When Professor Craig Dyer arrived at Indiana Tech in 2006, he took over a sport management program that had just 30 students enrolled. Today, sport management is one of the Indiana Tech’s fastest-growing degree programs, comprised of nearly 120 students.

Dyer will tell you the expansion of the university’s athletics program over the past 20 years has driven the increased interest in sport management at Indiana Tech. With the addition of rifle and pistol this year, Indiana Tech has 32 collegiate athletic teams, compared to 10 when Dyer arrived.

“It’s natural that when you bring in more student-athletes, you are bringing in more people who are interested in working in the sport industry,” Dyer said.

But another key reason sport management is turning heads is because it produces quality results. Currently, six sport management graduates are working for major league sports organizations.

• Lukas Brant, a 2019 graduate, is senior manager of season ticket service for FW Cincinnati of Major League Soccer. He’s been with that successful organization for five years after a seven-month stint as an inside sales executive with the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers right after graduation.
• Christian Calderon, a XXXX graduate, is a marketing manager, also with FC Cincinnati.
• Javon Sanders, a 2024 graduate, is an account executive for the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies.
• P. Tyler Sinclair, a 2023 graduate, is a group sales executive for the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation, which owns the NHL’s Calgary Flames and manages their home arena, the Scotiabank Saddledome.
• Israel Vaides, a 2022 graduate, is producer of original content for the NFL’s Tennessee Titans.
• Michel Warner, at 2023 graduate, is a new membership sales consultant for the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks.

And beyond our “big-leaguers,” several other Warrior graduates are representing all around the country in an array of impressive industry-related positions like: 

• Victoria (Raffle) Bockstahler (2022): She recently became a membership assistant at Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
• Anthony Frank (2018): He has been the University of Idaho’s manager of athletic operations and events since 2023.
• Allie Lane (2014): She is the director of development for Purdue Fort Wayne athletics after a long front-office stint with the NBA G League’s Fort Wayne Mad Ants.
• Chauntel Smith-Jones (2015): She started her Capture Sports Agency in 2015 and represents players within the WNBA and FIBA.
• Kaylee Swanson (2007): Most recently, she was a senior director of business development with University of Maryland Sports Properties after a three-year stint as manager of ticket partnerships with the Baltimore Orioles.

So why is it that our sport management program is churning out such prolific graduates?

“It has a lot to do with the hands-on experience that our program provides students,” Dyer said. “We require at bare minimum a field experience, and we also provide an internship in our program, as well. So, a lot of our students are getting more than just one experience. They’re getting two, if not three internships and opportunities to get that experience prior to graduating. I think that lends itself to having some better opportunities once they do hit the job market.”

Indiana Tech’s hometown of Fort Wayne has a wealth of opportunities for its sport management majors to get that hands-on experience. The city is home to minor league teams like the Komets (ECHL), the TinCaps (Midwest League Single A baseball) and FC Fort Wayne (United Soccer League Two), and non-profits like Turnstone Center for Children and Adults with Disabilities, the World Baseball Academy, the YMCA and the Boys & Girls Club of Fort Wayne. Those organizations frequently request Indiana Tech sport management students, and for good reason.

“Indiana Tech does a fabulous job preparing their students for hands-on experiences and for them to thrive in their environment,” said Mitch Meinholz, director of sales and events for the Fort Wayne Komets. “We have a couple students who do off-ice officials work, which is important for the game to go off without a hitch. Then, we have a number of students who we see daily here at the office or on game nights. They’re doing everything from trying their hand at sales to working game nights and going through the entirety of what it looks like to run a game from start to finish with extreme detail.”

“There are so many opportunities here, and all a student has to do is say, ‘yeah, I want some experience with that,’ and we can get them connected. We also have local golf courses and local high schools—if a kid wants to be an athletic director, like senior Alex Light, we’ve got those connections, too.”

Light, a Warsaw, Indiana, native, interns in the athletics department of  his alma mater, Warsaw High School. He is learning the ins and outs of high school athletics, including game-day operations, media relations and facility upkeep.

“For the profession I choose to enter upon graduation, hands-on experience is absolutely vital,” Light said. “Getting an understanding of everyday life in high school athletics is an eye-opener, and you really get a feel of what the future is like—fast-paced and long hours. I kind of like that style though; it’s about showing up, getting work done and enriching the lives of the athletes around me.”

Indiana Tech’s small-staffed athletic department bodes well for our experience-seeking sport management majors, too.

“You can go to any home game and there are students working that game and they’re getting a wide range of experience with both our indoor sports and our outdoor sports,” said Dr. Robert Turick, who joined the sport management department in July 2024. “They’re able to work the gate, they’re able to work the concession stand, they’re able to do all those things that maybe they wouldn’t get a chance to do if they were at a larger college.”

Sophomore Fiona Quinn performs multiple duties as an intern for Indiana Tech’s women’s hockey team, including statistician and equipment manager. She also streams play-by-play broadcasts of the team’s road games which, according to head coach Sommer Ross, is an immeasurable contribution to the team.

“The ability to bring our athletes’ away games to family and friends all across the States and Canada—that’s something most teams are not equipped to do,” Ross said. “Fiona’s desire to gain experience in broadcasting allowed us to provide another level of intrigue to our program and—most importantly—a more memorable experience for the student-athletes, while also allowing her to get valuable training in a field she wants to pursue after college.” 

Readers may remember Quinn from a story in the spring 2024 issue of Indiana Tech Magazine that chronicled her “debut” as play-by-play announcer on Dec. 30, 2023, for the Fort Wayne Komets of the ECHL. Working as a press box intern with the Komets, she was thrust into the role when the Komets’ regular announcer, Shane Albahrani, lost his voice and was unable to call that night’s game in Indianapolis.

In addition to her internship with Indiana Tech women’s hockey, Quinn still interns with the Komets, supporting Albahrani during live broadcasts with statistics, research and on-air color commentary. She also handles some media relations for the team. Her dream job is to be general manager of the Komets one day.

“Fiona is my rock, and I can always depend on her,” Albahrani said. “She’s a tremendous help with media relations. She’s created many great relationships with the media and other people in the hockey world. Even at the young age of 20, with the experience she has gained, I can honestly say Fiona could work in any media relations department in minor league hockey.”

With their program experiencing such momentum, Dyer and Turick are finding other ways to supplement learning outside the classroom and improve the program. Recently, the program began offering an MBA in sport management. For the 2025-26 academic year, the professors are developing a sports-related speaker series and planning sports-related field trips. Dyer and Turick see several hands-on opportunities for students beginning in winter 2027 when Fort Wayne hosts the first of two NCAA Division II men’s and women’s basketball championships.

“Those championships represent really cool opportunities for our students to get involved and work some meaningful, high-intensity events,” Turick said. “Even before that, representatives from Visit Fort Wayne are going to come to my class and talk about the bid process they went through to get those championships in our city—another chance for our students to see how things work behind the scenes in our industry.”

It’s all about sending graduates out into the sport world equipped with the skills and experiences to succeed. In fact, Dyer and Turick learned in February that another one of their graduates, Javon Sanders, earned a big-league position.

“Indiana Tech has done so much to prepare me for a career in sports,” said Sanders, a 2024 graduate who recently earned an inside sales position with the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies. “Professor Dyer has given me the right tools and opportunities I needed to become successful in this industry. I was also able to build a network of people with different backgrounds from myself that gave me a new veil of knowledge. I learned from those who have been in my shoes, so that I know the dos and don’ts that are important in this industry.”

Sport management majors thrive in enhanced learning environment

Indiana Tech’s sport management program unveiled its Sport Management Lab at the beginning of the 2024-25 school year.

The second-floor classroom in the Cunningham Business Center was enhanced to include new technology, audio and video upgrades, including six 75-inch displays, and a completely modernized student seating arrangement.

The new environment is better equipped for project-based discussions and activities, group-based work and executive-style presentations.

“The newly outfitted classroom is such a welcoming space for students. We use a lot of video and web content in our sport management courses, so the upgraded television and sound system help to enhance the student’s experience,” said Craig Dyer, associate professor and department chair of sport management.

“I really enjoy seeing the sense of community that forms at all the tables. Students are much more talkative with their peers, and the branding of the room as a Sport Management Lab really makes them feel like it is their space,” said Dr. Robert Turick, assistant professor of sport management. 

What Students are Saying

“The classroom welcomes collaborative learning and allows students to discuss all things sport. As someone who needs to talk about new topics with others to fully grasp the concept, the round table offers a great opportunity to hear everyone’s opinions.”

Ryah DiGiacomo, sophomore

“For sports fanatics like us, the ticker outside of the classroom allows everyone to stay informed about the previous day’s sports scores and what games are occurring that day.”

Trevor Robinson, sophomore

“Through the teamwork-focused setup, I feel more connected to my classmates. Working in sports is all about how well you can work with others, and this classroom hones in on that.”

Fiona Quinn, sophomore

Four years later, he’s getting the results he was looking for: graduates are earning quality positions and the program is growing.

“Our graduates are ready for any lab setting, whether it be forensic, clinical, research or industry, or any other laboratory working with DNA,” Sinelnikov said. “We have had a 64 percent increase in students enrolled in our program from fall 2023 to fall 2024. I attribute this to the outstanding work of our admissions team and the various events it hosts over the year to promote our university.”

Without question, Tech’s admissions team does remarkable work in introducing our university to hundreds of prospective students and their families every year. But Sinelnikov has made the job easier by creating a hands-on environment where relevant learning takes place—an environment equipped with the kinds of state-of-the-art lab equipment used by professionals in the field.

“Every class related to my degree was very hands-on from my freshman year on,” said Brooke Buhr, a 2024 graduate who joined the Indiana State Police Laboratory in August as a forensic scientist. “Even the classes that didn’t necessarily fully align with what I saw myself doing in my future job, they were teaching me the non-tangible skills—public speaking, being able to work in a group, being able to manage my time wisely.”

In her role, Brooke is analyzing DNA and body fluids to help her team solve crimes. That could entail analyzing rape kits, blood on a bloody knife or body fluids on clothes.

“Victims of crimes are very vulnerable people, and helping their families get closure in court will be a really rewarding aspect of this job,” Buhr said.

Tech’s forensic science graduates can also be hired for an array of related positions, including fingerprint analyst, crime scene investigator, bloodstain pattern analyst and lab technician. Arnez Williams, a 2022 grad, is a fingerprint classifier, also with the Indiana State Police Laboratory. Jocelyn Bringht, a 2024 graduate, is pursuing a nursing degree within the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program offered through a partnership between Huntington University, Indiana Tech and Parkview Health.

“A forensic nurse is a nurse who specializes in trauma, treating crime survivors and collecting evidence that could help in criminal cases,” Bringht said. “I want to find evidence to help with crimes and help someone—even if just a tiny bit—get through one of the hardest things they could go through.”

America has always had a fascination with crime, and that intrigue has grown exponentially over the past 25 years with the advent of streaming services, such as Netflix, and podcasts. If you are a crime junkie, there is an unlimited supply of content out there to feed your need.

“The interest in solving crime and the role forensic science plays in that is not going away anytime soon,” Dr. Sinelnikov said. “That’s why we are going to continue to develop relevant, interesting courses and maintain a modern lab setting that prepares our graduates to succeed in any lab setting they pursue.”

Here are some current students in Indiana Tech’s forensic science program:

“I chose this career because I liked the puzzle-pieces, problem-solving aspects… I want to help reduce crime.”

Damon Kuntz
Bourbon, Indiana

“Forensic science assists criminal cases in finding and examining evidence, which piqued my interest”

Sophia Jermstad
Minneapolis, Minnesota

“I chose to pursue a degree in forensic science to help reduce the number of people wrongly convicted due to forensic error.”

Samantha Yauch
Fort Wayne, Indiana

From the time she was a first-grader, Karlee Barnhill has wanted to be a veterinarian. She remembers distinctly dressing up as a vet and creating a poster about her dream job for her elementary school’s career day.

Since then, the Indiana Tech senior from Jonesville, Michigan, has answered  that calling by working with animals—primarily her family’s horses (as a barrel racer and with her mom, who was a farrier). She grew up in 4-H, showing livestock, and was a member of Future Farmers of America. Over the last two years, she has worked in the Fort Wayne area for a veterinary hospital and an equine clinic.

Barnhill’s love for animals is so strong she “celebrated” her 21st birthday helping deliver

around-the-clock intensive care to a Belgian foal that was born in distress just hours earlier. The foal survived, thanks in large part to her unwavering dedication.

Ultimately, Barnhill’s passion led her to Indiana Tech to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Biology and prepare for veterinary school (more about that, later).

“From a time before I could even walk, when I used to help my mom shoe horses, I’ve been immersed in caring for animals and understanding the special bond we share with them,” Barnhill said. “Through my experiences, I’ve come to understand the profound impact that they have on our lives and the responsibility we hold to ensure their well-being. This is what drives my passion for animal welfare and advocacy, and why I have never wavered on becoming a veterinarian.”

So, when Barnhill got the opportunity to spearhead a project at the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo that could affect the comfort, health and well-being of animals, she leapt at the chance.

Barnhill’s project—her senior project—deals with bioacoustics: the study of the production, transmission and reception of animal sounds,  which is used to provide scientists and researchers with insight into species diversity, habitat health and wildlife behavior.

In this case, Barnhill has been studying the calls of the zoo’s two pair-bonded scarlet-faced liocichlas (Jeruk is the male, Kirmizi is the female). These birds (along with 53 others totaling 17 different species) call the zoo’s 8,000-square-foot, rainforest-inspired Asian Trek domed habitat their home. Her sound data was captured by the zoo’s specialized

bioacoustics recording equipment installed within the habitat.

The scarlet-faced liocichla is a stunningly beautiful, medium-sized bird whose natural habitat is roughly 9,000 miles away in the dense hill forests, jungles and swamps of Thailand and Myanmar. Described  as “furtive and shy,” according to birdsoftheworld. org, and commonly found “singly, in pairs or in  small groups of four to five individuals,” the scarlet-faced liocichla is common to its native region. Its  calls are distinct, which is one reason it was chosen for this study.

Last fall, Barnhill began poring over sound data to identify how the birds’ vocalizations differ in response to the various stimuli they encounter within the habitat. Those stimuli include things like food availability, interactions with other species, noise outside of the domed habitat, the presence of humans when the zoo is open and mating season. Her work culminated with a presentation of her findings and recommendations to Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo leadership in April.

“I identified distinct patterns that indicated different emotional states, particularly distinguishing between what appeared to be anger and happiness in the birds. When the scarlet-faced liocichlas exhibited what I interpreted as angry calls, there was often increased agitation and aggression within the dome. On the other hand, when they emitted calls that associate with happiness, I observed more relaxed behaviors and positive social interactions within the dome,” Barnhill said.

She concluded that implementing enriched soundscapes that promote positive emotional states will improve the overall welfare of these and, perhaps, other birds in the habitat. She also recommended that the zoo continue to collect and assess data throughout the 2024 season to gain a more comprehensive understanding of how the presence of zoo visitors affects the emotional states of its scarlet-faced liocichlas.

“Ongoing observation and analysis will provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of any interventions that are implemented. It will also enable the zoo to make informed decisions regarding future management strategies for these birds,” Barnhill said.

Because of her experiences growing up, Barnhill is privy to the cues of a horse or other species of hoofstock in discomfort or experiencing discontent. Identifying those cues from a bird? That’s been more of a challenge that has taught valuable lessons.

“This project has reminded me that just because you think everything is going fine for an animal, you can be very wrong. You cannot rely on appearances and assumptions alone,” Barnhill said. “Animals cannot speak to us, so we need to make use of the tools that are available to us to dig deeper and make sure they are happy and that their needs are being met.”

Barnhill’s senior project is part of an 18-credit hour final semester in the homestretch of her college career. And, as mentioned earlier, she has been trying to get into vet

school. Needless to say, she does not have time to dally. But, determination is something Barnhill has never lacked.

“Growing up, it was almost impossible to think I could do this. I’m a first-generation college student with six siblings, and there just wasn’t a big push for me to go to college,” Barnhill said. “My parents didn’t really know how to support my desire to become a vet, so I’ve had to figure out a lot of things on my own. 

“I don’t have negative feelings toward my parents but at the same time, I want to be the first person in my family who is able to put Dr. in front of their name,” she added. “That has been a big encouragement to me—changing up some of those generational patterns in my family.”

On March 25, becoming a doctor came closer to reality for Barnhill. On that day, she received an acceptance letter from Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, which is based in St. Kitts and Nevis, West Indies.

“To be honest, I still don’t know how to react to the news,” Barnhill said about her acceptance into Ross. “There are only 32 vet schools in the country with 100 seats each, and interest in animal medicine is growing. Just getting an interview in such a competitive environment was amazing to me. To be accepted? Well, I am just over the moon!”

Barnhill is still awaiting decisions from two other schools; those should come in April. At that time,  she will decide where to pursue her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.

Karlee’s mentor at Indiana Tech, professor of biology Dr. Julie Good, knows Karlee is ready for the next step  in her educational journey.

“Karlee has approached her academic experience here at Tech with a disciplined focus, tackling challenging coursework head-on to become best prepared for the rigor of veterinary education,” Dr. Good said. “She has a love and respect for animals that was instilled in her early in her life and has an exceptional determination. I have no doubt that Karlee will make an outstanding veterinarian.”

“It’s important for everyone to know that even if you don’t come from a certain background, you can still become what you want to be if you put your mind to it and work for it,” Barnhill said. “Most of my life, I’ve thought, ‘I can’t be a doctor. No one in my family is a doctor.’ And now I’m more than halfway there and getting a step closer every day. It’s amazing.”

For her senior project, Barnhill analyzed  the acoustic data from these birds to assess the welfare of these and other birds living inside the zoo’s rainforest-inspired Asian Trek domed habitat.

Want to see  something sweet? Watch Karlee share her veterinarian school acceptance letter with her fiancé, Landon.

Unless you’re an engineer, architect or builder, you probably don’t spend a lot of time thinking about concrete.

It’s just there, largely under foot or integrated into a larger structure, the whole of which you usually consider far more than its parts.

So you might not know that concrete production and use is one of the leading causes of global CO2 emissions, coming in at about 8 percent worldwide. It contributes far more CO2 globally than aviation fuel (at roughly 2.5 percent). If the concrete industry were a country, it would be the fourth largest emitter in the world, behind only China, India and the United States.

But a team of Indiana Institute of Technology students knows all of this and more. Further, they have ideas about how to address it.

The trio researched this major global problem alongside other world-class scholars aiming to solve thermodynamics challenges during the annual JUMP (Join the discussion, Unveil innovation, Make connections, Promote tech-to-market) into STEM building science competition.

The caliber of fellow competitors was high, including doctoral candidates and other students from engineering powerhouses such as Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Purdue University, University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

That didn’t stop the Indiana Tech team from securing a solid showing at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Jacob Ritchie and Lewis Roberts, part of the team tackling the concrete problem, paved a path all the way to the final round of the competition.

They weren’t alone: Senior Samuel Bodley reached the final round with his team’s green roof building solutions. Sam’s team was brainstorming topics when he came across the application of green roofs in Asia, where they’re growing rapidly — literally and figuratively — on new and existing development.

The team liked the idea of making cities green not only numerically, by capturing carbon and moderating the temperature of the building, but also visually, imbuing urban spaces with the hue of the plants and trees that make up a green roof. Their proposed solution includes tax benefits for the construction of green roofs and specialized training for industry professionals.

Sam also took top honors in the Elevator Pitch challenge at the competition.

“It was an outstanding accomplishment for the students,” says Dr. Thomas Tran, Indiana Tech assistant professor of mechanical engineering.

Students participated in the JUMP into STEM competition as a class project in Dr. Tran’s ME 4200 — Thermal Science Investigations course in the fall of 2023. They were tasked with identifying innovative solutions within challenge topics, such as “Keeping it Cool (Or Hot),” focusing on thermal energy storage for buildings to optimize energy utilization, enhance sustainability and increase resilience; or “You and Me, Carbon Free,” reducing carbon emissions from U.S. buildings (residential or commercial, new or existing).

Students’ problem statements were required to address embodied carbon emissions and/or operational carbon emissions. Their response had to lead to significant reductions in carbon emissions and increased affordability for stakeholders.

Overall, Dr. Tran’s class fielded six teams. Senior mechanical engineering students Lewis and Jacob along with Marley Jackson formed the Concrete Evolution team to assess methods of carbon dioxide recycling and injection during concrete manufacturing, reducing carbon emissions while maintaining the integrity of concrete properties.

And Sam worked with fellow senior mechanical engineering students and Eco Skyline team members Tobias Machourek and Nathan Boyleaims to identify ways to grow the number of green roofs (vegetated systems installed on building rooftops) sprouting in major cities to counteract mass carbon emissions.

While all of the students took part in their teams’ research to explore solutions and draft papers on their topics, only those who applied to land a paid summer internship could take part in the JUMP into STEM competition in Tennessee.

Sending two teams to the finals from Indiana Tech becomes even more impressive when you consider that just nine teams are selected from the 60 to 80 who enter nationwide.

This is the second year that Dr. Tran’s students have participated in JUMP into STEM. It’s also the second year that his students have been selected for internships at U.S. Department of Energy national laboratories. Last year, Kennedy Moonin, Lindsey Albrecht, Jacob Frogge and Dante Siracusa, all senior mechanical engineering students, formed the Repurpose EV Batteries team with the aim of upcycling old electric vehicle battery modules for backup power systems, targeting rural communities or communities with uncertain power supplies. They won first place in the It’s Electric challenge.

During the final competition, participants present their JUMP into STEM submissions to a panel of judges, learn about career paths in building science, network with experts in the field, tour the national lab and more.

The chance to test their chops against the top young researchers in the country is no small opportunity for Dr. Tran’s students. “It’s a different kind of knowledge they have right now compared to the graduate students,” he says. Clearly, however, they’re prepared to take the heat in the thermodynamics field.

Sam was surprised by what he learned not only about capturing carbon, but also about himself.  “I think what impacted me most is really learning something about how to benefit the world,” Sam says. “They were showing me a lot of things that I wasn’t really thinking about.

“At first I was thinking mostly about the automotive field, but it opened my eyes to realize that you need to just branch out and look at a lot of different paths before you actually know what you want to do. I really liked that a lot. They’re teaching me a lot about what we learned in our classes and how they actually apply to the real world.”

“It’s just quite a unique experience,” says Lewis of the JUMP into STEM competition. “Not many people get to go to a national lab where loads of research is done and where basically the experts of the field are doing research. Getting to see that whole environment just is quite a unique experience that not many people can get.”

It also expanded his potential avenues for a career. “At first I just didn’t really know which sector I wanted to go in. Obviously, I had topics that I really liked in tech or thermodynamics,” Lewis says. “But then going through this competition, I realized how big of a thing needs to be done to change how we do things now and technologies that we need to reduce CO2 emissions and global warming before its devastating impact around the world. So this has really changed my mind about what I want to do.”

While the Indiana Tech competitors weren’t challenge winners this year, they so impressed the judges that each is being offered the chance to intern at one of the national laboratories. That will certainly cement, so to speak, their network of supporters and colleagues as they venture into the work world.

“The people there — honestly, it was kind of unreal,” Sam says. “Everybody always had a smile on their face. They knew that they were just doing something that helped (the environment) on such a big scale, and the connections were amazing. I already went on LinkedIn and connected with a lot of people there, and a lot of them were saying they could help me with anything I needed if I got in touch.”

“When we got picked to go to the finals, that got my interest piqued,” Lewis says. “Then I did a bit more research about the national lab and what they do. And then while we were there, it was amazing, because we got a tour of some places. The people we met — everyone was so friendly. It was like they were there to support you and make sure you did the best you could. So it was a good experience to have.”

About JUMP into STEM

The JUMP into STEM program is a building sciences competition for undergraduate and graduate students at U.S. colleges and universities. It began as a crowdsourcing community launched by Oak Ridge National Laboratory in 2015 and now aims to attract bright students from a variety of majors to building science via annual challenges. Funded by the Department of Energy, it’s jointly run by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Team submissions are evaluated for technical potential, innovation, diversity and applicability. JUMP into STEM awards one winner from each of three challenge topics.

Challenge winners and additional teams are invited to compete in the JUMP into STEM Final Competition. Final competition winners receive a 10-week paid summer internship at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory or Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

Meaning is a complex matter. It incorporates the efforts of both the person trying to convey it and the person receiving it, with all their divergent references, contexts and ways of thinking.

If you ponder it for long, it’s really a wonder that we ever land on shared meaning at all.

Senior Kayra Kargin has spent quite a bit of time thinking about meaning. He’s graduating with a bachelor of science in marketing, but his coursework has included an expansive tour of philosophy and psychology. This served to fan the flames of his natural artistic spark.

And it led him to craft a new way of expression, where complex concepts—such as “details,” “tone,” “curiosity,” “responsibility”—are represented visually, by characters. He refers to this visual expression of meaning as “Keys.”

Under the broader title of “Flementis,” Kayra’s out-of-the-box—and even out-of-the-alphabet—way of thinking unlocks new approaches to the transmission of meaning in applications as diverse as modern art and organizational communications. He’s even writing a book to capture the breadth of his ideas.

But Kayra won’t be the first to tell you about it. Dr.Staci Lugar Brettin, professor of marketing and management and department chair, Marketing and Management at Indiana Tech, uncovered Kayra’s personal passion project in her class.

“He was working on his capstone project for Business Policy and Strategy, and during that time, he took a couple of entrepreneurship courses with me. He was always contributing. He was very engaged, asking intense questions about business models. Kayra was really thoughtful on how we could use business modeling to change the industry,” she says.

“And that’s when I first discovered that he had been working on this project. At that time, the output was not a book. The output was really the process. And so he was trying to figure out, since he was also in my marketing courses, how he could redesign the industry to be so much more innovative.”

A native of Turkey—Kayra came to Indiana Tech as a top student athlete in tennis—he’s found it difficult to secure an internship in advertising, already a competitive field without the challenge of a visa.

“So he wanted to redesign the model of the ad industry where everyone could have an opportunity, almost like open-source design—open source internships,” says Dr. Lugar Brettin. “One of the projects in Entrepreneurial Planning and Growth was that he needed to design some kind of a plan to innovate a business or an industry. So that’s when he coupled his design for this new model with advertising, where everyone learns from everyone else, and they rotate roles. That’s when I really saw him shine.”  

Kayra’s vision for a new communications system builds upon itself. While each character can stand on its own as an idea, characters also can be combined to create theories. Kayra’s “Path Theory” is an example; it includes the concepts of ambition, blinded ego, connections, contentment, humblezation, lost, possibilities, unknown, power and curiosity.

And just as each concept in his language system has a character (or symblem, as Kayra calls them—a blend of symbol and emblem), Kayra also has created, with the help of AI, intricate circular drawings for each theory that incorporate all of the characters in that theory. He’s built a website to share his writing and artwork at flementis.net.

Kayra has a wide-ranging vision for the communication system that he’s constructed, including the book that he plans to self-publish in a few months, artwork and a clothing brand.

And with the support of Dr. Lugar Brettin, he’s identified business applications that are as innovative as his communications system.

For business settings, Kayra has visualized a new organizational dynamic in which carefully chosen “sages and visionaries” interact as symbiotic duos to propel a company in innovative directions. Lest ego or power get in the way of their success, “watchers” are tasked with recording the work of the duos for review and ongoing improvement.

The Harmonic Hierarchy Circuit, as Kayra has titled it, includes a number of his symblems as guiding concepts, including compass, proactive, beginner’s mind, connections, humility, transparency and social harmony.

This system could serve as a brainstorming and dynamic exercise during a corporate retreat designed around mission and vision; or a method of identifying new operational procedures and uncovering efficiencies; or even a radical new way of structuring a company that throws the traditional org chart out the window.

After establishing shared meaning within an organization, Kayra says, the company can share that outward with its market. “I think the symblems help to remember the meaning or what the company truly holds, in a way, and that has to start within the company,” he says.

Since childhood, Kayra writes at flementis.net, he’s felt “discontent with our educational systems, which seemed more intent on molding workers for society’s machinery rather than nurturing creators.”

It’s exciting to consider what else might take root within the rich soil of Kayra’s unconventional environment of thinking. But Kayra doesn’t want to make the conversation about him; rather, he prefers to be the pot from which the plant branches, he says.

Indiana Tech has provided the nurturing that Kayra needed to flourish. “Our athletic recruiting is so powerful at Indiana Tech, and it sets us apart,” says Dr. Lugar Brettin. “A lot of times a student will come for athletics and they’ll find their home at Indiana Tech, where they blossom in all the other areas that exist.

“He came because he had this amazing worldview, and he wanted to play and he got a scholarship. But in the classroom, we have the capacity to transform students in a way that a lot of the larger schools cannot,” Dr. Lugar Brettin continues. “So kind of scrapping what I planned for him in that entrepreneurship class and just saying you know what, you’re on a good path, let’s take that forward…that happens in smaller classes, where you’re focused on one student at a time. We really are a special university.”

When the Fort Wayne Police Department needed assistance with its early-November hostage negotiation training exercise, it reached out to Indiana Tech’s criminal justice program first. The result was a win-win learning experience for participating police officers and nine CJ students.

“By volunteering their time to assist our negotiators and tactical teams in training, it adds a layer of realism that we could not get without them. This really improves our overall effectiveness and makes us better,” said FWPD Public Information Sergeant Jeremy Webb. “The students also benefit from the experience by getting a closeup view of some specialized training conducted by law enforcement, which will aid them in their criminal justice education and potential law enforcement career.”

The training was held in a vacant warehouse in two sessions. The morning session was run at a slower speed, with a focus on team movements and negotiations. The afternoon session was more dynamic with simunition firearms, training flash bangs, hostage scenarios and real-time team movement.

“When our students participate in experiential education opportunities like this, they gain a better understanding of the course material, a broader view of the criminal justice system and an appreciation of the community in which we live,” said Dominic Lombardo, program lead for Indiana Tech’s criminal justice program.

Student Perspective

Out-of-classroom experiences like this allow students to apply their knowledge and see what they are learning, in action, rather than in a notebook. These are rare opportunities to see your career work from a new angle, and something this informative should not be passed up.”

Matthew Frink
CRIMINAL JUSTICE MAJOR
CLASS OF 2024

I found it interesting all the technology they used to rescue us. I have been a part of this scenario more than once, and I have been able to see their technology has advanced over the years.

María Solís
CRIMINAL JUSTICE MAJOR
CLASS OF 2026

The officers were open to any and all questions we had for them, and they let us see their negotiation truck and other vehicles they bring in situations like these. They were very kind and open, which made this experience even better.

Brooklyn Babler
CRIMINAL JUSTICE MAJOR
CLASS OF 2025

It is a deeper calling, however, that motivates him to help others achieve significance and worth—a calling that took hold of him, in earnest, last summer.

“The past year has been huge for me regarding stepping into my purpose. I feel as though my motivation in this world is to impact people’s lives positively through the use of technology,” the Richton Park, Illinois-native said.

Over the summer, Syas interned with the Gary Alumni Pathway to Students (GAPS), a not-for-profit organization that tasks volunteers to share their knowledge, skills, and interests to help Northwest Indiana students learn what career possibilities are available to them and what it takes to be successful. His role was to teach 3rd-, 4th- and 5th-grade students about STEM concepts and related careers.

“It was an experience I will never forget because it taught me how to make a difference for those who will come after me in the STEM field,” Syas said.

“Mr. Syas exhibited dedication and perseverance as he planned each lesson with careful consideration and immense compassion to ensure student success. His commitment and nurturing rapport with his students led to improved student scores,” said Dr. Coni Taslim, executive director of GAPS. “Brennan was an absolute asset to the GAPS STEM Academy and will be such to any organization that has the honor to have him. His future is bright, and I wish him all the best!”

Syas’ experience with GAPS also helped him keep his eye on his ultimate goal of making an impact in the community he grew up in.

“One of these days, I want to build my own recreational center right over the outdated basketball courts that I used to play on when I was a kid,” Syas said. “Until I can do that, I want to enhance those courts so they can be used now.”

Syas put together a wish list: new pavement to fill the holes, new fencing, new nets, regular maintenance and a painted mural that would bring the community together. However, he had no experience with what to do next. Fortunately, he was able to connect with Indiana Tech Academic Camp Director, Caleb Hunter, for support in moving forward.

“Caleb worked with me and gave me his advice on how to pitch my idea to the Richton Park Community Recreational Board, how to get the conversations started and how to handle things the right way when it comes to asking for funding,” Syas said.

Just before returning to Tech for the 2023-24 school year, Syas made a successful presentation to the recreation board. In December, he will learn if his project will earn funding. If so, work will begin on the courts in summer 2024.

“Working with Brennan on his proposal was a privilege—he made use of the encouragement and feedback and delivered a great pitch to his community leaders,” Hunter said. “Brennan is a servant leader with a passion for wanting to help people, especially the youth in his own community. He doesn’t just have the potential to lead the next generation, he already is putting his leadership into action. It’s a blessing to see his strengths and talents in action.”

Brennan says that his desire to give back to his community is a testament to how he was raised. He said that even though he is about to turn 21, his grandmother still asks him “Are you your brother’s keeper?”

“She says this to remind me to help those who need it and not do it half-way, but do it all the way. In this case, I have seen people in my community talk about its problems but not come up with solutions. Even though I am away at school, I am taking the initiative to speak up for those who can’t see this change becoming reality. I know that it will impact the lives of those in the next generation in a positive way. In my eyes, that’s a win in itself.”

Indiana Tech’s sport management degree program is becoming a pipeline to top-level sports teams in all leagues.

In recent years, sport management graduates have ascended to positions with the NFL’s Tennessee Titans, MLS’ FC Cincinnati, MLB’s Baltimore Orioles and the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers.

Michael Warner is the latest Warrior graduate to get the call to the big leagues. The 2023 graduate and Louisville, Kentucky-native was hired by the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks in June as a membership associate.

“I work in the Hawks’ inside sales ticket department to make sure season ticket holders and businesses in the Atlanta area receive the best game-day experiences possible. Things are going great—I am learning and growing as a business professional at the highest level with the best reps in the NBA,” Warner said.

While at Indiana Tech, Warner said he learned how to maximize his time and gained a good understanding of the different jobs available to him in the sports industry. Interning with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the city’s former G-League basketball team, helped immensely. In addition, he received plenty of guidance from connections he made with alumni and current professionals affiliated with Tech.

“I’m very excited and proud of Michael for getting this chance to prove himself with the Atlanta Hawks. He has worked very hard to get this opportunity and I know he will make the most of it,” said Professor Craig Dyer, chair of Indiana Tech’s sport management program. “His college career is a perfect example for how one should approach their college career. He always asked really good questions and he was dedicated to gaining valuable work experience. If you want to be successful in the sport industry, you need work experience along with the degree. Michael not only realized this, but he took advantage of all the opportunities that were available to him.”

At Indiana Tech, we strive to develop graduates who are career-ready—confident in their knowledge base, equipped with a diversified skill set and relevant experience, and able to add immediate value to any organization. One way we accomplish this is by stressing to our students the value of internships and pairing them with real-world, hands-on learning opportunities that put them in an advantageous position when it’s time to enter the job market.

For decades, it has been a winning formula.

Alexandra Forsythe (Electrical Engineering, 2022) earned several impressive internships during her college career at Indiana Tech, including one at NASA’s Langley Research Center. Alexandra is now an SoC (system-on-chip) design engineer for Intel.

Israel Vaides (Sport Management, 2022) interned as a video producer/editor and social media content assistant with the Fort Wayne Komets hockey team while at Indiana Tech. He is now a producer of video content with the National Football League’s Tennessee Titans.

The list of success stories goes on and on, much like the list of outstanding organizations where Indiana Tech students have interned. It includes American Electric Power, Apple, BAE Systems, Brotherhood Mutual Insurance, Fort Wayne Football Club, Fort Wayne Metals, General Motors, Indiana Physical Therapy, Lincoln Financial, Los Alamos National Lab, Parkview Health, Raytheon, Sweetwater, Vera Bradley, WaterFurnace International, Zimmer Biomet. In addition, several municipalities across the country have provided internships for our students, giving them experience in various fields that include law enforcement, city government and planning, and engineering.

This summer, Indiana Tech biology major Nina Penny will be taking advantage of an outstanding internship opportunity. Nina is participating in Northwestern University CURE, a prestigious cancer-focused undergraduate research experience at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center in Chicago.

Penny, who was one of 12 students selected from a field of over 1,000, is spending eight weeks working alongside top cancer researchers in state-of-the-art laboratories and helping advance novel research projects in cell and molecular biology, cancer immunology and other focus areas.

“I am very honored to receive this opportunity. It gives me the chance to apply the skills I have learned throughout these past three years to cancer research,” said the Chicago native, who will graduate in 2024. “My experience at Indiana Tech has greatly prepared me for this opportunity; the countless labs and phenomenal professors have trained me to not only work well in a group of researchers, but to also think independently to solve research questions.”

While in the program, Nina will be working in the lab of Dr. Karla Satchell, who leads the Center for Structural Genomics of Infectious Diseases at Northwestern University’s Feinberg Medical School. Dr. Satchell’s lab focuses on diseases caused by Vibrio bacteria and the cell biology applications of bacterial toxins. Nina will work with a group of postdoctoral students to document the effects of the pathogen on infected mice.

“I want to gain more skills involving research so I can further prepare for a career in veterinary medicine, especially since I am not quite sure what field of veterinary medicine I want to pursue,” Nina said. “Additionally, this program provides me the chance to grow as a woman in science in a lab that is dedicated to improving society through infectious disease and cancer research.”

After graduating, Nina plans on attending veterinary school. She is also interested in medical research, surgery and emergency medicine.

“Nina’s success in obtaining this incredible opportunity is a testament to her focused determination,” said Dr. Julie Good, director of Indiana Tech’s biology program. “Her work at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine this summer will open doors not only into the research of Dr. Karla Satchell but also into the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center and the School of Medicine. I am thrilled for all that she will bring back to Tech in the fall!”

As of press time, here are other summer internships Indiana Tech students are participating in:

• Kuldeep Aulakh, College of Business: Hoosier Petroleum Corp
• Samuel Kollar, College of Business: Star Financial Bank
• Allison Hyatt: College of Arts and Sciences,: New Leaf Recreation
• Nicole Gonzalez-Urena, College of Business: Voss Automotive
• Tobias Machourek, Talwar College of Engineering and Computer Sciences: Valbruna Slater Stainless Inc
• Trevor Hummer, Talwar College of Engineering and Computer Sciences: NHA
• Kartikeya Katti, Talwar College of Engineering and Computer Sciences: AAA Virginia Consulting Inc
• Juan Avellaneda, Talwar College of Engineering and Computer Sciences: Valbruna Slater Stainless Inc
• Nikita Ajay, College of Business: Link Star Inc
• Tariq Muhamma Ammar, College of Business: Comfort Inn and Suites
• Thaina Amorim Carvalho, College of Arts and Sciences: Fill-Rite Company
• Sydney Kutzke, College of Arts and Sciences: Midland Police Department
• Lucas Rodrigues Braga, Talwar College of Engineering and Computer Sciences: Barton Coe Vilamaa
• Victoria Goedland, Talwar College of Engineering and Computer Sciences: Praxair Surface Technologies
• Victor Inwang, College of Business: Dyno Nobel
• Lucca Motta, College of Business: Fort Wayne Football Club
• Jerry Walker, Talwar College of Engineering and Computer Sciences: Steel Dynamics

Indiana Tech’s Innovation Challenge competition was developed in 2021 to give all students an opportunity to showcase their innovative ideas and turn them into viable business opportunities or patents. For senior business major Fabian Granqvist, it’s doing just that.

In November 2022, Fabian won the university’s second Innovation Challenge after presenting his business plan for an energy bar he developed in 2020 as a healthy and affordable alternative to processed protein and energy bars.

Since then, it’s been a whirlwind of activity for Fabian, who is also a member of the men’s hockey team.

• Indiana Tech president Karl W. Einolf connected Fabian with Parkhurst Dining, the university’s culinary provider based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Fabian was able to meet Parkhurst’s director of sourcing and sustainability, which helped him improve the consistency and reliability of his bars. From there, Parkhurst representatives inspected where the bars are made and approved Fabian’s baking process. Parkhurst will begin selling Fabian’s bars in the near future.
• Fabian sold 100 bars to the men’s hockey team for use during the ACHA Division I men’s tournament, which was held March 16 through 21 in Boston.
• Fabian has networked with several entrepreneurs since winning the Innovation Challenge, including Giovanni Martinez of the Fortitude Fund, a Fort Wayne-based not-for-profit that supports entrepreneurship in the region. Through the relationship, he was approved to vend at the Fort Wayne Farmer’s Market for the 2023 summer season.

Fabian had been making breakfast bars for a few years, but it wasn’t until the urging of a friend over the summer of 2022 that he considered selling them. Now the Boras, Sweden, native visualizes his bars being “healthy, sustainable and delicious substitutes” to other bars found in grocery stores and gas stations.

He is currently testing his product in the sports nutrition scene.

“I have always been very passionate about health, but never would I have imagined myself winning the Innovation Challenge with an idea so perfectly aligned with my passion,” Fabian said. “I am extremely grateful for this opportunity presented to me by Tech to realize my dream.”

Dr. Staci Lugar Brettin’s Venture Lab class was instrumental in Fabian’s Innovation Challenge victory as many collaborated with him to help him prepare for the event.

“The whole class was willing to listen to my pitch and give me constructive criticism which was incredibly helpful. Wil Campbell was extra helpful; he runs a successful business and gave me advice throughout this whole process that I applied to the marketing and branding of my idea,” Fabian said.

Learn more about Indiana Tech’s Innovation Challenge.

Innovation Challenge second place—Catherine Stafford

The electrical engineering major who will graduate in May won second place with her innovative BraiKey, a Braille keyboard with a refreshable Braille display for those learning to use braille in congruence with a word processor, such as Word or Google Docs.

“I was first introduced to this idea by two of my electrical engineering professors who suggested it as a potential senior project. I was originally drawn to the idea because I knew it would be a challenge for me and would allow me to not only demonstrate the skills that I have gained while at Tech, but also put me in a position to develop in areas that I was lacking in,” Catherine said.

As she dived deeper into the project, Catherine realized her product had the potential to truly help people and allow them greater access to technologies that she took for granted.

“It is easy for me to quickly type content into a document and email it to its intended receiver without batting an eye. That is not true for everyone—partly due to the technology and partly due to the education gaps related to Braille as a language,” Catherine said. “It is my hope, and intent, that BraiKey can be developed in such a way that facilitates young users to embrace Braille more fully as a tool for their success in the wide world.

“I never expected that I would be able to find a project that would inspire me to be brave enough to take it to a competition, let alone an innovation competition,” she added. “This whole experience has been outside much of my wheelhouse and it wouldn’t have been possible without help and encouragement from Dr. Zakariya Al Hamouz (associate professor of electrical engineering) and Dr. Staci Lugar Brettin (professor of marketing and management).

Industry tours show students what is possible

On Thursday, May 4, 2023, a group of Indiana Tech engineering students got a behind-the-scenes look at the motorsports industry with a tour that included kissing the bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Real-world learning opportunities like this help our students become career-ready graduates.