Member Recognition Archive - Page 5 of 6 - Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering

Joel Gordes

Honorary CASE Member Joel Gordes speaks at the 42nd Annual Meeting of the Academy. (Photo: Frank LaBanca)

Joel Gordes, Director, Center for Energy Security Solutions, was elected to Honorary Membership for leadership and contributions throughout his career that support the Academy’s vision to “foster an environment in Connecticut where scientific and technological creativity can thrive and contribute to Connecticut becoming a leading place in the country to live, work and produce for all its citizens …”

Throughout his career, Gordes has been instrumental in promoting energy policy change in the public sector with a focus on emerging electric grid vulnerabilities and developing strategies for greater energy safety, resilience, and security. He has been Principal of Environmental Energy Solutions since 1995, an energy consultancy involved in multidisciplinary aspects of energy, environment, energy security, and economic development. More recently, he has served as Director of the Center for Energy Security Solutions. In those positions, he has served on numerous state boards and commissions including his appointment to the former Connecticut Energy Advisory Board (CEAB) in 2007, 2011, and 2013. He has also served for over 10 years as Technical Coordinator for the Energy Conservation Management Board, created by the state’s electric deregulation legislation. Gordes served as the CEAB designee to CASE for the academy’s Energy Assurance Planning Project. He has been a valued contributor to other CASE projects, serving as a study committee member for The Feasibility of Using Waste Heat from Central Power Stations, and Advances in Nuclear Power Technologies, as a study advisor for the Shared Clean Energy Facilities, and a committee member for the current study on Strategies to Minimize the Carbon Footprint of Connecticut Bus Operations.

A former state representative for the 62nd district (1987-91), Gordes served as Vice-Chair for the Energy & Public Utilities Committee. During his time in office, he authored or co-authored many energy-related public acts including bonus rates of return for utility energy efficiency programs and energy sections of Public Act 90-219, Connecticut’s first global warming act. During the 1990 budget deficit, he authored a bill that was unanimously passed to re-lamp state buildings with energy-efficient lighting that saved the state $130 million over a ten-year period.

A graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, Gordes flew 130 combat missions in Vietnam. He was drawn to the field of renewable energy and energy security after observing the effects of oil embargoes during the 1970s. Gordes studied solar energy at the Hartford Graduate Center of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and worked as a sales engineer for a renewable energy firm before moving to public service.

Gordes is the author of several papers on energy security, renewables, and distributed resources. He lives in West Hartford with his wife Lin.

Richard H. Strauss

2018 Honorary Member Richard H. Strauss with CASE President Laura Grabel.
(Photo: Frank LaBanca)

Richard H. Strauss was elected to Honorary Membership for leadership and contributions throughout his career that support the Academy’s vision to “foster an environment in Connecticut where scientific and technological creativity can thrive and contribute to Connecticut becoming a leading place in the country to live, work and produce for all its citizens …”

Strauss’s consistent, forward-looking leadership as executive director guided and stabilized the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering for the past 16 years. Throughout his service, he has displayed the key characteristics of a leader, including enthusiasm and passion for the Academy and its mission, integrity, loyalty, decisiveness, and, excellent communication and managerial skills. His accomplishments include overseeing 47 Academy studies conducted on behalf of state agencies and the Connecticut General Assembly, formalizing the selection process for the Connecticut Medals of Science and Technology, and establishing the endowment fund. Additionally, Strauss has served under nine Academy Presidents, oversees the Academy new member election process ― with the number of members increasing from 179 (2002) to 411 (2018), manages the Academy’s public and member communications, and a year-long detailed planning process for the Annual Meeting and Dinner.

Strauss earned a master’s degree in public administration from the University of New Haven and a BA in political science from Hawthorne College. He began his career as a flight instructor for Hawthorne, and later served as assistant director and chief flight instructor for the program before relocating to Connecticut. In addition to the other positions noted below, Strauss served as an Assistant Dean at the University of New Haven. While at the university, he was responsible for the development and administration of middle and high school afterschool and summer programs in science and technology for the CPEP, as well as the development of programs designed to create interest and expose students to science, engineering, and technology.

Throughout his career, Rick has served in state and local government including as the Deputy Transportation Commissioner for the Connecticut Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Aviation and Ports. For his hometown of Chester, he has served as Chairman of a Regional Board of Education, the town’s Board of Finance (just returned to service this year), and Water Pollution Control Authority, as well as a member of the town’s Zoning Board of Appeals.

Strauss lives in Chester with his wife Leslie. He has two daughters, both married, and six grandchildren.

David M. Wetstone

David M. Wetstone accepts the Distinguished Service Award from the Academy’s then-President Myron Genel. (Photo: Al Malpa)

Founding member Dr. David M. Wetstone was honored with the first Distinguished Service Award in recognition of his many years of dedicated service to the Academy. Wetstone served as the first secretary of the Academy and functioned as chief operating officer from the Academy’s founding in 1976 until 2001. In 1966, Wetstone and fellow Connecticut Science Fair colleague Chuck Stroebel were discussing ways to support the Science Fair when they first conceived of the idea of a state science academy. Ten years later in 1976, a Special Act creating the Academy was signed into law by then-Governor Ella Grasso.

In his 25 years overseeing Academy operations, Wetstone edited, published, and contributed to over 150 reports on science policy to the Connecticut legislative and executive branches and others.

From 1959 to 1975, Wetstone worked for United Aircraft Research Laboratories (now United Technologies Research Center), as a senior research scientist in plasma physics and later as a liaison with the U.S. academic research community. In 1975, he began consulting in management information systems and data modeling and, later, in science-based public policy in other states.

A chemistry and physics graduate of the University of Connecticut, Wetstone earned his Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn. His memberships include the American Chemical Society, the American Physical Society, Sigma Xi, Scientific Research Society of America (RESA), of which he was the founder of the Hartford branch, and Phi Lambda Upsilon. From 1966 to 1976, he served on the Board of the Science Museum in West Hartford, with three years as Chairman, which included oversight of the construction and opening of the planetarium.

Michael J. Werle

Dr. Michael J. Werle addresses the gathering after accepting his Distinguished Service Award at the 36th Annual Meeting of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering. (Photo: Al Malpa)

Dr. Michael J. Werle was elected to the Academy in 1994 and began his involvement early on serving as chair of the Academy’s Human Resources Technical Board beginning in 1995 through 2002. Werle went on to serve as executive director of the Academy from July 2000 through June 2002. From July 2002 through June 2008, Werle was elected to consecutive 2-year terms as Vice President, President, and Past President. In these roles, his leadership was critically important in guiding and establishing a solid financial foundation for the Academy through a challenging transition period.

International technology development and management expert, Werle is Founder and Senior Technical Advisor of FloDesign Wind Turbine Corp., a Founder and President of FloPropulsion Systems LLC, a member of Connecticut’s Board of Governors for Higher Education, and a member of Connecticut Innovations’ Technical Advisory Board.

In 1995 he retired from 18 years of service with United Technologies Corporation (UTC) as the Director for International and External Programs in the Office of Science & Technology. He previously served as the Head of the Gas Dynamics and Thermophysics Laboratory of United Technologies Research Center. Prior to that for 10 years he was a Professor of Engineering at the University of Cincinnati and Virginia Polytechnic Institute.

Werle earned both his bachelor’s and doctorate degrees in aerospace engineering from Virginia Polytechnic and State University. He began his career as a researcher in the US Navy. Werle has over 20 patents, has published over 40 papers in referred journals, and served as an advisor to 14 Ph.D. graduates. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Past honors include the 2003 Public Service Award from the State of Connecticut.

Anthony J. DeMaria

Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering President Lou Manzione, left, presents the Distinguished Service Award to Academy member Anthony J. DeMaria. (Photo: Frank LaBanca)

Tony DeMaria is a charter member of the Academy. He was elected to the governing council in 1992; served as the Academy’s fourth president from 1994 to 2000, and held the post of past president from 2000 to 2004.

During his presidency, DeMaria served as chair of the strategic planning committee that developed the Academy’s first long-range plan, providing a foundation for the academy as it is today. He also oversaw the first committee to recommend candidates for the Connecticut Medals of Science and Technology and in 2004, DeMaria himself was awarded the Connecticut Medal of Technology for his groundbreaking laser research.

DeMaria and his family came to the United States from Italy when he was just five years old. Growing up in Waterbury, he worked construction jobs to pay for his education. Always fascinated by science, DeMaria received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from UConn. He worked at Anderson Laboratories while pursuing a master’s degree in science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Hartford. DeMaria went on to earn a Ph.D. in electronics and physics at UConn. His 1965 thesis led to his greatest breakthrough in generating picosecond laser pulses, whose time durations lasted the time it takes light to travel the thickness of a sheet of paper. These ultrafast laser pulses made it possible to probe atoms and molecules and measure their relaxation rates, a discovery that led to overnight fame.

Dr. DeMaria had a 33-year career with the United Technologies Corporation before co-founding DeMaria ElectroOptics Systems, LLC (DEOS) in 1994 for the purpose of transferring laser radar technology to commercial use. In 2001, DEOS was acquired by Coherent, Inc., with DeMaria serving as chief scientist until his retirement in 2012. Coherent employs several hundred people in Bloomfield, Connecticut.

Dr. DeMaria holds 56 patents. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering (1976) and the National Academy of Sciences (1997) and a past president of the Optical Society of America and SPIE, the International Optics Society. He also served as Editor of the IEEE Quantum Electronics Journal for 10 years.

George ‘Bob’ Wisner

George “Bob” Wisner accepts the 2015 Distinguished Service Award at the May Annual Meeting and Dinner. ( Photo: Frank LaBanca)

George ‘Bob’ Wisner was elected by the Academy’s Governing Council to receive the Distinguished Service Award for his outstanding leadership within the Academy and for his exceptional contributions in support of the Academy’s mission through dedicated and outstanding leadership of the Connecticut Science and Engineering Fair (CSEF).

Wisner was elected to the Academy in 2007 and has served on three Study Committees: Rail Energy (2014); Weigh Station Technologies and Practices (2008); and Feasibility of Utilizing Fuel Cells to Generate Power for the New Haven Rail Line (2007). In 2010, he was elected to fill a vacancy on the Academy’s Council through 2014 and for a full term in 2015.

As Chairman and Director of CSEF, Wisner initiated the Urban School Challenge (USC) with support from the Academy’s Endowment Fund. The USC recognizes a middle school and high school student from an urban district. A past Connecticut Science Fair competitor, his volunteer support of CSEF began in the early seventies when his former 7th-grade science teacher asked him to become involved with the Advisory Council. Wisner became chairman of the CSEF board of directors in 1974 and CSEF Director in 1989.

While an electrical engineering student at UConn, Wisner joined the United Technologies Research Center (UTRC) – at the time known as United Aircraft Research Laboratories – as a summer intern in 1960 and continued full time as a research engineer upon graduation. At UTRC, he conducted research on high-energy lasers, adaptive optics, and power electronics. His research and product development efforts produced 15 patents. Wisner also led a research team in the development of an automated clinical gait analysis system used to evaluate children with cerebral palsy. Wisner finished the last four years of his UTC career at Otis Elevator as engineering manager for elevator drives, retiring in 1999. In addition to his science fair duties, he works as the Technology Director for Barker Mohandas-Vertical Transportation Consultants.

Edward Monahan

Distinguished Service Award winner Edward Monahan accepts the 2016 Award. (Photo: Frank LaBanca)

Edward C. Monahan was elected by the Academy’s Governing Council to receive the Distinguished Service Award for his outstanding leadership within the Academy, specifically for significant contributions through his 12 years of service as the CASE Bulletin Executive Editor ― Science.

Monahan was elected to the Academy in 1999 and has served as Executive Editor ― Science from 2004 to 2016. He is the longest-serving Executive Editor in the history of the publication, having exceeded the previous record of 10 years. He will retire from this role effective spring 2016. During his service, he provided expert scientific and technical advice, assisted in the selection of the feature articles, and reviewed each issue for high quality and to ensure that information of interest to the Bulletin readership was included and understandable to individuals with a wide range of backgrounds. In his capacity as Executive Editor, Professor Monahan also regularly attends and participates in quarterly meetings of the Academy’s Governing Council. Additionally, he has served as a study committee member on the CASE – Long Island Sound Symposium: A Study of Benthic Habitats (2004).

Ed received a Ph.D. from MIT, a DSc from the National University of Ireland, and is a Fellow of both the American Meteorological Society and the Acoustical Society of America. His research activities continue to center on investigations of those physical processes involved in the air-sea exchange. He has greatly enhanced the understanding of the role of bubbles in mediating the air-sea exchange of sea salt, moisture, heat, and gases, and while doing so has pointed out the significance of these air-sea interactions in the maintenance of the climate on earth.

For 20 years, he was the Director of the Connecticut Sea Grant Program and in retirement, currently serves as a Chairman of the Southeastern Connecticut Water Authority.

Nancy H. Ruddle

The Connecticut Medal of Science is the state’s highest honor for scientific achievement in fields crucial to Connecticut’s economic competitiveness and social well-being.

Modeled after the National Medal of Science, this award is bestowed by the State of Connecticut, with the assistance of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering, in alternate years with the Connecticut Medal of Technology.

This award is bestowed by the state of Connecticut, with the assistance of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering.

Nancy H. Ruddle, John Rodman Paul Professor Emerita, Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases and Immunobiology, Yale School of Public Health and Yale School of Medicine, has been selected as the 2021 recipient of the Connecticut Medal of Science.

NANCY H. RUDDLE
John Rodman Paul Professor Emerita, Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases and Immunobiology, Yale School of Public Health and Yale School of Medicine

Professor Ruddle is a pioneering immunologist who discovered lymphotoxin, an immune signaling molecule or cytokine, and demonstrated its roles and mechanisms in cytotoxicity, autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis and Type 1 diabetes, and in lymph node development. Her work was fundamental to the understanding of tertiary lymphoid organs, accumulations of lymphoid cells that are damaging in autoimmunity but can be key to defense against microorganisms and tumors.

Professor Ruddle’s discoveries have profound implications for the understanding and treating of autoimmune diseases, organ transplantation, and cancer. Before the tools of molecular biology were available, she developed T cell clones and realized that the cytotoxic factor she discovered was a combination of the cytokines lymphotoxin and tumor necrosis factor (TNF). Lymphotoxin was one of the first cytokines to be discovered; now there are hundreds. Her findings that cytokines can induce apoptosis (programmed cell death) and contribute to autoimmune diseases changed thinking in the field.

“Connecticut has a rich history of being home to some of the nation’s leading scientists who are making revolutionary discoveries that have global impacts,” Governor Ned Lamont said. “Our state’s scientific community reflects our legacy of research and innovation. Professor Ruddle’s paradigm-shifting contributions to our understanding of the immune system, and infectious and autoimmune diseases is a shining example. On behalf of the entire state, I want to thank Professor Ruddle for her more than 50-year career — all of which has been spent in Connecticut — and congratulate her on receiving Connecticut’s highest honor for scientific achievement.”

Professor Ruddle earned a BA in Zoology from Mt. Holyoke College and a Ph.D. in Microbiology from Yale University. She received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Cytokine Society and was its President and has served as a role model for and made numerous contributions throughout her career to advancing women. Dr. Ruddle co-authored a textbook on Immunoepidemiology, the first textbook written on this subject. She has authored or co-authored over 200 publications, spanning primary research, reviews, and commentaries. Her publication on the crucial role of lymphotoxin in lymphoid organ development was chosen as a “Pillars in Immunology” paper in the Journal of the American Association of Immunologists and the paper led to a new field of study.

Dr. Ruddle and her late husband, Dr. Frank Ruddle raised 2 daughters in New Haven – Amy Ruddle Shohet of San Carlos, CA, and Kate Ruddle of Montpelier, VT. Dr. Ruddle has 3 grandchildren-Alexis, Calista, and Leo Shohet.

Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin Company

The Connecticut Medal of Technology, the state’s highest honor for technologic achievement, is awarded to individuals, teams, and companies/non-profits or divisions of companies/non-profits for their outstanding contributions to the economic, environmental, and social well-being of Connecticut and the nation through the promotion of technology, technological innovation, or the development of the technological workforce.

The Connecticut Medals of Science and Technology are awarded in alternate years by the state of Connecticut. The Connecticut Medals are modeled after the National Medal of Science and National Medal of Technology and Innovation awarded annually by the president of the United States.

This award is bestowed by the state of Connecticut, with the assistance of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering.

Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin Company, has been selected as the 2020 recipient of the Connecticut Medal of Technology.

Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin Company, is the 2020 recipient of the Connecticut Medal of Technology in recognition of X2 Technology, a generational leap in rotary-wing innovation that enables helicopters to complete tasks traditional helicopters can’t today. X2 Technology consists of an integrated package of technologies that make X2 aircraft faster, more agile, and more maneuverable than other helicopters.

Sikorsky has been a leader in aviation and innovation ever since Igor Sikorsky founded Sikorsky Aero Engineering Corporation in 1923. Sikorsky helicopters have transported every U.S. president since 1957 and have also fulfilled aviation needs across all branches of the military. In 2004, engineers started work on X2 Technology to overcome the speed and stability limitations of prior helicopters. These limits drove Sikorsky engineers to completely rethink the typical design of a helicopter. X2 Technology consists of: counter-rotating rigid rotor blades, fly-by-wire flight controls, hub drag reduction, active vibration control, and an integrated auxiliary propulsion system.

In 2010, Sikorsky’s X2 Technology Demonstrator reached 250 knots, before its final flight the program was honored with a prestigious Collier Award, which recognizes the greatest achievements in aeronautics or astronautics in America. Sikorsky donated the aircraft to the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. The Company’s work then shifted to address the U.S. Army’s future vertical lift needs. The S-97 RAIDER is the second X2-based helicopter. Sikorsky’s newest design, RAIDER X is based on this design and will contend for the Army’s Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) program. Sikorsky, in partnership with Boeing, developed the SB>1 DEFIANT, a larger design that is now in flight test and informing the Army’s Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) program. The evolution of X2 Technology through each phase of design and flight test have proven the scalability of this game-changing technology.
“Sikorsky engineers represent the most innovative minds in our industry,” said Dan Schultz, Sikorsky President. “Their passion for excellence continues to expand the boundaries of helicopter speed and maneuverability. I am extremely proud that our team’s work has paved the way to meet the needs of the Army’s Future Vertical Lift program.”

Sikorsky’s engineering and manufacturing expertise is a significant economic force in the state, with currently 7,900 CT-based employees. X2 Technology will directly benefit the state’s economy.

“Connecticut is proud to award the 2020 Connecticut Medal of Technology to Sikorsky,” said Governor Ned Lamont. “Connecticut is home to the nation’s most innovative and talented aerospace and defense manufacturers and suppliers— and companies like Sikorsky keep us competitive by continuously providing exciting new opportunities for top engineering and science graduates from our state’s colleges and universities. Sikorsky is to be congratulated for their ongoing innovations and commitment to the state of Connecticut and our workforce.”

Pasko Rakic

Connecticut Medal of Science Winner Pasko Rakic with CASE President Baki Cetgen, left, Connecticut Department of Administrative Services Commissioner Josh Geballe, 2nd from right, and Robert Schoelkopf, 2017 Medalist. (Photo: A. Bramante and K.Otsuka)

As a child during World War II in the former Yugoslavia, Pasko Rakic relied on reading to help escape the tragedy and sadness of losing his grandfather, uncle, and cousins. Although his parents did not have university educations, they loved and collected books. An avid reader, Rakic often read subjects above his age level, including entries from the encyclopedia. He also enjoyed painting and creating wooden models of trucks and airplanes, particularly since toys were not available during the war. Later, Rakic attended an Austro-Hungarian-style high school that emphasized classics, literature, and philosophy. He was an exceptional student who enjoyed vigorous discussions, often taking positions against the authorities and established dogmas. His independent thinking eventually led him to a medical breakthrough in the understanding of neural cell development, making him the “single most important contributor to our current understanding of the development of the cerebral cortex.”

Professor Rakic entered medical school at the University of Belgrade, where he was exposed to the work of Nobel Prize winner Santiago Ramón y Cajal, considered the father of neuroscience. Professor Ramón y Cajal wrote articles accompanied by detailed illustrations of complex nerve cells that sparked Rakic’s interest. After receiving his MD, Rakic began a neurosurgery residency in Belgrade, and in 1962 he was awarded a Fulbright fellowship in neurosurgery at Harvard University. There, he met neuropathologist Paul Yakovlev, who introduced him to the “joys of studying the development of the human brain.” Since Rakic believed he could achieve a deeper understanding of neural development through research rather than surgery, he returned to the University of Belgrade and earned a Ph.D. in developmental biology and genetics in 1969. His thesis provided the first experimental evidence that “cerebral cortex neurons do not generate locally but arrive in the cortex through a process of migration.” He returned to Harvard and continued research that led to the discovery that stem cells, which produce neurons, guide their progeny to proper positions in the brain. Professor Rakic “defined molecular mechanisms and proposed nomenclature for these developmental events that have been adopted as a generic blueprint for the evolution of the vertebrate nervous system.”

In 1978, Rakic was recruited to Yale as the Dorys McConnell Duberg Professor of Neuroscience and Professor of Neurology. At Yale, he continued to study brain development, discovering evidence that the number of neurons and their connections decline selectively to adult levels during puberty and adolescence. The processes he has identified influence our understanding of developmental disorders of childhood, including autism and intellectual disabilities. His observations have also informed our understanding of psychiatric and neurologic disorders of adulthood including schizophrenia, dementia, and epilepsy.

Professor Rakic is one of the founding recipients of the Kavli Prize, considered the most prominent neuroscience prize in the world. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, American Academy of Science, National Academy of Medicine, and of numerous foreign academies. He has mentored some of the most transformative neuroscientists in the world, including Professor Carla Schatz, Director of the Bio-X Initiative at Stanford University; Professor Pat Levitt, Simms/Mann Professor of Developmental Neuroscience at USC; and Professor Nenad Sestan at Yale, who leads the nation’s largest initiative on the molecular signatures of primate and human brain development.

Professor Rakic advises young people to select “some basic conceptual question and/or specific disease, rather than focusing on the methodology and the latest techniques.” As he notes, methods change, but basic biological questions remain, and “we in basic science are lucky, like artists, to work on not what we are told, but on what we are interested in.” He would like to someday be remembered as a self-made scientist who took advantage of the freedom and opportunities that were offered in the United States to pursue his interests and to do what he desired.

This summary, written by Wendy Swift, was produced for the Connecticut Science Center Medal Project.