The Cooper Union held its End of the Year Show 2011 from May 23 through June 18, displaying more than 300 new and innovative works by students in the Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture, School of Art, and the Albert Nerken School of Engineering. Pictured is a robot arm created by Amandine Maidenberg, Uniyoshi Shimizu and Kevin Wong for the Cooper Union Robotics Lab. The robot arm is specifically designed for educational use with accompanying integrated vision and force sensors, a programmable logic controller and simulation software.

Photo by Juliana Thomas

Professional Women in Construction held its annual Meet the Real Estate Industry’s VIP Women on June 16 at Club 101 in New York. ACC Construction president and CEO, Michelle Medaglia, moderated a panel that included Gioria Guillo, procurement officer of capital projects, NYC Housing Authority, who encouraged women-owned architectural and engineering firms to take advantage of opportunities in public work. Guillo noted that NYCHA’s Capital Project Division has been awarding multiple projects since June. From left: Gloria Guillo, procurement officer of capital projects, NYCHA; Michelle Cooper, project manager, Columbia University Medical Center; Lisa Kiell, managing director, Jones Lang LaSalle; Lellani Glover, construction project manager, Tishman Speyer Properties; Cynthia Boyea, property manager, Paramount Group Inc.; Michele Medaglia, president and CEO, ACC Construction and Lenore Janis, president, PWC.

Photo by Calvin Lee

The Building Service 32BJ Thomas Shortman Training, Scholarship and Safety Fund, a joint labor-management program, awarded a total of 30 high school graduates, college students and union members undergraduate and graduate scholarships at a luncheon that took place at the 32BJ headquarters located in lower Manhattan on June 3. Twenty high school graduates, two union members going on to college and eight students heading to graduate school received the academic scholarships. The undergraduate scholarships will provide $4,000 annually for four years at each student’s college of choice and each graduate scholarship will provide $8,000 annually for up to four years. From left: Carlos Fuentes, Maria Montano, Joel Attard and Michelle Roytman.

Photo by Dave Sanders

The International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local Union 12 of New York City and Long Island held its golf outing on May 13 at New York City’s Douglaston Golf Course. The golf outing raised $60,000 to fund the International Master Apprentice Competition, which helps assist workers in the heat and frost insulation industry. From left: Local 12 members James Yanolatos, Joe Morrone and Fred DeMartino.

Photo Courtesy of local 12

The Ruby Group, a Goshen, N.Y.-based development, consulting and construction management company, cut the ribbon on its newly constructed offices on June 23. From left: James O’Donnell, deputy county executive, Orange County; Jonathan Rouis, chairman, Sullivan County Legislature; Howie Berman, principal, The Ruby Group; Pete Berman, president and CEO, The Ruby Group; and Daniel Rea O’Brien, senior vice president, Membership Development and Services, Orange County Chamber of Commerce.

Photo Courtesy Of The Ruby Group

Nontraditional Employment for Women, a New York City-based nonprofit group, held its annual awards luncheon on June 9 at the Hilton Hotel in Manhattan. Policymakers, union leaders and administrators who have implemented or advocated for policies that encourage women to build careers in the construction trades were honored at the event. Recipients of NEW’s 2011 Equity Leadership Awards included Louise M. Matthews, vice president of global real estate and facilities, Avon Products Inc.; Mark Ayers, president, Building and Construction Trades Dept., AFL-CIO; Christopher Ward, executive director, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey; and Ana Taveras, NEW graduate and organizing coordinator for the Laborers Eastern Region Organizing Fund. From left: Maxine Finkelstein, board member, NEW; Monica Harwell, graduate and board member, NEW; and Amy Petersen, president, NEW.

Photo by Laura Mirviss