Hockey is constantly evolving, expanding into new communities and welcoming new voices. RIT alumna Julia Takatsuka ’18 (graphic design) is helping lead that change from one of the NHL’s youngest outposts: her native Pacific Northwest. Takatsuka coaches for the Seattle Kraken’s Youth Hockey Association, a USA Hockey-sanctioned league growing the game in Washington state. She also serves as the Goalie Development Coordinator for USA Hockey’s Pacific District, representing the Pacific Northwest and identifying emerging goaltenders with national potential. Takatsuka stands at the forefront of an innovative grassroots approach to goaltender development, helping to reshape how the league, and the sport, thinks about coaching. Takatsuka’s unique path to the NHL dekes tradition: she didn’t play pro or college hockey, nor did she come up through elite coaching networks. For her, preparation consistently met unique opportunities. Growing up, she played the position competitively and attended USA Hockey select camps. But when Division I hockey didn’t feel like the right fit, Takatsuka felt like she was left with two options: play college hockey or attend a school with a great design program. She focused on education and enrolled at RIT. It was a decision that would subtly shape her future behind the bench. ‌ Provided Julia Takatsuka ’18, left, has been with the Seattle Kraken since the team’s NHL debut in 2021. Over four years, she has helped grow the organization’s youth program to include more than 50 goaltenders across multiple age levels. “RIT helped me to think outside the box,” Takatsuka said. “I found myself in that creative sense, and it helped me as I got into coaching.” She stayed active on campus as a two-year member of the RIT Crew team, found a home with a local women’s ice hockey team, and honed her design skills. Returning to Washington after graduation, she realized that hockey still had a significant hold on her. Coaching hadn’t been on her radar, but a chance pairing with a local goalie coach changed that. “I never thought I’d coach,” Takatsuka admitted. “I didn’t want to work with kids at the time. I got pulled in and paired with a goalie coach, and suddenly I was using all these tools I’d learned in design to connect with kids, meeting them where they are, and helping them embrace all the boring aspects of training. It all fell into place.” Her ability to connect with younger and marginalized players caught the attention of hockey leaders as she moved up the ladder. By 2020, she had become the Female Goaltending Development Coordinator for Western Washington. As Takatsuka was building connections and knowledge in the hockey world, the NHL awarded Seattle an expansion franchise with the Seattle Kraken in 2021. Takatsuka stepped into a rare opportunity: to build a goaltending model from the ground up. “I felt like I was in the right place at the right time,” Takatsuka said. She saw a better way to make the goaltending position accessible and appealing to young players, including providing “quick change” gear for beginners and allowing them to try the position without a large upfront investment. She is also educating individuals off ice as well, incorporating a three-pillar education system for players, coaches, and parents, so everyone involved better understands what goalies need to thrive. The program’s success was evident, expanding from six teams to 37 in four years, with over 50 goalies having their own equipment. Takatsuka runs weekly goalie clinics, with many traveling from neighboring states like Alaska, Idaho, and Oregon. In 2024, she became one of 30 individuals to earn gold level training from USA Hockey, and that June, presented her thesis at the inaugural USA Hockey National Goaltending Symposium. Her work has received national attention, drawing features from the NHL and USA Hockey. She still laces up the pads in adult leagues and participates in community events like the annual Seattle Pride Classic, where she receives strong support from the young athletes she coaches. “They love to come out and make signs and support,” Takatsuka said. “They’re like, ‘you’re so good,’ and I’m like ‘I’m so bad!’ But it’s great to see them.” As a queer woman in a male-dominated coaching world, Takatsuka doesn’t seek the spotlight but recognizes the power of visibility as she helps redefine what success looks like in the crease. “For a while, I tried to not think about it in that way,” Takatsuka said. “For me it’s just trying to help grow the knowledge of the position and the game and be a good role model for them.”

Using a non-traditional, micro-organism separation method, researchers at Rochester Institute of Technology discovered a faster technique that can be used to distinguish cells that are resistant to antibiotics or cancer. Alaleh Vaghef-Koodehi, a doctoral candidate in RIT’s Kate Gleason College of Engineering, led elements of the work to improve lab-on-chip devices, specifically an insulator-based electrokinetic system, a method that manipulates charged particles, such as microorganisms, through applied electrical capabilities. Lab-on-chip devices are small instruments that can analyze several biological samples through chemical and electrical methods. Their small size allows for portability, and continued advancements like the new work by Vaghef-Koodehi and RIT biomedical engineering faculty-researcher Blanca Lapizco-Encinas is a promising diagnostic tool for clinicians. Lapizco-Encinas and Vaghef-Koodehi have been at the forefront of improving lab-on-chip devices. Their most recent paper was detailed in the journal Electrophoresis. The article “Dielectrophoresis in Carcinoma Diagnosis: Recent Developments and Applications,” is one of several the researchers published about how lab-on-chip devices are becoming more sophisticated. The process, not widely researched until recently, is being seen as a reliable means to detect slight variations in microorganisms, which can improve response to diseases. “We hope lab-on-chip devices will be as common as things like pregnancy tests,” said Vaghef-Koodehi. “We are still in early stages in developing this important technology, but these separation techniques are already showing promise, especially in cases where it is critical to assess the fragile components first.” General findings by the research team include advances in distinguishing bio-particles based on variations in size, shape, and surface charge, enabling improved separation and characterization of microorganisms and other biological samples using electrokinetic techniques. Results are more accurate and can potentially decrease waiting time to determine possible healthcare interventions. Separation of similar microparticles by exploiting minute differences in the electrical charges in cell analysis is a means to quickly identify altered cells due to infection or mutations, for example. “Alaleh was one of the first to demonstrate and validate the use of specific, varied voltages to separate complex samples using nonlinear electrophoresis,” said Lapizco-Encinas, professor of biomedical engineering and director of the Microscale BioSeparations Laboratory in RIT’s Kate Gleason College of Engineering. “Traditional cell culturing is effective, but takes a long time, sometimes 24–36 hours. It means a patient may not have immediate treatment because you are still testing. The process developed by Alaleh enables faster and more reliable cell differentiation by leveraging significant changes in the electrical properties of biomarkers.” Vaghef-Koodehi was recognized for this work and received the Blue Fingers Student Award from the American Electrophoresis Society, during its fall conference. The award is given to the most outstanding student paper submitted by graduate and doctoral students. Vaghef-Koodehi, who has been studying at RIT since 2021, expects to defend her doctoral dissertation this summer and after graduation wants to continue work in the development of lab-on-chip devices. “I want to help people especially in countries where people may not have direct access to hospitals. By developing these systems and devices life will be easier for many people.”