Class of 1961 (B.S.), Aeronautical Engineering

Part 1: “It was time”

Born in Homestead, PA in 1940, Elayne Arrington was the first Black woman to graduate from the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Engineering. She went on to work as an aeronautical engineer at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, where she supported Cold War aviation reconnaissance efforts. Professor Arrington was hired as faculty at the University of Pittsburgh after earning her PhD in mathematics in 1974, becoming the 17th Black woman in the U.S. to earn this degree. She remained on the Pitt faculty until her retirement in 2018.

Elayne Arrington, Part 1

Class of 1961 (B.S.), Aeronautical Engineering

Part 2: “You had to prove yourself at every turn”
 
Born in Homestead, PA in 1940, Elayne Arrington was the first Black woman to graduate from the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Engineering. She went on to work as an aeronautical engineer at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, where she supported Cold War aviation reconnaissance efforts. Professor Arrington was hired as faculty at the University of Pittsburgh after earning her PhD in mathematics in 1974, becoming the 17th Black woman in the U.S. to earn this degree. She remained on the Pitt faculty until her retirement in 2018.

Elayne Arrington, Part 2

Class of 1959 (B.S.), Mechanical Engineering (Aeronautical focus)

“We’ve come a very long way”
 
Marvin Perry Jones was born in rural Virginia in 1934, where he spent his early childhood on his grandfather’s farm and dreamed of flying airplanes. He was awarded an athletic scholarship to attend Pitt, where he ran track and field, participated in ROTC, and earned his degree in mechanical engineering with a focus in aeronautical engineering. After working briefly for Lockheed Martin, he was called to join the Air Force, where he went through pilot training and later flew planes in Vietnam. In 1965, he became Pan Am Airways’ first Black pilot.

Marvin Perry Jones

Class of 1951 (B.S.), Civil Engineering

“The routine was school, work, jazz”
 
As a civil engineering student at Pitt in the late ‘40s and early ‘50s, Joseph (Joe) Lagnese was active as a jazz musician and has remained so throughout his life. After working for the U.S. Air Force for several years following graduation, he spent most of his career running his own engineering consulting firm—Duncan, Lagnese, and Associates—based in Pittsburgh. He established a scholarship at Pitt to support Black students to study environmental engineering.

Joe Lagnese

Class of 2019 (B.S.), Mechanical Engineering

“That number is who you are”
 
Leo Li was part of the first class of students at the University of Pittsburgh’s Sichuan University Pittsburgh Institute (SCUPI). Born and raised in Hunan Province, China, he moved to Chengdu in 2015 to attend SCUPI, before coming to Pittsburgh to finish his studies on the University of Pittsburgh’s main campus two years later. After graduation, he got a job as a product design engineer for Cooper Tire and Rubber Company in Finley, Ohio.

Leo Li

Class of 1978 (B.S.), Chemical Engineering

“I was interested in getting A’s”
 
Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Roberta Ann (Robbi) Luxbacher got her first job delivering papers at the age of eight. After graduating with her degree in chemical engineering from Pitt, she was hired by Exxon in Houston as a technical sales representative and rose through the ranks to become Vice President of Natural Gas in 1999, making her the first woman vice president of an Exxon operating business. She ultimately served as an officer of ExxonMobil Corporation and a Global Vice President. She retired in 2014 and remains active as a Trustee for the University of Pittsburgh.

Robbi Luxbacher

Class of 1979 (B.S.), Civil Engineering

“He wasn’t going to let me give up”
 
Lester (Les) Snyder III is a third-generation Pitt alumnus whose father and grandfather both attended the university. After sustaining an injury as a soccer player at Grove City College, he transferred to Pitt to follow in his father’s footsteps as a Pitt engineer. Snyder spent much of his decades-long career as an engineer at Mellon Stuart Company, American Bridge and Barton Malow. He is currently President and CEO of Infrastructure and Industrial Constructors USA, LLC—branded as i+iconUSA.

Lester Snyder III

Class of 1966 (PhD), Mechanical Engineering

Part 1: “They had the power of Hoover Dam in that little tin can”

John Swanson began his engineering career at Westinghouse, where he worked on the NERVA nuclear rocket program and learned computer programming—a skill he would apply to his PhD dissertation research in applied mechanics at Pitt in the late 1960s. In 1970, he founded Swanson Analysis Systems, Incorporated (ANSYS), a software company which grew from three people working out of Swanson’s farmhouse in Elizabeth, Pennsylvania to a 4,000-person company distributing software globally. In 2004, he received the Fritz Medal, the highest award in the American engineering profession. In 2007, he made a gift of $41.3 million to the University of Pittsburgh’s engineering school. Today, it is named for him: The John A. Swanson School of Engineering.

John Swanson, Part 1

Class of 1966 (PhD), Mechanical Engineering

Part 2: “I didn’t know for 15 years that I was an entrepreneur”
 
John Swanson began his engineering career at Westinghouse, where he worked on the NERVA nuclear rocket program and learned computer programming—a skill he would apply to his PhD dissertation research in applied mechanics at Pitt in the late 1960s. In 1970, he founded Swanson Analysis Systems, Incorporated (ANSYS), a software company which grew from three people working out of Swanson’s farmhouse in Elizabeth, Pennsylvania to a 4,000-person company distributing software globally. In 2004, he received the Fritz Medal, the highest award in the American engineering profession. In 2007, he made a gift of $41.3 million to the University of Pittsburgh’s engineering school. Today, it is named for him: The John A. Swanson School of Engineering.

John Swanson, Part 2

Class of 1960 (B.S.), Electrical Engineering

“I was always tinkering”
 
David Tannenbaum was born and raised in Pittsburgh, where he spent much of his childhood tinkering with circuitry and wiring at his basement workbench. Tannenbaum studied electrical engineering at Pitt before pursuing his law degree at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio. He started his career at Bell Laboratories—first as an engineer, then later as a patent attorney–and went on to grow a large patent law practice in Dallas, Texas, where he wrote the fundamental patents for many of the technologies that we still rely on today.

David Tannenbaum

Class of 2011 (B.S.) and 2018 (PhD), Bioengineering

“Who am I in this space?”
 
Born in Washington, D.C. in 1988, Sossena Wood came to Pitt to run track and study engineering. As an undergraduate, she was Chapter President of the University of Pittsburgh’s National Society of Black Engineers, and she became heavily involved in the Society’s national arm as a graduate student. She credits her involvement with Pitt Engineering’s EXCEL Program for inspiring her to attend graduate school. After completing her PhD, Wood joined Carnegie Mellon University as a Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow in Biomedical Engineering.

Sossena Wood

Class of 1964 (B.S.), 1966 (M.S.), 1970 (PhD), Electrical Engineering
ECE Faculty 1970-2007

“A very good friend”
 
Professor James Thomas (Tom) Cain completed both his undergraduate and graduate education at Pitt before joining the faculty in 1970. He led the effort to create the Computer Science Accreditation Board to establish standards for computer science programs in the United States and worked to expand accreditation globally. Throughout his career, he held close to 30 different positions in the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, where he was elected President in 1995. He and his wife established the James Thomas Cain and Jacquelyn Stone Cain Endowed Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering in 2011. He was a close friend and colleague of Professor Marlin Mickle, a Pitt innovator who holds the University record for invention disclosures filed, and who passed away in 2015.

Tom Cain

Class of 1964 (B.S.), 1967 (M.S.), 1970 (PhD), Electrical Engineering
ECE Faculty 1970-present

“Engineering was everywhere”
 
Professor Ronald Hoelzeman spent over 50 years at the University of Pittsburgh, earning all of his degrees in electrical engineering before joining the faculty in 1970. He began his engineering career at Westinghouse and came to specialize in computer engineering—a field that didn’t exist when he began his studies—with a focus on optimization techniques and computer architecture. As faculty, he helped develop the first Model Curricula for Computer Science and Engineering, playing a major role in getting universities across the country to more formally offer this emerging field of study, including the creation of Pitt’s Computer Engineering program.

Ron Hoelzeman

Faculty, Industrial Engineering, 1964 to 2006
Chair, Department of Industrial Engineering, 1985 to 2000
 
“People are much more erratic and difficult to deal with than machines”
 
Harvey Wolfe began his research on healthcare systems as a graduate student, working with nurses at Johns Hopkins University Hospital and developing some of the early nurse staffing models as a pioneer in the field. He continued his hospital work after joining the faculty at Pitt in 1964, developing the Health Service Research Group. He also served as a consultant to Blue Cross of Western Pennsylvania. Professor Wolfe went on to serve as Chair of the Department of Industrial Engineering as well as President of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineering. He later received the Institute’s Albert G. Holzman Distinguished Educator Award, as well as its highest honor, the Frank and Lillian Gilbreth Industrial Engineering Award recognizing his many contributions to human welfare in the field of industrial engineering.

Harvey Wolfe

Class of 1993 (B.S.), Civil Engineering and 2003 (M.S.), Construction Management
 
“We miss him”
 
Jeffrey (Jeff) Mascaro is executive vice president and chief operating officer of Mascaro Construction, a company founded by his father, John C. (Jack) Mascaro in 1988. After graduating with his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, Jeff Mascaro joined his father’s company as an employee and worked his way up to run the company alongside his two brothers. Their father, Jack Mascaro – also an engineer and a Pitt alumnus – made a gift to the Swanson School of Engineering in 2003, establishing the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation. He died in July 2020.

Jeff Mascaro

Class of 1971 (B.S.), Mechanical Engineering
 
“A tough job”
 
Stephen (Steve) Tritch was born in Butler, Pennsylvania. After graduating with his mechanical engineering degree in 1971, he accepted his first job at Westinghouse Electric Corporation in the Power Circuit Breaker Division and went on to earn his MBA from Pitt in 1977. Tritch held a number of positions at Westinghouse throughout his 39-year career there, including in the Advanced Energy Systems Division and the Commercial Nuclear Divisions. He was named CEO of Westinghouse in 2002, holding this position until his retirement in 2008. Tritch served on Pitt’s Board of Trustees from 2007 to 2019. At his retirement from the Board, the Trustees elected to name the Swanson School's nuclear engineering program in his honor.

Stephen R. Tritch

Faculty, Chemical Engineering, 1987 - present
 
“It was a real love affair”
 
Professor Anna Balazs was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1953 and fled the country with her parents in 1956 when Russian tanks invaded Budapest during the Hungarian Revolution. She earned her bachelor’s degree in physics at Bryn Mawr College and her master’s degree and PhD at MIT. She is a Distinguished Professor of chemical engineering at the University of Pittsburgh, where she worked alongside her husband, Steven Levitan, a professor of electrical engineering, until his death in 2016. Balazs is internationally recognized for her theoretical and computational modeling of polymers. She is especially passionate about biomimetic systems and oscillating gels. Balazs' research and grant writing bring millions in funding to Pitt every year. 

In 2016, she became the first woman to win the Polymer Physics Prize; in 2021, she was elected to the National Academy of Sciences; and elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2022. She is the first Swanson School faculty member to be election to both national academies.

Anna Balazs

Class of 2020 (B.S.), Mechanical Engineering
 
“It feels a little bit surreal”
 
Born in Pittsburgh in 1984, Bailey Cassler graduated with dual bachelor’s degrees in astronomy and physics from the University of Maryland in 2006. After 12 years in the workforce, she decided to return to school to pursue a second bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering at Pitt. As a student, she worked as a research assistant in Professor Matthew Barry’s lab in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, where she helped model an ice probe intended for a mission to Europa. After graduation, she got a job with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, where she continues to work on probes destined for Europa.

Bailey Cassler

Class of 1982 (B.S.), Industrial Engineering
 
“What we do is urgent”
 
Carlton Adams was born in Philadelphia in 1961. After graduating from Pitt with his degree in industrial engineering, he got a job at Philadelphia Electric Company, and, after a few years in the workforce, decided to pursue an MBA at Temple University. Throughout his career, Adams used his combined background in management and industrial engineering to optimize systems for a variety of companies, including Caterpillar, Peabody Energy, MasterCard, and Express Scripts. He entered the nonprofit sector in 2021, as Chief Operating Officer for Operation Food Search, an organization that works to reduce child hunger and family food insecurity.

Carlton Adams

Class of 2010 (M.S.) and 2014 (PhD), Civil and Environmental Engineering
Faculty, Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2014 to the present
 
“I wanted to tackle the grand challenges”
 
Professor David Sanchez was born in 1984 on the island of Guam, where he grew up as part of a large, close-knit family. He left Guam to attend college at the University of Portland in Portland, Oregon, graduating with his bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering in 2006. He went on to pursue his graduate studies at the University of Pittsburgh, where he studied sustainability and sustainable engineering as part of the first cohort of Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) fellows. Professor Sanchez earned both his master’s degree and PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering, graduating in 2014. His research interests include energy, water and microbial fuel cells. In 2015, he joined the faculty at Pitt as an Assistant Professor and was named Assistant Director of the Mascaro Center for Sustainability.

David Sanchez

B.S. Mechanical Engineering
 
“The next Iron Man”

Born in New Jersey, Dawson Winston dreamed of becoming an engineer from a very young age. During his time at Pitt, Winston has been involved in a myriad of extracurricular activities, including the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), Pitt X Projects, and Pitt DesignHub, among others. A Pitt EXCEL scholar, he is graduating with his degree in mechanical engineering.

Dawson Winston

B.S. Electrical and Computer Engineering
 
“I saw the end point”

Born in New York City and raised in Pittsburgh, Andrew Toader has been involved in numerous organizations during his undergraduate studies, including serving as a corporate liaison for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), a mentor in the biomedical engineer society, a student leader volunteer at Children’s Hospital and in multiple emergency medicine ski patrols. He also worked in a neuroimaging lab as a freshman and got an internship at Medtronic doing embedded systems engineering. Toader plans to attend medical school after graduation.

Andrew Toader

B.S. Industrial Engineering
 
“I was the only girl”

Keilani Swartzmiller was born in Jacksonville, Arkansas and lived on several different military bases while she was growing up, including in Hawaii and Germany. During her time as an industrial engineering student, she was a member of the Pitt EXCEL engineering program. She has also worked as a peer advisor in the Global Studies office and served as a first-year mentor and a mentor in the Pink Panthers program. Swartzmiller has been involved with the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) since her first year at Pitt and now serves as the President of her chapter.

Keilani Swartzmiller

Kelly McPoyle

B.S. Mechanical Engineering
 
“If it’s meant to be, it will be”

Halima Morafa grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, and came to Pitt to study Mechanical Engineering. She began her freshman year as a member of the Pitt EXCEL engineering program, which she now works with as a mentor. She has been a member of the National Society of Black Engineers since 2018, and also serves as the Student Co-Chair and Research Program Student Lead for the Mechanical Engineering and Material Sciences (MEMS) Student Advisory Board. Morafa is also a member of Ya'baso, an African dance group at Pitt.

Halima Morafa

B.S. Electrical Engineering
 
“I had no clue what I was going into”

Born in Austin, Texas, Cuauhtémoc Macías moved to Pennsylvania to pursue a degree in electrical engineering at Pitt. He has been continuously involved since his freshman year with the Society of Professional Hispanic Engineers, holding positions as Freshman Co-chair, External Vice-President, President, and Social Media Chair. As a member of the Pitt EXCEL program, he has worked as a student mentor at the Summer Engineering Academy and completed the Summer Research Internship program. He has most recently served as a teaching assistant for a microelectronics course.

Cuauhtémoc Macías

B.S. Civil Engineering, Certificate in Sustainability
 
“Life is pretty messy”

Isabel Lee was born in New Jersey. She grew up fascinated with Legos and building things, which eventually led to her passion for engineering. She is graduating with her bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, with a minor in Spanish. She has been a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) since freshman year, holding a leadership position since sophomore year. During her time at Pitt, she was also captain of the Balsa Wood Bridge team, captain of the intramural volleyball team, and a member of the Society of Women Engineers.

Isabel Lee

B.S. Industrial Engineering
 
“A safe space”

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Anaya Joynes is studying industrial engineering with a concentration in engineering management. Her parents also attended Pitt, where they met and fell in love. During her time at Pitt, Anaya has been heavily involved with Pitt EXCEL, the Mu Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), which she serves as Chapter President.

Anaya Joynes

B.S. Environmental Engineering
 
“This is what I want to do”

Melina Hudson was born in Milford, Delaware and came to Pitt to study environmental engineering. She joined the Pitt Band as a freshman and continued all four years, playing the saxophone. During her undergraduate years, she joined the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and became a member of the fraternity Kappa Kappa Psi, devoted to music and band members. After completing an accelerated Master’s degree program in 2023, Hudson plans to work for Greenman Pedersen Inc., focusing on highway and road design as well as water resources, in her home town of Milford.

Melina Hudson

B.S. Bioengineering

“That’s why I’m here”

Uthman Fadu was born in Nigeria, immigrating to the U.S. with his parents and older brother when he was a child. His family spent six years in Rhode Island, where they found a close-knit community through a local Nigerian Muslim mosque before moving to Sheraden, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. Fadu attended Taylor Allderdice High School, where he was first introduced to the field of engineering, and came to the University of Pittsburgh as a member of the Pitt EXCEL program to study bioengineering. Following graduation, he will be doing consulting work for Deloitte.

Uthman Fadu

B.S. Environmental Engineering
 
“I just wanted something different”

Logan Dyer grew up in Mechanicsburg, PA and came to the University of Pittsburgh to study environmental engineering. He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, and serves as Vice President of the Pitt chapter of the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists. He also serves as the captain of the Pitt Environmental Team. In Summer 2021, he participated in a study abroad program with Dr. David Sanchez focused on sustainable design and innovation in Guam.

Logan Dyer

B.S. Civil Engineering
 
“What Black engineering means”

Samuel Copeland was born in Dayton, Ohio and grew up in Moon Township, Pennsylvania just outside of Pittsburgh. Alongside his degree in Civil Engineering, he graduated with minors in Industrial Engineering and Africana Studies and plans to study engineering at the graduate level. He was the Region 2 Programs Chair of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) and was also involved in Pitt Engineering’s EXCEL Program.

Samuel Copeland

B.S. Industrial Engineering 
 
“It’s a motivator, for sure”

Philip Andreoli was born in Harrisburg and grew up in Lewisberry, Pennsylvania with his twin brother, Carmen. During his time at Pitt, Andreoli has been a member of several on-campus organizations, including the Pitt Jazz Band, in which he plays guitar; the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers, which he currently serves as Vice President; and the Supply Chain Management Club, which he currently serves as President. He received the award for Outstanding Senior from the Department of Industrial Engineering, as well as the Outstanding Service Award.

Philip Andreoli

B.S. Chemical Engineering
 
“A big turning point”

Born in Mason, Ohio, Natalie Steibel came to Pittsburgh to study chemical engineering in 2018, recruited as a member of the Pitt volleyball team. As an undergrad, Steibel has been involved with the student athlete advisory committee, Tau Beta Pi, and the Society of Women Engineers. She also completed a co-op at Johnson and Johnson in Philadelphia in 2021, where she worked in technical operations and later became the president of the Intern and Co-op Association.

Natalie Steibel

Class of 1989 (B.S.), Industrial Engineering
 
“It takes a village”
 
Robert (Rob) Copeland was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey in 1967. He entered the University of Pittsburgh as an IMPACT scholar, graduating his bachelor’s degree in 1989. After working as an industrial engineer for the United States Army, he returned to Pitt, where he earned an M.B.A. and M.S. in management of information systems in 1995. Copeland has had a long career in software engineering and consulting, working in various private sector roles at Lexis-Nexis, Highmark and PNC. Throughout his career, he has stayed connected to the Pitt IMPACT program, now known as Pitt EXCEL, supporting engineering students from underrepresented groups. Copeland’s son Sam studied Civil Engineering as a Pitt EXCEL scholar, graduating in 2022.

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