proportion of alumni giving, at 36%; fourth in percentage of students who eventually graduate,
at 75%; and sixth highest in SAT midpoint average, at 1140.
Student-authored Text.
Using a nontraditional approach to teaching a senior design course,
ECE Prof. James Svoboda had the students design their own text. To teams of two or three
students, Svoboda assigned projects throughout the semester. Each project posed a question
regarding some application of basic electronic components, such as operational amplifiers and
current-feedback amplifiers. Then, each design team proposed an answer to its question, and
created a laboratory experiment to test its answer. For every assignment, each of the teams
submitted a report to Svoboda in memo form, much like that used in industry.
After each project was finished, these reports were published in a single volume that
was used as a reference text for the next set of projects. At the end of the semester, the five
volumes containing these 50 or more reports about different but related topics provided an
introduction to amplifier circuits, and a knowledge base for further study.
Svoboda based this exercise on the process he found when he worked at General
Motors; the memos are the same form as those used between engineers when they both are
solving different aspects of a larger project. Svoboda called it, "role-playing for an entry-level
engineer." It served as an excellent example of the
Writing Across the Curriculum
courses
required of every department and student which integrate writing into every curriculum.
Renso Caporali.
Identified by
Business Week
magazine as the "most educated CEO in
America," alumni Trustee Renso Caporali '54, chairman and chief executive officer of
Grumman Corporation, was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering on October 6.
After a four-year stint in the US Navy as an aviator, Renso earned a master's degree in
mechanical engineering at Clarkson, and then joined Grumman Corporation in 1959. While
there he earned a master's degree in aeronautical engineering, a master of arts in aeronautical
engineering, and a doctorate in aeronautical engineering-all at Princeton. He assumed the top
position at Grumman in 1990.
Best Paper Design.
Under the mentorship of CEE Professors Amy Zander and Susan Powers, a
group of 11 juniors and seniors won the award for "Best Paper Design" at the 1993
International Environmental Design contest, held at New Mexico State University, Las Cruces,
N.M., in April. Sponsored by the Waste-Management Education and Research Consortium
(WERC), this award was accompanied by a check for $750 to be applied toward Clarkson's
participation in the 1994 design competition.
These students not only designed a wastewater treatment plant for a circuit board
manufacturing facility, but also proposed changes to the manufacturing process that would
minimize the production of hazardous wastes. The competition included a written design
proposal, construction of a bench-scale treatment system, and oral and poster presentations.
This winning paper not only documented technical aspects of the design problem, but also
addressed economic considerations, worker health and safety issues, regulatory implications,
and relations with the surrounding community.
The 11 included seniors Greg Corso, Garrey Curry, Lisa Dupras, Jeremy Hibbert, Tom
LaRocque, and Mary Szypajlo; and juniors Chris Cleveland, Richard Caufield, Neal Nordahl,
Andrew Reitz, and Rebecca Schaefer.
