by David Flint
Stephentown resident Burt Swersey was recognized for outstanding service to students at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s 206th Commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 26. Swersey, a longtime senior Lecturer in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Nuclear Engineering, was selected as the 38th recipient of the prestigious David M. Darrin ’40 Counseling Award, which was presented during the Commencement. [private]The award was established by David M. Darrin ’40 to recognize a faculty member who has made an unusual contribution in the counseling of undergraduate students. The selection of the recipient is made by Phalanx, Rensselaer’s student leadership honorary society.
In recognizing Professor Swersey, members of the Rensselaer community cited his exceptional drive to push students to far exceed their wildest dreams both in the classroom and in business ventures. One nominator said, “His advisement on starting their businesses is unparalleled.” Several nominators also noted that his “techniques of motivating students and keeping them engaged is unlike any other professors they have ever had.” Another nominator said that “with 24 years dedicated to student advising, counseling and mentoring at Rensselaer, he has demonstrated special concern for the welfare of undergraduate students.”
Swersey, who runs the Shadowbrook Farm Nursery in Goodrich Hollow, said that in his 20 years at RPI his main focus has been to push, encourage and mentor students. “And I guess that’s been recognized,” he added. Swersey believes that students at all levels often have much more potential than they ever imagined. “With a little bit of encouragement and pushing they can do amazing things. We have to encourage these kids to be all that they can be, and parents need to know that,” he said.
As an example he cited one of his former students, Eben Bayer, who grew up on a farm in Vermont, went to RPI and while there developed an idea he had to take agricultural waste and inoculate it with mushroom cells or mycelium. Growing in the dark, the mycelium “roots” digest the waste products and bind them into a structural material similar to Styrofoam. Unlike Styrofoam, which now takes up about 30% of landfill space worldwide, it is biodegradable and when composted and mixed with peat moss it becomes an ideal gardening mix. Bayer at first didn’t realize how good his idea was but with some persistent encouragement and prodding from Swersey, he eventually combined with another student, Gavin McIntyre, and they formed their own company, Ecovative Design LLC (Ecovativedesign.com) in Green Island. After five years, aided by millions in startup grants, they now have 15 employees and are, “going like gangbusters.” Swersey felt that this story is so in keeping with Stephen Van Rensselaer’s objective when he founded RPI to establish a school “for the sons and daughters of farmers and mechanics to apply themselves…in the application of science to the common purposes of life.”
Swersey said he has been impressed by the brilliance of many of the students right here in our area with backgrounds similar to Bayer’s. They just need to be encouraged and pushed and they, too, can do amazing things. He noted the accomplishment of Stephanie Saunders of Cherry Plain who received the RPI Medal scholarship, got her degree at RPI, went on to acquire a Masters degree and is now studying for a Ph.D. degree. Swersey has also been much impressed with Dawn Wetmore’s InvenTeam at Berlin Middle/High School. Among other inventions, this team developed an adaptive sports device that allows the hearing impaired to participate safely in active sports such as skiing, rollerblading and bicycling. They received a grant from MIT, had inquiries from the U.S. Deaflympic Team and presented their invention at MIT’s EurekaFest last year.
“There are a lot of young people in this area so smart and capable,” Swersey said. “We just need to figure out how to do a better job of developing their skills and instilling the confidence they need to make their vision of what could be a reality.” [/private]