ALUMNI FUEL 60 YEARS OF SPACE EXPLORATION - Stevens Institute of Technology
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SPRING/SUMMER 2018 THE MAGAZINE OF THE STEVENS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
S PA C E
S S E Y
ODYF SPACE EXPLORATION
F U E L 60 Y EARS O
AL U M N I
IN THIS ISSUE: A LASTING LEGACY | LIFE AT BUZZFEED | CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF STEP
DEPARTMENTS
2 PRESIDENT’S CORNER
3 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR/SOCIAL MEDIA
4-7 GRIST FROM THE MILL
7 CALENDAR OF EVENTS
42 SPORTS UPDATE
43-72 ALUMNI NEWS
44 SAA PRESIDENT’S LETTER
68 VITALS
FEATURES
8-10 A TRIBUTE TO HIS ‘STUTE’
Richard F. Harries’ ’58 reunion-year gift makes Stevens history
11 STEVENS VENTURE CENTER ‘GRADUATES’ FIRST COMPANY
FinTech Studios strikes out on its own
12-31 SPACE ODYSSEY
Stevens alumni fuel 60 years (and counting) of space exploration
32-33 ENCHANTED EVENING
See moments from the 2018 Stevens Awards Gala
34-35 PROFILE: CAROLINE AMABA ’12
36-38 STEP’S 50TH ANNIVERSARY
The Stevens Technical Enrichment Program (STEP) will mark its
50th anniversary this fall, as its alumni reflect on its impact.
39 STEVENS RECEIVES ACE/FIDELITY INVESTMENTS AWARD
‘Turnaround’ not too strong a word to describe the university’s
transformation
40 QUANTUM LEAP
Physics team deploys, verifies pathbreaking three-node network
41 ROBOTIC DEVICE AIDS STROKE PATIENTS
Mobility-assistance system will be tested by stroke patients at
Kessler Institute
Cover Photo: Shutterstock Images/NASA
Cover Design: Simone Larson Design
Campus Photo: Bob Handelman
SPRING/SUMMER 2018 1
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
REMEMBERING PAUL MILLER
SPRING/SUMMER 2018
VOL. 139, NO. 2 I had a chance to read the Winter 2018
edition of The Stevens Indicator and read
Editor
Beth Kissinger the story of former artist-in-residence Paul
bkissing@stevens.edu Miller. I lived next door to Paul on River
Managing Editor
Rebecca Markley
Street. I remember he lived at 612 River St.
rmarkley@stevens.edu from the early ’70s to 1979, and I would see
Contributors him crossing the street on a regular basis as
Katherine Cutler
Stevens Division of he walked to his studio on the ground floor
Communications & Marketing
of the Kidde Building. I never understood
Paul Karr
Stevens Division of art at that age and was fascinated with the
Communications & Marketing interesting sculptures that I would see in the
Michael Markowitz window of the Kidde Building. For whatever
Stevens Office of Academic
Communications & Marketing strange reason, I seem to recall him wearing Paul Miller, left, works with a student on the interior skeleton
Jon McCue sandals (smoking a pipe?) — my memory of the sculpture Tyron, which is now housed in Sam’s Place on
Stevens Assistant Sports the first floor of the S.C. Williams Library.
Information Director does escape me from time to time. When I
Laurie Vazquez did see him, we never really spoke, as he always seemed deep in thought and I was also very scared to
Stevens Office of Academic approach him. I wish I were a bit older at that time and would have had the chance to speak to him and
Communications & Marketing
understand the sculptures and him a bit more. It was nice reading the article, as it brought me back to
Young Soo Yang
Stevens Division of the ’70s as well as helped me to learn more about his big bird-like statue that I saw in the library and his
Communications & Marketing
bronze sculpture that hangs on the wall in the library. I have seen these a million times and never really
Art Direction/Design knew about them.❖ —Dave S. Manhas ’88 M.Eng. ’90 M.S. ’92
www.DanFlintDesign.com
(Editor’s note: Manhas’ father is retired Stevens professor Maghar Manhas Hon. M.Eng. ’74.)
Additional Art Direction/Design
Michael Hofmann
Simone Larson Design
Executive Director,
Stevens Alumni Association and
Assistant Vice President, Alumni
SOCIAL MEDIA
Engagement & Annual Giving
Melissa Fuest This year’s Stevens Awards Gala proved to be “An Enchanted
Published three times a year by Evening” (see pages 32-33) as evidenced by the glamorous
The Stevens Alumni Association, photos that filled Stevens’ social media channels on April 14. ❖
member of the Council for
Advancement and Support of To see all the photos from the event, visit
Education. © 2018 Stevens connect.stevens.edu/awardsgala.
Alumni Association
Indicator Correspondence
Facebook “f ” Logo CMYK / .eps Facebook “f ” Logo CMYK / .eps
The Stevens Indicator
1 Castle Point Terrace
Hoboken, NJ 07030
Phone: (201) 216-5161
Letters to the Editor
editor@alumni.stevens.edu
Class Log submissions
alumni-log@stevens.edu
1 A scene from the cocktail
hour at The Plaza Hotel.
General SAA inquiries
Contact the Alumni Office 2 Professor Vikki Hazelwood
Phone: (201) 216-5163 Ph.D. ’07 accepts her
Fax: (201) 216-8247 Distinguished Alumni Award
alumni@stevens.edu
in Science and Technology.
3 Assistant Vice President
for Student Affairs Sara Klein
poses with Jose Angeles ’18.
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
PER ASPERA AD ASTRA
SPRING/SUMMER 2018 3
PRESIDENT’S CORNER
PER ASPERA AD ASTRA
The Stevens motto, Per Aspera Ad Astra, printing of bones, tissue and organs. Oth-
PHOTO: AARON HOUSTON
literally “through adversity to the stars,” is ers are using machine learning to analyze
being realized before our very eyes. speech and writing to develop algorithms
The 2017 “Best Colleges” edition of U.S. that can detect early signs of Alzheimer’s
News & World Report ranked Stevens No. disease and dementia in patients. In
69, up 19 places since 2011, making Stevens collaboration with the Department of
the second-fastest-rising university among Defense, one interdisciplinary team is
the top 100 in the nation. Forbes magazine helping to make military operations
named Stevens “The Turnaround Univer- safer and more environmentally friendly
sity” in a September 2017 article. And, in through the use of treated wastewater
March 2018, the American Council on to cultivate microalgae that can produce
Education (ACE) recognized Stevens with fuel to power manufacturing processes.
the 2018 ACE/Fidelity Investments Award Another team is training underwater ro-
for Institutional Transformation for its bots to navigate and map harsh underwa-
exceptional progress since 2011. ter environments, which could one day
Over the last six years, Stevens has made lead to safer ships, ports and harbors.
transformational advances on the national At Stevens, students, faculty, staff
stage as a university on the rise. Yet, the university’s transformation and alumni peer into the unknown, seeking solutions to the most
has only just begun. As Stevens vigorously pursues the goals articu- challenging problems of our time in burgeoning fields of science,
lated in our ten-year Strategic Plan (2012-2022), we acknowledge technology, engineering, business and the humanities.
that transformation requires a constant commitment to excellence In the next decade and beyond, ad astra will define the uni-
through 2022 and well beyond. versity’s meteoric rise as a premier, student-centric, technological
This issue of The Indicator features the tremendous contribu- research university. With the active engagement of alumni, friends,
tions of Stevens and its alumni in the era of space exploration. faculty, staff and students, we will be reaching for the stars.
Consider the transformation of science and technology since the
1950s, when the world entered the Space Age. Stevens innovators Per aspera ad astra,
and entrepreneurs have played an integral role in advancing space
exploration, while others have forged new paths at the frontiers of
emerging fields that will transform science and technology in the
next century. Nariman Farvardin
Today, in critical domains such as biomedical engineering, President, Stevens Institute of Technology
machine learning, robotics, sustainability, sensor technologies and president@stevens.edu
more, teams of Stevens researchers have unleashed the future. They 201-216-5213
are applying mechanical engineering principles to cell biology,
enabling the printing of cells which could eventually lead to 3D-
2 THE STEVENS INDICATOR
GRIST FROM THE MILL
BOSWELL NAMED STEVENS TRUSTEES CHAIR
Stephen T. Boswell C.E. ’89 Ph.D. ’91 the New York State Department of Transporta-
Hon. D.Eng. ’13 was elected chair of the tion and the New York State Thruway Authority.
Stevens Institute of Technology Board of He also serves as a trustee of Hackensack
Trustees. His term as chair began on May Meridian Health and a director of the Hack-
22, 2018. ensack University Medical Center Foundation,
Boswell will succeed Virginia Ruester- president of the board of trustees of the Buehler
holz ’83 Hon. D.Eng. ’08, who stepped down Challenger and Science Center, and a co-
as chair after a distinguished five-year term. founder and lead independent director of the
Ruesterholz continues her service and lead- NASDAQ-listed ConnectOne Bank.
ership to Stevens as a member of the board. A licensed professional engineer in 28
Previously serving as vice chair of the states and a fellow of both the American Society
board and chair of the Facilities Commit- of Civil Engineers and the American Council of
tee, and as the former chair of the Human Engineering Companies, Boswell received the
Resources Committee and the Nominating civil engineer degree and a doctorate in envi-
and Governance Committee, Boswell has ronmental engineering from Stevens. He also
provided strategic direction and principled earned a master’s degree in biological sciences
governance to the board and the university. from William Paterson University and a bach-
Through his participation as a member of the Executive Committee elor’s degree in biology from New York University.
and Investment Committee, and his loyal and generous support as “I am confident that Dr. Boswell will provide outstanding leader-
an alumnus and donor, Boswell has had a significant impact on Ste- ship for Stevens’ future,” said Stevens President Nariman Farvardin.
vens’ growth and success. “He is acknowledged by fellow board members as a creative prob-
Boswell is president and chief executive of Boswell Engineering, lem solver and prudent manager, and as a dedicated champion of
which is among the largest and most diverse engineering organiza- this university. He combines a love of Stevens with keen intelligence
tions in New Jersey. Under his leadership, the 94-year-old, family- and deep knowledge of the challenges and opportunities facing
owned and operated firm has successfully completed billions of dol- higher education.” Boswell received the Charles V. Schaefer Jr. En-
lars worth of projects in the northeastern U.S., including projects for trepreneur Award at this spring’s Stevens Awards Gala. (See pages
the Port Authority of NY & NJ, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, 32-33.) ❖
ALUMNI LEAD ENGINEERING EDUCATION SOCIETIES ALERT TO THE CLASS OF ’58
MATCHING GIFT CHALLENGE NEARS FINISH LINE
By mid-summer, two of the most prominent engineering edu-
In celebration of his class’ 60th reunion year, Richard Harries
cation societies will be led by Stevens alumni. Dr. Stepha-
’58 has pledged a $10,000 outright gift to the Class of ’58
nie Farrell M.S.’92 will become president of the American
Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) in June and will Endowed Scholarship Fund if ten classmates agree to docu-
hold the position for one year. She is currently a professor ment a bequest to Stevens or pledge to do so before June
and founding chair of Experiential Engineering Education 30, 2018. If the goal is reached, Stevens will also commit
at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey. Michael N. $10,000 in matching funds. As of May 1, seven classmates
Murphy M.Eng. ’82 Ph.D. ’87 is the academic registrar and have accepted the challenge: Reno Del Ben; Barry Ficken;
director of Academic Affairs, Digital & Learning Transforma- Bob Fiocco; Richard Harries; Tom Lunghard; Roger Paquin;
tion at Dublin Institute of Technology in Ireland, and currently and Ron Swade. The class needs three more classmates to
serves as president of the European Society for Engineering join the challenge before June 30. To participate, contact
Education (SEFI), a position he’s held since June 2017. The Michael Governor, director of Planned Giving, at 201-216-
two will unite this September in Copenhagen when Farrell will 8967, or michael.governor@stevens.edu.❖
serve as a keynote speaker at SEFI’s annual conference. ❖
4 THE STEVENS INDICATOR
GRIST FROM THE MILL
STEVENS LAUNCHES
INSTITUTE FOR ARTIFICIAL
INTELLIGENCE
The recently announced Stevens In-
stitute for Artificial Intelligence (SIAI) is a
tech-driven collaboration of engineering,
business, systems and design experts
working toward solving pressing global
problems in industry and virtually every
aspect of society.
This new initiative will bring a forward-
thinking, holistic approach to exploring
complex problems and creative new solu-
SU+RE HOUSE ON DISPLAY AT LIBERTY SCIENCE CENTER tions for business advantage, social good
SU+RE House, Stevens’ winning entry in the 2015 Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon, and national security while advancing the
is now on display at Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, New Jersey. Designed by students engineering and science of artificial intel-
from a variety of disciplines who were inspired by Hurricane Sandy to design and create a ligence and machine learning.
home resilient enough to withstand hurricane-force winds and flooding, this storm-resistant,
energy-efficient beach house uses 90 percent less energy than a traditional home and be-
comes a hub for emergency power to other buildings in the aftermath of a storm. LSC visitors
can stop by the Welcome Desk to sign up for a 20-minute tour of the house to see its resilient
construction and clean-energy systems in action. ❖
Professor K.P. Subbalakshmi
“Artificial intelligence is transforming
the world and industry as we know it, and
the future of AI remains seemingly limit-
less,” said Dr. Jean Zu, dean of the Charles
V. Schaefer, Jr. School of Engineering &
Science. “In a world where AI-enabled in-
novation continues to rapidly evolve, SIAI
and its Stevens collaborators will syner-
gistically develop solutions to real-world
problems, while providing a platform for
training students to be the next generation
of AI thought leaders.”
TEDx AT STEVENS This institute, headed by K.P. “Suba”
Stevens will host TEDxStevensInstituteofTechnology on Sept. 12, featuring four accomplished Stevens Subbalakshmi, professor of electrical and
researchers who will address the theme, “Through Collaboration, Impact.” The live campus event, from computer engineering and a Jefferson Sci-
4 to 6 p.m., is invitation-only, but will include a Livestream channel. The speakers will include: Jan Can- ence Fellow, will build upon existing AI and
nizzo, teaching assistant professor of mathematics, speaking on “Reimagining Calculus Education”; Kristie
machine learning research at Stevens and will
Damell, associate dean of students and Title IX coordinator, “Title IX Today: Time’s Up to Speak Up”; Elizabeth
Fassman-Beck, associate professor of civil engineering, “Looking Up the Downspout: Green Infrastructure involve more than 40 faculty members across
for Roof Runoff”; and Alex Wellerstein, assistant professor and David and GG Farber Fellow in the Program Stevens’ three schools and one college. An
on Science and Technology Studies, “Nuclear Threats Reawakened: Should We Duck and Cover Again?” ❖ official launch event is planned for Oct. 3. ❖
For more information, visit stevens.edu/TEDx For more information on the SIAI,
visit stevens.edu/siai
SPRING/SUMMER 2018 5
GRIST FROM THE MILL
FORMER WHITE HOUSE PHYSICIAN VISITS STEVENS
From humble beginnings in the Philippines practice providing presidential-quality care
to a role on the world stage as physician to for CEOs, and a memoir, The White House
three U.S. presidents, Dr. Connie Mariano Doctor: My Patients Were Presidents.
shared stories of her remarkable journey in “The goal of presenting this talk is to inspire
a talk titled, “Journey to the White House the university community, especially the
and Beyond,” as the featured speaker of the women students, faculty and staff, to over-
Provost’s Lecture Series on Women in Lead- come obstacles, seize opportunities and
ership at Stevens Institute of Technology on make the most of their unique strengths,”
Feb. 26. said Stevens Provost Christophe Pierre. ❖
Mariano, a retired U.S. Navy rear admiral,
is the first military woman to become the
White House physician to the president,
the first woman director of the White House
CMU’S MITCHELL
medical unit and the first Filipino American CONTINUES AI DISCUSSION
in U.S. history to become Navy rear admiral. Tom M. Mitchell, the E. Fredkin Uni-
After nine years in the White House, she versity Professor at Carnegie Mellon
retired from the military in 2001. Her post- University (CMU), delivered the 11th
military career includes a four-year consult- installment of the President’s Dis-
ing role at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ar-
tinguished Lecture Series at Stevens
izona, the founding of a medical concierge
this past January, speaking on “Using
To read the full article, visit stevens.edu/mariano, or for more on the Provost’s Machine Learning to Study How
Lecture Series on Women in Leadership, visit stevens.edu/provost/lecture Brains Represent Language Mean-
ing.” Mitchell founded the world’s first
machine learning department at CMU
WEBSITE NOMINATED FOR A WEBBY AWARD and continued a fascinating dialogue
on artificial intelligence and machine
Stevens Institute of Technology’s interactive campus map and virtual tour was learning that began at Stevens last
nominated this past spring for the Best School/University Website in the 22nd year, when Google research director
Annual Webby Awards, the leading international award honoring excellence on the Dr. Peter Norvig and Dr. Oren Etzioni,
internet and the internet’s most respected symbol of success. Stevens’ interactive CEO of the Allen Institute for Arti-
map and virtual tour, powered by CampusTours Inc., was singled out as one of the ficial Intelligence, each addressed
five best in the world in the website category, representing the top 10 percent of a Stevens audience. To see video of
13,000 entries from nearly all 50 states and 70 countries worldwide. ❖ Mitchell’s lecture and past lectures,
visit stevens.edu/lecture. ❖
To view the map and virtual tour, visit tour.stevens.edu
SAVE THE DATE
Grace E. and Kenneth W. DeBaun Auditorium
20th Anniversary Celebration
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2018
For more information and to be added to
the invitation list, email DeBaunPAC@stevens.edu
6 THE STEVENS INDICATOR
GRIST FROM THE MILL
ALUMNA REPRESENTS U.S. PATENT OFFICE AT CONFERENCE CALENDAR
Maria V. De Abreu Pineda ’17 represented the National Inventors Hall
of Fame and the United States Patent and Trademark Office at a World JUNE FRIDAY– SUNDAY
1-3
Alumni Weekend 2018
Intellectual Property Day conference in Lima, Peru, on April 26. Pineda Stevens Campus
stevens.edu/alumniweekend
presented “Keys to Success: Innovating with a Global Impact,” which
was part of a discussion on the contribution of the intellectual property
system in the entrepreneurial ventures of women inventors. “I have been
a proud representative of Latinas in STEM and an ambassador of inno- JUNE WEDNESDAY
20
15th Annual Stevens Athletics
vation,” Pineda said. “One of my priorities has always been to promote Golf Outing, Arcola Country
Club, Paramus, NJ
the inclusion of differences in my teams: different perspectives, different
ideas and different approaches. I believe that richer and more powerful
solutions are created within this type of environment.” ❖
JUNE SATURDAY
30
It’s a Shore Thing,
Asbury Festhalle & Biergarten,
Asbury Park, NJ
DAIDOLA RECEIVES
SNAME MEDAL
Stevens adjunct professor John C. JULY FRIDAY– SATURDAY
Tennessee Williams’
Daidola Ph.D. ’84 received the presti-
gious David W. Taylor Medal from the
13-14 “The Glass Menagerie”
DeBaun Auditorium
Stevens Campus
Society of Naval Architects and Marine
Engineers (SNAME) last fall, for nota-
ble achievement in naval architecture
and marine engineering. He is widely JULY THURSDAY
26
Stevens Graduate
recognized as a leader in ship design, Open House
ship vibratory response, ship maneu- Babbio Atrium
Stevens Campus
ENR NEW YORK HONORS verability and ship survivability during
FOR PETERSON grounding and collision. Daidola spent
the majority of his design career at M.
OCT3
Lisa Peterson ’02, department man-
ager, Transportation Services, with Rosenblatt & Son, Inc. and its succes-
Dewberry in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, sors and is currently a professor of ship WEDNESDAY
has been named to ENR (Engineering structures at Webb Institute and presi- Stevens Institute for Artificial
News Record) New York’s 2018 Top Intelligence Launch
Professionals. ENR’s regional publica-
dent of his own naval architecture and
Stevens Campus
tions invite people each year to nomi- marine engineering firm, AENY. ❖
nate deserving, up-and-coming leaders
from New York and New Jersey under
OCT 6
the age of 40 in construction and de-
sign. Contestants are judged on their
industry experience, education, leader-
SATURDAY
ship skills and community service. Pe-
DeBaun Auditorium
terson is the first woman to hold dual 20th Anniversary Celebration
professional engineer and professional Stevens Campus
land surveyor licenses in southern New
Jersey, according to ENR. Peterson
was involved in the award-winning wid-
ening of the New Jersey Turnpike Inter- For more details and events,
change 6-9.❖ visit stevens.edu/events
SPRING/SUMMER 2018 7
OUR CAMPAIGN . OUR CAMPAIGN .
OUR IMPACT . OUR IMPACT .
OUR CAMPAIGN .
OUR IMPACT .
For
Love
of His
‘Stute’
ALUMNUS' GIFT IS ONE
FOR THE RECORD BOOKS
Richard F. Harries ’58 with his 1932 Auburn Boattail Speedster,
at home in North Caldwell, New Jersey. PHOTO: JEFF VOCK
e started his career at the tender age of 8, around that I had to grind, and I had no one to go to.”
and helped his father make ice cream and bottle milk at his wholesale dairy His “strong German work ethic” was one thing no one could ever take
business in Jersey City. away from him, he says.
Richard F. Harries ’58 — the son of German immigrants who spoke little “My favorite memory was the fact that I knew that I was going to do this. It
English — later fixed cars at his neighbor’s repair shop and continued work- didn’t matter what was going to happen. I was going to get out of there alive.”
ing in the dairy and repair shop throughout his Stevens career. It is an astonishing example of the resolve of a man who would go on to
More than 60 years later, he pulls out his letter of acceptance to Stevens form his own development firm that provided engineering, architectural plan-
from then-President Jess H. Davis, from August 1954. It is lovingly pre- ning and surveying services for more than 900 projects; work on important
served. This native of the Greenville section of Jersey City was the first in his and iconic buildings across New Jersey, including the Prudential Financial
family to attend college and could hardly believe he was there. building, the Anheuser-Busch brewery and Morristown and Overlook hospi-
“I was overwhelmed at Stevens,” he admits. “And petrified. Never saw a tals; serve as chief engineer for the Hackensack Meadowlands Development
slide rule in my life, never knew what the word meant. There was no kidding Commission; and continue advising other engineers to this day, at age 81.
8 THE STEVENS INDICATOR“I could likely have been the best milkman or had the most efficient The gift will fund the Richard F. Harries Tower, an essential component of
gasoline station,” he says. “But this is what I was destined to do. a proposed 1,000-bed dormitory and university center on campus. Stevens
“I was transformed by my education.” hopes to open the center — which will provide much-needed student hous-
And now it is Harries who is determined to further transform the univer- ing and feature many amenities including a food court, fitness center and
sity he fondly refers to as “our Stute.” student organization offices — by the fall 2021 semester.
As he marks his 60th class reunion this spring, Harries, with his wife, Harries’ gift also helps launch the Class of 1958 into the history books for
Carol, has made a truly historic gift to Stevens — a $17 million bequest that making the largest class gift ever as they prepare to mark their 60th reunion
is among the largest single gifts ever made by an individual to the university. this Alumni Weekend, June 1-3. Harries has issued a challenge to his class-
The Harries gift is, indeed, a watershed moment for Stevens and for The mates — through June 30 — to join him in further accelerating Stevens’ rise.
Power of Stevens campaign. It propels the university past its $150 million And, according to Stevens President Nariman Farvardin, that is exactly
fundraising goal, in the most successful campaign in Stevens history. (As of what Harries has done.
May 1, the campaign total stood at $158 million.) “This incredible demonstration of philanthropy by Mr. Richard Harries is
SPRING/SUMMER 2018 9a tangible sign of the transformation that has taken place at Stevens over the Perhaps above all, his drive to give back is rooted in his upbringing and
last six years. When a successful alumnus who had been disengaged from in his Christian faith.
his alma mater for many years makes such a generous gift, it symbolizes his “What inspired this was the upbringing that I had and the importance of
fervent belief in the mission of the university and his resolute confidence in Proverbs and the importance of meaning of life that was driven into me by
the ability of the university to carry out its mission,” said Farvardin. “I have my parents — that you must leave this Earth a better place than you have
had the honor to get to know Mr. Harries in the recent past and am inspired found it,” he says.
by his character, his success, and by his generosity. This gift will lay the “And that has led me throughout my life.”
foundation for the future success of those who will follow in his footsteps for Harries’ long career as a professional engineer and planner is a testa-
many generations to come.” ment to his hard work and stamina, and his passion for engineering. He
During conversations at his home in North Caldwell, New Jersey, Harries recalls many years of seven-day work weeks, from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m., and long
reflects on several reasons for his decision to become a major benefactor of hours at the drafting table.
his alma mater. He always comes back to two things: Stevens’ recent turn- Harries, who also owned the Richard F. Harries Industrial Park in Carl-
around, and Nariman Farvardin. stadt, New Jersey, specialized in commercial and industrial design, packag-
“What I saw in the last five to six years is a dramatic change, so that’s why ing and development. His general construction projects involved complex
we’re here today,” he says. mechanical systems requiring a broad knowledge — from HVAC and electric
“There’s no doubt — under the guidance of Nariman — that you have structures to foundations and process piping — and his well-rounded Ste-
a tremendous administrator. There’s no doubt that vens education prepared him well, he says.
this is going to be the most prominent school of “What it did was organize me and make me
engineering, with the most fabulous-looking dorm,” very thoughtful and pragmatic in whatever industry
he adds with a slight smile. The Harries gift is, indeed, I went into. I was not only covered in every field in
When you speak with him, Harries is frank, a a watershed moment for which I built, but I had a broad knowledge of every
straight-talker who can be intensely serious but Stevens and for The Power one,” he says.
also possesses a dry wit. He doesn’t hide his dis- “That made me a couple notches above the
of Stevens campaign.
enchantment with the previous Stevens administra- competition. I was able to compete in any field,
It propels the university
tion and his prior withdrawal of a $1.5 million cash converse in any field. I don’t know any school that
gift in August 1998. During a gathering with class- past its $150 million you can get out of in four years and do this.”
mates in December 2017, he told the story of first fundraising goal, in the Not long after graduation, Harries returned to
meeting Farvardin, whom he immediately saw as “a most successful campaign Stevens, with the title of resident engineer. Coin-
man of vision and a doer,” back in 2012. But Har- cidentally, he helped lead the efforts to build two
in Stevens history.
ries needed to see what the new president could do residence halls and the faculty-student center that
before lending his support. As he recalls, Farvardin later was renamed the Howe Center, the main ad-
told him: “Mr. Harries, just give me five years.” ministration building.
So Harries waited, watched and read the news over that five years: the While Harries is officially retired from his business, he still works every
university’s 19-point jump in the U.S. News & World Report rankings; its sig- day in a large office in his home. This is very much a working space filled
nificant credit rating upgrade and improved finances; skyrocketing increases with books, papers and a large and busy drafting table.
in applications; impressive student outcomes; exciting research. Then he He has saved his red Stevens dink (the cap once worn by all freshmen)
called Farvardin and told him, “I’m ready.” from 1954 and keeps it on a nearby bookshelf. Indeed, his past — and his
As Harries continues his pro bono consulting, his main vocation today family — seem ever present. A model train set and layout near his office —
is that of philanthropist, and he and his wife are tremendous supporters of he handcrafted the layout himself — recalls a snowy mountain scene in the
charity — some 60 in all. Alps. Harries also collects antique cars; these are not museum pieces but
As he met with some very well-known charities to consider this significant cars that he drives, repairs and, in some cases, has built from scratch. His
gift, he found something lacking in all of these foundations. Then he decided garages are working garages and recall his love of cars born in his Jersey
to speak with Farvardin. City neighborhood.
“One of the good things about Nariman was the humbleness and de- He pulls out a newspaper clipping from June 13, 1958, with a photo of
cency, and that played a big role…I have the highest regard for him. He is him – his senior class’ president — standing with the new electronic score-
extremely humble in his position as president. This, to me, is the way that I board for the long-gone Mott Field. He and his graduating class funded this
look at life.” gift, even digging the trench and running the cables for it. It illustrates his
Today, Harries says he’s convinced that Stevens is equipped to not only abiding love for Stevens, and a passion for its welfare and that of its students.
give students a well-rounded education, but also instill the essential values As he walks the campus some 60 years later, Harries discovers a “Stute”
of hard work and ethics. that wants its students to succeed. He sees students smiling.
“We’re not only educating them but creating a mold that students get “To look at the expressions on students’ faces — they’re so happy to be
shaped by; it’s not only a deep education, but a way of life,” he says. here and they’re part of a great thing,” he says. ❖ — Beth Kissinger
10 THE STEVENS INDICATORFIRST STEVENS VENTURE CENTER COMPANY LEAVES THE NEST
A
growing financial technol-
ogy startup has become the
first company nurtured by
the Stevens Venture Center
(SVC) to “graduate” and
strike out on its own.
FinTech Studios, the successor
firm to one of the SVC’s original
member companies, has moved
to offices near Manhattan’s World
Trade Center after securing sev-
eral rounds of investor capital and
generating strong sales growth.
The move is a major milestone
for both the company and the
SVC, which was formed in 2016 to
serve as an incubator for promis-
ing science-and technology-ori-
ented business ideas developed The FinTech Studios staff gather in their Manhattan offices, from left, Rich Taylor, Kevin Barresi ’16 M.Eng. ’16,
by Stevens students and to assist Rob Schreiber, Ellen Barresi, Jim Tousignant and Dylan Praul ’17 M.Eng. ’17 PHOTO: JEFF VOCK
faculty members whose research
has commercial potential. There are currently ness problems. dence, Ray Thek, vice chairman of the technol-
15 companies in the SVC in various stages of FinTech Studios is an artificial intelligence- ogy practice at the New York law firm Lowen-
development. based financial information company that stein Sandler, provided valuable introductions
“We are extremely proud of FinTech Stu- develops and markets cloud-based financial to potential investors, which resulted in Fin-
dios’ success and the role we played in helping technology apps and big-data financial ana- Tech raising $1 million in seed capital from KEC
them turn their vision into a viable company,” lytics products in conjunction with financial Ventures in July.
said Adrienne Choma, director of the SVC. technology startups, financial institutions, data FinTech Studios was also able to recruit an-
“This is exactly why the SVC was founded — to providers and other partners. other Stevens alumnus through its involvement
help Stevens’ entrepreneurs learn how to turn The company became part of the SVC after with the SVC: Dylan Praul ’17 M.Eng. ’17, who
their ideas into the next generation of game- it acquired iUbble, an innovative web browser now serves as senior director of software en-
changing, technology-oriented businesses.” created by Kevin Barresi ’16 M.Eng. ’16. iUbble gineering.
The SVC, located just off campus in a River was among the SVC’s initial member compa- Because of its success, FinTech Studios is
Street office building, is designed to help fledg- nies when the center was created in 2016. Bar- no longer dependent on an incubator to sustain
ling companies by providing them with space, resi became FinTech Studios’ chief technology its growth. It has ten full-time employees and
advice and expertise and to expose them to officer and worked on the company’s software has raised about $1.5 million in capital — $1.1
networking opportunities with potential inves- products while it was housed in the SVC. million of it in 2017 alone. It also saw its sales
tors, entrepreneurs and seasoned business Jim Tousignant, FinTech Studios’ chief ex- increase six-fold in 2017 over the previous year.
people. Membership benefits include access to ecutive officer, said the company benefited Its latest platform is used by thousands of
a network of established entrepreneurs-in-res- greatly from the environment and the connec- Wall Street professionals to mine news, re-
idence who can offer guidance and open doors tions provided by the SVC. search, market data and analytics in real-time
in the worlds of business and financing. “My experience with the Stevens Venture from millions of websites, blogs and research
In addition, the SVC brings business peo- Center has been consistently excellent, and our sources in 32 languages, Tousignant said.
ple to campus as part of a monthly speakers relationship with Stevens has been a huge part Although FinTech Studios is leaving the
series, holds networking events and organiz- of what has helped FinTech Studios start and nest, it will maintain ties to the SVC. Tousig-
es “hackathons” — weekend-long gatherings develop as a growing software and information nant plans to stay on as an entrepreneur-in-
in which participants brainstorm ideas and business,” he said. residence to continue helping SVC companies.
code applications to solve societal and busi- One of the SVC’s entrepreneurs-in-resi- ❖ — Michael Markowitz
SPRING/SUMMER 2018 11S PAC E O 6 0 Y E A R S A T I O N
M N I F U E L E E X P L O R
V E N S A L U ) O F S P A C
S T E C O U N T I N G
(A N D on
nauts
U .S . astro
pu t have
x a s , h elped
ra m . Others
in Te Prog e
i g r a n ts, born Shuttle Orbiter stems that hav
imm Space plex sy ought
o f R ussian e c t ed the r e a nd com u ry — and br
A son ix times, then d ardware, softw than half a cen grams in the
ir a t
on s h re o
the mo pads, or mo llite pr now
t h e launch lo r e s pace f n e a r ly sate t e le s copes
do n xp ay o nd e of
worke w o m en to e y to il ed aw s a t e llites a b le n ew ag
n
en and arth. T
he neratio emark
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sent m
h o m e to E t h e n ext-ge u s h e r in a r
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them s e and helpin o the
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to
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spinnin p lo r a tion an n u m e rous S n in g . From t h e M ars Ex
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planet 18, and he beg ; from oon,
r n s 6 0 in 20 g ra m from t n to Hubble g fo r the m
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NASA ace pr ce Sta k, reac
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so er n f In
succes the Int have le ation.
s h uttle; e a v y, they a c e explor g
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d far acr it te d s e
rs a n cla im nd u c yst e m ctors.
the sta s it y c an also a b o ra tory co e in s pace s n d it s contra
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a
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The un 0s, Da m aster ’s in g with f aerona
d ’8 d a o r k n o
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the 19 v e n s has of n s o f alum o u g h s t u d ent te
te tio th r h
over. S genera ience g whic
lunar r c a t in g new r o c ket sc g r a m , durin
u d o r o
de, ed inue to at-C p ace. and
a deca e n t s cont S A ’s RockS e n t s into sp g ra m — men
ur stu d N A erim Pr o f.” v
And o t ic ip ation in la u n ch exp e U .S . Space e R ig ht Stuf
pa r th h
s and imately ions of ave “T singer
classe t e s t and ult e e g enerat d o in deed h — B eth Kis
, r n i
, build sent th s alum
design n i w h o repre h o w Steven
lum e n
Meet a g prov
h o h ave lon
nw
wome
12 THE STEVENS INDICATORO DY S S E
SPRING/SUMMER 2018 13
Y
PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK IMAGES/NASAAC E X
V E N N E R ’8 4 , C IO, S P
KE N
L L T H E B I G G E S T
“ I T ’ S ST I R T U P I ’ V E
LIT T L E S T A
E E N A P A R T O F ”
EVER B
I
Growing up in Vermont and Florida, he
It seems SpaceX is everywhere in the news learned engineering by watching his dad,
these days. Ed Venner ’56 (currently the longtime CEO
Company founder Elon Musk has brushed of a Florida injection-molding firm), and
aside the naysayers at every stage for 15 years, working summer jobs in construction and
to the point where fewer and fewer pundits as a mechanic.
doubt his vision to colonize other planets. “I was thinking about pursuing engi-
The California-based company has neering when I was a kid,” chuckles Venner.
repeatedly demonstrated that its reusable “I certainly didn’t think I’d be helping plan
rockets work, landing and recovering more launches and vehicles that might one day
than a dozen rockets via both the land and colonize Mars. That was not in the plan.”
sea during the last two-plus years. SpaceX He completed a Stevens degree in
supplies the International Space Station (ISS) mechanical engineering, taking time to
with drops of food and equipment from an also learn about computers well before they
unmanned craft, part of a long-term con- had moved into the mainstream. During
tract with the space station. In February, its his time on Castle Point, he also met a key
Falcon Heavy rocket sent a one-ton, cherry- mentor who would profoundly influence
red Tesla Roadster electric car hurtling past his future career path: professor Dick Ma-
Mars on a long ride to the Sun’s orbit. gee ’63 M.S. ’64 Sc.D. ’68. After that master’s in engineering, ac-
The company has also made recent satellite “He was one of the best teachers I ever quired at Carnegie Mellon, Venner moved
launches for EchoStar; Spanish and Korean had, and I think it’s safe to say I would not be into tech leadership roles with semiconduc-
communications firms; and NASA and the here today if it had not been for Dick,” Venner tor giant Broadcom — the firm increased
U.S. government, among other clients, as well acknowledges. “I think the world of him. He its business tenfold, becoming a multi-
as deploying small experimental satellites to helped me decide to get a master’s, rather billion-dollar company during his tenure
test a new global internet broadband concept. than going to work right away; he taught me as CIO; the customer relationship manager
All while continuing to ramp up to its signa- a lot about the engineering mindset; he was a firm Rockwell; and Lucent Technologies/
ture mission: a crewed trip to Mars within as true supporter of who I was, what I was do- AT&T (formerly Bell Labs).
little as six years, using a giant rocket designed ing, and where I was going.” Then a chance tour of SpaceX’s research
to carry as many as 100 passengers on the trip. and development facility with a former
Though he doesn’t occupy the same colleague wowed him, enticing Venner to
public eye Musk does, one of the key lead- make the leap to rocket-building and space
SU L E S
ers in SpaceX’s incredible run turns out to
be a Stevens graduate: Ken Venner ’84, the
S PAC E C A P exploration in 2012.
From an office in the company’s sprawl-
’67 is a
company’s chief information officer (CIO) er Neill Myers ing Los Angeles-area headquarters campus,
NASA engine shall
and recent recipient of a Stevens Distin- lder at the Mar he has since watched SpaceX quadruple its
top patent ho a,
guished Alumni Award. nter in Alabam
Space Flight Ce g. A 50-
workforce and boost its tally of successful
s an d coun tin
with 27 patent of the
launches from eight to 50 and counting. As
ROUTINE LAUNCHES, ve teran, he is a recipient CIO, Venner says he manages or interfaces
year , NASA’s
REUSABLE ROCKETS Service Medal with team members tackling everything
Distinguished out My-
Venner didn’t start out with the idea of Read more ab
highest honor. .
from human resources to finance to busi-
conquering space. du/neillmyers
ers at stevens.e ness processes and supply chains — all
14 THE STEVENS INDICATORCREDIT: SPACEX
Ken Venner ’84, outside SpaceX headquarters
in Hawthorne, California.
the loop as possible. That’s why we engage
and work closely with business owners to
understand process changes and system au-
tomation that will continue to support rapid
activities and high capabilities.”
Indeed, one sign of the rapid strides
forward SpaceX has made in just a few short
years is the growing reliability of its opera-
tions as the firm continues developing its
uniquely reusable rockets.
“When I arrived here, we were launching
once a year and it was a huge event,” recalls
Venner. “Now we’re getting closer to the
point where it’s like a 747 taking off from
LAX — not that routine, yet, but getting
closer every day. We’ll be getting to a pace
where we are launching every week or every
other week. It’s remarkable.”
A SPECIAL HONOR
FROM STEVENS
Ever-busy as SpaceX launches more and more
frequently and with larger and larger payloads,
Venner nevertheless took time in April to
travel to New York and the Plaza Hotel for the
that we’re immediately focused on.” Stevens Awards Gala (see coverage on pages
while also overseeing a host of key techni- Properly planning and deploying auto- 32-33), where he was honored with a Stevens
cal projects involving software, communi- mation, he finds, is an increasingly large Distinguished Alumni Award for Engineering.
cations, security and other areas. part of his role. “I am quite honored by this,” he says. “It
“The big challenges include designing the “Processes have become so much more really means something to me to be recog-
vehicle, designing the launch facility, com- automated,” he points out. “Sometimes, nized by Stevens, and I don’t take it lightly. I
munications with the vehicle, preparation in manufacturing, you want intelligent have to thank Stevens for doing this.”
for performing launches, and launch-land- software to keep humans as much out of
ing technology,” he says. “Those are some
CREDIT: SPACEX
A Tesla Roadster, with
Starman aboard, leaves Earth
behind on its long journey
toward the Sun’s orbit,
after its successful launch
by SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy
rocket in February.
SPRING/SUMMER 2018 15CREDIT: SPACEX
Twin Falcon Heavy rocket boosters
land safely back on Earth, at Cape
Canaveral in Florida, after the
Falcon Heavy launch in February.
SU L E S
S PAC E C A P CEO, STS
ID H E R SH B ERG MMS ’68,
IONEER DAV M’S LEGACY
:
SATELLITE P E SP ACE PROGRA re people didn
’t
., O N TH s, w he
GLOBAL, INC countr ie
to very poor
e internet ce stan
ve brought th n, thanks to di smartest person I’ve ever worked with.
“Satellites ha ge t ac ce ss to an educatio ac t with
oks but can no
w ve direct cont “We hire the best and brightest, set the
have school bo al lo w ed fo r doctors to ha nd the
e has hi
ance medicin ople living be tone, and then set them free.”
learning. Dist id ed th e on ly way for pe ith NA SA
ov is has to do w And SpaceX’s rapid growth since 2012
s. Satellites pr ip. A lot of th
their colleague ou t ce ns or sh
see news with hasn’t slowed his effectiveness, nor the
Iron Curtain to rams off the gr
ound.”
e ea rly sate lli te prog company’s, at all.
gettin g th
“My big fear,” Venner confesses, “was that,
as we scaled up from 1,200 or 1,400 employees
to more than 5,200, you might lose the unique
is to remain here five to ten more years, culture here. But we haven’t lost it. It’s still the
A big fan of the California climate and probably,” he says. “I still love what I do biggest little startup I’ve ever been part of. Hav-
almost everything about the West Coast every day. I love the mission, I love the ing been around the block a few times, I’m now
lifestyle (except his 90-minute daily com- culture, I love this organization. It is an teaching younger employees in this organiza-
mute), Venner says he’s glad to have found absolute meritocracy, not a bureaucracy: tion that what we have here is special.
what he believes is a uniquely effective an engineering-driven place, where the “This work environment is not to be
corporate structure at SpaceX. best ideas win. It’s what you see in the found in other places, and they should be
He expects to stay on board awhile longer. very best companies. And that sort of cul- sure to enjoy it while they’re here.” v
“You never know, but my game plan ture begins with the founder, who is the — Paul Karr
16 THE STEVENS INDICATORM
Mary McCabe M.Eng. ’09 says her Stevens Columbia accident in 2003. There was an cantly different from what we deal with on
education came at the perfect time in her investigation that produced several recom- the International Space Station, and we are
career. The 18-year NASA veteran and cur- mendations that needed to be addressed not confident that we have a solution that
rent chief of the Human Interface Branch at before we could fly the space shuttle again. is reliable for the longer duration lunar mis-
NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston One of those recommendations was to sions the country is targeting in the 2020s.
earned her space systems engineering mas- be able to capture imagery of the external We’re trying to figure out how to radiation-
ter’s degree through a combination fuel tank during launch in order to assess harden these — the wired display screens,
of classes offered on site at Johnson and any loss of foam during ascent. I was part but also the laptops, tablets and phones —
online courses. of the team that replaced the film camera for the crew because it’s the primary source
“I was still doing low-level stuff and tran- (which had been capturing this imagery from where they get information during a
sitioning to higher-level management, so prior to Columbia) with a digital camera. mission. We’re having a lot of fun playing
the formal training was great,” she says. “For This allowed imagery to be downloaded to with different ideas and using virtual reality
example, I was able to see how best practices the ground during the mission and prior to to see how these things should look and feel
are applied in our processes, and to under- re-entry (verses post-flight analysis, which for the crew.
stand more in-depth how certain analysis is was done with the film version). Once the
performed.” imagery was downloaded, image analysis HER THOUGHTS ON
McCabe took some time to speak with specialists could evaluate the tank and look SPACE TRAVEL
The Indicator, offering insights on… for any loss of foam. Their assessment could I would love to go! Not only would it be
now be used by engineers and flight opera- exciting for me personally, but as someone
THE HUMAN INTERFACE BRANCH tors to determine which areas of the space who focuses on designing with the human in
The Human Interface Branch basically works shuttle tile deserved extra attention when mind, having a firsthand experience would
with everything a space crew uses to “talk they performed the shuttle tile inspection help me to do my job better. Plus, I have
to” the vehicle avionics system: displays, during the misson. I went down to Cape three small children that I want to inspire to
controls, switch panels, audio and video Canaveral to test the new system for the Dis- reach for the stars and dream big. v
systems, and some lighting and electrical covery “Return To Flight” mission in 2005. It — Rebecca Markley
systems that the crew uses. There’s a small was the first time I felt like I made
PHOTO: JEN BERTRAND PHOTOGRAPHY
group working on wearable technology, a real impact.
which has really grown. We just launched a
wearable personal carbon dioxide moni- WHAT SHE’S WORKING
tor and sent several up to the International ON NOW
Space Station. We have CO2 wall monitors My department is really starting
up there, but because of the way the air flows to focus on the Lunar Orbital
on the space station, there can be air pockets Platform-Gateway, putting a
with different levels; just because a wall habitat near the moon. Our
monitor says something doesn’t mean that’s biggest challenge in the area of
what the astronauts are experiencing. human interfaces for space ex-
ploration beyond low Earth orbit
HER MOST MEANINGFUL is a radiation-tolerant graph-
PROJECT TO DATE ics processing unit (GPU). The
I think the thing that stands out the most, radiation environment, once you
probably because it was early on in my leave low Earth orbit, is signifi-
career, was right after the [space shuttle]
,
B E M .E N G . ’0 9 , C H IE F
M A RY M CC A R FA CE BRANCH
, NASA
N IN T E
HUMA
G F U N P L A Y I N G
“ W E ’ R E H AV I N E R E N T I D E A S ”
WITH DIFF SPRING/SUMMER 2018 17ER,
E T IR E D N A S A E N G IN E
R ’6 0 R
FRANK CAR a OgRineer
CETn
E
DaIRsE
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YN
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“W W
“ WE E E
W RE R N T A L O N G . ”
,GI N
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U N D
T I,N WG EA W
S WE R
E EW E
K
J U ST N I
E D
W S
, I N V E N T I N G A S
J U ST K I D S
W E W E N T A LO N G ”
I
One early February afternoon, he had
In July 1960, a shady, one-lane road through planned to fly his Searey two-seater amphib-
the Maryland woods led to a gate, a single ian — he built it himself, of course — but as
building and two uncompleted structures stormy weather threatened, he took time to
that were NASA’s Goddard Space Flight reflect on his long NASA career.
Center. Frank Carr ’60 needed a map to find The Totowa, New Jersey, native had his
his new worksite; the locals in Greenbelt had pilot’s license at 17, joined the Air Force
never heard of the place. ROTC at Stevens and dreamed of becom-
NASA itself was only 2 years old, and ing an Air Force pilot. But the urgent need shuttle launches of Magellan and Galileo at
Goddard its first space flight center, with to support his young family led to what Cape Canaveral.
unmanned spacecraft and scientific explora- he thought would be a temporary stay in “The loud, sharp, crackling sound and
tion of the universe as its mission. Goddard Greenbelt. shaking ground from a shuttle liftoff is hard
would grow to some 6,000 employees in “I went to work and fell in love,” he says. to explain — you almost needed to be there
Greenbelt, spread over more than 1,200 “I thought that all of the work that NASA to hear and feel the awesome power,” he says.
acres, and Carr would spend 30 years there was doing was valuable, challenging and en- The International Ultraviolet Explorer
— and close to half a century working in the joyable. How can you beat that?” He worked (IUE), a precursor to the Hubble Space Tele-
U.S. space program — rising from engineer with very smart, “top notch” people and scope for which he served as technical team
to project manager, deputy director and made a career of solving problems. lead, brought him the most satisfaction.
review board chair. He would claim a role in “It was always about getting it right, The IUE was an 18-inch optical telescope
numerous NASA missions: the Explorer sat- getting it on cost, and getting it on time,” with a camera and spectrograph, and on
ellites, Hubble, planetary missions, including he says. this international collaboration, Carr and
Voyager. Even the lesser known missions In his early days at Goddard, he cut his his team provided spacecraft engineering
continued to produce great science about teeth on an early satellite program, Explorer and software. This “workhorse observatory,”
the universe for decades, says this space XII, the 83-pound spacecraft that launched as NASA described it, measured objects in
program veteran who cheered the triumphs in 1961. (Explorer I, launched before his space in spectra — from planets to stars to
of the Apollo program, lived through the time at NASA, on Jan. 31, 1958, was the first galaxies. It excelled at rapidly responding to
trauma of Apollo 1, Challenger and Colum- U.S. satellite in space and America’s answer comets, novae and supernovae.
bia, and savored the success of Hubble, his to Sputnik, which the Russians had launched Designed to last three years, IUE labored
eyes fixed on satellites, telescopes, our solar less than three months before.) an extraordinary 18.5 years and led to more
system and beyond. Explorer XII measured cosmic-ray par- knowledge of black holes, galaxies and other
“I loved it,” he says. “I loved the people, ticles, solar wind protons, magnetic fields astronomical discoveries, Carr says, with his
and it was the Cold War. We were advancing — all in preparation for future manned quiet pride.
technology on behalf of the United States.” space flight. He worked throughout the night at times,
Carr, who retired in 2010, now lives in He watched in awe the moon landing on through snowstorms even when Goddard
Fort Myers, Florida, in a home he designed TV and traveled to the launch pad to witness was shut down.
himself near the Gulf of Mexico. He is doing the launch of several satellite projects he had “It was complex, it was difficult, it was
what he had originally set out to do — fly. worked on. He will never forget the space high tech. We were pushing ourselves
18 THE STEVENS INDICATORPHOTO: APRIL MERSINGER PHOTOGRAPHY
craft bus. The Hubble project Hubble would be Carr’s last hands-on
proved to be among his most project. He moved to NASA headquarters in
difficult, most politically Washington, DC, serving from 1986 to 1990
charged but, ultimately, one as deputy director of the Planetary Divi-
of his proudest achievements. sion, overseeing budgets and missions, most
Goddard and Marshall notably for Voyager I and II.
both had a piece of the proj- The twin spacecraft, launched in 1977,
ect, with a bevy of contrac- had as their primary mission the exploration
tors, and as development of Jupiter and Saturn. They have been wildly
costs rose to $1.3 billion, the successful, having made a string of discover-
project had to be defended to ies, including the active volcanos on Jupiter’s
a Congressional subcommit- moon Io and the intricacies of Saturn’s rings.
tee. (In the ensuing decades, Carr recalls nights at the Jet Propulsion
Hubble’s costs would rise to Laboratory (JPL) at California Institute of
$9.6 billion.) Technology — the NASA facility that was
And then, the telescope home base to planetary programs. Images
didn’t work. of the planets, Saturn’s rings and the moons
After launch in 1990, of Jupiter and Saturn coming down from
images that started to come Voyager mesmerized him — images never
back from Hubble were before seen on Earth.
famously blurry, and it was “Pictures of the moons — Titan, Encela-
discovered that a telescope mirror was mis- dus, Dione, Mimas — so clear and so close,
beyond what we had done before. shapen by a hair. After several years of fever- putting brand-new faces to the names for the
“It was one of the most prodigious ish work and reviews, a replacement camera, first time in history,” he says.
producers of scientific papers anywhere. ... corrective mirrors and other equipment Retiring from Goddard in 1990 as part
It rivaled the ground-based telescope and were blasted up via space shuttle to Hubble of NASA’s Senior Executive Service, Carr
paved the way for Hubble.” and installed by shuttle astronauts — prob- joined JPL, working out of Maryland. He
His most high-profile mission was lem solved. later consulted for NASA and JPL, as a mem-
Hubble: He served as project manager for Today, Hubble is whirling about Earth at ber and chair of Standing Review Boards for
the Goddard portion of the mission from about 17,000 miles per hour, taking mind- about a dozen missions. The highly success-
1981 to 1986. He managed a group of 40 bending photographs of stars, planets and ful Mars Exploration Rovers, “Spirit” and
engineers and scientists responsible for its galaxies, peering into the very distant past, “Opportunity,” crossed his desk.
five large cameras and instruments, as well to locations more than 13.4 billion light While he may be retired from putting space-
as the operations center and ground data years away. The wildly successful mission craft into space, Carr will not stay Earth-bound.
processing system, while NASA’s Marshall has seen some 15,000 scientific papers For more than 30 years, he flew his Piper
Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, produced from its observations. Archer four-seater, making cross-country
was responsible for the telescope and space- trips. He has since moved on to the air and
sea plane that he built in his garage.
He is looking forward to the James Webb
Space Telescope — a large space telescope
SU L E S built at Goddard, set for 2019 launch. Its
S PAC E C A P ’7 7 P H.D. ’84, 25-Y
EAR NASA mission: to find the first galaxies that formed
G .
E HINSON ’7
5M .E N THE FUTURE in the early universe and peer through dusty
JO ANN UHD H A T E X C IT ES HER FOR
W
ETIRED), ON clouds to see stars forming planetary systems.
VETERAN (R G R A M : on Heavy! I am
super Carr anticipates doing water landings
E PR O launch of Falc
OF THE SPAC sets during the re ce nt
K. To see the com-
through his 80s and named his airplane “Sec-
d to our TV and Orbital AT
“We were glue ors like SpaceX n
cial en de av that foundatio ond Chance.” While he had dreamed of flying
excited about
commer
d at NA SA and build upon , th at
develope space shuttle as a young man — “I was born with flying in
take what we ong. With the
mercial world en in g all al ing our
should have be
en happ it is now help my blood” — NASA became his new dream.
— this is what th e Am er ican people and up on
longs to Musk build “It was a new enterprise, with no ground
there and it be naries like Elon
knowledge is es sful . When new visio fying.” rules,” he says. “We were plowing new
become su cc sa tis
companies to immensely
SA to do ne w things, it is ground, we were just kids, inventing as we
n set by NA r.
the foundatio evens Indicato went along.” v — Beth Kissinger
ared in th e Winter 2016 St
nson appe
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