March 24, 1999

NJIT HOSTS FIRST GATHERING OF WOMEN INVENTORS

NEWARK - March 24, 1999 -

     In celebration of Women's History Month, New Jersey Institute of Technology will host a gathering of women inventors, the first of its kind in the state, in a colloquium entitled "Women and Invention in New Jersey".

      The program, slated for March 24th from 4-6 p.m. at the university's William Hazell Campus Center, will feature a panel discussion on the experiences of women as inventors, and the issues confronting women in invention, research and development, and business management. Women inventors and entrepreneurs throughout the state of New Jersey will gather to share their triumphs and challenges as well as their vision for the next generation of women inventors. Women students will receive insight into women's issues in business.

      "The colloquium is the first step to the creation of a registry of New Jersey women inventors, which will include those honored by the New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame and others whose work has not yet been recognized", said Harry Roman, chairman of the New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame.

      Dr. Gert Clark, executive director of the New Jersey Business, Industry, and Science Education Consortium will serve as moderator to the panel of six women representing the corporate, small business, academic, and innovation management sectors. The panelists include:

• Dr. Joyce Kowalski, advanced senior engineer in the Chemical Assets Department of the Mobil Technology Company, Paulsboro, NJ and inventor of hydrocarbon conversion catalysts.
• Dr. Alice White, department head, Planar Lightguide Circuit Research Department of Bell Labs/Lucent Technologies, Murray Hill, NJ. Her technique for forming buried single crystal silicide layers in silicon using high dose ion implantation is known as "mesotaxy." This technique may some day be used in integrated circuits.
• Barbara Derkoski, founder and president of Bee Tee Enterprises, Little Egg Harbor, NJ, and inventor of the Sandgrabber- a device that anchors beach umbrellas and prevents them from flying away.
• Lisa Gable, founder and president of LG Accessories, East Windsor, NJ and inventor of the" Strap Mate", a remedy for slipping bra straps.
• Dr. Tina Chu, NJIT associate professor in mechanical engineering whose work in biomechanics/biomaterials and computational Mechanics has resulted in the invention of medical devices and assistive technology for persons with disabilities.
• Ms. Candida Aversenti, president and chief operating officer of General Magnaplate Corporation, Linden, NJ. The General Magnaplate Corporation, specializing in high-tech surface enhancement coatings for metal parts, is committed to the invention process.

      Discussions will focus on how the inventors brought their ideas to market; educational and training experience that proved useful in their careers; resources that demonstrated value in the invention process; and special difficulties and discrimination encountered by women inventors.

      Sponsored by the New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame and NJIT's Constance Murray Women's Center, the symposium is a part of NJIT's annual Dr. Lillian Moller Gilbreth Colloquium Series, which focuses on women's accomplishments, concerns, and career development. The goal of the series is to encourage and inspire women towards technological careers.

      Dr. Lillian Gilbreth (1878-1972), an industrial engineer and expert in motion studies, was the first woman faculty member at the Newark College of Engineering. By acknowledging the interrelationship between engineering and human relations, she recognized that behavior and efficiency of individual workers was often the product of the quality and effectiveness of the work environment. Gilbreth also used the techniques of motion analysis to design special equipment to make housework easier for disabled persons. Her life has been immortalized in two books written by her children: Cheaper by the Dozen and Belles on Their Toes.