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Advancement is Making Advances!

Our partners in University Advancement continue to make strides in generating philanthropic support to make the SECCM programs even stronger than they already are. The first cohort of Shawmut Scholars has graduated, and Shawmut Design and Construction has agreed to renew the partnership to provide scholarships, professional development, and mentorship to students, enabling them to succeed academically and professionally. For the Fall 2025 semester, the �鶹ɫ��Ƭ Shawmut Scholars program will provide four scholarships to incoming first-year students majoring in construction management or to business or architecture majors who commit to minoring in construction management.  University Advancement and SECCM are also proud to announce the creation of the Claris Design Build Endowed Scholarship and Experiential Learning Fund, which was established by Claris CEO Phil Clark. This fund will support CM scholarships and provide a Dean’s discretionary fund for experiential learning projects, particularly those focused on Design-Build.

That’s Music to Our Ears!

Have you ever noticed that many technically oriented individuals also have legit musical skills?  This is certainly exemplified by two of the faculty members of the Engineering program, Drs. Lily Jeznach and Charlie Thomas.  They actually play together in the Fall River Symphony Orchestra – Dr. Jeznach on trumpet, and Dr. Thomas on French horn.  This group practices weekly and performs several times a year.  They would love to see any member of the �鶹ɫ��Ƭ community at any of their performances.

How long have you each been playing?

Dr. J.  - I started playing trumpet in 4th grade, but started on piano at around 5 years old. Music has always been a big part of my life (my parents are both musicians), and it's served as an important creative outlet for me throughout the years.

Dr. T. - I started playing trumpet in 4th grade (~9 years old), thanks to the opportunity in my public elementary school for lessons during school that were open to anyone who wanted (we would be called out of class for ~15-minute lessons with the music teacher).  I did not realize how precious this opportunity was until I was older, when it was not an option for my kids - I thought ALL elementary schools did it.

I switched to French horn because my high school was given one from a local church, and we had no French horn players.  It also was a result of my vanity - I was not satisfied with my grade in band class the first quarter of the marking period, so I thought if I took up the French horn, I could stand out a bit more and get a better grade if I showed how hard I could work.

Do you see connections between being a musician and being an engineer?

Dr. J. - The most obvious connection between music and engineering is the math! Rhythms, counting, and the theory behind musical sound and what sounds good are all mathematical when it comes down to it. Playing in an orchestra requires technical skills to play the instrument and read the music but also requires listening to others playing different parts and teamwork to make something cohesive. These skills are critical in engineering projects too!  Engineering and playing music are also creative!

Dr. T. - Absolutely. A few come to mind, some obvious, others less so:

1. Group Work:  The orchestra or band or whatever group you are in is comprised of individuals, and it takes work to get the group to work together.  In the case of music this often leads to a performance; for the engineer a new product, process or system.
2. Reading Specifications: Some composers mark their compositions with many notations of how they want a passage to be performed, sometimes in subtle ways.  The engineer in this case could be the composer communicating to the user how to use a product or process, OR the engineer might be the musician interpreting the instructions written by a designer.
3. Multiple Solutions:  There are often multiple ways to approach playing something on the French horn - for example, the same note can be fingered two different ways.  Selecting the one that is used is a process of testing and refining.
4. Communication:  A musical group communicates with an audience in a performance, but for the most part they are right next to each other, so the musician has to imagine what their playing sounds like in the context of all of the other players at the location of the audience members and then adjust so that it sounds good to the audience, even if it is awkward for the musician.  This is like the engineer who has to write for an audience they will only ever interact with via their writing - in this case they are not only not in the same place, but also potentially removed in time!

All members of the SECCM and �鶹ɫ��Ƭ communities – alumni, faculty, staff, or current students – are encouraged to attend a FRSO performance!

SECCM Students Rise to Graduate

The final seven participants in the RISE Scholars Program, including SECCM students Isabel Cyr, Waldino Joseph, Ashlee Lewandoski, and Danielle Woodard, graduated from �鶹ɫ��Ƭ!  Supported by a $999,999 grant from the National Science Foundation and co-led by Engineering Professor Bill Palm, the RISE program provided scholarships and academic enrichment to support students as they prepare to enter Research and Industry in Science and Engineering.  Since 2019 the program has included a total of twenty students, all of whom have graduated in the STEM major in which they started.  All but one of the thirteen previous graduates are either employed or in graduate programs in STEM fields.  With the last few graduates now starting their own careers, Palm and co-directors Brian Wysor, Karen Bilotti, and Tracey McDonnell Wysor will be sifting through piles of data to determine what factors contributed most to the RISE Scholars’ remarkable success.  Other than their talent and drive, of course!  Congratulations not only to the graduates but also to the faculty and staff program leaders!

SECCM Faculty Authors New Textbook

Associate Professor of Engineering Maija Benitz spent her Fall 2024 sabbatical writing an open textbook titled .  “My goal was to make my class more equitable, affordable, sustainable, and dynamic. In the past, the course relied on an awkward patchwork of five texts, many of which were not written for an undergraduate audience, and in some cases not even for engineers,” said Dr. Benitz.

Under the Open Education Resources (OER) framework, the open textbook is by definition made freely available to the wider ocean engineering community. “While the project was motivated by wanting to improve my teaching and enhance my students’ learning, the open textbook will hopefully benefit students and instructors beyond the walls of �鶹ɫ��Ƭ, as well as practicing engineers looking to enhance their knowledge of marine applications,” added Dr. Benitz.

The book’s Creative Commons license also allows other educators, students, and practicing engineers to share and adapt the text.  Dr. Benitz looks forward to using the textbook while teaching ENGR 448 Ocean Hydrodynamics this coming fall.

Building Bridges, Racing Canoes – and Having a Ton of Fun!

For the first time in several years, �鶹ɫ��Ƭ Engineering students participated in both the ASCE steel bridge and concrete canoe competitions that were held this year in Amherst, MA, in April.  Steel bridge was an Engineering capstone design project, and concrete canoe was run through the student chapter of ASCE.  Students on both teams not only participated in the design and construction but also worked with local firms to support their efforts through donations of materials and funds.  The concrete canoe team placed sixth out of twelve teams; unfortunately, the steel bridge team was disqualified (despite the team’s record assembly time at the competition and no sway) due to not withstanding the required load (those darn connections!).  Both projects were mentored by Engineering faculty member Dr. Nicole Martino; students and faculty are already gearing up for next year’s competition!

Says graduating senior Tom Curcio (Civil Specialization), “It was a great experience that expanded my knowledge and taught me new skills. Learning to weld for the bridge was definitely one of my highlights out of the projects. But overall, just going into something and not really knowing what to do but trying things and figuring it out was a great learning experience. We got great guidance from our faculty advisor, Dr. Martino, as well as many other faculty throughout the course of the projects. I wish I could do it again, especially knowing what I know now from the first time. I am also grateful for the friends I made along the way. We had started out as teammates but became a close group of friends by the end of it. I know I will definitely be keeping in touch with everyone from both the canoe and the bridge.”

Added graduating senior Caylin Schnoor (Civil Specialization), “My participation in the Steel Bridge and Concrete Canoe Competitions represented one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of my academic career at �鶹ɫ��Ƭ. The success of our team was the culmination of several months of research, technical development, skill acquisition, and hard work. One of the most personally gratifying aspects was serving as the team captain for the Steel Bridge Competition. Leading peers who ultimately became close friends through competition day provided me the opportunity to practice real-world engineering skills. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to contribute to such a collaborative and transformative project.”

Added Dr. Martino, “The students that participated in the Concrete Canoe and Steel Bridge Competitions were the first in over six years and I couldn’t be prouder of them. Both teams started from scratch, spending endless hours researching, designing, testing, and fabricating.  The end results were beyond impressive, standing out in a number of categories like swamp testing and the women’s sprint races (concrete canoe) and construction time and sway testing (steel bridge). The work that these teams completed has provided a significant groundwork for the next set of competing teams.”