RIT and Dresser-Rand forging stronger ties

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Kathy Lindsley

Samuel Haas ’08 (mechanical engineering) and Jacob LaManna (sixth year B.S./M.S. mechanical engineering student), work on a senior design project sponsored by Dresser-Rand.

During the 2007-08 academic year, engineering students were involved in several research initiatives as part of a unique collaboration between RIT and Dresser-Rand, a manufacturer of equipment to the worldwide oil, gas, petrochemical and process industries.

The Dresser-Rand / RIT Campus Partnership Program was established last year to enhance educational opportunities for RIT students and to help Dresser-Rand recruit highly skilled alumni, new graduates and co-op students.

The partnership has enhanced relations between RIT and Dresser-Rand that go back decades. Numerous RIT alumni work at Dresser-Rand, which operates manufacturing facilities in the United States, France, Germany, Norway, China and India, and maintains a network of 28 service centers worldwide.

“By establishing relationships with key educational institutions such as RIT that have strong engineering programs, we can leverage significant research, training, and alumni and new graduate recruiting opportunities,” says Elizabeth Powers, Dresser-Rand vice president and chief administrative officer “It is through these types of partnerships that we improve our ability to recruit top engineering talent and increase access to cutting-edge research in the field.”

The Dresser-Rand / RIT Campus Partnership Program kicked off in late 2006. In September 2007, D-R hosted a tour and presentation for nearly 120 mechanical engineering students who spent the day interacting with engineers, designers, and managers at Dresser-Rand operations in Olean, N.Y. Dresser-Rand also funded four projects in 2007-08 through the Kate Gleason College of Engineering’s Multidisciplinary Senior Design Program. The company funded additional design projects that built upon these efforts and hopes ultimately to incorporate aspects of all these research projects into its manufacturing operations.

“Our research project allowed all members of the student team to apply the skills we learned in the classroom to a real world project while allowing us to interact with people at Dresser Rand who are working in the field,” says Garry Studley ’08 (mechanical engineering).

Studley, team leader on an equipment monitoring project, was hired by D-R as an engineer following graduation. He’s based at the company’s Olean facility. “Dresser-Rand is a great company to work for, and I’m pleased to have had the opportunity to make connections with the company while attending RIT,” he says.

Janet Ofano ’97, ’04 (professional and technical communications; communications and media technologies), communications coordinator at Dresser-Rand, is responsible for the company’s marketing communications activities. She received the 2007 RIT College of Liberal Art’s Distinguished Alumni Award. “My nine years at Dresser-Rand have been incredibly rewarding,” she says, “and I’m grateful to all of the people at RIT who helped me reach my professional goals.”

Both RIT and Dresser-Rand are working on growing the partnership program to further enhance ties between the two organizations and help RIT promote its education programs, while providing Dresser-Rand with skilled employees and technological enhancements necessary to remain competitive in the global marketplace.

About Dresser-Rand

Dresser-Rand is among the largest suppliers of rotating equipment solutions to the worldwide oil, gas, petrochemical, and process industries. The company operates manufacturing facilities in the United States, France, Germany, Norway, China, and India, and maintains a network of 28 service and support centers covering more than 140 countries. Dresser-Rand is a subsidiary of Dresser-Rand Group Inc. The company’s common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under “DRC.”