diff --git a/gtsam/sfm/TranslationRecovery.cpp b/gtsam/sfm/TranslationRecovery.cpp
index aa7b14709..9d72f56da 100644
--- a/gtsam/sfm/TranslationRecovery.cpp
+++ b/gtsam/sfm/TranslationRecovery.cpp
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ void TranslationRecovery::addPrior(
       edge->key2(), scale * edge->measured().point3(), edge->noiseModel());
 }
 
-Values TranslationRecovery::initializeRandomly(std::mt19937 &rng) const {
+Values TranslationRecovery::initializeRandomly(std::mt19937 *rng) const {
   uniform_real_distribution<double> randomVal(-1, 1);
   // Create a lambda expression that checks whether value exists and randomly
   // initializes if not.
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ Values TranslationRecovery::initializeRandomly(std::mt19937 &rng) const {
 }
 
 Values TranslationRecovery::initializeRandomly() const {
-  return initializeRandomly(kRandomNumberGenerator);
+  return initializeRandomly(&kRandomNumberGenerator);
 }
 
 Values TranslationRecovery::run(const double scale) const {
diff --git a/gtsam/sfm/TranslationRecovery.h b/gtsam/sfm/TranslationRecovery.h
index 430b54d1d..30c9a14e3 100644
--- a/gtsam/sfm/TranslationRecovery.h
+++ b/gtsam/sfm/TranslationRecovery.h
@@ -16,16 +16,16 @@
  * @brief Recovering translations in an epipolar graph when rotations are given.
  */
 
-#include <map>
-#include <set>
-#include <utility>
-#include <vector>
-
 #include <gtsam/geometry/Unit3.h>
 #include <gtsam/nonlinear/LevenbergMarquardtOptimizer.h>
 #include <gtsam/nonlinear/Values.h>
 #include <gtsam/sfm/BinaryMeasurement.h>
 
+#include <map>
+#include <set>
+#include <utility>
+#include <vector>
+
 namespace gtsam {
 
 // Set up an optimization problem for the unknown translations Ti in the world
@@ -99,15 +99,15 @@ class TranslationRecovery {
 
   /**
    * @brief Create random initial translations.
-   * 
+   *
    * @param rng random number generator
    * @return Values
    */
-  Values initializeRandomly(std::mt19937 &rng) const;
+  Values initializeRandomly(std::mt19937 *rng) const;
 
   /**
    * @brief Version of initializeRandomly with a fixed seed.
-   * 
+   *
    * @return Values
    */
   Values initializeRandomly() const;