Rochester Engineering Society honors 13 award winners

The Rochester Engineering Society honors 13 local leaders in their field at their Annual Meeting on Thursday, May 25, 2023. If you would like to join the celebration on May 25, details are posted on the RES website at www.roceng.org. In addition to these 13 awards presentations, the program will feature more than $30,000 in scholarships being awarded to local high school and college students. This event is only made possible through generous sponsors. Various sponsorship levels are available and are detailed on the website. Deadline for registration and sponsorships is Thursday, May 18, 2023 (Limit of 100 attendees).

The 2022 Engineer of the Year award goes to Mark F. Bocko, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Rochester. The 2022 Kate Gleason Young Engineer of the Year goes to Joshua T. Rodems, PE, Project Manager (Structures), Principal Associate, Bergmann, an affiliate of Colliers Engineering and Design.

Four people are being honored as finalists for 2022 Kate Gleason Young Engineer of the Award: James Buduson, Senior Systems Engineer, L3Harris Technologies; Zachary Campo, Electrical Engineer, Bosch Security Systems, LLC; Robert P. McCarthy, Software Engineer, Bosch Security Systems, LLC; and, Jessica Shang, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Rochester.

Seven people are being honored as 2022 Engineers of Distinction: Nicholas Cianfrocco, Senior Scientist, Software Engineering, L3Harris Technologies; Andrew D. Donovan, Chief Systems Engineer, L3Harris Technologies; Vladimir Fabre, Scientist, Electrical Engineering, L3Harris Technologies; Binghua “Ben” Guan, System Architect, Bosch Security Systems, LLC; John R. McIntyre, PE, Scientist, Electrical Engineering, L3Harris Technologies; Daniel Rice, Scientist, Mechanical Engineering, L3Harris Technologies; and Jason P. Scott, Scientist, Mechanical Engineering, L3Harris Technologies.

2022 RES ENGINEER OF THE YEAR

Mark F. Bocko, Ph.D.

Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering

University of Rochester

Mark Bocko’s distinguished academic career has spanned four decades at the University of Rochester, where he received his Ph.D. in physics in 1984.

During his 15-year tenure as chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Bocko created a popular new program in audio and music engineering that has grown to more than 100 undergraduates and master’s students since 2013. This stemmed in part from his love for music — he plays bassoon and bass — and his passion for the intersection of the arts and technology.

Bocko is a tireless advocate of university-industry collaboration and technology transfer. In addition to his teaching and research, Bocko directs the University of Rochester’s Center for Emerging and Innovative Sciences (CEIS), which supports research collaborations of faculty at the University of Rochester and Rochester Institute of Technology with regional companies. Since he took the helm in 2010, CEIS has supported more than 200 university-industry collaborations, resulting in more than $520 million in economic impact and 600 new and retained jobs across New York State.

Over the years, Bocko has explored multiple areas of basic and applied research on sensors, superconducting electronics, and acoustics. Early in his career, he collaborated on the first proposal for a practical superconducting quantum computer. Currently, his research includes the development of multimodal audio surfaces and 3D spatial sound reproduction and analysis. His work is reflected in more than 170 technical publications and 20 patents. In 2021, he was named an Engineer of Distinction by the Rochester Engineering Society.

Bocko is an outstanding educator who has received five University of Rochester teaching awards. In 2008, he was named the Mercer Brugler Distinguished Teaching Professor. His Coursera course on Fundamentals of Audio Engineering has been taken by more than 75,000 students worldwide.

In recognition of his achievements, Bocko received the Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015 and the Edmund A. Hajim Outstanding Faculty Award in 2021.

2022 RES KATE GLEASON YOUNG ENGINEER OF THE YEAR

Joshua T. Rodems, PE

Project Manager (Bridges/Structures), Principal Associate

Bergmann, an affiliate of Colliers Engineering & Design

Joshua Rodems is a Project Manager with Bergmann’s Northeast Infrastructure Division, specializing in bridge design. He is responsible for leading multi-disciplinary teams of engineers, architects, surveyors, and environmental scientists in preparing designs and contract documents for large transportation projects.

Over his 12 years of practice, Rodems’ major projects have included: design, rehabilitation and load rating of bridges, interstate highway reconstruction, development of bridge lift and erection procedures, as well as upgrades to various hydropower and waterway structures sites. In addition, his experience working directly with contractors on several design-build and construction engineering projects has honed his attention to detail for practical and highly constructible designs.

Pursuing, winning, and completing challenging design-build transportation projects has become a career benchmark for Rodems. He takes tremendous pride in leading the design of bridges for transformative interchange and corridor reconstruction at both I-390/490 in Rochester, which opened in September 2021, and I-81/481 in Syracuse, which is ongoing. Rodems is currently serving as Bergmann’s Bridge Discipline Lead on the I-81 Northern Interchange project, where he is leading a team responsible for the rehabilitation and widening of four bridges along existing I-481 between the NYS Thruway and the I-81 Interchange to the north.

Rodems has been integral to several award-winning projects, including I-390 Improvements at I-490 in Rochester, which won APWA’s 2021 Project of the Year, ABCD’s 2022 Bridge Award, and two 2023 ACEC Engineering Excellence Awards. Rodems served as lead bridge engineer on this project while at Erdman Anthony in 2019.

Rodems holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering technology from the Rochester Institute of Technology (summa cum laude) and a master’s degree in civil engineering with emphasis in bridge design from the University at Buffalo. While at RIT, Rodems was a four-year member of the varsity baseball team, earning all-conference accolades and being voted defensive player of the year by his teammates. Rodems is also an Adjunct Professor in the University at Buffalo’s Civil, Structural, and Environmental Engineering Department, teaching a graduate course in steel bridge design.

As an active member of the Civil Engineering community, Rodems was the President of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Rochester Section from 2019-2021. He also chairs ASCE Rochester’s scholarship committee and organizes the annual scholarship golf tournament. Furthermore, Rodems is an involved member of the Rochester Engineering Society, the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Civil Engineering Industry Advisory Board, and the Association for Bridge Construction and Design Western NY Chapter.

Asked to articulate his vision for engineering in Rochester, Rodems states: “I view the future of engineering in Rochester as diverse, wholesome, and bright. Our wide-ranging and multidisciplinary needs will create countless opportunities for the next generation of talented young leaders to thrive.”

Rodems and his wife, Whitney, enjoy golfing, kayaking, gardening and traveling. They have recently become new parents, welcoming their son, Jackson to the world in October. Together, Josh and Whitney participate in the WNY Angel Tree gift program during the holidays. Rodems has also contributed to the Rochester Clean Sweep several times and served as volunteer baseball and hockey coach for various youth sports programs in the greater Rochester area.

2022 RES KATE GLEASON YOUNG ENGINEER OF THE YEAR – FINALIST

James Buduson

Senior Systems Engineer

L3Harris Technologies, Tactical Communications Sector

James Buduson is a Senior Systems Engineer at L3Harris Technologies, Tactical Communications (TCOM) sector, which works to develop products to be used on and off the battlefield. Since joining the company in 2019, he has quickly become one of the team’s Subject Matter Experts associated with Radio Frequency propagation analysis and has led multiple modernization projects, such as being the lead inventor on two patent filings this past year.

Buduson has established himself as a mentor to STEM students through his work with the local Society of Women’s Engineers chapter, as well as for the middle school robotics program FIRST Lego League, where he ran 12 different teams with over 150 students. Additionally, he has been a mentor for the high school robotics program FIRST Robotics Competition since 2014. He has dedicated countless hours to inspiring as many students as possible to pursue careers in STEM-related fields.

In addition to his mentorship work, Buduson is also an active participant in humanitarian community service. He participates in annual events including the Wayne County Shop with a Cop program collecting children’s toys for the holidays as well as the FIRST Robotics Teams’ Make a Difference Day donation drive which collects food, children’s books, and toys. He has also volunteered with the Story of Hope fundraiser, raising funds toward building children’s hospice homes in Greater Rochester.

Buduson earned his associate degree in engineering science in 2016 at Monroe Community College before transferring to Rochester Institute of Technology, where he received his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering in 2019. While studying Engineering, Buduson completed internships at Lockheed Martin Rotary Mission Systems as a Systems Engineer and at L3 Global Communications Solutions as an Electrical Engineer.

Throughout his collegiate career he participated in several engineering competitions and in engineering clubs where he acquired skills he uses in his job today.

2022 RES KATE GLEASON YOUNG ENGINEER OF THE YEAR – FINALIST

Zachary Campo

Electrical Engineer – Intrusion Products

Bosch Security Systems

Campo joined Bosch in 2019 as an Electrical Engineer as part of the sensors engineering group. This sensors group is responsible for the design and productization of industry-leading motion sensors. Campo has taken on roles with increasing levels of both complexity and responsibility within the sensor portfolio in his brief time at Bosch and has made significant impacts in both quality and time to market of Bosch sensor products.

Campo’s primary responsibilities include supporting the development of products in the sensor portfolio. From manufacturing support to helping address critical supply-chain-driven challenges, Campo is a hands-on technical professional who is always ready to lend a helping hand. Most recently Campo has been responsible for improving engineering and manufacturing test fixtures, resulting in improved quality and throughput; he has innovated through automation to reduce test costs and improve yield. Campo’s work has helped to find potential field issues prior to product release while also ensuring products meet UL and EN certification requirements. In addition to supporting critical fixture work, Campo also helps support manufacturing yield evaluations and has been critical to helping resolve component sourcing challenges resulting from global supply chain shortages.

Campo’s successes at Bosch can be attributed to his can-do attitude, and curiosity in taking on challenges that have allowed him to learn about areas that fall outside of the typical Electrical Engineering discipline. It has enabled Campo to become a go-to resource at Bosch while also helping continue to push the capabilities of the sensor portfolio forward in an extremely competitive industry.

Campo received his bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Rhode Island. Prior to Bosch, Campo worked as a Clinical Engineer for Diamond Diagnostics and was an Electrical Engineer and Electrical Engineering Intern for the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Newport. Campo is currently pursuing his master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology.

2022 RES KATE GLEASON YOUNG ENGINEER OF THE YEAR – FINALIST

Robert McCarthy

Software Engineer – Intrusion Products

Bosch Security Systems

McCarthy joined Bosch in 2019 as an Embedded Firmware Intern before shifting into a full-time role of software engineer as part of the product test team. The PTT group is responsible for performing system-level verification and validation across the entire intrusion product ecosystem and is one of the most crucial steps in successful product launch. McCarthy has taken on roles with increasing levels of both complexity and responsibility in his brief time at Bosch and has made significant impacts to innovating automated testing capabilities. These innovations have greatly shortened the time required to complete testing while also increasing the rigor, focus, and quality test outputs.

McCarthy’s primary responsibilities include development and execution of system test artifacts across all intrusion products. Most recent efforts have been focused on driving development of an automated test suite that replaces manual test cases and procedures that can be executed autonomously as part of a continuous integration testing pipeline, which have been critical to the success of some recent new product launch activities.

McCarthy’s success at Bosch comes from his pride in being part of the Bosch community in Fairport and also working to pull others in to grow the organization. McCarthy has been key to several on-campus hiring events with RIT and is often quick to drop what he is doing to lend a helping hand to someone else. McCarthy also challenges the status quo and has developed testing tooling that has compressed weeks of testing into a few hours of automated, robust testing. This allows product test and engineering to work together earlier in the product life cycle to accelerate product development.

McCarthy received his master’s degree in Engineering Management and his bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University at Buffalo. Prior to Bosch, McCarthy worked as an IT Support Intern at Wegmans.

2022 RES KATE GLEASON YOUNG ENGINEER OF THE YEAR – FINALIST

Jessica Shang, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering

University of Rochester

Jessica Shang is an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Rochester and a scientist at the university’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics.

Shang, who earned a Ph.D. in mechanical and aerospace engineering at Princeton University, joined the university in 2016 after completing a postdoctoral appointment at the Stanford School of Medicine, where she was a Stanford Cardiovascular Institute Fellow. Her research covers a variety of disciplines, including fluid dynamics of the brain, turbulence, and viscosity at high-energy-density conditions. The common theme in her work is trying to understand the unseen through the lens of fluid dynamics.

In 2022, she received a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award, which supports early-career faculty who have the potential to become academic role models and lead the missions of their departments. With the NSF award funding, Shang is creating a computational model to determine what “drives” the brain’s glymphatic system and helps it flush away metabolic wastes linked to Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. She also works with the Laboratory for Laser Energetics to improve the design of experiments aimed at achieving fusion by better understanding how viscosity dissipates energy in fuel plasmas.

Shang has garnered awards recognizing her academic achievements and her scholarly work from the National Science Foundation, the Office of Naval Research, and the Gates Foundation. She is a reviewer for Physical Review Fluids, AIAA Journal, and the Journal of Fluids and Structures and has served on a National Academy of Sciences committee reporting on the current state and proposed future of naval engineering.

2022 RES ENGINEER OF DISTINCTION

Nicholas Cianfrocco

Senior Scientist, Software Engineering

L3Harris Technologies

Nicholas Cianfrocco is a Senior Scientist of Software Engineering at L3Harris Technologies. In this role he is involved in all aspects of embedded software to deliver critical lifesaving communication products to warfighters.

He began his career at L3Harris after earning his master’s degree in computer science and his bachelor’s degree in computer engineering technology from Rochester Institute Technology. While he was a student, Cianfrocco completed internships with Intel Corporation and Lockheed Martin Corporation. During his time at RIT he was recognized as an Outstanding Undergraduate Scholar and received multiple scholarships. He remains active with his alma mater as a member of RIT’s Industry Advisory Board to collect and provide feedback to future curriculums, as well as delivering a graduation speech in 2010. Additionally, Cianfrocco was an adjunct instructor for teaching introductory programming at RIT.

At L3Harris, Cianfrocco has received numerous awards in recognition of his innovation and leadership abilities. Cianfrocco stays current in his field by maintaining active Scrum Alliance Scrum Master certification, which is relevant to Agile software development process in his current position as well as by participating in technical book clubs with his peers at L3Harris to continuously advance the knowledge and skills of the team. Outside of work, he is a motocross coach and has been involved with the Fairport High School volleyball program as an assistant coach, webmaster, and statistician.

2022 RES ENGINEER OF DISTINCTION

Andrew D. Donovan

Chief Systems Engineer

L3Harris Technologies

Andrew Donovan is Chief Systems Engineer at L3Harris on a major Mission Command Transport and Encryption Program for the U.S. Army. In this role he is responsible for System architecture and Design across all phases of the program, leads the team’s Risk Management processes and is responsible for customer-facing design reviews and technical exchanges. He also serves as the Chief Systems Engineer for the Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Mission Module (MM) and Handheld Video Data Link (HH-VDL) programs.

Prior to joining L3Harris in 2018, Donovan worked for Indigenous Technologies as contract support to the U.S. Army where he was responsible for the requirements management process in the acquisition life cycle for the Army’s newest on-the-move communication network system of systems.

During his time on active duty with the U.S. Army, Donovan was a Capability Development Manager at the Cyber Center of Excellence at Fort Gordon, Georgia and prior to that he was selected to work with General Dynamics C4 Systems, System Support Division in Taunton, Massachusetts. In 2009 he was nominated to the Aide-de-Camp position for the Expeditionary Contracting Command at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Before his time as Aide-de-Camp he served as the Battalion Signal for 1-14th Infantry Battalion in the 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii with deployment to Taji, Iraq in 2007-2009.

Donovan’s primary activity outside of L3Harris is his continued service in the U.S. Army Reserves where he serves as a Lieutenant Colonel assigned to the 350th Civil Affairs Command in Pensacola, Florida as the Assistant Chief of Staff, G6 (Signal). He is an active member of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association and the U.S. Army Signal Corps Regimental Association.

In addition to his education and training with the U.S. Army, Donovan received his Bachelor of Computer Science from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania and is currently working toward his master’s in system engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, N.J.

2022 RES ENGINEER OF DISTINCTION

Vladimir Fabre

Scientist, Electrical Engineering

L3Harris Technologies

Vladimir Fabre is a Scientist in Electrical Engineering at L3Harris Technologies. Fabre is responsible for the direction and leadership of the development of high-energy-density battery packs and associated chargers for L3Harris Tactical and designed multiple product innovations which improved the availability of power and data for soldiers. He has also held the position of Manager of Electrical Engineering where he supervised and mentored junior engineers.

Fabre is a recognized technology leader and has been innovating and training others for the duration of his 30-plus year career. He serves on multiple Subject Matter Expert panels and was recently awarded the 2023 Black Engineer of the Year Outstanding Achievement Awards Modern-Day Technology Leader. He was also selected for the L3Harris Leadership in Engineering Achievement Program, which grows future Fellows and Senior Scientists.

Prior to his time with L3Harris, Fabre was part of an advanced research team at NOHMs Technologies developing lithium sulfur batteries. NOHMS Technologies was awarded a patent for charge control and termination of lithium sulfur cells and fuel gauging systems. He spent more than 20 years as an Applied Research Engineer at Eastman Kodak where he participated in research, design, and development projects. He was integral to several critical product releases and worked on technologies including the Organic Light Emitting Display (OLED) technology which is used in LG OLED TVs currently on the market.

Fabre earned his associate degree in applied science, electrical technology from New York Technical College and his Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering technology from Rochester Institute of Technology.

For three years he was a member of Texas Instruments New Design Customer Advisory Board and has been a member of the L3Harris Power Design Tech Forum since 2019.

2022 RES ENGINEER OF DISTINCTION

Binghua “Ben” Guan

System Architect – Intrusion Products

Bosch Security Systems

Guan joined Bosch in 2012 as part of the China Office, supporting the development of both Fire and Intrusion panel systems. In 2019, Guan transitioned to Bosch in Fairport as a Software Engineer as part of the Systems team and most recently working as a System Architect for Panel Solutions.

Guan’s primary responsibilities are working as a System Architect for Intrusion Panel solutions supporting the development of Bosch next-generation intrusion solutions including the development of tools and features using C++, C#, Python, and Linux. Guan also has been critical in the development and integration of LTE solutions as part of the portfolio offerings and acting as a key resource for driving resolution of critical customer field issues.

Guan’s success at Bosch comes from his willingness to take on new challenges with a desire to grow as an engineer, quickly becoming a go-to resource in the China office and building on that to join the team in Fairport. Guan has become a key contributor to the growth of future systems and his willingness to always learn more, and help customers is why the Bosch Systems are some of the best in industry.

Guan received his bachelor’s degree in Information Management & Information Systems from Central South University (Changsha, Hunan, China). Prior to Bosch, Guan worked in various software engineering roles for Tieto and CE Open Source Software.

2022 RES ENGINEER OF DISTINCTION

John R. McIntyre, PE

Scientist, Electrical Engineering

L3Harris Technologies

John McIntyre is a Scientist in Electrical Engineering at L3Harris Technologies, where he is a subject matter expert specializing in Analog Radio Frequency and microwave circuit design as part of the Radio Frequency Hardware Engineering Team. He works to bring cutting-edge designs to production while also expanding the L3Harris patent portfolio with 11 patents awarded so far.

McIntyre studied electrical engineering at Rochester Institute of Technology, receiving the Outstanding Undergraduate Scholar Award in 2006 and graduating with Highest Honors in 2007 with his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees.

McIntyre has been recognized at L3Harris with multiple awards including the Technology Innovation Award, which he received four times, and in 2017 he was honored with the 10 Under 10 Award for emerging leaders for their professional success and demonstrated leadership. He has presented several Tech Talks to the Engineering Community on Power Amplifier Techniques, Radio Frequency Switching Techniques, and Radio Frequency Filter Design / Simulation. McIntyre has mentored several Early Career Engineers and taught a year-long Radio Frequency Circuit Troubleshooting class for Manufacturing Technicians.

In addition to his involvement in his field, McIntyre is an active member in his community. He has served as a mentor at the Addiction and Recovery Center and volunteered on needed projects with GO Ministries, a community organization that provides a clothing center, youth group and food pantry in the city of Rochester. He is an active member at Northridge Church where he has been a youth group leader and currently serves as a board member on the church’s oversight team as well as on the Monroe County Portal Team which is partnered with the county’s Child Protective Services Case Workers.

2022 RES ENGINEER OF DISTINCTION

Daniel Rice

Scientist, Mechanical Engineering

L3Harris Technologies

Daniel Rice is a Scientist in Mechanical Engineering at L3Harris Technologies, where he is the Lead Mechanical Engineer on all new product development activities for the Tactical Communications Business sector.

Rice played an integral role in the development of the 20-meter dive radio. When the first radio developed by the original mechanical engineering team did not perform as needed in the field, Rice was assigned to lead the investigation and redesign effort. He developed a novel approach for evaluating immersion performance at the component level for which he was recognized and awarded the L3Harris Cost Improvement Award in 2017. He has also been the recipient of the L3Harris Reuse Innovation award and the President’s Technology Award.

Prior to his time at L3Harris, Rice spent nine years at Parker Hannifin working in Product Development and took on the added responsibility as a R&D Lab Manager. When Rice joined L3Harris in 2007 as a Lead Mechanical Engineer, he drew upon his previous experience to establish a Mechanical Engineering Lab while also working on several new product development projects. He assumed his current role in 2019 and is instrumental in developing mechanical engineering process and best practices to improve design cycle time as well as reduce quality and manufacturing issues.

Additionally, Rice is involved in the community designing and building stage props for Strike It Up Artistic Center and recently became a volunteer at Artist’s Unlimited, which provides opportunities for individuals with developmental, physical, or intellectual disabilities to participate in the performing arts.

Rice earned his Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering in 1998 and his Master of Science in manufacturing management and leadership from Rochester Institute of Technology and graduated with honors.

2022 RES ENGINEER OF DISTINCTION

Jason P. Scott

Scientist, Mechanical Engineering

L3Harris Technologies

Jason Scott is a Mechanical Engineering Scientist at L3Harris Technologies, where he is the Lead Mechanical Engineer on all new product development activities for the Tactical Communications Business Sector. In his time at L3Harris, he has been the recipient of multiple awards including most recently the L3Harris Segment Level e3 Engineering Excellence Award in 2020.

Scott joined L3Harris in 2003 as a Mechanical Engineer working for the Government Communications Systems (CGS) division in Palm Springs, Florida, where he was responsible for the design and engineering of mechanical and electro-mechanical (linear actuators) systems for fiberoptic manipulation and placement devices. He joined the Tactical Communications segment in Rochester as a Lead Mechanical Engineer in 2005 and led a team of mechanical engineers and designers to develop the first ever P25 capable radio produced by L3Harris for the first responders’ market.

In 2018, Scott was presented with the opportunity to take on an Engineering Manager role within the L3Harris Mechanical Engineering group. While his long-term development plans did not include a managerial role, he accepted the challenge and in his time as Manager, Scott led and directed a mechanical engineering staff of seven people on multiple new product development programs for both DoD and international customers.

Previously, while attending the University at Buffalo, Scott worked as a Mechanical Design Engineer at Buffalo Lifting Products where he was involved with the direct design of structural components used in below the crane hook lifting devices. He completed his Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering in 2001 and earned his Master of Business Administration from Rochester Institute of Technology.