permit no. 1778 tech times - bthsalumni.org

Tech Times

The magazine ofThe Brooklyn Tech Alumni FoundationThe magazine ofThe Brooklyn Tech Alumni Foundation

Fall 2010

2Brooklyn Tech Alumni Foundation, Inc.29 Fort Greene Place • Brooklyn, NY 11217www.bthsalumni.org

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDBrooklyn, NY

Permit No. 1778

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i n g E x c E l l E ncE21/21

Fall 2010

The magazine of The Brooklyn Tech Alumni Foundation

Tech Times2

Contents

Brooklyn Tech Alumni Foundation, Inc.

29 Fort Greene Place Brooklyn, NY 11217

www.bthsalumni.org

Inside Tech 2 From the Alumni Foundation 5Principal’s Letter 5Donors’ Honor Roll 22

6Online ClassroomTechnology transforms teaching, learning…even homework.

14Triple Playmarc Williams’ BThs résumé: student, teacher, assistant principal.

it’s 4:23 p.m., and most teenagers are hanging with friends or video games. Not at Tech.

20Extra Curricular

Architect Tony schirripa ’67 is creating a model for alumni involvement.

18Leading By Design Tech’s class of 2010 heads for the nation’s top colleges

this fall. meet five of the brightest, hardest working, most motivated young people you’ll ever find.

8Perfect ’10s

A dean with a camera and a creative eye prowls the building, looking not for wayward students but for the beauty in the bricks and mortar.

12Tech As Art

thE 21/21 campaign for Brooklyn tEch

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This symbol on a story inside indicates student programs supported by Sustaining Excellence –

The 21/21 Campaign for Brooklyn Tech.

etermined to “align our curricula to the needs and expectations of industry and academia,” Prin-cipal Randy Asher has reached out to one of the nation’s leading engineering schools, the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA).

The Academy has agreed to support the recently revived Aerospace Engineering major and to serve on its advisory committee. Also under discussion are plans to create professional development relationships between Tech teachers and Academy professors, and to develop enrichment projects for technology, computer science and robotics courses that could have direct applications for the Navy. Concurrently, the USNA has set its radar on Tech as it searches for a new generation of national leaders. Davede Alex-ander, the Director of Strategic Outreach for the USNA, refers to this emerging relationship as a “match made in heaven.” Mr. Alexander has made presentations at Tech, organized tours of the Academy and pro-moted summer programs in search of candidates who have the “moral, mental and physical” qualities required to succeed at Annapolis. As a result, four 2010 graduates headed to Annapolis in July. They are (above left to right): Sami Zahzouhi, Gilesa Allison, Pierre Ramos, and Nathalia Perez. In addition, Warren Benfield has been accepted to the USNA Preparatory School.

Naval maneuvers

Jumaane Williams ’94 voted onto City Council

ElEctEd,rejected, respected

iding the A train to Brooklyn Tech, Jumaane Williams ’94 could tell from the textbooks his friends at other schools carried that they were not receiving an education as first-rate as his. The inequal-ity bothered him, and was one of the factors leading him to eventually pursue a career in social justice and community activism. That career path has now taken him to a seat on the New York City Council, his first elective office. In his new role, Council Member Williams has quickly become a frequent and popular visitor to Tech, with his ringing refrain to students of “Don’t be afraid to fail.” It is a message born from his experiences both at Tech and in life. Williams was soundly trounced in his first run for public office – he ran for school board and finished 12th in a field of 13. At Tech, and through-out life, he faced the challenges of Tourette’s Syndrome head on. To win election to the Council, he had to overcome long odds and oust an incumbent. “I wasn’t supposed to win,” he says. Council Member Williams chairs the Council’s Oversight and

Investigation Committee, and serves on the committees for youth services, higher education, immigration, housing & buildings, land use and the subcom-mittee on landmarks, public siting and maritime uses. “I have always wanted to effect change,” he says. “Electoral politics is a great way to implement the things you are fighting for.” He is deeply concerned about the quality of public education in the United States, and worries that budget cutbacks will lead to further decline. It doesn’t have to be that way, he believes: “The City University of New York had its greatest expansion during the Great Depression. Education is not an economic issue.” Council Member Williams’ message to his fellow alumni of all eras: “Keep on track with the students who are going through what we did, and help them out.”

Architectural Renderings: Mancini Duffy

year after its launch, the Ike Heller ’43 Center for Computer Integrated Manufacturing and Robotics first stage is operational, even as plans move ahead for the Center’s con-tinued growth to meet rapidly evolving industry standards. Students majoring in Industrial Design and Electro-Mechan-ical Engineering are designing parts as well as programming automated computer numerical control (CNC) machinery and robotic arms to produce those parts. Using a “soup to nuts” approach, students are challenged to identify real-world problems and then design, build, test and market product solutions. Products range from a suction

device that inserts contact lenses, to a four-colors-in-one dry erase marker, to a noise reduction headphone system for concerts. Students currently use retro-fitted ’70s and ’80s era equipment that introduces them to automated manufacturing. However, lead teacher Todd Losey is helping plan an updated Center that will feature a high-precision lathe, a fully enclosed CNC milling machine and robotic arms that communicate with each other and other machines to perform fully automated processes comparable to work in modern manufacturing centers.

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HELLErcENtEr

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ReallyRobotic

it’s happening at fort greeneplace29

Tech Times2

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thE 21/21 campaign for Brooklyn

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From the Alumni Foundation

I have the honor and privilege of serving as the 11th appointed principal of this magnificent institution. Brooklyn Technical High School’s mission is to inspire and chal-lenge our students to maximize their talents for the benefit of society. We educate students in pre-engineering, the technologies, the scienc-es, and mathematics with a significant emphasis on the humanities. With an ethical foundation throughout the curricula, we will prepare our students to enroll in the most competitive colleges and universities. Relying heavily on an interdisciplinary curriculum, we will prepare our graduates to become academic, business and community leaders for the 21st century. Tech has evolved throughout the years. Major programs have expanded in some areas, declined in others. Iconic courses like Foundry and Industrial Processes have yielded over time to new course sequences such as Project Lead the Way, Design and Drafting for Production, and Computer Integrated Manufacturing, consistent with in-dustry expectations of today. Future courses at Tech will continue to evolve as cutting-edge, engaging classes recognized by both industry and higher academia as part of the solution to our national shortage of engineers and applied scientists. The single greatest resource of our nation is the untapped minds of our most tal-ented students. Innovation and leadership remain the cornerstones of our economy. You, as Technites, have been a significant part of the solution for generations. Our students are the future. They will innovate, enhance and lead the way for all to follow. They, as you – their predecessors – have done, will change the world. With the unprecedented support of the Alumni Foundation we are making sig-nificant progress in improving our facilities. The Norman Keller ’54 - Denise Sobel Instructional Technology Center is state-of-the-art, and surpasses professional develop-ment environments found in most university settings. The Con Edison Environmental Science & Engineering Lab, the DeMatteis Architecture and Design Studio, our digital animation laboratory, and the Ike Heller ’43 Center for Computer Integrated Manu-facturing and Robotics provide exemplary learning environments for our students. One of Tech’s greatest resources is our alumni. While financial donations are always welcome (and sorely needed), there are numerous ways to contribute. Hiring student interns, serving in an advisory capacity for our major programs, speaking at Career Day, supporting individual projects, and mentoring research students, are but a few. Please visit our website at www.bths.edu to learn more about Tech and our programs. I implore you to get involved and stay involved with Tech. To offer our students the same type of unparalleled educational experience you had, we need your help. We cannot do it alone. Our 21/21 Campaign needs your help. Please, “Reach with me.”

Welcome to the 2010 issue of TechTimes (T2 for short), the magazine of the Brooklyn Tech Alumni Foundation. Inside, you’ll meet some of the brightest, most talented and motivated people ever to graduate from Brooklyn Tech. No, not the legendary Hall of Fame members, but teenagers, from the Class of 2010. You’ll see how technology is transforming secondary education, with Tech in the forefront. You’ll read about a Technite who tackled the challenge of Tourette’s Syndrome – to not only succeed, but win election to the New York City Council. You’ll learn how Tech partners with the U.S. Naval Acad-emy on extraordinary opportunities for students. These are new chapters in the saga of Brooklyn Tech’s ongoing pursuit of excellence. “Sustaining Excellence: The 21/21 Cam-paign for Brooklyn Tech” has been created to raise $21 million toward that 21st century pursuit. The 21/21 Campaign will enhance curricu-lum and facilities, provide deeper faculty support and development, and enable a transformational learning experience inside and outside the class-room. We urge you to give what you can now, with the enclosed envelope. Throughout this issue, you will see evidence of how your contributions have directly impacted Brooklyn Tech for the better. The people and pro-grams in this issue were supported by alumni generosity. In today’s challenging times, this is more critical than ever. Public funding is never enough, even in the best of times, to provide a cutting-edge, technology-centered education in today’s world. After more than a quarter century support-ing our alma mater, we can report with confi-dence that the Tech vision and mission have never been in better shape, by any measure: the school’s innovative leadership, its dedicated faculty, and of course, the stellar achievements of today’s 5,000 Technites. Don’t take our word for it – come see for yourself. We are happy to provide alumni tours of the exciting changes at Brooklyn Tech. Call us at (718) 797-2285 to plan a visit home.

From the Principal

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it’s happening at fort greeneplace29

Tech Times2

randy asher

t reads like a movie-of-the-week screenplay: A new principal with a love for wres-tling creates a team at an academic high school, but after one successful year, the coach steps down. The principal, committed to finding an adequate replacement, urges a junior faculty member to lead the team. The only problem is this soft-spoken teacher’s background is in martial arts, not wres-

tling, and the skeptical team members know it. The coach proceeds to win the trust of his wrestlers, and they miraculously defeat all comers on their way to a city champion-ship showdown against the top-seeded rival. Unlike Hollywood endings, the underdog Engineers did not win the city championship. They lost to Curtis High School by a razor-thin 39-29 margin. The humble coach, Matthew Torres, a third-

year physical education teacher, refused to take credit for his team’s success, preferring to cite the contributions of founding coach, Gene Brutus, assistant coach Chris Lacarrubba and the great work ethic of his young wrestlers. With a strong core of returning sophomores and juniors, Coach Torres is shooting for nothing less than a city championship this year.

takE hold

Industrialstrength

Rizzuto ’56 Supports Ties to Business

cInderella wrestlers

n 2008, consumer products leader Leandro Rizzuto ’56 (Conair, Cuisinart) sent the Alumni Foundation an exceptionally generous contribution to help Brook-lyn Tech upgrade technology and re-establish its historically strong connections with industry for the benefit of students. Two years later, multiple initiatives are realizing Mr. Rizzuto’s vision. These funds have made possible the highly successful Career Day, now a signature Alumni Foundation event, which each year brings successful alums back to Tech to discuss their college and career paths with hundreds of today’s students. This event led to the piloting of a job shadowing program where stu-dents spend a day at work with Career Day participants. Mr. Rizzuto’s generosity has also contributed to the creation of more than 200 internship opportunities for Tech students with companies and organizations such as Con Edison, the NYC Department of Transportation, Mancini Duffy, KSW Mechanical and Pennoni Consulting Engineers. These funds also led to the creation of alumni advisory groups for the Archi-tecture, Civil Engineering and Law and Society majors. In these advisory groups, Tech alumni who are leaders in their fields work with Tech’s administration and faculty to help align curriculum to industry standards. Plans are underway to expand this strategy to other majors. Alumni interest-ed in forming new advisory groups to support additional majors are encouraged to contact the Alumni Foundation office at (718) 797-2285 or [email protected].

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Career Day has become a major annual event for Technites past and present


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johnlyons ’66

achilles perry ’58

mathew mandery ’61

chairman President chief executive Officer


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ech students can no longer assume no one will notice if they arrive late to school and skip their first class. With a few mouse clicks and keyboard strokes, teachers can instantly see exactly when tardy students enter the building, notify parents of the misdeed, and, if need be, automatically translate the news into mom’s or dad’s na-tive language. And Tech teachers need no longer as-sume that complex concepts will elude the

grasp of any stu-dent. Technology teacher Park Fung recalls how difficult it had been to ex-plain, using black-board sketches and lecture notes, con-cepts related to three dimensional images.

He uses software to manipulate 3D images on a screen – making the concept “one that many students now instantly understand.” A new generation of computer-based teaching tools is profoundly changing how business is conducted at Brooklyn Tech. The new technology is transforming how teachers teach and students learn. It is also helping teachers reach more of their stu-dents, extending learning outside the class-room and maximizing use of classroom time. And it is making the learning process

more transparent between teachers, stu-dents, administrators and parents. As a result of these changes, “Brook-lyn Tech is very 21st century, very cutting edge,” says Dennis M. Robbins, Associate Professor of Science Education at Hunter College, who trains Tech teachers in using the new technology.

Targeted strategy These new tools have not just magi-cally appeared in the classrooms and labo-ratories of Brooklyn Tech. They have been introduced as part of a targeted strategy by a new administration of tech-savvy leaders, and supported by the Brooklyn Tech Alum-ni Foundation through a grant from Norm Keller ’54 and his wife, Denise Sobel. Alumni donations have funded profes-sional development workshops for physics

arents of today’s Technites can no longer assume that when their children are online,

they are playing games or gossiping on social networks. They may well be conducting an interactive physics lab or checking out solutions to complex problems on their teacher’s website. As Irfa Khan ’11 confirms, “When I do not understand a topic or homework question, I can instant message my teacher or other students and ask for help.”

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P(Re-)

Engineering

EducationComputer-based methods

are profoundly transforming teaching and learning at Brooklyn Tech — in

all disciplines

Opposite: Student Anna Slabovik performs a laser refraction and reflection experiment. Before entering the lab, physics students simulate complex exercises like this online to test their hypoth-eses, using software provided by alumni donations. Above: Physics lab now starts out online.

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ver nine decades, many generations of young people have swarmed through the hallways of Brooklyn Tech. The differences be-tween then – whichever era of Tech was yours – and now are obvious. But stop to ask today’s Technites about their aspirations, and you might discover that, beyond the iPods and IM’s, despite CAD replacing IP, some things are timeless.

Five graduating seniors reflect on the Tech experience. They could be your younger siblings, your children, or your grandchildren.

Or, they could be you.

T2: You’re all nearing the finish line, af-ter four years of remarkable academic ac-complishments – full of confidence, ready to take on the world. But can you still re-member what it felt like as a freshman to walk into Brooklyn Tech for the first time?Nicholette: The sheer size of the building. I felt like an ant. I thought I was going to be confused for the next four years.Christine: My first day I cried my eyes out. Everything seemed like it was going to be so much.Jonathan: It was daunting. I remem-ber my first couple times trying to get from Basement North, the old or-chestra room, up to Six South, my bio room. It was almost impossible.T2: And then you had a commute to face. What has that been like?Izzy: I live in Queens, so it’s the 7 train. Anyone in Queens knows the 7 train nev-er works. It’s always breaking down. So I need an hour and 15 minutes every day. I have to get up at 5:30.T2: Sorry to hear it. Does anyone top that?Jonathan: I get up at five, but for other

reasons. I have a relatively short commute, 35 minutes. But I get up at five to study.T2: How do Technites use their time on the subway these days?Jonathan: If I’m not reading some English assignment to keep up or get ahead, I’m designing stuff in my head, or sleeping.Izzy: If you’re not studying or reading, for me it’s just that one hour and 15 minutes of your day when you have nothing to do. No thinking, nothing. Because when from the minute you get into Tech to the mo-

ment your head hits the pillow, it’s just, like, straight thinking. Christine: Now that I’m in the school play, Swee-ney Todd, usually

I’m memorizing my lines.T2: How typically Tech. Not just your use of travel time, but how you came into a big school feeling intimidated. Then you find your activity – soccer, drama. Did anyone else experience that?Kevin: I joined my first club rather later into my freshman year. One of my friends was a co-founder of a Save Darfur club. So I just joined it to see what would happen.

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the kIds are alrIght

“Organic chemistry test tomorrow — it’s three in the morning and everyone’s webcamming, trying to

figure it out. The entire class.”

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ing to go right back… I tried it once and I will never try it again. T2: Speaking of college, how competitive is the Tech environment today? Are you all trying to outdo each other to get a step ahead in the race to college? Nicholette: I feel it’s more a bond than being competitive. Everyone’s going through the same thing. So yeah, you want to get the 95, but at the same time you don’t want to see your friend crying. Izzy: When you’re in junior high, you’re usually among the smartest kids. But when you get to Tech, everyone is smart. Trying to beat everyone is impossible. You’re going to kill yourself.T2: Do Tech kids study and work together these days?Nicholette: It’s, like, virtual study groups. We don’t actually go to the library, but we have Facebook, chat rooms, webcams. We make it happen.Izzy: Organic chemistry is known to be one of the hardest subjects that Tech teach-es. And we have this test tomor-row and the en-tire class is clueless. Like, what is this structure that I’m looking at? And it’s three in the morning and everyone’s webcamming trying to figure it out. The entire class. You get a bond with your en-tire class. It’s just like, let’s all figure this out together. I don’t want anyone to fail – we all want to pass.T2: Doesn’t anyone ever feel tempted to slack off a bit, just once in a while? Nicholette: Everyone knows Ms. A…. We all complain about her, but when you finally survive it, you realize that she was just one of those teachers that wasn’t going to accept anything less. Because we all go to Tech, we’re all capable of doing it. And she wasn’t going to accept anything less, no matter if she had to yell at us, she had to scream in our faces – no matter what it took, she knew we were capable of it. You have to realize yourself that you’re capable of it. T2: What else did you learn from your teachers and classes, besides the subject matter?Izzy: Well, I took organic chemistry and I guess the biggest thing I learned from that is I’m not good at organic chemistry. [laughs] So I don’t want to do it in col-lege. Just because you think you want to

do something with biology or medicine doesn’t mean you have to be a doctor. There are so many different fields. I can mix business and medicine. I can go into hospital administration. It teaches you that there isn’t just doctor, law-yer, engineer, architect. There are a lot of different things you can do.T2: You’ve all worked so hard, slept so little and accomplished so much. But you almost didn’t have to – you are so bright, you could have coasted through another high school, come out with great grades, and maybe had time for more social and recreational experiences. And you all probably knew that four years ago before you came. Why did you do it? What drives you? Christine: I know this is going to sound

so cheesy but it’s because Tech kids are promised a fu-ture. That sounds so cheesy.Nicholette: I think that’s exactly it. We could have done

what you described – but that’s just way too easy. Why would I want to go to an-other school where senior year, I would get out by twelve o’clock, have absolutely no homework, go home…and do what? Watch TV? What are you going to do? It’s just boring. It’s way too easy. I think the one thing about Tech students is that we actually like to be challenged. Why else would we apply to a specialized high school? We applied because we knew, “Okay, I want something better.” T2: Is that what gets someone up to answer the alarm at three, or five, in the morning? Nicholette: You get up because you don’t want to fail. It’s this expectation of, I’m here, I have this opportunity, let me make the best of it. This might be my one chance, so I want to make the best of it. You don’t want to fail, you don’t want to let yourself down, you don’t want to let other people down. So you take the op-portunity and you run with it.

T2: Any final thoughts as the time ap-proaches for you to head out those big doors for the last time? Kevin: Tech – it means being atypical. I guess part of being atypical is the sense

of accomplishment and achievement you get after doing something that you really work hard for. You may not enjoy the pro-cess of going through that achievement. But by the end, with all that you got through, that sense of, “I’ve finally completed what I wanted to do,” makes us different. Christine: When you come here and do what

you’re supposed to – running the late night, putting in that effort, there’s no way to go but a successful path. In civil engineering, I don’t know what oth-er school would take you into Fort Greene, allow you to survey the land, check elevation, look at beams, allow you to analyze – re-ally become familiar with what you’re doing. It gives you such hands-on ex-perience. Going to college there will be no shocks, because Tech has given you a taste of what you’ll be doing in your profes-sion. The teachers love what they do, gen-

uinely care about their students, and it shows. It helps you become more determined to con-tinue with what you want to do. We were promised success coming to

Tech; there’s no way you could leave emp-ty-handed. It’s like a good tree produces good fruit. Here, we’re meant to just be good and succeed.

But now I do National Honor Society work; it’s the bulk of my time now. I’m currently the president.T2: How did you go from being a member to being the president?Kevin: Well, I started doing the many events that NHS has throughout the year, and it was pretty fun and interesting. So I thought, wouldn’t it be cool to hold an

executive position and see what it’s like to lead an organization and give a shot at your leadership skills; see what potential it has for yourself and for the school? Jonathan: I’ve al-ways been fascinated by mechanical stuff, like since I was really young. I heard about the robotics team, and

I said, “Hey, I might as well drop by, see if it’s anything I want to do.” I walked in the room and it’s, bam! I’ve been with them ever since. Nicholette: For me, being on the soccer team made the school seem smaller because you have the group of 15 girls always there – and the coach. Christine: Besides performing arts, I’m a member of the National Society of Black Engineers. I feel like a family there.

T2:What impressions will you take away from Tech? When you’re in a late night bull session in college this fall and someone asks you what high school was like, what will you say? Kevin: You start learning about yourself and your own capabilities as you start ex-ploring the options that Tech offers – the different classes, the multitude of clubs available. And you start discovering what your own interests are, and what you could possibly do for the future. Yeah. Nicholette: I think the best part about Tech was the people. You meet that group of friends who are always there for you. And then you meet the teachers – they’re not going to baby you, they’re going to push you so you know what you’re capa-ble of. In junior high you were probably

one of the smarter kids – you come here and everyone’s smart. So you need people to push you to show that you can go past your limits. Izzy: Before Tech I was shy; I wasn’t very independent. My parents always told me what to do. Tech puts you out in the real world. Tech taught me how to take care of myself; it taught me how to have my own values. I’m very happy with the person I’ve be-come today, and I would not be the same person had I gone to another school.Christine: It was just like, we have a mark on us. Like, we were just born to excel. In Tech you’re always be-ing pushed. Like, “Okay, well, I’m good at this. Let’s see where I could go further. Go further, go further.” And you keep

on just pushing and pushing, until you’re doing things you never thought you could do. And then your senior year, you’re like, wow. It’s awesome.

T2: As wonderful as it all was, there must have been anxieties and struggles along the way. Even for you whiz kids. What did you face, how did you handle it?Kevin: That would be my junior year. I guess that’s, like, the pull-your-hair-out year for every single person here. When I got my junior year schedule, I noticed I had four AP classes for five periods a day. Albeit I had lunch so it wasn’t so bad. Still, ugh, it was horrible. But af-ter living through the first month or so, you get used to the amount of work and the type of work that you do. And once you get the time management down, it’s possible. But, like, with four hours of sleep every day.Jonathan: I can sum mine up very quickly. Three weeks before the AP Physics B exam I pretty much forgot ev-erything I knew.

T2: Did you get through it?Jonathan: I barely squeaked by.Christine: Junior year comes like a slap to the face – you don’t know where it came from. T2: Why? What happens? Izzy: First of all, college-wise, it’s the last chance to bring up your grades. Those are the last grades that colleges will see. So you do not want to mess with junior year. And then on top of that you have all these SATs – I mean, of course you could take it earlier, but no one does. People take it two, three times to get that score they want. And that’s the year you start your majors in Tech. Almost every major has at least one Advanced Placement class. So you’re dealing with these APs and it’s just like everything coming in at once in one year.T2: How many AP classes have you taken?Kevin: I had four last year, I have three now. So seven total.Jonathan: One sophomore year, three junior year and four this year.Izzy: I had one soph-omore year, three last year and three this year.Christine: Two last year, three this year, so five.Nicholette: I had two.T2: It sounds like time management and organization are critical skills. How do you master that? Nicholette: You have to learn from your mistakes. After the first time you stay up until four for a class writing an essay, you don’t want to do it again. Izzy: Everyone is effective in their own

way. I learned that I could get home, do all my small homework, like math, whatever; I’ll go to sleep around

eight-ish, I’ll wake up at three, and then from three to just five-thirty, you start getting ready for school, you do whatever big essay you have to do, you do whatever large studying you have to do. Nicholette: A lot of my friends do that. I could never, ever…Christine: If I set my alarm for three o’clock, I’ll just press snooze and I’m go-

“On the subway, if I’m not reading to keep up or get ahead,

I’m designing stuff in my head — or sleeping.”

“And you keep on just pushing and pushing, until

you’re doing things you never thought you could do.”

“It’s the sense of accomplishment and achievement you get after

doing something that you really work hard for.”

“One thing about Tech students — we actually like

to be challenged.”

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Turn to the inside back cover to see where these talented Technites are now attending

college.

IzzY RAHMAN: Major: Biomedical Engineering

JONATHAN zORKOMajor: Electrical Engi-neering

KEVIN LEEMajor: International Arts & Sciences

NICHOLETTE CAMERONMajor: Mathematics

CHRISTINE PEMBROKE Major: Civil Engineering

Around Brooklyn Tech, Dean Phyllis Witte is known for her sharp eye. Students have learned, to their occasional rue, that she can quickly spot

incipient mischief far down the hallway – even, it is said, around the corner.

Dean Witte also has a keen eye for the exquisite beauty that was designed and built into Tech. An accomplished photographer by avocation, she takes long, appreciative

after-hours strolls through the hallways with her camera.

As seen by the deantech...

Can you identify these locations? See inside back cover.

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Anything can happen at Brooklyn Tech, and one recent saturday afternoon, it does. The world’s most famous film director, James cameron (“Titanic” and “Ava-tar”) and movie star sigourney Weaver occupy the auditorium’s grand stage, leading a high-profile student public-speaking competition. But the celebrity visitors can only watch in admiration as the scene is stolen by an energetic dynamo-in-motion of a man who ignites the crowd, first with a rousing welcome and animated banter and later with his dazzling, inspired talk on injecting Avatar’s themes into the classroom. “You’re a rock star,” a cameron colleague shouts out to marc Williams, Brooklyn Tech alumnus, longtime popular teacher and now the newest Assistant Principal.

o t a l t e c h n i t e

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ut the public face of spirited performer is nowhere to be seen

on another early spring afternoon, this one in the cramped seventh-floor Assistant Prin-cipal’s office. Here, an anxious parent phones Marc Williams to voice fears that her child will not eat properly on the forth-coming senior trip to Disney World. As the chat morphs into an extended airing of the mother’s concerns over the student’s college prospects, Mr. Wil-liams listens sympa-thetically, for longer than he can afford to, then assures the parent her child is solidly on track. Next, a student strolls in confidently, hoping for pro forma permission to begin ticket sales for an upcoming music compe-tition. But Mr. Williams remembers, from the previous year’s event, that some par-ticipants found the contest rules unfair. He draws the student organizer standing be-fore him into a conversation much deeper than the one she had anticipated. Finally, a poignant, challenging mo-ment: Another parent calls, requesting a schedule shift for her child to switch from music band to chorus. The student, a fresh-man, is scoring excellent grades but, early in her high school experience, is generally unhappy. Joining cho-rus, where the child’s talent and passion lie, might do the trick, the parent suggests. Mr. Williams works the system and presses all the buttons, but lo-gistically the program switch won’t work. The child will have to wait until next year. Mr. Williams delivers the disappoint-ing news with sensitivity and empathy. But he’s not finished yet: he promises the

mother he will give her child his personal attention, and he points out that the stu-dent will likely make new friends as the semester unfolds.

Voice of Tech Two afternoons, two sides of Marc Williams – the ebullient uber-cheerleader for all things Tech, and the compassionate, caring educator who, for a generation of Technites since 1996, has been one of the most beloved and respected teachers. He is the Total Technite. There have been times in his life when Marc Williams, Class of 1990, did not roam the halls of Brooklyn Tech daily. These would be his years in diapers, elementary school and

college. And not many others. In fall 2009, graduates of all eras re-sponded en masse as Mr. Williams led the charge in a successful online drive to vote Tech America’s Favorite High School. Two banners attesting to this distinction now

hang outside the auditorium. Accomplishments like that, and his singular role as reader of Tech’s morn-ing announcements, which he broadcasts

building-wide on the PA system in a dulcet bari-tone befitting a radio personality, have earned him the unofficial title of Voice of Brooklyn Tech. But he is a man with a deeper mission. His new job’s full title is Assistant Principal for Student and Parent En-gagement. The position was created by Principal Randy Asher to implement the Department of Educa-tion’s “Children First” phi-losophy of attuning schools more closely to the broader needs and growth of each individual pupil. The job is to oversee – and enhance – every non-classroom aspect of the Tech experience, and

to draw parents closer into the fold so they can be more active partners in their children’s education. In other words, to detect and de-velop the best in every Technite. So Marc Williams’ day starts at a makeshift broadcast base in the great audi-torium’s rear orchestra, announcing sports team wins and upcoming activities in a lively, literate, four-minute show he scripts nightly at home after his two children are asleep. To the students, it is a refreshing and entertaining break in the day’s routine.

One day, perhaps after they grad-uate, they will realize it is much more: a daily, subliminal invita-tion to widen their horizons. The day progresses to the tight alcove office upstairs, where

plaques line the walls with words of grati-tude from the classes of 1998, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2008 and 2009. Here, where no one else watches or listens, he turns problems into solutions, reassures distraught parents and guides awkward teenagers to their first

glimpses of the road to maturity.

One of Them “He has such intense dedication to the students,” says Liz Sciabarra, the for-mer Tech teacher and administrator (now senior Department of Education official) who knew him as a student and colleague. “It’s because he was one of them.” “Marc understands what it is to be in an environment like Tech,” she adds. “He found his niche as a student, and he works with the kids to find theirs.” That niche for late 1980s Technite Marc Williams, riding the A train in from the East New York projects, was drama and performing. Through roles in “Hair,” “The Music Man” and “The Wizard of Oz,” he saw new possibilities emerge. “That,” he recalls, “is where I found my joy and love for being in front of a crowd.” But when time for college came, he ig-nored teachers’ encouragement to apply to Carnegie Mellon. His mother was a single mom on welfare and unable to read or write. Asking her for a $75 application fee, perhaps followed by out-of-town tuition and leaving her alone for four years, was unthinkable. After those four years yielded an edu-cation degree at NYU he was back at Tech, now in front of the classroom. By the end of his first year, he had accepted the de-manding position of Coordinator of Stu-dent Activities in addition to teaching English. Driven to make a difference not only in the classroom but all across stu-dent life, he would hold the post for 15 years until becoming Assistant Principal in 2009. “When I was a student here,” he re-calls, “I remember thinking one day, ‘The great thing about Tech is that you develop in so many ways.’ So now I talk to students about how important it is to be a well-rounded person.” “Some of my fondest memories hap-pened here. I don’t think I really learned that until after I left. Coming back as a teacher, now knowing how valuable the experience was, I like to let students know it while they

are still here. It’s all about hindsight. I reig-nited the passion for Tech I experienced as a student when I came back on faculty.”

Problem Solver Extremely popular as an English teacher, Mr. Williams succeeded in hitting the sweet spot of classroom instruction: de-manding and holding his students to high standards – while making the course interesting and fun to them. “He was tough as a teacher, but it never seemed to the student that he was tough,” says another Assistant Prin-cipal, Joseph Kaelin – who remembers the young Marc Williams as a student. “When he enters a classroom, he’s on stage; he’s performing,” Mr. Kaelin adds. “The students react when they see some-one who really cares about them.” Principal Randy Asher says, “Marc is the ultimate student advocate, and the conduit for information to parents and the outside world. He personifies the ideal Technite: a problem solver and decision maker, enthusiastic, with an unparalleled work ethic. I wish we could cast a mold and make more of him.” Back in the 7th floor office, decision time in a minor controversy arrives. The faculty finds the proposed student design for one major’s graduation T-shirt to be silly, puerile, and scientifically inaccurate. But it lands safely short of clear inappro-priateness. The students, encouraged to redesign it, are balking. Mr. Williams’ ver-dict: if they do it their way, they are entire-ly on their own: no school funding, sales or other involvement will be permitted. Yet another day at Tech finds Marc Williams facing a tearful mother’s anxieties about her child’s academic performance. He listens empathetically – for a long time – then delicately helps her to see that the student’s behavior is actually typical, and that it might be best all around if she were

to consider exerting less parental pressure on the child. Conveying such a nuanced message is a tough balancing act, but he

pulls it off superbly, in the eyes of parent coordinator Suet Mei Chan, who participated in the exchange. “Marc has years and years of insights into teenag-ers,” she says. “He resolves is-sues in a way that is very car-ing. He is the heart and soul of Tech.” In the near future, Marc Williams will turn over the daily announcements broad-cast to a cadre of students he is now training. The Assistant Principal job he hopes to stick with for a good while longer.

For parents and grandparents:

Marc Williams’ five tips for enhancing your child’s education:

1. Attend PTA meetings

2. Come to your child’s after-school events

3. Ask your child to tell you something they learned in school today

4. Get to know his or her friends

5. Help your child create a to-do list of class assignments and deadlines

16 17

Class of 2010 graduating seniors Victoriya Levina (Harvard College) and Angelica Ahmed (Hunter College) discuss college plans with Mr. Williams.

“He personifies the ideal Technite: a problem solver and decision maker.”

— Principal Randy Asher

Student Marc Williams on the Tech stage in “Hair”

lumni Foundation board member Anthony Schirripa ’67 heads the New York chapter of the American Institute of Architects, a prominent architecture and design firm, and an initiative to integrate the profession’s current methods and mindset into Brooklyn Tech’s ar-chitecture program. He talked with TechTimes about leadership – in the profession, during times of crisis – and about the architect’s role in society and the schools.

T2: Tony, you’ve made leadership the theme of your AIA presidency. You lead a major firm, Mancini Duffy. What does leadership in architecture mean today? A. More and more, architects are called upon to take leadership roles. The complex-ity of today’s projects demands that a large list of consultants work on a project. One of our member firms was managing 41 consultants on a project. Significant team building and leadership skills are involved to keep that many people working harmo-niously together. Architects are problem solvers, and we’ve been working in teams as a profession for a very long time. We’re uniquely positioned to help that process. The other leadership areas are leading firms; being community leaders in profes-sional societies or construction organiza-tions – some of our architects get involved in community planning boards and school boards – and the political process, where architects run for elective office. For me, the current leadership chal-lenge is critical: keeping people motivated. With the economy decimating the profes-sion, that is a tougher leadership challenge than recovering from September 11th.

T2: That was a day when you personally were called on to display extraordinary leadership. Your firm was based in the World Trade Cen-ter, and 100 of you were there on the 20th and 21st floors when the terrorists struck. A. We sort of ignored the advice to stay. When the plane hit the first building (we were in the second) I just gave the order to evacuate. I [waited] to make sure everyone was gone. And then I locked the door. Everybody got out.T2: You had scant minutes to evaluate, and then reject, the initial official instructions to remain in place. How did you make that piv-otal decision – was it based on your knowl-edge of building construction, or something more fundamental? A. There was nothing wrong in our build-ing yet. Not yet realizing the true extent of the events, it was a gut feeling. I really did not know the full extent of what had hap-pened until [much later.]T2: And your firm bounced back, strong as ever.

A. One of the drivers to get back in operation quickly was that we had clients to serve. Our clients gave us transition space; the following Monday we were up and running. But work-ing the old fashioned way – drawing by hand. Some of our people worked on cardboard boxes. My partners and I went looking for permanent space and we found our new cur-rent home by Thursday morning.

T2: Everything else pales by comparison but today, as you noted, times are tough for the profession in New York. A. Unemployment in our profession is probably close to 30 percent. We could lose a whole generation to other professions, other businesses. We (AIA) have a pro-gram for out-of-work members to stay con-nected to one another and the profession; for the younger people, a training program to help keep their skills current. It’s helped our chapter actually increase membership.

T2: How else is the AIA New York chapter contributing to its city and members?A. We work on a regular basis with the city administration on zoning and city planning issues. We’re working with the Mayor’s office and Department of Buildings on a green building, or sustainable design initiative, and with the Department of Health on a program called Fit City: we help identify elements of building design that will con-tribute to public health and fitness.

T2: “Green building” – is it more than a trendy marketing buzzword? A. The reality is that buildings consume almost 40 or 50 percent of the energy the United States generates. It’s not all vehicle emissions. We need to address that, be more sensitive to how we use resources. What began as a trend is now a way of life. Everything we do is with an eye toward creating a sustainable project. It’s with us to stay.

T2: So too, it seems, is your ongoing involve-ment with Brooklyn Tech. A. I always have had a soft spot in my heart for Tech. It set me on the path I am on. From a young age, I wanted to be an

architect. I guess because my family was involved in construction, I felt the next step was to become a professional. I went to Brooklyn Tech with that purpose, and the architecture program at Tech actually made my college life a lot easier. One of my former partners is also a Tech graduate, and we stayed connected to the school. I met the alumni folks and they asked if we would be willing to hire Tech students as interns, and we did. The first summer, the Tech kids were better than any of the college students. They had better computer skills and were actually more productive. Our young people go to work on projects. There’s no menial activity here.

T2: You’ve now stepped up to involve the archi-tecture community with Tech as never before. A. Part of Principal Asher’s commitment to bringing Tech back to its historical status is to have industry involvement in the de-velopment of the curriculum. That was the initial purpose of forming the architecture industry affiliation group. I reached out to my brethren Technites to organize our-selves to provide the advice and the input the Principal needs. The wider purpose is to generate support from the profession for the Alumni Foundation’s programs. T2: Has the response been strong?A. Yes. All 14 people I invited agreed to join. In fact, I attracted somebody to the group whom I thought was a Tech gradu-ate but actually wasn’t. He said, “No, I went to Lincoln.” I asked him why he was helping us, and he said, “Because it’s wor-thy.” He’s still part of our group.T2: What curriculum areas can architects help with? A. Trends in the industry – design trends, software, advising on what software is being used today. You know, when I tell people what the Tech curriculum gave me, they are amazed to see that we did all of that. I think today it actually equates to a year’s worth of college work.T2: Even today? A. Yes. I have seen it in the Tech interns who work in my firm.

A

“We are problem solvers.”

Tony Schirripa

’67

Talking With….the lead architect

18 19

Tony Schirripa

A day in the architect’s life: (l to r) with Mayor Bloomberg; reviewing a project; at City Hall; checking blueprints with intern and fellow alum Richard Miller ’09.

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A capella Animal Rights council Anime con-nection Art club Badminton club Basketball Big siblings Blueprint Yearbook Breakdance club student Union BThsnews club chess club childcry chinese chess club civil Air Patrol college Now computer science comple-ment cross country / Track & Field csi club DDR club Debate Team Dr. Tech environmental Awareness club Fall Play Fashion club Fencing Find the cure club Football Golf Gospel choir Gymnastics club ham Radio and Wireless Technology club horizons hockey inevitable Display Jumah Key club Lady Dragons Lego Robotics Team magic and card Flourishing mA-sALA math honors society (mu Alpha Theta) math Team model United Nations mural Paint-ing club music club National honor society National science Bowl On The Brink Lecture series Organized c.h.A.O.s. step Team Out-reach Paleo club Perfect Person club Planet NYc Progressive student Awareness Provident clinical society Quill and scroll Red cross club Robotics Team 334 - The Tech Knights Rowing Team salsa club sAT Prep club save Darfur club science Olympiad scrabble club softball software Development Group students Against Destructive Decisions swimming Team Table Tennis Tennis Team Tennis club The Film-maker’s club The Forensics speech Team The Green Leaf club The National Beta club The Radish - Tech’s satirical Newspaper student Government Organization: executive council student Government Organization: Leadership student Government Organization: student Ac-tivity council The student Government Organi-zation: student Assembly The Young entrepre-neur Association Track Team Ultimate Arts and crafts club Urban FX VeRismO Volleyball World summit Writer’s club

Photography 3:31

Weight Lifting 3:55

Music 4:20

Debate 4:05Urban FX 4:14

Stagecraft 4:35

Paleo 3:45

From art to zettabytes, Brooklyn Tech students can take part in extracur-ricular activities covering more than 100 subjects, ranging across all disciplines, that enrich their education and their lives. For some, a lifelong passion will be born in one of them.

Many of these programs would not be possible without the support of your Brooklyn Tech Alumni Foundation.

TechTimes roamed the hallways one afternoon in March to see just how much goes on at the same time – at an hour when other high school students might be content to camp in front of a TV or video game. We saw how varied are the Brooklyn Tech extracurricular op-portunities, and the students who benefit from them.

March 23, 2010

Brooklyn Tech

6:00 3:00 - P.M.P.M.

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1,000,000+Isaac Heller ’43 Norman K. Keller ’54 NYC Council Science/ Technology GrantsLeonard Riggio ’58 Leandro Rizzuto ’56 Charles B. Wang ’62

250,000-999,999John A. Catsimatidis ’66James Fantaci ’64 Erik Klokholm ’40 Floyd Warkol ’65

100,000-249,999Anonymous Con Edison Charles A. DeBenedittis ’48Jeffrey M. Haitkin ’62 Herbert L. Henkel ’66 Victor Insetta ’57 Alfred Lerner ’51 Richard Mack Stephen C. Mack Frederick C. Meyer ’40Michael F. Parlamis ’58Achilles Perry ’58 Lee James Principe ’56Josh S. Weston ’46

50,000-99,999Martin V. Alonzo ’48 Anthony J. Armini ’55Peter A. Ferentinos ’55Andy Frankl ’67 Joseph J. Jacobs ’34 Rande H. Lazar ’69 William Mack ’57 Michael Minikes ’61 Carmine A. Morano ’72Robert C. Ochs ’59 Louis H. Siracusano Sr. ’60

25,000-49,999David Abraham ’48 American Express FoundationWillard N. Archie ’61 BTHS Parents AssociationC. R. Bard Foundation Dorcey Chernick Erik Lattey Memorial Scholarship Fund Jack Feinstein ’60 Howard Fluhr ’59 Ingersoll Rand Joseph J. Kaminski ’56Stuart Kessler ’47 LI Chapter BTHS Betty J. Mayer Arnold J. Melloy ’40 National Grid/KeyspanMurray Neidorf ’45 George E. Safiol ’50 William Sheluck Jr. ’58John C. Siltanen ’31 Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett, LLP Ralph H. Stahl Memorial Scholarship Thomas J. Volpe ’53 Michael A. Weiss ’57

10,000-24,999Frederick F. Ajootian ’41Joseph Angelone ’63 Anonymous BDO Seldman, LLP BT Alex Brown Emanuel Becker LeRoy N. Callender ’50Charles B. Wang Foundation, Inc. Chase Manhattan BankPeter J. Cobos ’72 Joseph M. Colucci ’54 Computer Associates International, Inc. Con Edison-Brooklyn Cowles Media FoundationWilliam A. Davis Jr. ’59John di Domenico ’69 Murray Dropkin ’62 The Durst OrganizationLen Edelstein ’55 GameStop CorporationJeffrey L. Goldberg ’69Goldman Sachs Domingo Gonzalez ’72George Graf ’70 Fred M. Grafton ’44 Heritage Mechanical Services, Inc. Eric Kaltman ’60 Steven H. Kaplan ’63 Elizabeth Korevaar Richard E. LaMotta ’60Franklin F. Lee ’77 Michael Levine ’61 Larry Lynnworth ’54 Mancini-Duffy Sidney A. Mayer ’46 Ellen Mazur-Thomson MBS Textbook ExchangeMerrill Lynch & Co. FdtnAlan S. Natter ’69 The New York Community Trust Bert Reitman ’63 Daniel K. Roberts ’43 John B. Rofrano ’61 William J. Rouhana Jr. ’69Edward P. Salzano ’64 The Segal Company Alan M. Silberstein ’65Lawrence Sirovich ’51 Ronald P. Stanton ’46 Joseph N. Sweeney ’48Michael Tannenbaum ’58T.E.C. Systems, Inc. Wesley E. Truesdell ’46Armand Valenzi ’44 Louis Walkover ’37 Randi Zinn

5,000-9,999Air Products Donald Bady ’48 Randell BarclayAnthony Bartolomeo ’70Douglas Besharov ’62 Syd Blatt Burson-Marsteller Cary Kane LLP Wilton Cedeno ’82 Cellini Fine Jewelry Chicago Bridge & Iron Company

Nicholas Y. L. Chu ’77John V. Cioffi ’67 Brian Cosgrove Credit Suisse Securities Kenneth D’Alessandro ’66Kenneth D. Daly ’84 Thomas C. DeCanio ’63Julia C. de la Garza-Jordan ’86Frederick DeMatteis ’40Deutsche Bank Edward R. Diamond ’63Robert C. Di Chiara ’63James Dimon Jonathan Dubin ’74 Duggal Color Projects, Inc.Eastern Metalworks, Inc.El Paso Energy FoundationDomenick J. Esposito ’65Murray Farash ’52 Al Ferrara Keith Forman ’76 Gateway Institute for Pre-College EducationBernard R. Gifford ’61Robert Gresl ’46 Haights Cross Operating Company William L. Haines Steven A. Hallem ’72 William H. Henry ’57K. Steven S. Horlitz ’64The Jay Chiat Foundation, Inc.John Wiley & Sons, Inc.Allan C. Johnson ’28 JP Morgan Chase FoundationLes Kalmus ’56 Laura Berdon FoundationMarvin J. Levine ’65 Johnny Liu ’98 Thomas Lowry Lucent Technologies John M. Lyons ’66 Mathew M. Mandery ’61Marathon Bank Susan Mayham ’76 Stephen Mazur Edward D. Miller ’56 Morgan Stanley & CompanyMichael D. Nadler ’52National Hockey League Foundation Pennoni Associates, Inc.Stuart K. Pertz ’53 Polytechnic Institute of NYULee H. Pomeroy ’50 Robinson Silverman Pearce - Aronsohn & Berman, LLPRandi Rossignol Edward R. Rothenberg ’61Seth Ruzi ’76 Anthony P. Schirripa ’67Ernest R. Schultz ’25Irwin Smiley ’46 Ned Steele ’68 George Suffal ’53 Textron Charitable TrustJohn Thonet George L. Van Amson ’70David W. Wallace ’42 Steven Wishnia ’66

1,000-4,999Elkan Abramowitz ’57 Allan Abramson ’58

Irv M. Adler ’61 Ron Adler ’68 Louis G. Adolfsen ’67 Kenneth S. Albano ’68John P. Albert ’90 John Alderman Allied Signal Fdtn., Inc.James Amrhein ’41 Richard P. Anastasio ’61John H. Andren Jr. ’56Rory A. Anglin ’87 Hermann F. Anton ’49Joel Aragona ’62 Mark Arzoomanian ’83William Assiff ’52 Atlantic Bank of New YorkAndrew W. Au ’66Joseph F. Azara Jr. ’64 Salvatore J. Azzaro ’43 David Bady ’36 Rudolph Bahr Jr. ’41 Jack S. Bakunin ’60 Anthony R. Baldomir ’58Anthony J. Balsamo ’56Baltimore Community Foundation The Bank of New YorkJoseph P. Barbieri ’41 Kenneth E. Batcher ’53John L. Battaglino Robert B. Bell ’57 John W. Bellando ’74 Belmet Products Inc. Robert W. Berger ’88 Klaus Bergman ’49 David Berman ’58 Leonard Berner David J. Bershad ’57 Michael E. Billett Harry H. Birkenruth ’49Roger S. Blaho ’53 Stephen Blanchette Jr. ’82Robert Borowski ’73 Anthony Borra ’58 BP Amoco Foundation Inc.Ronald E. Brandt ’65 Thomas Breglia ’76 James E. Brennan ’71 and Allyson BrennerBruce A. Brice ’65 Brooklyn College Auxiliary Ent. Alan I. Brooks ’61 Lawrence D. Brown ’51Philip E. Brugge Bulgari Corp of AmericaKatrina Burton-Nicholas ’95Herbert I. Butler ’32 BWD Group LLC Barry A. Callender ’75 Victor J. Caroddo ’52 Carter-Wallace Larry L. Cary Jr. ’70 Alexander N. Casella ’53Dominic N. Castellano ’45Joseph A. Cavallo ’58 Vincent Cavaseno ’65 William H. Chamberlain ’50Keith K. Chan ’75 Virginia-Marie M. Chan ’87Barton A. Chase III ’72Joel B. Chase ’56 William Cheung Virgil V. Chiavetta ’35

Allan Chong ’72 Warren Christie ’62 John W. Chromy ’48 Joseph B. Ciccone ’58 Robert J. Ciemian ’59 Frank A. Cipriani ’51 Cirocco & Ozzimo, Inc.Citicorp Foundation Joel D. Citron ’58 Robert W. Citron ’46 Jose R. Claxton ’82 Michael T. Cohen ’60 Nathaniel B. Cohen ’46Robert T. Cole ’50 Marc F. Colman ’67 Louis R. Comunelli ’60Deirdre D. Cooke ’80 Milton Cooper ’46 Zeke Cooper ’40 Joseph P. Crosson ’67 Constantine S. Cucurullo ’39Stephen P. Cuff ’49 George S. Cuhaj ’77 Thomas E. Cuhaj ’74 Joseph Cuzzocrea, Sr.James E. Dalton ’49 Clifford J. Daly ’53 Vincent R. Damiano ’55William J. D ’Antonio ’53Steven M. Darien ’59 Victor J. Dasaro ’72 Robert Davey ’58 Gordon Davidson ’51 Horace H. Davis ’84 Sheldon W. Dean Jr. ’53Nicholas J. DeCapua ’60Michael DeFazio ’63 Thomas V. Deffina ’59Bern E. Deichmann ’54Al D’Elia ’67 Vincent DeLuca ’63 Daniel DeMatteo Robert Dendy ’56 Joseph DeRienzo ’39 Joseph D ’EspositoRobert H. Digby ’61 Arthur M. Dinitz ’51 Alan B. Dolmatch ’52Robert J. Domanoski ’47Robert W. Donohue ’60Peter Dornau ’57 Irwin Dorros ’46 William C. Drewes ’44Alan Drucker ’52 Sal Dunn ’58 Kenneth A. East ’61 Melvin Elfin ’47 Ellenbogen Rubenstein Eisdorfer & Co. James Ellerbee ’71 Paul Ellingsen ’66 Elsevier Inc. Robert Ennis ’59 Barry D. Epstein ’58 Jeff Erdel ’63 Samuel Estreicher ’66 Ethicon, Inc. Asher Etkin ’60 Raoul G. Farrell ’69 Arthur A. Feder ’45 Murray H. Feigenbaum ’49Richard S. Feinstein ’68Benjamin E. Feller ’64 Stanley M. Ferber ’58

This list reflects total lifetime giving through July 1, 2010 above $1,000. Many thanks to all the contributors who have not yet reached that level but whose contributions are making a difference at Brooklyn Tech.

donors’ honor roll

22 23

Richard R. Ferrara ’59 Eugene L. Fieldhammer ’42Joel M. Fields ’60 John P. Fillo ’69 Robert Filosa ’64 Fiori Flowers Richard D. Firestone ’64First New York PartnersClifford H. Fisher ’59 Alan Flash ’71 Seth Flash ’95 Joseph L. Flood ’44 Zachary C. Fluhr ’59 R. Richard Fontaine Richard Foxen ’45 Arnold W. Frank ’47 Henry H. Frank ’45 Frederick A. Frenzel Jr. ’71Barbara Friedman Karl E. Fritsch ’52 David L. Fung ’81 Richard Gaccione ’64 Col. John A. Garstka ’48GE Foundation David Gerson ’71 Marvin C. Gersten ’56Peter Gethers Norbert F. Giesse ’83 Gillette Paul Gitto ’36 Paul J. Glasgow ’44 Martin L. Goldfarb ’57Adrienne Gonzalez ’94Herbert A. Granath ’48Fred A. Grauman ’47 Jeffrey Greenberg ’65 Kenneth Greenberg Kenneth D. Greene ’58Michael Greenstein ’65Kenneth A. Griffin ’51Louis Gross ’48 Robert A. Grossman ’59Arnold A. Gruber ’59 Warren Gutheil ’61 David S. Hacker ’43 Marshall Haimson ’73 Susan Harmon Mark Hauerstock ’65 Robert J. Heilen ’53 Hellenic American Bankers Association, Inc. Robert V. Henning ’34Gordon H. Hensley ’47Eliot Hess ’64 Steven Heymsfield ’62 Gerard Hirschhorn ’46Lester A. Hoel ’52 Bruce L. Hollander ’56Derek A. Holley ’80 Honeywell International Foundation Martin R. Horn ’46 Derrick A. Hostler ’81 Joy H. Hsiao ’87 John J. Huson ’52 Robert M. Ianniello ’72Raoul D. Ilaw ’74 Carmine R. Inserra ’70Insignia/ESG, Inc. Israeloff, Trattner & Co.ITW Foundation Frederic H. Jacobs ’65 Arnold Jaffe ’47 Zbigniew R. Jankowski ’68Jack C. Jawitz ’68 Jefferies Group Inc. Jewish Communal FundMike L. Johnson ’66 Michelle Y. Johnson-Lewis ’79Bradford R. Jones ’75

Raymond P. Jones ’74 Cherryann Joseph ’85 Walter G. Jung ’51 Gerard Justvig ’75 J. Alan Kahn Peter Kakoyiannis ’65 C. Kyrie Kallas ’37 Danos Homer Kallas ’35Irwin Kallman John D. Kaltman Lauren Kaltman Martin Kaltman ’32 Richard Kaltman Sheldon Katz ’52 Paul W. Katzer ’87 Mark L. Kay ’67 Stephen J. Keane ’47 Mary Ellen Keating Robert F. Kelly ’61 M. Robert Kestenbaum ’51Arthur H. Kettenbeil ’67Carl H. Kiesewetter ’55Arthur W. Kirsch ’58 David Kliot ’52 Mitchell Klipper John Klvac ’60 Jodi Koelsch Steven Koestenblatt ’60Joseph J. Kohn ’50 Penelope Kokkinides ’87Peter J. Kolesar ’54 Eugene V. Kosso ’42 William K. Kramer ’48Bert Krauss ’50 Michael R. Krieger ’70Noel N. Kriftcher Ira S. Krolick ’81 Peter Kudless ’62 Robert Kupiec ’72 Edward T. LaGrassa ’65Abraham L. Landis ’47Langenscheidt Publishing Group Donald Lanier ’55 Lloyd J. Lazarus ’63 Chester Lee ’66 David Lee Parkin Lee ’70 Petula K. Lee ’89 Gerald A. Lessells ’44 Harris H. Levee ’37 Oscar A. Levi ’44 Jonathan V. Levin ’44 Robert Levine ’62 Stephen A. Levine ’59Sidney Levitsky ’53 Myron A. Levy ’59 Isaac A. Lewin ’70 George T. Lewis Jr. ’45Robert B. Liebowitz ’84Raymond M. Loew ’58Logicon Eugene E. Lopata ’44 Peter A. Lopes ’56 Glenn Y. Louie Derek I. Lowenstein ’60Edward R. Lubitz ’66 Charles J. Luchun ’59 Jerome D. Luntz ’41 Ray A. Lynnworth ’60 Allan W. Lyons ’49 M. Shanken Communications, Inc.Michael J. Macaluso ’66James H. M. Malley ’58Evelyn Maloney Patrick Maloney Robert W. Mann ’42 Petros Z. Mantarakis ’66Robert Marchisotto ’47

Stanley D. Margolin ’49Peter F. Margulen ’54The Marketplace RealtyAngel Martin ’51 Leonard Matin ’46 Marc B. Mazur ’77 Marvin I. Mazur ’47 Donald C. McCann ’57James J. McCarthy ’83Donald P. McConnell ’67Ira Meislik ’61Marvin L. Meistrich ’58George Mejias ’77 Merck Company FoundationEdward M. Messina ’52Jean G. Miele Jr. ’55 Zdzislaw Mikolajczyk ’57Joseph B. Milgram Jr. ’40Millennium Capital Markets, LLCIrene Miller Eugene Miritello ’42 Thomas J. Mitchell ’57Mobil Foundation Inc. Victor B. Montana ’60Joseph D. Monticciolo ’55Francis C. Moon ’57 Kay Moore-Benjamin ’80George W. Moran ’61 Joseph M. Moran ’57 Motorola Foundation Daniel K. Moy ’69 Saul Muchnick ’49 Andrew G. Mueller ’59Charles F. Muller Jr. ’53Gretchen Mullins-Kim ’84John R. Murphy ’61 Lorraine C. Nanko Elby M. Nash ’65 Leon Nash ’91 Hans R. Naumann ’54NBC Studios, Inc. Edwin Neff Jr. ’60 C. Raymond Nelson ’52New York Chapter Association of Energy Engineers NYC Technical CollegeBruce N. Newrock ’59King Ng ’78 Hau Yee Ng-Lo ’80 Richard Nicotra Nils O. Nilsen ’69 Linda Noonan Northrop Grumman Anthony P. Nuciforo ’74Diiana Oliver-SteinbergRonald I. Olson ’58 D. Robert Oppenheimer Jr. ’57Opus Northwest, LLCCarl W. Ordemann ’69Jason Orefice ’87 Floyd R. Orr ’55 Elaine Osterweil Stanley H. Pantowich Dennis A. Paoletti ’62 John Papamarcos ’37 Fred Parise ’70 Joseph A. Parrella ’48 Robert J. Paterna ’72 Robert J. Pavan ’47 Ernest E. Pearson Jr. ’40Walton D. Pearson ’79Frank L. Peishel ’46 Joseph Pellegrino ’67 Arno A. Penzias ’51 James G. PepperPerseus Books, LLC Claude W. Peters ’36 Arthur N. Peterson ’62Pfizer Inc.

Alex Picozzi Stuart Pivar ’47 Joseph F. Plummer ’56James P. Popino ’52 Charles W. Potter ’37 Valentine P. Povinelli Jr. ’59John H. Powers ’60 William Prensky Roxane M. Previty Steven Protass ’63 The Prudential FoundationPSEG Bertram Quelch ’45 Bruce Ratner Raytheon Co. Arthur P. Rea ’60 Raymond Reilly ’58 William Reilly Carl M. Renda ’72 Monroe Richman ’45 Stephen L. Richter ’60Ridgewood Savings BankJoseph Riggio ’57 Bernice Righthand Frank Ritota Louis K. Robbins ’30 Max Roberts David W. Robinson ’81Felix Rodriguez Jr. ’74 Al Roffman ’44 Edward Rogas Jr. ’58 Stanley Rogovin ’58 Lori Roland-Plonski Stephen J. Roppolo ’66Lester A. Rubenfeld ’58Lawrence G. Rubin ’43Karl M. Sandbo ’42 Alfredo Sardinas ’72 R.A. Satin ’49 Saunder Schaevitz ’47 Erwin L. Schaub ’46 Roger E. Schechter ’70Norman A. Schefer ’43Ronald H. Schmahl ’60Robert U. Schoenfelder ’44Stuart Schube ’58 Richard Schwartz ’53 The Scout Company, Inc.Glenn C. Seale ’64 Joel Seidner ’65 Mark Seratoff ’68 Rodney L. Shannon ’87Leonard Shapiro ’48 Jerome I. Sharrin ’53 Steven A. Shaya ’65 Steven Shearing ’52 Stephen L. Shupack ’65Alvin J. Siegartel ’58 Alvin M. Silver ’49 Leon C. Silverman ’57Mark E. Simmons ’80Lawrence Simon ’61 Michael D. Simpson ’90Sunil G. Singh ’89 Charles J. Sisti ’49 L. Remsen Skidmore Jr. ’37Walter Skuggevig ’60 Miles A. Slater ’60 George W. Smith ’47 Majorie Smith Walter J. Smith ’49 Roger S. So ’69 Barry Sohnen ’70 Chester P. Soling ’49 Sonenshine & Pastor Co.Richard E. Sorensen ’60Sorrentino Development Corp.George H. Spencer ’45Joel M. Spiro ’55 St. John ’s University

Ruth E. Staehle ’45 Donald J. Stahl ’58Robert J. Stalzer ’59 Mitchell Stashower ’83Ivan D. Steen ’54 Bernard J. Stein ’56 Jeffrey Stein ’63 Joel J. Sterling ’44 Norman S. Stern ’62 Raymond C. Stewart ’71William J. Stolze ’42 George C. Stoutenburgh Sr. ’51Irving Streimer ’45 SUNY Farmingdale Michael V. Swabowicz Jr. ’86John C. Sweeney ’71 Giovanni Tafa ’76 TAG Associates, LLCPhilip G. Taylor ’56 Tellef Peter Tellefsen ’41Ronald Tevonian ’53 Manette H. Thomas Theodore Thomte ’52 Mark D. Todd Tomkins Corporation FoundationMarie J. Toulantis Judy Tran Barbara L. Trommer Robert H. Tuffias ’53 Peter A. Tufo ’45 Michael A. Turin ’52 Richard W. Turnbull ’69Rein Uibopuu ’65 United Defense FMC Foundation United Way of New York CityVanguard ConstructionLeonard J. Verebay Frank S. Vigilante ’48 Robert Villency Frank S. Viola ’82 Salvatore J. Vitale Jr. ’56Vivendi UniversalThomas E. Waber ’58 Leslie D. Wade ’87 Ralph B. Wagner ’51 Charles H. Waide ’44 Waldner ’s Business Environments Inc. Bert W. Wasserman ’50Carl P. Weber ’38 David Weild III ’48 Robert E. Wentsch ’43James B. Wetterau Sr. ’60Anthony Whiteman ’85Kenneth B. Wiberg ’45Elizabeth M. Wieckowski ’79Damon S. Williams ’64Kurt R. Willinger ’54 Scott Winston Adolph H. Wold ’38 Stanley Wolpert ’45 Wolters Kluwer Law and Business/Aspen PublishersFred H. Woodruff ’54 Richard F. Worsena ’58William C. Wurst ’67 Lynda P. Wyatt ’85 George A. Yabroudy ’48David L. Yang ’84 Yoswein NY Don Zacharia Lloyd Zeitman ’69 Norman Zelvin ’47 Barry Zemel ’64 Erwin Zeuschner ’53Albert H. Ziegler ’75 Allen V. Zollo ’76

Board of Directors

John Lyons ’66 Chairman

Achilles Perry ’58President

Jack Feinstein ’60Vice President

Norman Keller ’54Vice President

Carmine Morano ’72Treasurer

Susan Mayham ’76Secretary

Michael Weiss ’57Founding Chairman

Jeffrey Haitkin ’62Founding Treasurer

Larry Cary ’70Wilton Cedeno ’82

Horace Davis ’84Jim DiBenedetto ’71Edward LaGrassa ’65

Peter Lopes ’56Joseph Macchia ’73Leonard Riggio ’58

Anthony Schirripa ’67Ned Steele ’68

Donovan Wickline ’88

George Cuhaj ’77Alumni Historian

Lionel Marks ’49General Counsel

Staff

Mathew M. Mandery ’61CEO

Renee Brown ’95Associate Director of Alumni Relations

Ina CloonenAdministrative Manager

Liliya Magalnik ’01Executive Assistant to CEO

Suzanne HausmanGraphics Administrator

Tech Times Staff

Editor in Chief: Ned Steele ’68

Graphic Design: Robert Horansky

Editorial Direction: Mathew M. Mandery ’61

Photography: Aris Carlot (page 18)

Steve Friedman (page 5)

Ron Glassman (pages C1, C2, 1-4, 6, 7, 14,

15, C4) Robert Horansky (pages C1, C2, 1, 3, 8-11, 16,

20, 21, 24, C4) Mancini Duffy (pages 18, 19)

Phyllis Witte (pages C1, 12-13)

Writers: Ned SteeleMike Frenkel

Tech TimesVol. 2 No.1© 2010 Brooklyn Tech Alumni Foundation, Inc.

Tech Times is published annually by the Brooklyn Tech Alumni Foundation. Articles may be reprinted with its permission.

To receive the Technite Online e-newsletter by email, contact [email protected].

Please send class notes and updates, letters to the editor, address changes and other communications to:

BROOKLYN TECH ALUMNI FOUNDATION29 Fort Greene PlaceBrooklyn NY [email protected]

The magazine of The Brooklyn Tech Alumni Foundation

Fall 2010

Tech Times2

24

Gold Medal Top 100 High School – US NEWS & WORLD REPORT One of “America’s Best High Schools” – NEWSWEEK

Voted “America’s Favorite High School” 2009

Randy J. Asher, Principal BROOKLYN TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL

To see Phyllis Witte’s photography, visit:phylophotography.com

On these pages, you’ve met and learned about remarkable people, programs and academic achievements. They are all part of today’s Brooklyn Tech…many of them supported

directly by alumni donations.Brooklyn Tech needs your continued support – now, more than ever. Public funding, even in

the best of times, can never provide the resources it takes to sustain excellence in a specialized

school like Brooklyn Tech.The 21/21 Campaign will enable programs that

will change lives and open up career opportunities for countless Technites. Please give generously so Tech’s brand of excellence can continue to serve this generation of students – as it did for you.

Please use the inserted envelope, or make a secure contribution at www.bthsalumni.org to show

your commitment to Brooklyn Tech.


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Seen By The Dean: locaTion key A: view near Principal’s Quar-ters B: zodiac brass/1st floor/ southwest corner C: staircase down to center west entrance D: 5N7, preserved as a vesti-gial reminder of bygone days

E: auditorium staircase F: windows over doors of center west entrance G: columns on far left of stage in auditorium H: by the water tower, one of the few spaces little changed since the 1930’s I: typical stairwell

A

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teachers that Dr. Robbins leads, focus-ing on what he calls the “integration of learning technologies and effective teach-ing methods.” Dr. Robbins believes that Brooklyn Tech is now more advanced than most schools he has worked with in effec-tively utilizing a battery of software and online applications. One of the more promising resources for Tech’s physics teachers is an interactive homework site containing an enormous li-brary of questions, ranging from basic to university level. Students submit answers online which are graded immediately. They have up to seven chances to get it right – but their grade is reduced with each wrong attempt. This scoring mechanism shows teachers which questions were the most challenging. Students tempted to ask each other for help will be disappointed: everyone in the class gets a similar set of problems, but the numbers in each ques-tion are different for each student. This approach encourages students to help each other on discussion boards or by instant messaging, but still requires them to do their own work. Meanwhile, teach-ers save class time by focusing classroom instruction on only the most challenging concepts as determined by student scores. It is the educational equivalent of the instant, overnight Nielsen ratings for television: Dr. Robbins notes that teachers can now make “data-driven decisions about learning and teaching to inform what they do.”

Better Learning First-year physics teacher Suzanne Vo-gel is finding that immediate feedback helps her students learn concepts like force and motion in her physics labs. Probes contain-ing sensors, connected to laptop computers, monitor variables like acceleration. The sen-sors measure, collect and graph data in real time, projecting graphs showing the infor-mation onto a computer screen. Student Adam Elkhouly ’11 recalls how the use of probes helped him under-stand acceleration in his lab: “We rolled a ball down a slope, and a motion sensor tracked how close or far the ball was. As it got closer, you saw the height on the graph increase, and the slope depended on its speed/acceleration. The purpose of the experiment was to find the relation be-

tween slope and acceleration; the steeper the slope, the faster the acceleration.” Ms. Vogel also appreciates the accu-racy of the digital data supplied by these probes: “The better the numbers, the bet-ter the experiment.” Dr. Robbins says this application helps students visualize motion and observe in real time how data is graphed, and “repli-cate experiments rapidly and repeat them many times…to test hypotheses.” Randell Barclay, Assistant Principal of Physics and Technology, is a driving force behind Tech’s conversion to instructional technology. At his direction, Tech students now do virtual labs on their home com-puters before conducting the actual experi-ments in school. Mr. Barclay believes these interactive simulations accelerate learning and create “huge long-term retention.” His enthusiasm is based on the research and development of a Nobel Prize winner in physics who, by using the latest video game technology, has developed learning simulations for the high school physics lab that had previously been available only to pilots and surgeons.

Oodles of moodle One of the most popular new tech-nology tools at Tech is Moodle, a widely shared online course management system made available for free to Tech teach-ers through an arrangement between the Alumni Foundation and New York In-stitute of Technology. Mr. Barclay credits Moodle for “creating a medium that allows group learning to occur between teachers and between students.”

Moodle (short for Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment) is used by more than 32 million people ac-cessing three million online courses world-wide. Mr. Fung, the technology teacher, is an avid proponent of Moodle. He posts copies of all homework assignments, exer-cises, projects, handouts, and grades as well as samples of student work. This, he con-tends, has “given parents a better under-standing of their children’s progress since they can keep track of the assignments and grades.” Using Moodle, English teacher Tanya Gidalowitz provides links to literature se-lections from a vast online library rather than relying on limited textbook selec-tions. Her colleague, English teacher Al-lyson Sklover appreciates how Moodle increases her grading efficiency: “I open up the file, write comments, grade the as-signment, and from there, the grade goes directly into my grade book. Moodle also emails students when new grades are avail-able.” Dr. Robbins notes that for much of the 20th century, education lagged behind other social institutions in utilizing tech-nology. But he thinks that is finally begin-ning to change, and Brooklyn Tech is at the forefront of that change.

Learning is easier and faster when it’s online -- and the process frees up more classroom time for instruction

Back Cover (left panel) Career Day has become a signature event linking Tech alums and students, providing young people with insights into career choices and opening opportunities for internships. (right) Another graduating class makes the transition from Technite to Tech alumni. The Class of 2010 received $132 million in scholarship awards as it headed to college this fall.

Continued from page 7

re-engineering educaTion

IzzY RAHMAN Boston University • JONATHAN zORKO The Cooper UnionNICHOLETTE CAMERON Miami University • KEVIN LEE The Cooper Union

CHRISTINE PEMBROKE Polytechnic Institute of NYU

THE KIDS ArE ALrIGHTThe students you met on pages 8-11 will be attending these colleges this fall:


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