Student Lands the Perfect Job Before Graduation

                   

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Posted 12/12/2014

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Submitted by Barbara Steinberger

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Category: Campus Announcements, Student Announcements

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Austen Williams is pictured outside Konover shortly before Fall Commencement on Dec. 7. (Click on photo to enlarge.)
 

For the past seven weeks, Austen Williams has been leading a double life.
Williams, who took part in Fall Commencement on Sunday, Dec. 7, earning a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, has been juggling the life of a full-time college student with the life of a young professional.

He has spent eight-hour days working as a regional application engineer for Henkel Corp. in Rocky Hill, Conn., and has then come back to his campus home to take classes, work on his senior capstone project, and teach a physics lab.

“It’s been quite a balancing act,” said Williams.

Williams is in the enviable position of having been offered a good job in his field weeks before graduation, thanks to his talent, drive, and a co-op opportunity that he got through the University.
During the spring 2013 semester, Professor Cy Yavuzturk, one of Williams’s professors in the College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture (CETA), asked his students if any of them would be interested in a co-op experience at Henkel, in which they would work full-time for six months while also receiving some college credit.

While the co-op would provide invaluable experience, it also would mean graduating one semester late. A number of students expressed interest in the co-op opportunity, but Williams was one of the few who was willing to delay his graduation for one semester — a risk that ultimately paid off.
Henkel is an international company based in Germany with leading brands and technologies in several areas. The co-op was with Henkel’s adhesive technologies division in Rocky Hill.
From June through December 2013, Williams worked full-time at Henkel, performing lab tests and writing technical reports, and met regularly with his advisor at CETA, Professor of Mechanical Engineering Robert Celmer. At the end of the six-month co-op, Williams wrote a paper about the experience.

During the summer of 2014, Williams’s former mentor at Henkel told him about a job opening for a regional application engineer, and this fall, Williams got the job. He has been working at Henkel two days a week since Oct. 20, while he finishes his degree requirements and wraps up his college career. He will start working full-time on Jan. 5.
As a regional application engineer, Williams will be working with the sales team to determine which products best fit clients’ needs, and to validate the application of those products through lab testing. Williams said that his CETA coursework prepared him well for the co-op and for his new job, by giving him the “problem-solving mentality” he needs to be able to analyze and address engineering problems.

Williams, who plays a wide range of instruments — including guitar, drums, piano, bass, harmonica, mandolin, and banjo — started at the University of Hartford majoring in mechanical engineering with a concentration in acoustics. He never considered a career as an application engineer until his co-op with Henkel, but he has discovered that it is a perfect fit for him.
“The co-op allowed me to see what an application engineer does. As soon as I started, I thought ‘This is where I could see myself being happy,’” said Williams, who enjoys working directly with customers and coming up with solutions for their needs. “I really love it.”

UNOTES - Univ. of Hartford - 12/12/14

Taking Hartford's Simmering Pots To A Boil - By MICHAEL J. CROSBIE

Taking Hartford's Simmering Pots To A Boil

By MICHAEL J. CROSBIE | PLACE

ArchitectureDining and DrinkingWheatonChicago SuburbsUniversity of Hartford

Hartford needs to nurture small entrepreneurial businesses for a bustling future

Hartford's many simmering businesses and ideas must be encouraged

Architects and planners like grand schemes. "Make no little plans," counseled Chicago architect Daniel Burnham just over a century ago. But maybe today we need to think differently about a city like Hartford, whose future might lie in thousands of little things — creative and synergistic ideas —happening, connecting, collaborating, sharing, shaping, building.

That impression emerged from a lively panel discussion last week on imagining a new Hartford, part of a series of exhibits and events at the Hartford Public Library and the Connecticut Historical Society. The Courant's Tom Condon asked the panel of four folks involved with creative, innovative organizations working to change the city what Hartford will look like in 25 years.

Cities are shaped by people and projects that can simmer for years until reaching a boiling point, and the impression is that Hartford has an encouraging number of pots on the stove. One is MakeHartford, headed by Steve Yanicke, who describes the enterprise as a "gym for geeks" who like to make stuff. MakeHartford is at 30 Arbor Street, in a space that offers folks access to digital toys and tools like 3D printers (you can "print" objects). Yanicke spoke about the allure of incubator space where people can meet, learn to use new technologies and share knowledge. It's something of a free-form collaborative, "connecting people who are doing things with other people who are doing things," he explained.

Yanicke's vision of the city is a place where new businesses, with very low starting costs, attract other entrepreneurs just because innovative types feed off each other. For Yanicke, one of Hartford's greatest assets is the empty buildings that can become hotbeds of creative collaboration, leading to new businesses, housing and communities. Yanicke noted that housing in downtown Hartford always seems to grow in the wrong direction. Instead of more towers, Yanicke sees a downtown thriving with more three- and four-story, mixed-use residential and retail structures, where people live close to work, walk and actually meet their neighbors.

Gina Muslim, director of the Hartford Community Partnership, Community Solutions, sees the former Swift gold-plating factory in Hartford's North End as similar to Yanicke's idea of flexible incubator space. Rather than devoting Swift to one use, Muslim imagines a place that combines work, living, health care and food shopping within its 65,000 square feet. The idea is to create enough synergy in one place to offer residents and the surrounding neighborhood a one-stop community resource focused on job creation. The key, notes Muslim, is getting the right mix of uses and anchor businesses, and then studying what worked and what doesn't work so it can be replicated in other neighborhoods.

Food is the critical component to successful revitalization. Cary Wheaton, executive director of Billings Forge Community Works in Frog Hollow, sees new restaurants and farmers markets, along with good housing, luring folks to city neighborhoods. "Food and housing are the drivers" for community building, says Wheaton, who noted that Billings has created about 100 jobs over the past six years.

Echoing the others on the panel, Wheaton cautioned against high-powered, multimillion-dollar solutions. Sometimes a new idea is in plain sight. Like closing cafeterias! Wheaton speculated on what would happen to the urban life on Hartford's streets overnight if the city's major employers closed their cafeterias and people had to leave work to have lunch. The economic driver for new lunch places and busy streets is right there. "Small things connect with other things, and that is sustainable community building," says Wheaton.

Kristina Newman-Scott, director of marketing, events and cultural affairs for the city, thinks that Hartford's biggest problem is an inferiority complex. "We need pride in the city," and to start taking advantage of the incredible creative resources here. She pointed out that within its 18 square miles Hartford has more than 300 arts and cultural institutions. "The challenge is to connect these creative communities," says Newman-Scott, who also sees incubator space and short-term, low-cost leases as a way to hot-wire new retail. "Creative businesses grow out of a more do-it-yourself culture, with the city serving as a platform," she believes.

So, what will Hartford look like?

Michael J. Crosbie is an architect in Essex and chairman of the University of Hartford's Department of Architecture.

Women Thrive at the University of Hartford.

Women Thrive at the University of Hartford:

Emily Meachon ’16 (and WELCorps Student Leader) and her mentor Jessica Nicklin will study the connections between birth order, leadership, and the success in college students.
Katherine McLellan ’16 and faculty mentor Susan Mardinly aim to find remarkable female composers from the 1920s on to form a chronological timeline of the history of women composers and their influence in the theatre and music genre. Katherine plans to educate the audience through a final concert and slideshow. 
Tanya Johnson ’15 and faculty mentor Ivana Milanovic will simulate a "hole tone’" system in which information will be provided on vortex shedding, source location of acoustic waves, and noise mitigation strategies.
Madison Norwich ’16 (a WELCorps Student Leader) along with her faculty mentor, Mala Matacin, will educate the University of Hartford’s campus on the current issues of sexual violence, while creating a safe environment of support for survivors.
Dorothy Goodwin, educator, politician, world traveler, and family member, inspired women and girls to live beyond limitations—to exercise their full potential. She recognized that reaching one’s potential requires challenging opportunities, committed mentors, and financial support. It is in honor of her influence and with gratitude for the generosity of her friends and family that the Women’s Education and Leadership Fund (WELFund) offers the Dorothy Goodwin Scholars.

www.anchoronline.org/welfund/dorthy-goodwin-academic-year-scholars

Coffin Grants and Summer Stipends Awarded

Thirteen faculty members have been awarded Vincent B. Coffin Grants and Summer Stipends for 2014-15. The grants and stipends are awarded to full-time faculty for a variety of scholarly and creative projects and for activities that enhance teaching or contribute to professional development.
Vincent B. Coffin Grant Recipients
– Ivana Milanovic, professor of mechanical engineering in the College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture (CETA), will conduct a project that simulates a “hole tone” system in which a circular jet exiting an upstream orifice plate impinges on a downstream plate producing an audible tone. COMSOL and/or ANSYS FLUENT will be used to model, analyze, and visualize the simulation results. The objective will be to investigate vortex shedding at the jet exit and its impact on the system.

Summer Stipend Recipients
– Saeid Moslehpour, professor of electrical and computer engineering in CETA, will develop computer-generated tutorial instruction with audiovisual teaching tools and digital video technology.  

Nagurney Visits Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden

adimer S. Nagurney, professor of electrical, computer, and biomedical engineering in CETA, visited Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden for the week of June 2-6, 2014. He delivered an informal seminar, TI DSK and Software Defined Radio, which highlighted efforts in developing joint undergraduate Digital Signal Processing student projects with Chalmers. He also met with faculty in the Department of Signals and Systems to discuss future collaborations. His visit was supported by a 2013-2014 International Center Faculty Grant.
Chalmers is one of the leading Engineering Universities in Sweden producing about 40% of Sweden's engineering graduates. It is also the first University to be named after a major benefactor, William Chalmers, Director of the Swedish East India Company.

Professor Nagurney at Chalmers

Invited Supply Chain Paper Co-Authored by Nagurney Presented at Conferences in Sicily and Greece

Ladimer S. Nagurney, professor of electrical, computer, and biomedical engineering, CETA, was a co-author of the invited paper, "Supply Chain Network Competition in Time-Sensitive Markets," presented at the 18th European Conference on Mathematics for Industry: ECMI 2014, Taormina, Sicily, on June 12, 2014. The paper also was presented at the Conference on Optimization, Control and Applications in the Information Age in honor of the 60th birthday of Professor Panos M. Pardalos, Distinguished University Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Florida, in Chalkidiki, Greece, June 16, 2014.
The paper is based on a collaboration with Professors Anna Nagurney of UMass Amherst, Min Yu of the University of Portland, and Jonas Floden of the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

Professor Nagurney at ECMI 2014

The work is a continuation of research presented in the book, Networks Against Time: Supply Chain Analytics for Perishable Products, that Professor Nagurney co-authored and that was published by Springer Business + Science Media NYC in 2013. The applications of this work include: food, medicines and vaccines, high tech products, and fast fashion.

Source: http://www.hartford.edu/daily/announcements/2014/06/2014-06-24-nagurneys-invited-co-authored-supply-chain-paper-presented-at-conferences-in-sicily-and-greece-m.aspx

UHart Students Win International Architectural Acoustics Design Competition

Last week at the Acoustical Society of America conference in Providence, R.I., it was announced that the University of Hartford won first place in an Architectural Acoustics Student Design Competition.
The UHart team comprised Lucas Johnson '14 and Wesley Axtell '14, both seniors in the BSE Acoustical Engineering and Music program, and Rachael Kline '14, who will be graduating with a BS in Architectural Engineering Technology.

This competition is intended to encourage students to express their knowledge of architectural acoustics and noise control in the design of a facility in which acoustical considerations are of significant importance. Designs are submitted as posters, and are judged by practicing architects and acoustical engineers. All posters are judged solely on their content and are anonymous — the names of the students and school are placed in an envelope on the back of the poster, and are not revealed until the winner has been selected.

There were 15 posters submitted, and nearly all of the other posters were submitted by graduate programs in acoustics. Submissions came from not only across America, but from Europe and Asia. In fact, the runners-up were from the graduate acoustics programs at Chalmers (Sweden) and the University of Tokyo.
Lucas Johnson is from Chatham, Illinois, and has recently accepted a position with AKRF Acoustic Consultants in New York City.  Wesley Axtell is from Londonderry, N.H., and will be attending the graduate program in acoustics at Penn State University. Rachael Kline, Axtell's fiancee, will be accompanying him to State College, Pa.


Congratulations to Team Hartford!
Source: http://www.hartford.edu/daily/announcements/2014/05/2014-05-14-acoustical-engineering--architecture-seniors-win-international-design-competition.aspx

Bio-Medical Engineering Project Collaboration with Windham Tech.

On Friday 05/09/14 Windham Tech students took a field trip to view a presentation of a product that was the joint effort of the University of Hartford Bio-Medical Engineering Program and the CTHSS Manufacturing Technology program at Windham Tech.  This prosthetic foot may benefit civil war amputee victims in Africa.  It is a great story of not only the collaboration and learning that took place, but the humanity of the project.  

Professor Mellodge is one of five professors that have been named Faculty Fellows

Five University of Hartford professors have been named Faculty Fellows of The Humanities Center for 2014–15: Power Boothe, Don Jones, Melinda Miceli, Patricia Mellodge, and Robert Leve.
Each fellow will be working on a scholarly or pedagogical project related to the 2014–15 theme of the Humanities Center Seminar, “Exploring Complexity,” developed and led by Marcia Moen, associate professor of philosophy, and Jane Horvath, associate professor of economics and Director of the van Rooy Center for Complexity and Conflict Analysis. Each Fellow will also give a talk as part of the Spring 2015 series of lectures associated with the theme.

Power Boothe, professor of painting in the Painting and Drawing Department of the Hartford Art School, will present two workshops and a lecture titled “Complexity and Art-making” that will explore complexity as it relates to perception, the arts, and art-making. The two hands-on workshops are designed to provide experiences that will suggest that meaning is not to be found in the words we use, and, although meaning can be triggered by words, or a mark, or music, meaning arrives as an emergent “felt” coherence that is embodied and dependent on “networks” of relations between the brain, the body and things that are exterior. The lecture will demonstrate that the imaginative capacity we all have, and which is evident in how we experience the arts, is based on our innate ability to make sense of a complex range of sense experience we are bombarded with everyday—that should overwhelm us—but instead emerges as coherent and even significant to us. Professor Boothe says, “The two workshops and the lecture will explore how the bottom up, non-linear nature of complexity manages conflict by going into a turbulent phase involving experimentation and feedback, to eventually stabilize into a new structure or form, unpredicted by the parts. As a result, this new order will redefine the meaning of the parts.”

Don Jones, associate professor of rhetoric and professional writing in the English Department of the College of Arts & Sciences, will consider “Complexity and Epistemology: How Do We Know What We Think We Know?”  Dr. Jones's project will be to develop a future honors course focusing on epistemology, pragmatism, and postmodernism. In his lecture for the Humanities Center, he will explain Dewey’s non-foundational epistemology, which is based on the following four principles: the primacy of experience, the construction of knowledge, the influence of language on knowledge, and the achievement of agency. He will compare and contrast Dewey’s non-foundationalism with the postmodern epistemology of Michel Foucault. Dr. Jones will explore the epistemological implications of complexity theory, grounding these abstract principles in engaging examples including Ezra Pound’s “In a Station of the Metro” and Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave.” Like Osberg, Biesta, and Cilliers, he believes that the epistemological implications of complexity theory can best be explained as “Deweyan transactions” between reality, language, and knowledge.

Melinda Miceli, associate professor of sociology in Hillyer College, will analyze complexity theory as it relates to sociological theory and research, specifically in the areas of social movements and intersectionality. The focus of her research is the networking of localized and regional social movement organizations into centralized, yet diverse, national and international social movements advocating for the rights of LGBT youth. This intricate networking process has forced these social movements to manage the complex intersection of inequalities of sexuality, gender, class, race, ethnicity, religion and other social factors that make up the varied lived realities of the LGBT youth whose interests they represent. Her fellowship will focus on the usefulness of complexity theory in sociological analysis of both social movements and intersectionality. Dr. Miceli’s lecture will present material on social complexity theory and its practical application in the empirical analysis of her research on LGBT youth social movements.

Patricia Mellodge, associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture (CETA), will examine “Emergent Behavior in Robot Systems: A Case Study of Cubelets.” Cubelets, made by Modular Robotics, are intended to teach children about complex systems and robotics in a way that is physically grounded instead of virtual. Rather than being screen-based as many other demonstration systems are (such as Conway’s Game of Life or NetLogo software), a user can physically touch, interact, and reconfigure the system quickly and easily. New system designs are rapidly implemented simply by altering the interconnections between the blocks. However, the system also allows for more depth and exploration. More advanced users can modify the programming in the different blocks to redefine the rules that they follow. Dr. Mellodge’s seminar talk will focus on Cubelets and the use of emergent behavior in robotic system design. The behavior of systems composed of Cubelets will be investigated through demonstrations and compared to traditionally programmed robots.

Robert Leve, associate professor of psychology in the College of Arts & Sciences, focuses his research on tests of complexity models in real world situations to understand the process of how multi-dimensional complex problems are solved without falling into a state of cognitive chaos. His previous research documents how subjects avoid intellectual chaos when given complex problems to solve across various situations such as auto navigation, bicycle racing, financial decisions, and real estate problems. Testing out such problems also analyzes how variables such as time, perceived confidence, and variable relevance influence the decision process. His most recent unpublished research focuses on the parameters that determine emergence and how the perspective of the observer influences existence of emergent phenomenon such that a narrow perspective often eliminates the recognition of emergence. Dr. Leve seeks to understand the process by which a particular variable interacts with other variables in that environment to reorganize the energy flows in the environment resulting in a new and unexpected pattern (i.e. Emergence). In his lecture for the Humanities Center Seminar, Dr. Leve will discuss the threat of chaos as a strong determinant on how humans solve complex social and scientific problems, illustrated by real world examples that document the sudden emergence of significant intellectual solutions that have had a profound influence on modern technology.
The Humanities Center Honors Seminar is a two-semester course for honors students. The Lecture Series on Complexity in the Spring 2015 semester is open to all students, faculty, and staff, as well as members of the community. Lectures begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Dana 202/Mali 2 Lecture Hall, and are free and open to the general public. The Humanities Center at the University of Hartford supports interdisciplinary scholarship focusing on the humanities through arts, sciences, technology, media, psychology, history, film, philosophy, and literature. For more information, contact T. Stores, director, at stores@hartford.edu.

Source: http://www.hartford.edu/daily/announcements/2014/05/Humanities_Center_Names_Five_Faculty_Fellows_for_201415.aspx

CETA Alumni Mark Boxer to win the University Distinguished Alumni Award

Three University of Hartford alumni—a top executive at Cigna, a prolific composer for television and film, and the director of NBC’s Meet the Press—will be honored during the University’s undergraduate Commencement ceremonies on Sunday, May 18.

Mark Boxer ‘83, who is global chief information officer for Cigna, will receive the University’s Distinguished Alumni Award during the main, University-wide Commencement ceremony on the University Green. The Distinguished Alumni Award is presented annually to a University graduate who has made an exceptional impact on his/her profession, community, and the University.

The 2014 Hartt Alumni Award will be conferred on composer Ed Alton ‘81 during The Hartt School’s diploma presentation ceremony in Lincoln Theater, immediately following the main Commencement ceremony.
In addition, Meet the Press director Rob Melick ’96, ‘98 will be recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus of Hillyer College during Hillyer’s diploma presentation ceremony in Millard Auditorium, immediately following the main Commencement ceremony.


Mark Boxer ‘83 — University Distinguished Alumni Award
Mark Lewis Boxer ’83 is global chief information officer at Cigna, where he is responsible for driving the company’s worldwide technology strategy and ensuring that the company’s infrastructure and applications are innovative, flexible, and aligned with both the business strategy and the needs of customers, partners, and employees.

Prior to joining Cigna, Boxer was group president for government healthcare at Xerox Corporation. He also served as deputy global chief information officer for Xerox, where he oversaw the development of all software products and information services. Prior to Xerox, he served in various leadership roles at WellPoint, Healthsource, and Hewlett Packard.

Boxer earned both a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and a Bachelor of Arts in physics from the University of Hartford in 1983. He earned his Master of Business Administration in finance from the University of Connecticut and a Master of Science in information systems from Drexel University. He holds a doctorate in global public health from the Arizona School of Health Sciences.
A trustee of the Bushnell Performing Arts Center, Boxer also serves on the boards of the University of Connecticut Foundation and the Connecticut Children’s Law Center. He oversees Cigna’s venture innovation fund, serves as an outside director for Grange Mutual Insurance, and is a member of the advisory boards of Health Enterprise Partners and Parthenon Capital. Boxer has been recognized as one of Computerworld’s Premier 100 IT Leaders and by Insurance & Technology Magazine as an Elite Eight technologist. He is a business advocate and champion of advancing the employment of the disabled, having received both the Tony Coelho Award, named after the coauthor of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Justice for All Award, given by the American Association of People with Disabilities.


Ed Alton ‘81 — Hartt Alumni Award

Ed Alton, BMus ’81, has had an impressive and prolific career in the Los Angeles TV, film, and recording industries for nearly 30 years. To date, he has composed scores for more than 530 episodes of 31 different prime time network TV series and performed as bassist on over 70 feature film soundtracks. He has received numerous honors, including five ASCAP Top TV Composer Awards, an Emmy nomination, and several Gold and Platinum record awards.
Some of Alton’s more prominent TV compositions include the scores for the 1980s hit series Head of the Class, the top-10 rated series Suddenly Susan, and The Single Guy, both of which ran during the peak of NBC’s successful Thursday night “Must See TV” reign. Recent well-known series have included My Boys on TBS and Whitney on NBC. His music is augmented by his multi-instrumental skills, since he personally plays many of the instruments used on his own soundtracks.
In 1998, Alton’s song performed by Bernadette Peters on the CBS series The Closer was recognized with an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Music & Lyrics. In 1997, Daily Variety recognized Alton as one of TV’s top theme composers when it listed him as #5 among Nielsen’s "Top '90s TV Themesters." His Single Guy theme was included on the popular Greatest TV Themes of the ‘90s CD.
Alton’s work in the recording industry includes arranging and conducting on the Britney Spears multi-Platinum CD In the Zone, and performances on the Gold Record-winning albums Flying Cowboys by Rikki Lee Jones as well as the soundtrack to the film The Breakfast Club. Alton also has written scores for three musicals for the stage.  As a studio musician, Alton performed bass on the soundtracks of such popular films as Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, The Breakfast Club, Beverly Hills Cop 2, Ghost Busters 2, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, City Slickers, and Planes, Trains and Automobiles. He has also performed and toured internationally with The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra.


Rob Melick '96, '98 — Hillyer College Distinguished Alumnus Award

Rob Melick ’96, ‘98 is the director of NBC’s award-winning Sunday morning news show, Meet The Press.

Melick earned an associate’s degree from Hillyer College and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in communication from the College of Arts and Sciences. While at the University of Hartford, Melick was highly motivated to get as much television experience as possible. He immersed himself in the Student Television Network, STN-2, and he had internships at Hartford’s NBC affiliate and at the Fox Network in New York City.
Melick’s career took off from there, as he directed news broadcasts in Rochester, N.Y., Hartford, and Philadelphia, earning a reputation for his talent, dedication, and tireless work ethic. His stellar reputation and his network of mentors helped earn Melick a spot as director of the weekly political television show Fox News Sunday, based in Washington, D.C. During the 2008 presidential campaign, Melick produced shows on the road in 26 different states, and he has directed everything from Oval Office interviews to broadcasts from Afghanistan.
Melick’s meteoric rise and his outstanding work brought him to the attention of NBC, and in 2010 he became the director of Meet The Press, the longest-running show on network television and a venerable institution in the worlds of public affairs, politics, and foreign policy.

Source: http://www.hartford.edu/daily/announcements/2014/05/2014-05-09-2014-alumni-award-winners.aspx

The cost of homes in Brazil is too high: Graduate students from Architecture Department share findings from fellowship

On April 14, the University of Hartford Architecture Department held a presentation by two graduate level students and their findings from being part of the fellowship they won in 2013.

Derek Zero and Bartek Pociecha teamed up and put together an idea to look at Urbanizing favelas in Brazil for the JCJ Architecture Endowment that was started 6 years ago by a student Tai Soo Kim.

This program allows graduate students who are chosen by a panel to be able to go to the country where their research lies and go in-depth with it.

A presentation is required after the traveling is completed.

Zero and Bartek traveled south to Brazil for two weeks and focused their studies primarily on the favelas that stood tall in Rio De Janeiro.

Many of the slides also shows the difference in the way of life in Rio by showing the price of villas versus the price of these favelas.

Their findings revealed that for a family of four, it would cost 500 American dollars to live there a month whereas a villa costs $800 a day.

The presentation presented history, demographics and numbers of people inhibiting these favelas.

After learning about these homes that middle class people build with their own hands and local supplies, they moved on to speak about what the next step for them was.

When speaking about ideas on re-amping the favelas, Zero and Bartek spoke about the government and why they have been unsuccessful over many decades.

Many are being renovated today to allow possible housing for up in coming events such as the World Cup and the Olympics.

People living in favelas are not in support in what the government wants from passed experiences of them trying to demolish all of their homes, that also are used as shops at times.

This brought up a question in the crowd as to why they wouldn’t want them to be knocked down for a chance at better living conditions.

Zero responded with the simple word, “community,” people living there have so much pride in what they have even though it isn’t much because they made everything themselves and all enjoy each others company, over all it’s one big family.

The presentation came to a close as they spoke about some plans that have worked on giving the favelas a face lift and allowing thousands of people to live in better housing conditions.

After their presentation was over, the floor was open to questions which then lead to the announcement of the 2014 fellowship award.

Jesse McKay, a second year graduate student, won with his proposal on going to Amsterdam this year.

Source: http://hartfordinformer.com/2014/04/news/the-cost-of-homes-in-brazil-is-too-highgraduate-students-from-architecture-department-share-findings-from-fellowship/

CETA Day, Part 1, on Friday, May 2

CETA Day 2014 will be held on two different days this year—Friday, May 2, and Friday May 9.
The presentations on May 2 will be given mainly by undergraduate students (freshmen, sophomores and seniors). Please feel free to stop by and hear what fellow University students have been working on.


Freshmen:
Course: ES 143 Engineering and Design
Instructor: Ying Yu
Time: 12 p.m.
Location: D 320


Sophomores:
Course: ES 242 Engineering by Design (all Friday morning sections)
Instructor: Patricia Mellodge
Title: Sophomore Design Projects
Time: 8:00-11:30 a.m.
Location: Wilde Auditorium

Course: ES 242 Engineering by Design (Tues. evening 7:30-9:45 p.m. meeting time)
Instructor: Phil Faraci
Titles:
   1) Farmland Drainage and Water Storage project
   2) Bridge Model Design project
   3) Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) Battery Swap project
Time: 4 p.m.
Location: Dana Hall Room 201 (Mali I)


Seniors: Capstone Project
Course: ME 561 Acoustic Capstone Presentations
Instructor: Bob Celmer
Time: 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Location: UT 320

An announcement of the May 9 presentations will be posted next week.

Leicester B. Holland Single-Sheet Measured Drawing Competition

Quitzau Sets Hurdles Record at Yale

 
NEW HAVEN, Conn.—Senior Erik Quitzau hurdled his way to a school record Sunday as the University of Hartford track and field teams competed at the Yale Springtime Invitational. The unscored meet served as the Hawks' final tune up heading into next weekend's America East Outdoor Championship.

Quitzau, a senior from Blackstone, Mass., broke his own school record in the 110-meter hurdles Sunday. Crossing the line in 15.38 seconds, .03 seconds faster than his previous school-best, Quitzau finished fourth overall in the event.

Junior Tiffany Harrison also turned in a notable result, taking second place in the 400-meter dash. Harrison raced around the track in 57.89 seconds.

In the field, high jumpers Maggie Fuller and Lauren Bossi took second and third place, respectively, in the event. Fuller cleared 1.55 meters to take second, while Bossi leapt over a 1.50-meter bar to take third. The pair also faired well in the women's 110-hurdles. Fuller crossed the line eighth in 17.54 seconds while Bossi posted a fifth-place result with a time of 16.08.

The Hawks will be back in action May 3-4 when they compete at the 2014 America East Outdoor Track and Field Championship, hosted by the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vt.        

Source: http://www.hartfordhawks.com/news/2014/4/27/TRACK_0427145659.aspx

CETA's Eoin King has been awarded the Greenberg Junior Faculty Grant

Faculty members Eoin King of the College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture (CETA) and Lisa Zawilinski and Toko Oshio of the College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions (ENHP) have been awarded Greenberg Junior Faculty Grants.

Eoin King, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, will compare and analyze pedestrian exposure to noise and air pollution within an urban setting for two cases: i) pedestrians walking on a sidewalk at street level and ii) pedestrians walking on an elevated walkway (known as the “High Line”). Along with course release time, the grant will provide funding for travel and equipment related to this project.

Lisa Zawilinski, assistant professor of elementary education, along with Toko Oshio, assistant professor of early childhood education, will examine the effects of integrating technology (iPads and literacy apps) within literacy instruction on kindergarten and first graders’ literacy achievement. Along with course release time, the grant will provide funding for student assistants, travel and other grant-related expenses.

The Greenberg Junior Faculty Grants are internal grant awards intended to promote high-quality scholarship by faculty members who are just beginning their careers. These grants are made possible by a generous gift from Arnold and Beverly Greenberg.

Source: http://www.hartford.edu/daily/announcements/2014/04/Faculty_Members_Awarded_Greenberg_Junior_Faculty_Grants.aspx

Pathways to Sustainability: A US and European Perspective

Come Brainstorm Ideas for our Very own TEDx Event!

AIAS Beaux Arts Ball THIS FRIDAY!!!!!

AIAS Will be Hosting an Exhibition of Student Work Friday 25

The American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) will be hosting an Exhibition of Student Work and a Beaux Arts Ball next Friday, April 25.  The Student Exhibit will feature work from all grade levels within the Department of Architecture, and the Beaux Arts Ball is our second annual ball (dance) and will be 90s themed.  Both events will take place in the architecture studio.  

Student Exhibit:

-Begins at 5pm and goes until 7pm

-Includes cocktail hour

Beaux Arts Ball:

-Begins at 7:30pm and goes until 10pm

-Features cash bar, live music, and food 

The student exhibit is free, while the tickets for the Beaux Arts Ball are $5 for non AIAS members.  Tickets will be available at the door. 

email aiashartford@gmail.com if you have any questions 

Job Opportunity- Strategic Buildings Solutions

ASSISTANT PROJECT MANAGER - CONNECTICUT

Position Summary:
This is a key position responsible for the active management of programming, design and construction of large scale institutional projects throughout Connecticut.

Essential Functions:
Candidates must be familiar with the building design and construction process. This position will require management capabilities and the ability to work on site with clients on a regular basis.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

·  Management of projects through all phases

·  Management of projects to completion, on-time, within budget, and within scope of work

·  Production of reports, summaries, and briefings using Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

·  The ability to communicate effectively in writing and orally

Required Qualifications:

·  Bachelor of Science and a strong background in the building design / construction, architecture, and/or engineering field

·  Demonstrated ability to manage various tasks, schedules, and deliverables

·  Enthusiasm to promote and drive implementation of projects

·  Demonstrated experience in problem solving skills, planning and organizing, decision-making

·  Excellent communication skills, influencing and leading, facilitation and team work capabilities.

Desired Qualifications:
Certified PE and/or RA

Strategic Building Solutions (SBS) is a leading provider of professional management support services to clients. For nearly two decades, we have partnered with institutions and organizations to create buildings that work and operate efficiently. SBS empowers clients to get the facilities they need and the buildings they envision by delivering technical, analytical and managerial support. In every engagement, our approach is proactive, pragmatic, and intensely collaborative. Our team comprises virtually all the skill sets and professional backgrounds an organization might need to supplement its own capabilities and ensure the success of its building related endeavors.

We are looking for leaders to join our dedicated team of professionals. With offices in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York City, Washington, DC and Pennsylvania, this rapidly growing firm offers competitive benefit, vacation, and salary plans.

Strategic Building Solutions is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. If you have a disability and need special accommodation to access this site, please call 860-395-0055 x185 for assistance. 

---

Renee Gudz Mulkey

Human Resources Manager

Strategic Building Solutions

135 New Road

Madison, CT 06443

T   (860) 395-0055  x185

C (860) 908-8890
www.go-sbs.com

ASME Elections Tomorrow 4/17/2014

Professor Townsend's work featured on Excel Blog

Professor Townsend's work on Excel has been featured on  Debra Dalgleish from Contextures Inc.'s blog on Excel.  Debra's blog is the go to site for users learning how to use Excel.  The blog has examples and outlines many complicated processes that Excel offers.  

Professor Townsend has developed a code over the last 6 years.  The code takes a list of over 3300 rows of data (the up-to-date University of Hartford's class offerings) and lets the user query the data for many varied uses. 

We are very proud of all of Professor Townsend's hard work, and her work can be seen highlighted in the link below.

 http://blog.contextures.com/archives/2014/04/07/excel-roundup-20140407/

Congratulations Brett Bernier

Congratulations to Brett Bernier.

Brett, who is majoring in Electronic Engineering Technology, received the “Undergraduate Student Poster Award” 2^nd Place at the 2014 ASEE Zone 1 Conference which was held at the University of Bridgeport April 3-5. The award is for his project “Automatic Glass Bottle Opener”, Advisor: Prof. Earl Hasselmark.

The “ASEE Zone 1 Conference” is a conference that is held once every four years and includes regions as far as Washington D.C., PA and Canada. There were 49 other undergraduate student posters. 

Congratulations to both Brett and his advisor Prof. Hasselmark

Society of Women Engineers April Programs

Architecture Lecture to Feature AIA Gold Medalist Peter Bohlin

AIA Gold Medal winner Peter Bohlin, FAIA, will lecture at the University of Hartford on Monday, April 7, at 4 p.m. in Wilde Auditorium.

The lecture is free and open to the public. Visitors are encouraged to park in Visitor Lot K.

The lecture series is made possible through the JCJ Architecture Endowment of the University of Hartford Department of Architecture.

Source: http://www.hartford.edu/daily/announcements/2014/04/AIA_GOLD_MEDALIST_PETER_BOHLIN_TO_LECTURE_AT_HARTFORD.aspx

How to Apply to Graduate School Workshop

A representative from Princeton Review will provide an overview to help you decide if graduate school is right for you.

Other information will include a general application timeline and checklist and a brief overview of graduate testing.

The event will take place on Wednesday, April 9, from 5 to 6 p.m. in the Simsbury Room in Gengras Student Union (GSU 335).

If you have any questions, please call Career Services at 860.768.4287.

Source: http://www.hartford.edu/daily/announcements/2014/03/How_to_Apply_to_Graduate_School_Workshop1.aspx

Reminder: 'Hawks Helping Hartford' on Friday

Don’t forget to take part in the Hawks Helping Hartford Day of Service this Friday!

If you weren't able to register, you can show up on Friday, April 4, at 10:30 a.m. in Konover Campus Center and we will work with each non-registered individual on a first-come, first-served basis.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Source: http://www.hartford.edu/daily/announcements/2014/03/Hawks_Helping_Hartford.aspx

First Ever CT Tech Savvy Inspires Girls, Parents & Teachers to STEM Careers

First Ever CT Tech Savvy Inspires Girls, Parents & Teachers to STEM Careers

(Hartford, CT) On Saturday, March 22nd at Central CT State University, 119 girls and 43 parents, teachers and caregivers were inspired by a daylong conference focusing on STEM that included hands-on workshops for 6th-9th grade girls.  The conference was one of only 9 pilot programs around the country funded by AAUW and Praxair Foundation and the first of its kind in CT. 

The conference drew girls and their parents or teachers from as far away as Bronx, NY and included girls from Hartford, Meriden and New Britain, as well.  Additional funding support was provided by AAUW branches and individual members, Central CT State University, Connecticut Space Grant Consortium and CWEALF who was a partner for this project.

Girls could partake in workshops such as K’Nex Competition and CSI: Tech Savvy. Meanwhile, the program for adults included topics such as Role Models Matter and Financial Preparedness.  

The day included a welcome by AAUW Tech Savvy founder Tamara Brown of Praxair raffle prize drawings and a trivia scavenger hunt at the College & Careers Corner and an inspirational address by keynote speaker Riva Krut , Vice President & Chief Sustainability Officer, Praxair, Inc. who taught the girls to write down their dream and check in on it regularly.

“We were thrilled to see so many girls from so many backgrounds get so excited about science, technology, engineering and math careers” stated Donna Haghighat, CT Tech Savvy Committee Chair and Co-President of AAUW of CT. “We had parents who came up to us after the day and said it isn’t ‘if’ you will do it again but ‘when’ because they found the day so beneficial.”  A committee consisting of professors from University of Hartford, AAUW and CWEALF members as well as a corps of nearly 50 volunteers ensured the day’s success.

About AAUW

AAUW advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy, and research. Formerly known as the American Association of University Women, AAUW is a nationwide network of more than 165,000 members and donors, 1,000 branches, and 800college/university partners. Since AAUW’s founding 130 years ago, its members have examined and taken positions on the fundamental issues of the day — educational, social, economic, and political.

About Praxair Foundation

About CWEALF

Since 1973 CWEALF has worked to advance women's rights and opportunities in Connecticut. To achieve this, CWEALF's work is divided into three core programs:

Legal Education

Public Policy and Advocacy

Research and Evaluation

Through these programs, CWEALF initiates services to educate and empower women and girls to ensure they have the tools, knowledge and avenues to reach their goals.

With special expertise in family law, sex discrimination in employment and education, hate crimes and LGBT civil rights, CWEALF is dedicated to ensuring equal rights and opportunities for women and low-income people. As one of the oldest women's rights organizations in the country, CWEALF is a vital resource to women and policy makers in Connecticut.

 Media Contact: Donna Haghighat, AAUW Co-President

                                    donnahaghighat@gmail.com

                                    860-416-5707

Photo credits: Maddy Dickinson

Commons and Hawks Nest to get a face lift and new meal plans for 2014-15

The University and Dining Services announce renovations to Commons and Hawks Nest, as well as new meal plans to be offered for the 2014-15 year.

Dining Services is shelling out $7 to $10 million on the project, according to Bridgett Stapleton, the resident director for ARAMARK.

Hawks Nest and the lower level of Commons will close on Friday, March 14 for the semester to begin the construction process. Hawks Nest will get new modern finishes and a fireplace will be added.

 Meals similar to the Hawks Nest menu will be available in Commons between the hours of 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Monday thru Friday and 7 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sundays.

Construction in the Commons dining hall will begin on May 15 and are due to be finished by mid-August.

Commons will have new design finishes to the seating and equipment and a brick oven will be built.

There will be more seating available to accommodate the 2,500 students served daily. The plan also includes a private dining area available to the student body.

Other changes to Commons will include, students being be able to watch the chef prepare their meals in front of them and the “back of the house” kitchen area will be reduced to provide for a larger serving area and guest seating.

An allergen-free zone and pantry will be built for those with special diets as well as an expanded bakery and kosher kitchen.

Beginning in the fall, Commons will also extend their hours to 8pm Monday through Friday and 7 p.m. on the weekend.

The changes to the meal plan will feature new All-Access Plans and Block Plans. All-Access Plans give students to enter Commons as many times as they would like, while block plans will provide students with 200 or 100 meals per semester. Students will still have the option to pay with dining dollars instead.

 Stapleton also said that students influenced their decision to change meal plans.

“As a result of numerous focus groups conducted last year,” said Stapleton. “We found that students want more flexibility with how meals are used and do not want to waste meals they cannot eat. The block plans allow students to use the meals when they need them.

“All-access plans are rather new to higher education. Many schools now offer this option. It is especially good for students transitioning to the college lifestyle.”

A Subway will also be built on campus, sometime this summer or next year, the date has not yet been confirmed because of the amount of other projects being taken on.

A fully licensed Starbucks that will have the entire menu and allow for students to use gift cards from chain restaurants will be installed in the library during the summer of 2015.

Source: http://hartfordinformer.com/2014/03/general/commons-and-hawks-nest-to-get-a-face-lift-and-new-meal-plans-for-2014-15/

Shertukde Gives Presentation Based on his New Book

Professor Hemchandra Shertukde from the ECE Department in the College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture (CETA) is presenting a Draft #2 of User's Guide for Distributed Photo Voltaic (DPV) Grid Transformers at the IEEE Transformer Committee Meeting in Savannah, Ga., from March 24-27, 2014. He is also the Chair of this Working Group for IEEE-TC.

This work extends the basis of Shertukde's newly published and available for purchase book, Distributed Photovoltaic Grid Transformers, by CRC Press, A Taylor and Francis Group. To purchase the book, or for more details, go to CRCPress.com or amazon.com.

Source: http://www.hartford.edu/daily/announcements/2014/03/2014-03-26-shertukde-accolade.aspx

Architecture Lecture on the Life and Work of Antoni Gaudi

Architectural historian Charles Benson will lecture on the life and work of Antoni Gaudi, the great Barcelona architect and the designer of the Sagrada Familia Cathedral, on Monday, March 24, at 4 p.m. in Wilde Auditorium.

The lecture is free and open to the public. Visitors are welcome to park in Visitor Lots D and K.
See the complete schedule for the spring semester Architecture Lecture Series.

The lecture series is made possible through the JCJ Architecture Endowment of the University of Hartford Department of Architecture.

Source: http://www.hartford.edu/daily/announcements/2014/03/2014-03-21-architecture-lecture-on-gaudi.aspx

Registration for Fall 2014 Classes Begins April 1

Registration for fall 2014 classes begins Tuesday, April 1, with priority registration for full-time undergraduates.

Click here for instructions and a complete registration schedule for full-time undergraduate students.
Registration for graduate and part-time undergraduate students begins Friday, April 4.  Graduate students and part-time undergraduates may also register by mail or fax using the form included in the General Information section of the Fall 2014 Schedule of Classes.  Mail-in and fax registrations are not available to full-time undergraduates.

Students who want to register online must obtain a Registration PIN from their advisors beforehand. Students who want to register online for Summerterm classes may do so using the generic PIN: 123456.
Students with questions should contact the Student Administrative Services Center at 860.768.4999 or sasc@hartford.edu.

Source: http://www.hartford.edu/daily/announcements/2014/03/Fall_2014_Advance_Registration.aspx

Cash Prize for the top 3 winners of the HALS Challenge

Three Opportunities with The Heritage Documentation Programs

CCAT is seeking an intern for the Advanced Manufacturing Center

                                                Summer Intern Opportunity

The Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology, Inc. (CCAT) is a non-stock, tax-exempt corporation incorporated in May 2004 and is funded under federal and state sponsored grants to develop a national center that addresses military and civilian industrial manufacturing needs; promotes energy planning and policy initiatives; stimulates innovation; and enhances workforce development issues concerning technology competitiveness. 

CCAT is seeking an intern for the Advanced Manufacturing Center (AMC).

Position Title:  AMC Intern

Job Description:  The AMC Intern reports to the Director, Advanced Manufacturing Center (AMC) and will support the AMC staff in their mission to improve the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturers.  Specifically tasks to support new & on-going projects in the AMC related to precision machining and additive manufacturing (3D printing of metals & plastics).  A primary project will be defined and the intern will brief the CCAT staff on this project at completion.

Job Requirements

·         Excellent verbal and written communication skills

·         Mastery of Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel) suite of software

·         Strong interpersonal skills

·         Good attention to detail

·         Proficiency with CAD solid models using SolidWorks or Siemens NX

·         Experience in a machine shop environment; specifically milling, turning, & measurement

·         Experience with CNC machine operation a plus

·         Experience with CNC programming using MasterCam or Siemens NX a plus

·         Engineering experience a plus

Education and experience:  Candidates should be working towards earning an AS or BS degree.

Reports to:  Director, Advanced Manufacturing Center

Manage others:  No.

Job type:  Intern

Employee Type:  Salary, Part Time during school year – Potential for Full Time during summer & breaks.

Travel:  Possible around Connecticut.

Compensation:  Based on qualifications

Relocation:  No.