2018 Founder’s Day Award Winners Announced
On 2/6/2018 Cooper Union Held Inauguration Festivities.
The day began with an Academic Procession, followed by a Ceremony in the Great Hall. Then there was the Wreath Laying in Cooper Square and a Community Lunch.
Cooper Family Papers Exhibition
Archives librarian Katie Blumenkrantz curated an exhibition entitled “Letters of Everyday Life: The Cooper Family Papers.” highlighting some of the 340 letters bought by the library in 2015 using a generous gift from a group of alumni and professors. The exhibition was held in The Cooper Union library and was up until March 30. Learn More
Free Education Committee
The Free Education Committee’s 10 year plan for bring back full scholarships was approved by the CU BOT and a letter was distributed to the CU Community with that news on March 15th, 2018.
Earlier public forums were held where the FEC plan was discussed with students and alumni. Videos of those forums are available.
January 29, 2018 in The Great Hall
February 7th 2018 in the Great Hall
February 13th in the Great Hall
March 7th in the great Hall
CUAA February 2018 Council Meeting held on February 27, 2018
40 alumni, 22 students, and 2 members of CU staff attended this meeting held in LL101 on February 28th, 2018. CUAA President Paul Nikulin CE’06 introduced 4 new Council members. They were previously elected as alternate council members and are filling terms that were vacated when four council members were elected to officer positions. They are Kathryn Berry AR’80, Katie Correll ME’12, George DeFeis CE’84, and Michael Luke CE’14. Next, there was an informal discussion about the recently released FEC plan led by Victoria Sobel A’13, Harrison Cullen A’13, Rachel Appel A’13 and Kierston Mercado A’19. The discussion was popular and went beyond an hour. Kierston Mercado’19 asked students if they might be interested in a community summit. (A mini meeting will be held immediately following this meeting to discuss logistics for possible summit.)
The business portion of the meeting followed and included the announcement of 2018 CUAA Award winners and an announcement of the candidates running for office in the Spring Election. Nominating Committee Chair, Susan Shaw A’72, presented the slate of candidates. Council members approved the slate. VP Alumni Activities, Kelly Occhiuzzo Zack A’90, announce that turnout at McSorleys on Founder’s Day February 12th was about 30. Christina Ross AR’81 gave an update on tour event to the Glass House in New Canaan, CT. on May 19th. There will be an on-line form so that payments can be made by credit card. Reservations will need to be made by April 11st. Tickets are $85 for alumni and $45 for students. Registration deadline was April 12th.
The meeting ended at 8:30 PM.
There is a Live Stream Video of the meeting.
CUAA April 2018 Council Meeting held on April 17, 2018.
The meeting began at 6:25 PM and began with a presentation by 3 members of the CU Motorsports Team. There were Connor Lowry, Simon Cohen, and Victor Franco. They gave an overview of the FSAE competition and of the CU Motorsports team which included photos of the 2017 car and plans for the 2018 car. Then they gave a tour of the laboratory spaces where they are building the car and showed the many components that the students have designed and fabricated. These included the car’s frame, wheel struts, wheel frames, firewall, air intake and carbon fiber body. The team invites alumni to the 2018 Rollout event on May 3, 2018, at 41 Cooper Square, in Room 101 from 6-9. Link to register
During the Business portion of the Meeting, CUAA President, Paul Nikulin CE’06 explained that during our next Council meeting on May 23rd, the first hour will be used to place phone calls to alumni as part of a Thankathon. We are planning a second phone call event on May 24th to answer questions from alumni. Cristina Aguirre-Ross AR’81 announced that 50 tickets have been sold so far for the Glass House Tour on May 19th. Paul Nikulin announced that we are planning an alumni Happy Hour coinciding with Opening Night for the End of Year Show. Amy Westpfall A’00 is organizing this event. Laura Spinner provided an update on the award fabrication and on the planning for the award ceremony. She needs 5 alumni volunteers to help with check-in and ushering. She also needs volunteers to help with the design of invitation and posters. Margaret Matz AR’83 gave updates from alumni who serve on school committees. She mentioned that we have an opening for an architecture alumni. Paul Nikulin announced that we are in the early stages of launching some alumni affinity groups. It is hoped that we will have multiple affinity groups for alumni who share a profession or passion. The affinity groups being discussed include, civil engineering, medical professions and academic professions. The meeting ended at 8:25 PM.
Annual CUAA Spring Election March 15th – April 30, 2018.
Each year, the CUAA membership elects new officers, including an Alumni Trustee, and elects 1/3rd of the council members. The membership also elects the members of the Nominating Committee. The Slate of candidates was announced at the February 27th CUAA Meeting. they are:
Alumni Trustee:
 Alumni Trustee: Cristina Aguirre-Ross Architecture 1981 |
 Alumni Trustee: Lyn Pentecost Art 1970 |
2018-2019 Officers:
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| VP Faculty & Student Liason Margaret Matz AR 1983 | VP Alumni Events Kelly Occhiuzzo Zack A 1990 | VP Alumni Events Hope Wade A 1987 | Secretary Mary K. Lynch CHE 1982 | Treasurer Stephen Verderese EE 1984 |
2018-2021 Council:
Daniel P. Burke, Esq CHE 1981; Brendan Butler EE 2007; Bernard (Bernie) Codd CHE 1983; Jennifer Collins A 1993; Caitlan (Katie) Correll ME 2012; Claudia Giordano Lasky A 1976; Standish Lee AR 2011; Lawrence (Larry) Levine AR 1969; Genevieve Martin A 2011; Mark O’Grady A 1976; Anthony Manganiello CE 2006; Christopher Panebianco CHE 2016; Beatriz Ponce ME 2011; Justin Richter CHE 2016; James Haywood Rolling A 1988; Westley Rozen AR 2005; Shankar Venkataraman BSE 2003; Sabeel Yosef CE 2005; Lily Zand AR 1988
2018-2019 Nominating Council:
Elizabeth Graziolo AR 1995; Dennis Kong IDE 2008; Tim Lim CE 2012; Claudia Giordano Lasky A 1976; James Liubicich CHE 1983; Darrell Low EE 1989; Anthony Manganiello CE 2006; Susan Shaw A 1972; Laura Spinner A 1989; Nick Vargas CE 2006; Curtis B Wayne AR 1975; Shankar Venkataraman BSE 2003; Kay Nordstrom ME 1977; Scott Lyne ChE 1992; Daniel Burke ChE 1981; Stephen Verderese EE 1984
Learn About the Candidates by reading Bios here.
Meet The Candidates Night
Meet the Candidates Night was held on April 10, 2018. Link to video The evening was organized by Shankar Venkataraman and the moderator for the evening was Ron Vogel.
March was Women’s History Month
Read about some remarkable women who graduated from the Cooper Union.
Dr. Elizabeth R. Simons ChE’50 – Professor, Researcher of Biochemistry, Boston University Medical Center; developed a diagnostic blood test to detect Alzheimer’s. She received the Gano Dunn award in 2004. Learn More
Eleanore Kendall Pettersen AR’41 – First woman in New Jersey to be named an AIA fellow. Apprenticed to Frank Lloyd Wright at Taliesin East. She received a Presidential Citation in 1965 and an Augustus Saint-Gauden’s Award in 1994. Learn More
Bianca Bondi Robitscher A 1868– Engraver, Designer and Illustrator. Bianca received the very first diploma ever awarded at The Cooper Union. Bianca came to the Cooper Institute in 1860 just a few months following the school’s opening in 1859. Her engraving skills were admired and at Abram Hewitt’s request, she became an instructor at the Cooper Institute. She was a leader in the “True Sisters” Order for over 50 years and the editor for the Echo which was a True Sister’s publication. She made wood engravings for multiple publishing companies, working in the field until steel engraving replaced the wood technique.
School News
Cooper Motorsports
The Cooper Motorsports 2017-18 team is well on their way towards a race-ready car for May’s competition in Brooklyn, Michigan. This competition tasks our team of students with designing, building, and eventually racing an open-cockpit, formula-style race car from scratch every year. Comprised of over 40 members, the team is continuing the huge success they had in last year’s competition, finishing 49th overall and placing 11th in the business event. This year the car has the number 89, and the competition is from May 9-12. The team is led by our President, Simon Cohen, Chief Engineer Matthew Bartolomeo, and Project Manager Blossom Soifer.
Having finalized the designs for this year’s car, the team is working on all cylinders to finish the car by April. Last year, the team made huge strides in design that Cooper has never seen before from a complete aerodynamics package to a completely redesigned suspension system. This year, they’ve continued the spirit of innovation while further refining these new systems. By improving wing manufacturing techniques, the aerodynamics package is now 40% lighter and even stronger, due to better materials thanks to the numerous sponsors that support the team. Electronic throttle control and adjustable pedals have been implemented, allowing for a completely customizable driver experience. These, in addition to numerous smaller optimizations across all subsystems, will allow the car to accelerate faster, turn tighter, and brake harder, and enable Cooper Motorsports to continue to be an engineering powerhouse in the Formula SAE competition. For more information, alumni can go to our Facebook page, facebook.com/cooperFSAE. If alumni living in Michigan would like to attend any part of the competition they can contact the team at a cu.formula.sae@gmail.com
In Memoriam
Howard T. Wright EE’56 enjoyed a long and exciting career at NASA that included working on the Apollo 13 mission and the Viking Landing mission. Read More
See who we have lost during 2018
ALUMNI NEWS
Alumni accomplishments featured prominently on our website… Please take a look!
Share your accomplishments by posting them on The Official CUAA FaceBook page and LinkedIn Group
Mary Lynch ChE’82 honored as a Fellow by the AIChE
Mary Lynch ChE’82 has been elected a fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE).
Fellow candidates are nominated by their peers. They must have significant chemical engineering practice (generally 25 years), have demonstrated significant service to the profession, and have been a member of AIChE for at least 10 years.
The announcement was made in the April issue of AIChE’s Chemical Engineering Progress (CEP) magazine.
Coming Events
Full List of School Exhibitions
April 26, 2018 Mechanical Engineering welcomes alumni to attend the Poster Presentations of the ME Seniors.
Thursday, April 26th from 2:00 – 4:30 pm. The poster presentations take place in the lobby of 41 Cooper Square.
May 3, 2018 – CU Motorsports 2018 FSAE Car Rollout
41 Cooper Square, in Room 101 from 6-9. Link to register
April 27 and May 9, 2018 Community Planning Collaborative Meeting
Actualizing free education at Cooper Union requires community engagement. And in order to build community, a non-financial perspective and discourse is necessary.
In that spirit, the Cooper Planning Collaborative is collecting voices for the Free Education Non-Financial Considerations workgroup. Only with the community’s voice will The Cooper Union be able to address the intersectionality of a “free education” in all the senses of the word. Please lend us your voice in articulating what free education (beyond finance) means.
The workgroup proposes an open record that provides a platform to voice your ideas and challenges to craft a comprehensive and collaborative vision for a Free Cooper Union. It is an effort to organize a Cooper Strategic Plan in direct relation to our community’s voice. Through open participation, it will focus future Cooper community meetings on the many aspects of free education and other Cooper Planning Collaborative topics.
The goal is to record and upload up to 7-minute speeches or interviews to the Cooper website (or parallel site) on a regular basis. The deadline is ongoing but prompt submissions are appreciated in order to galvanize the project.
The next Community Planning Collaborative meetings are:
- April 27 from 11 a.m. – noon in Room LL101
- May 9 from 3:00 p.m. -4:00 p.m. in room 712F.
Our first goal is to present a beta version of the record at these meetings.
Please send recordings (Soundcloud links or sound files to be uploaded on Soundcloud) along with hashtags/metadata listing main issues covered to higuer@cooper.edu.
May 19, 2018 – CUAA Tour of The Glass House
Join us on Saturday May 19, 2018 for a visit to Philip Johnson’s Glass House, as well as his studio, the painting gallery, sculpture gallery (Da Monsta), and the sculptures and follies on the landscape. The 2-½ hour extended guided tours begin at 11:30 a.m., 11:50 a.m., 12:10 p.m., and 12:30 p.m. Tours include a one-mile walk on paths and grass. Arrival is 30 minutes prior to each Tour.
May 23, 2018 – Commencement
(Daytime event. Tickets required. Live video will be available) More Details Here.
May 23, 2018 My CUAA Council Meeting 6 – 8:30 PM
The council meeting will take place at The Cooper Union. Room TBD. Election winners will be announced and new alumni will be welcomed.
May 22, 2018 End of Year Show Alumni Get Together
Alumni will be meeting up for drinks and then taking a tour of the annual student end of year show, EYOS-2018. Amy Westpfahl, CU Coordinator of Recruitment & Admissions is organizing this alumni event on the show’s Opening Night. More information will be emailed later.
May 23-24, 2018
Thankathon
The CUAA and Office of Alumni Affairs and Development invite alumni to join us on campus for a spring Thankathon on two evenings to connect with fellow alumni and thank them for being engaged:
- Wednesday, May 23, 6:00–7:15 p.m.
- Thursday, May 24, 6:00–9:00 p.m.
Refreshments will be served! Room and location TBD. If you plan to attend, please RSVP:
June 1, 2018 – CUAA Founders Day 2018 Award Ceremony
At the awards ceremony, CUAA awards are presented to the winners of the Gano Dunn, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, John Q. Hejduk, Peter Cooper Service, and Outstanding Alumnus awards. More to Come
Reunion Weekend June 1st- June 3rd
On Friday, enjoy a presentation in Rose auditorim and cocktails on the Alumni Rooftop Terrace. On Saturday, participate in one of the reunion luncheons. Take a tour of the school buildings. Meet the Deans and see what’s happening now in Cooper classrooms.Saturday Night, take a Cruise around Manhattan on the Spirit of New York! Finish the weekend off with Sunday Brunch and a CUAA Block Party.
List of Events
Reunion Weekend will be the first weekend in June. Members of the class of 1966 will be celebrating their Golden Legion. Several other classes will be marking milestones as well. It takes many volunteers to organize a memorable reunion.
6/1/18 Hall of Fame Award Presentations
6:30—8:00 p.m. The Gano Dunn, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, John Q. Hejduk, and Peter Cooper Public Service Awards will be presented and the awardees will be inducted into The Cooper Union Hall of Fame. The Alumnus of the Year and The Young Alumnus of the Year Award will also be awarded. Alumni, Students, Parents and Friends are all invited. This year, the ceremony will be held in the Rose Auditorium, 41 Cooper Square and it will be followed by a reception on the rooftop in the Alumni Terrace.
ALUMNI NEWS
Alumni accomplishments featured prominently on our website… Please take a look!
Share your accomplishments by posting them on The Official CUAA FaceBook page and LinkedIn Group
Useful Links
All editions of the CU Student Newspaper, The Pioneer, can be read on-line. http://pioneer.cooper.edu
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