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Student Innovation Center being named to honor Branam

Matt Branam will forever have a legacy at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology following a unanimous vote of the board of trustees to name the new Student Innovation Center in honor of the institute’s 14th president.
The facility, which opened last fall, is an incubator for creativity and collaboration from student competition teams. It was developed by Branam to be a modern day “garage of innovation.”
“The Branam Innovation Center will serve as a permanent reminder of the contributions President Matt Branam made to the institute,” stated Interim President Robert Coons on Saturday, making the announcement at the start of Rose-Hulman’s 134th commencement.
“The facility will now forever represent President Branam’s commitment to innovation, and will inspire future Rose-Hulman students,” Coons said.  “Honoring President Branam in this way was originally suggested by our students, and was met with unanimous support by our trustees.”
Branam died unexpectedly on April 20. He was a Terre Haute native who earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Rose-Hulman in 1979. After a successful career as a business executive and consultant, he returned to his alma mater in 2009 to serve as Rose-Hulman’s president.
The Student Innovation Center was one of Branam’s many accomplishments during his tenure as campus leader. The 16,000-square-foot facility is home to several student competition teams that are part of the college's Advanced Transportation Systems Program. The facility has already helped some of those teams during its first year. The Human Powered Vehicle race team won the American Society of Mechanical Engineers’ 2012 East Coast Regional, the Formula SAE race team placed 15th in this year’s Society of Automotive Engineers’ annual competition, and the EcoCAR2 team recently passed its first-year design challenge.

Students, faculty, staff honored

The following students, faculty and staff were recognized during Saturday’s commencement ceremony at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.
• Heminway Gold Medal (top of class academically): Matthew S. Hein, electrical engineering graduate from Sterling Heights, Mich.
• John T. Royce Award (most outstanding graduate): Andrew J. Milluzzi, computer engineering and software engineering double major, from Westlake, Ohio
• Herman A. Moench (distinguished senior commendation): Caroline M. McDonald, chemical engineering graduate, from Kings Mills, Ohio
• Outstanding Graduate Thesis: Phillip D. Rodenbeck, mechanical engineering master’s graduate, from Valparaiso, Ind.
• Dean’s Outstanding Teacher: James H. Hanson, associate professor of civil engineering
• Trustees’ Outstanding Scholar: Terrence C. Casey, associate professor of political science and head of the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences
• President’s Outstanding Service: Jake Campbell, manager of environmental health and safety

Related Photos

  • Speaker: Dean Kamen gives the commencement address to graduating Rose-Hulman students Saturday morning.

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  • Honorary: Dean Kamen (left) is presented an Honorary Degree by President Robert A. Coons (right) and William Fenoglio during commencement at Rose-Hulman Saturday morning.

    MET 052612 HONORARY.jpg

  • Speaker: Commencement speaker Dean Kamen gives the commencement address to the 2012 graduating class of Rose-Hulman Saturday morning.

    MET 052612 DEAN KAMEN2.jpg

  • Hooded: Chairman of the Board of Trustees William Fenoglio puts the hood on commencement speaker Dean Kamen during Saturday's graduation exercise at Rose-Hulman.

    MET 052612 DEAN KAMEN.jpg

  • Picture this: Family and friends of Rose-Hulman graduates photograph them as they arrive at for commencement exercises Saturday morning.

    MET 052612 ROSE PICTURES.jpg

  • Processional: Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Peter Gustafson leads graduates to the 134th Commencement exercise Saturday morning.

    MET 052612 PROCESSION MARCH.jpg

  • Family and friends: Supporters of Rose-Hulman graduates take photographs during the processional Saturday morning.

    MET 052612 FAMILY R-H.jpg

  • Leader: Robert A. Coons leads Rose-Hulman graduates to commencement exercises Saturday morning. At right is William Fenoglio, Chairman, Board of Trustees.

    MET 052612 PRESIDENT RH.jpg

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May 27, 2012

Graduation ‘responsibility’: Rose-Hulman stages 134th commencement exercises

Lisa Trigg The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — Inventor Dean Kamen gave a first-hand demonstration Saturday of how to be an innovator.

Speaking without notes or a script, Kamen created what he called “a contrarian’s view” to the commencement of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology’s Class of 2012.

American society and the international community have seen hard economic times in recent years, he agreed, but he disagreed with the play-it-safe mentality that makes people cautious and less likely to take risks.

“People are not only willing to accept change,” he said, “but desperate. If you can come up with technology that meets needs, these are the best times to create technology that solves needs.”

As an innovator of new ideas and inventions, Kamen himself holds more than 440 U.S. and foreign patents. While still a college undergraduate, he invented the first wearable infusion pump in 1976. He sold it to a health care company, and now his invention is used in medical treatment worldwide. He also founded DEKA Research and Development Corporation to develop new inventions, and he founded an organization to inspire the future generations of technology leaders. He may be best known as the inventor of the Segway personal transportation vehicle.

“I’m jealous,” Kamen told the graduates. “You’re entering a world ready for big change. Don’t squander this opportunity.”

While he was serious about the possibilities for the future, Kamen also showed that a sense of humor is useful, too.

The graduation exercise was not about the graduates earning degrees, he informed the 358 students earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

“It’s about two things,” he said. “Parents, and grandparents. You should be thanking all of them.”

It is also not about putting an end to four years of hard work, and setting life on cruise control.

“The last thing this world needs is for the few smart people to use their education as a tool or weapon,” Kamen said. “We should be building things and putting them back into the world.”

The world houses 7 billion people, he said. For every RHIT graduate, there are 10 million people who did not graduate with an RHIT education or the opportunity to use that learned knowledge to help others.

Every day, he said, 2 billion people must find drinkable water, but only 2 million will find it. Another 2 billion will live each day without electricity.

“You are among the most privileged, tiny minority of your generation,” Kamen said. “Instead of seeing it as a privilege, you should see it as a responsibility.”

The engineers, scientists and mathematicians of today will be the ones solving the world’s problems, he said.

“It’s gonna be you, or it won’t be fixed.”

That was one of the reasons Kamen said he was “shamelessly recruiting” some of the new RHIT graduates to work in his company.

Kamen said when he spoke to the late RHIT president Matt Branam months ago about being the commencement speaker, Branam asked Kamen to impart advice to the students for being successful.

While Kamen said he deferred from that request, with the comeback that Branam had already had this crop of graduates in hand for four years and should have already prepared them for success, Kamen said he did come up with a simple list of 100 things to do to be successful.

The first is to “pick something important to do with all your knowledge and education.” The second is “don’t give up.”

“If you did No. 1 right, No. 2 is gonna be really hard,” Kamen warned, but by doing those two things, the other 98 things don’t matter.

All of the tough problems of the world have already been solved, he said, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t more tough questions to ask and solutions to find.

“You make a life by what you give to the world,” he said. “Have a great life.”



Reporter Lisa Trigg can be reached at (812) 231-4254 or lisa.trigg@tribstar.com. Follow her on Twitter @TribStarLisa.

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