Networking Event
Wentworth hosted the second annual diversity networking
reception for various minority professional organizations
on May 12, as part of a diversity recruitment initiative
with the Colleges of the Fenway (COF). The theme of
this year’s event was “Searching for Employment in a
Challenging Economy.”
Aaron Green, president of Professional Staffing Group
(PSG), presented and interacted with audience members,
offering advice on how to get a job and also how to
manage your time while you do not have a job. He
stressed the importance of setting goals every day and
recognizing progress when you meet your goals. Green
reminded the audience that even though the end result
might be getting the job, in the interim it is important
to keep a positive attitude because looking for a job is
hard work.
Campus News
Speaker Gives Sound Advice to Job Seekers
Many organizations were represented including the
Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and
Accounting, Latino Professional Network, National Society
of Hispanic MBA’s, the Black MBA’s, Young Professional
Wentworth graduates.
Network, and the National Association of Asian American
Professionals. In total, there were 130 attendees including
graduating seniors and Wentworth alumni. “The COF diversity recruitment committee is always looking
for ways to reach out to diverse organizations,” said Susan Morin, human resources manager.
Determined Director
Giving Students a Unique Perspective
Peter Bisanz, director and founder of Entropy Films in
New York, came to Wentworth in late April to speak
about the making of his film Beyond Our Differences.
Bisanz led a Literature in the Modern Age class for nearly
200 sophomore architecture students.
Bisanz is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Young
Global Leaders. His film focuses on the positive role of
faith and spirituality in modern times by exploring the
fundamental unity of the world’s religions. Bisanz started
his journey by simply e-mailing His Holiness the Dalai
Lama, offering to volunteer, and built on his experiences
and teachings—something the students found to be
motivational.
His film served as a way to summarize the focus of the
semester, which was on notions of “the self” and how
one becomes, creates, understands, acknowledges, and
continually develops oneself in a frantic and thoroughly
mediated postmodern society. The students enjoyed
seeing the film, talking with Bisanz, and getting a
firsthand glimpse at his own similar development and
his process of making and distributing this film.
Peter Bisanz, director of
Beyond Our Differences.
Bisanz’s story of success served as an inspiration for the students. “They were blown away at the fact
that Bisanz left a Hollywood job to make this film,” said Gloria Monaghan, assistant professor in the
Department of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Management. “They loved his message and what he
stood for, and the fact that he was so young. Many of them are just realizing their dreams and he helped
them see that if you are determined you will find a way to make it happen.”
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EnvironMentors
Students from Odyssey High School in South Boston presented projects to a panel of judges at
Wentworth as a part of the Regional EnvironMentors Science Fair on May 1. This regional chapter is
the only one in New England and all of the mentors are associated with the Colleges of the Fenway
(COF).
EnvironMentors is an environment-based mentoring program that helps prepare high school students
for college studies and careers in related fields. This access to college program, which started in 1992
in Washington, D.C., exposes underserved students of color to career opportunities by teaching them
how to research and develop science projects.
Judges chose three winners who were sent on a paid trip to the National Fair in Washington, D.C.,
where they had a chance to receive scholarships toward their college education. The Odyssey students
who qualified were John Cruz, Davon Egleston, and Shayla White. All of the students gained valuable
insight by sharing their projects and sitting in on roundtable discussions with the other chapter
winners.
Campus News
Students Present Environmental Science Fair Projects
After a rigorous judging process, including interviews and questioning, winners were chosen and
scholarships were awarded. The COF representatives were proud of all three of their students, and
one even earned special recognition. Davon Egleston, whose project was titled Alternative Fuels,
earned second place for Excellence in Experimental Science—an award given to the students who
most effectively applied the scientific method to their projects.
Jack Duggan, chapter coordinator and associate professor in the Department of Civil, Construction,
and Environment, strongly supports the program and what it can provide for both the mentors
and the students. “It is a great opportunity for young students to get exposed to possible career
opportunities. Of the students involved, around 90 percent end up going to college.”
John Cruz presenting his project, Lead Concentration and
Soil, to the panel of judges and President Pantić.
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Using His Connections to Benefit Students in the Surveying Labs
Previous to becoming a lab supervisor at
Wentworth, Jim Lee worked for B.L. Makepeace,
a Brighton-based reprographic, engineering,
and survey supply company. As a salesperson at
Makepeace, Lee built relationships with clients so
they could understand the need for the products
he was selling; now his world revolves around
students and their need for his expertise.
After working at Makepeace, Lee synchronized
his array of experiences, bringing firsthand
knowledge of the industry to students. The best
part of Lee’s job, he says, is seeing that a student
is truly interested in the subject matter. “It is
great when students come to you and ask you a
question. It’s really a good feeling to know you’re
experience is helping the students.”
Staff Profile
Jim Lee, Lab Supervisor
As a lab supervisor, Lee oversees the surveying
and concrete labs. “I support the fundamentals
of construction, materials testing and quality
control, and survey courses. My role is to set up
labs for faculty and assist the students as they
try to perform the various tasks,” he says.
Lee has been an asset as an informational
resource and he also played an instrumental role
in securing the recent gift from Makepeace (see
Jim Lee and Joseph Verzone, BCET ’10, in
page one). When the construction management
the Geotechnology Lab.
and civil engineering technology programs
decided to split up their survey classes, it became evident that there was not enough funding for the
new equipment that was needed.
Lee went to Makepeace, who in turn went to Topcon Positioning Systems and Carlson Software
(corporate partners of Makepeace), and put in the effort to make something great happen. Wentworth
students are now able to work on the latest GPS and surveying technologies in their labs as the
result of a generous gift from Makepeace of over $116,000 made to Wentworth in the form of new
equipment and room upgrades.
Knowing how important the practice of surveying is, Lee wanted to ensure that all of the students
would have the opportunity to use the state-of-the-art equipment. “There is a large learning curve to
surveying. Wentworth students, by having the opportunity to learn on this equipment, will be able to
know how to survey when they go out into the field. I’ve spoken to companies that say they prefer
Wentworth students when it comes to this particular area of expertise for that very reason.”
Transitioning between a variety of jobs has been a success for Lee, but over the last eleven years he
has sustained one constant source of inspiration: Uechi-Ryu, a traditional style of Okinawan karate.
Although karate is a hobby for Lee, he has taken the sport very seriously and was recently promoted
to Sandan (third degree black belt). “I am going to keep doing it, and I figure I can make it to eighth
degree if I get to be 73 years old—so that’s my goal.”
Whether it is his personal or professional life, Lee has proven that when something needs to get done
he will find a way to make it happen.
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Scene Around
The Office of Housing & Residential Life held their Annual Moonlight Breakfast to mentally
prepare students for the rigors of final exams and their week of studying and project work. Along
with activities like a pie eating contest, there was also food being served by faculty and staff (left to
right): Amy Dufour, Keiko Broomhead, and Marlin Nabors.
Laura Betti, BARC ’09, showed her appreciation
to the Division of Technology Services team for
restoring her senior project by surprising them with
a beautiful cake. Staff members assisting in the
recovery were (left to right): Mike Mattera, Justin
Ragsdale, Justin Wu, Justin Benson, and Tomarr
Sanders (not pictured).
Steven Nodvin, department head of applied
math and sciences, and former vice president
Al Gore at the North American Summit of The
Climate Project in Nashville, Tenn.
5
Scene Around
Students receiving the Edward T. Kirkpatrick Cooperative Education Award at the Annual
Awards Program on April 16.
The Construction Management Association of America awards 11 students from
Northeastern University, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Roger Williams University, and
Wentworth for their achievements with scholarships totaling $22,000. Wentworth recipients
included construction management students (left to right): John Eddy ’09, James Roberts ’09,
Bethany Oxford ’10, Lyndsy Seiferth ’09, two Roger Williams students, Daniel Bien-Aime ’10,
Sean Reynolds ’10, a Roger Williams student, and Phung Tran ’10.
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BOSTON, Mass. – Amanda Rodgerson, who for the past three seasons has been the
Head Women’s Basketball Coach at Southern Maine Community College, has been
named to the same position at Wentworth Institute of Technology. Director of Athletics Lee Conrad made the announcement. Rodgerson replaces Carrie Crawford, who
stepped down in May after guiding the Leopards to a 46-53 mark during her four
seasons as head coach.
“We are very excited about Amanda joining our staff,” said Conrad. “She has
achieved a lot in a short period of time as a head coach and has a solid knowledge of
The Commonwealth Coast Conference. This, combined with her energy and enthusiasm, made her the perfect candidate for the job. I am confident that our women’s
basketball team will continue to develop into an upper echelon team at both the conference and regional level.”
Scene Around
The Annual Appreciation Day/President’s Awards Luncheon was held to honor
Wentworth employees for their years of dedicated service. President Pantić acknowledged all
employees who have worked at Wentworth for 5, 10, and 15 years and offered career highlights for
employees celebrating 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 years. She also presented distinguished faculty and staff
members with awards (pictured below with the award they received).
Professor Herb Fremin, Distinguished
Jane Allen,
Service
to Faculty.
A native
of Bangor,
Maine,
and former standout in both basketball and soccer at
Service.
Hampden Academy, Rodgerson, arrived at SMCC in 2004 and inherited
a struggling
program that featured just seven players during her rookie season. That squad would
capture the Maine Small College Conference title with a 10-13 record and lay the
foundation for a 2005-06 season that saw the Seawolves win a second consecutive
MSCC crown, as well as winning the Yankee Small College Conference championship.
With a 20-7 mark, SMCC competed in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament and featured two USCAA All-Americans. Rodgerson was voted both
the YSCC and MSCC Coach of the year. This past season the Seawolves posted a 1410 mark, were the YSCC runner-up, and qualified for the USCAA Tournament. She
leaves SMCC with a 44-30 record.
Meagan McMullen, Service to Community.
Carissa Durfee, Service to Students.
Professor Samuel Montague, Distinguished
Teaching/Grant Johnson Award.
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May Commencement Highlights
Subtitle goes here
BOSTON, Mass. – Amanda Rodgerson, who for the past three seasons has been the
Head Women’s Basketball Coach at Southern Maine Community College, has been
named to the same position at Wentworth Institute of Technology. Director of Athletics Lee Conrad made the announcement. Rodgerson replaces Carrie Crawford, who
stepped down in May after guiding the Leopards to a 46-53 mark during her four
seasons as head coach.
“We are very excited about Amanda joining our staff,” said Conrad. “She has
achieved a lot in a short period of time as a head coach and has a solid knowledge of
The Commonwealth Coast Conference. This, combined with her energy and enthusiasm, made her the perfect candidate for the job. I am confident that our women’s
basketball team will continue to develop into an upper echelon team at both the conference and regional level.”
Scene Around
Title goes here
A native of Bangor, Maine, and former standout in both basketball and soccer at
Hampden Academy, Rodgerson, arrived at SMCC in 2004 and inherited a struggling
program that featured just seven players during her rookie season. That squad would
capture the Maine Small College Conference title with a 10-13 record and lay the
foundation for a 2005-06 season that saw the Seawolves win a second consecutive
MSCC crown, as well as winning the Yankee Small College Conference championship.
With a 20-7 mark, SMCC competed in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament and featured two USCAA All-Americans. Rodgerson was voted both
the YSCC and MSCC Coach of the year. This past season the Seawolves posted a 1410 mark, were the YSCC runner-up, and qualified for the USCAA Tournament. She
leaves SMCC with a 44-30 record.
8
Where at Wentworth?
The picture below shows an object located somewhere
on Wentworth’s campus. Determine the location of the
picture below and win a prize. The first person to name
the location correctly wins an iTunes gift card. To submit
your answer, send an e-mail to editor@wit.edu
Last month’s location:
Over the door inside Watson Auditorium.
Last Month’s Winners: April’s edition of Where at Wentworth had
a tie for first place. The two winners were (left to right): Adrian
Caraballo, BMET ’09, and Jessica Leone, BCET ’12.
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