NSF Team Visits Multi-lifecycle Engineering Center
The university will be hosting a National Science Foundation team as it conducts a comprehensive site visit of the Multi-lifecycle Engineering Research Center (MERC) Thursday, Feb. 12 and Friday, Feb. 13. This is the final evaluation level for acceptance into the NSF Engineering Research Center (ERC) Program.The goals for the ERCs are to nurture new ideas, produce high quality research, the results which are useful to industry without being too near-term in focus, encourage innovation, produce better-educated people, and promote stronger interaction among universities, government and industry.
Principal investigators for the Multi-lifecycle Engineering Research Center are: Reggie Caudill, Richard Magee, Donald Sebastian, Sanchoy Das, Ezra Ehrenkrantz, Marino Xanthos, Kamalesh Sirkar, and Elizabeth McDonnell. Other university collaborative partners include: Paul Sheng, University of California, Berkeley; John Ehrenfled, MIT; P. Somasundaran, Columbia University; Eyal Zussman, Technion, Israel; and Anthony Cortese, Second Nature.
Math Chair, Faculty Establish Endowed Scholarships
The Department of Mathematical Sciences is well on its way to establishing an endowed scholarship fund for the department. Daljit Singh Ahluwalia, department chairperson, is spearheading this ambitious undertaking.Ahluwalia has developed a fund-raising committee comprised of Armand Berliner, Bruce Bukiet, and Manuel Perez of the mathematical sciences department to urge faculty and staff to join forces and take the lead in shaping the future of the department. He worked with Jacquelynn Rhodes of the Office for University Advancement to develop the scholarship and design fund-raising strategies for a successful departmental campaign.
This is not the first time that Ahluwalia has been involved with scholarships for his students. In 1988, he established a scholarship fund in honor of his parents.
The current math scholarship campaign has two components: the departmental endowed scholarship fund and the Ahluwalia Endowed Scholarship Fund.
Dr. Gurpreet Singh Ahluwalia, Dr. Jasjit Singh Ahluwalia, Gurinder Singh Ahluwalia and their families, and Muninder Kaur Ahluwalia are establishing the Ahluwalia Endowed Scholarship Fund in honor of their parents Daljit Singh Ahluwalia and Devinder Kaur Ahluwalia.
"All their lives our parents have taught us, their children, the value of giving; and they have lived accordingly by giving generously of their time, energy, and money," Ahluwalia said. "We wanted to express our appreciation for all they have done for us and for all that they mean to us. We honor our parents on their 65th birthday."
The campaign is young. Several faculty and staff in the department have already contributed to the endowed scholarship fund. The department members hope other faculty and staff members also will contribute.
NJIT is providing a dollar-for-dollar match. Plans to expand the campaign will include outreach to math alumni, advisory board members, and friends.
Ahluwalia said, "Throughout my student life, I have been the beneficiary of scholarship awards which was very helpful financially and inspired me to do well in my studies. I proposed to the mathematics faculty, the establishment of the Mathematical Sciences Endowed Scholarship for math students. They endorsed this idea wholeheartedly. These awards will attract excellent undergraduate students in applied mathematics and statistics. In turn, these students will become friends of NJIT in general and the Department of Mathematical Sciences in particular."
Other departments interested in following this example can contact Judy Boyd, Vice President of the Foundation and Director of The Campaign for NJIT, at ext. 8293.
Debate Reveals Technology Pros, Cons
New technology is costing millions of jobs while destroying the environment according to controversial neo-Luddite leader Kirkpatrick Sale. But the computer has actually created jobs because it has enabled people to do things they would otherwise be unable to, according to Newsweek magazine senior editor and technology columnist Steven Levy. Sale and Levy took part in a hotly-contested, 45-minute debate, Feb. 4, on the NJIT campus. The debate was Webcast live through the New Jersey Center for Multimedia Research at NJIT.The debate will be available on the NJIT home page.
The debate, which attracted an overflow crowd of more than 200 people, questioned whether technology is a force for good or evil in society. Michael Aron, senior political correspondent for the New Jersey Network, moderated the debate.
Sale said the computer is responsible for eliminating some 45 million jobs.
"It certainly has altered the nature of work and the nature of jobs and the nature of the economy," said Sale, a contributing editor for The Nation and author, most recently, of "Rebels Against the Future: The Luddites and Their War on the Industrial Revolution" (Addison-Wesley). "It has taken away jobs from people. It alters work in that way. And that's its purpose. It was invented as a labor-saving device. This has considerable social effects, as well as political effects."
Levy said the computer has actually created jobs because it has enabled people to do things they would otherwise be unable to do.
"Computers have made people more productive," said Levy. "If we have lost 45 million jobs, why is there less unemployment than we had 20 years ago?"
The destruction of the environment, according to Sale, coincides with the advent of the computer, which enables corporations and individuals to consume resources at an accelerated pace.
"This machine has contributed to human longevity and human numbers," said Sale, who represents the Luddites, a group that has established themselves as the symbol of those who resist new technologies and demand a voice in how they are to be used. "There are more people and they are living longer. And isn't that a terrible tragedy. We're already killing four species an hour in order to have these technologies work the way we want them to work. If we live longer, what will be the fate of the earth and the ecosystems? It will be worse than it is now. The human imprint is already too vast for nature or the species of nature to survive."
Sale went on to say that computers have created a social phenomenon resulting in the destruction of community and the promotion of individualism.
"I don't think computers isolate people," said Levy. "Quite the contrary, computers are more and more increasingly a communication tool. I don't think when you communicate with people on line that you cut off people off line. I've never heard the word community used more than I've heard used among people in the computer industry. It's almost an obsession of how we can take advantage of the computer's ability to connect us and to form new communities."
In education, Levy said computers serve as an integral part of the classroom and called the Internet a terrific resource for students.
"It's been very well demonstrated that this is a hoax," said Sale. "The idea is that we are going to spend over the next 10 years millions of dollars to put computers in the classroom and, yet, there has been no demonstration that this advances the education of children. We had more information than anybody could possibly get to 25 years ago. Now, we have immensely more information. Is that the solution to social problems? I doubt it. There is not any serious problem in education that the computer can solve."
CAA Approves Common Exam Recommendations
The Committee on Academic Affairs (CAA) subcommittee to review common hour exams made the following recommendations at the CAA February meeting. Ralph Arend, associate dean of student services, presented the six recommendations:· Courses at the 100 level, in which common exams are currently administered, shall continue within the current practice. (approved)
· Courses at the 200 level or above having only one section should have exams administered during regular class time. (approved)
· Courses at the 200 level or above with multiple sections, which have 35 or fewer students in all sections combined should have exams administered during class time. (approved)
· Courses at the 200 level or above, in which common exams are administered outside of class will have an equivalent amount of class time canceled. This shall be done within two weeks of the exam. (failed to approve)
· The current common exam practice provides for common exams to be administered on the fourth, eighth and twelfth Wednesdays of the semester from 4:15 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. (mathematics only) and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. Common exams shall not be scheduled for other days or times. (approved, but with a change to the fifth Wednesday instead of the fourth Wednesday)
· As is done currently, departments intending to schedule common exams must attend a meeting held by the Registrar in order to arrange for the dates and times of the exams to be listed for the following semester.
NJIT Home Page and Web Site
Alan Leurck, of Computing Services' Emerging Technologies Group, gave a PowerPoint presentation on the marketing focus and appearance of NJIT's home page, www.njit.edu.The home page employs a newspaper style with "Highlights" of activities on campus that change from week to week. The images displayed will change every week to two weeks. This dynamic style draws visitors into the site and back to the site, instead of a typical static design that remains the same. The number of "hits," that is, the number of individuals who view NJIT's Web site, has averaged 30,000 per day recently.
Provost Gary Thomas asked department chairpersons and center directors to designate a contact person for their home pages. The university plans to hire a group of paid students to act as consultants for the departments, centers and offices.
Jim Gardner, executive director of university communications, explained who is responsible for various aspects in the collaborative effort of maintaining the NJIT home page. Computing Services will provide the technical support, and Communications will provide general oversight, quality assurance, and timeliness of information on the site. Each academic department, center, and administrative office will be responsible for maintaining its section. A process for updating pages is evolving. The communications office has designated Laura Tutt as the contact person for the university community to answer questions, provide assistance and give direction for home page updating. Members also received The NJIT Style Guidelines for www.njit.edu
During discussion the following issues were clarified:
· Faculty developing their home page should do it in the working environment they are most comfortable using. If a person works in megahertz, a page should be set up there.
· Computing services can set up passwords for faculty home pages, so that class notes and other materials are open only to students.
· Faculty should be moving toward uploading the syllabus and class notes and linking them to their faculty home page.
· HTML authoring courses are available through the Gartner Group Learning materials in the Office of Compliance and Training
· Computing services will be able to provide some faculty and staff training sessions on web page updating.
· Students and faculty who need to download .pdf files will be required to download a browser for this, which is usually not a problem, but users may have trouble printing. Computing services can work with individual students who have difficulties in downloading these files.
Master of Science in Public Health Proposal
The committee voted to approve the concept of a proposed three-way joint Master of Science in Public Health with the University of Medicine and Dentistry Medical School and Rutgers University-Newark. Norbert Elliot, humanities and social sciences chairperson, is leading the effort from NJIT. CAA voted to revisit the proposal when issues of identifying a central administrative location and who will be the admitting university(ies) among other vital administrative and logistic details are clarified. NJIT was the first of the three schools to present the proposal to an administrative body for consideration.Engineering and Life Sciences
John Tavantzis, Engineering and Life Sciences program director, requested the committee approve a name change for these programs within the Engineering Science bachelor's and master's degree programs. CAA approved the new name of Engineering and Life Sciences instead of Engineering Science. However, the degree will still be called Engineering Science at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
National Engineers Week Satellite Broadcast
To Feature Products, Engineers
Newark College of Engineering will be showing a live satellite broadcast
from the National Technological University (NTU), "Discover Engineering:
Engineers Turning Ideas into Reality," Wednesday, Feb. 25, 1-2 p.m., in
Guttenberg Information Technologies Building 1400.
The annual engineers week teleconference is most beneficial to first-year students. Faculty, students and interested staff are welcome to attend.
The teleconference will feature a panel of high school students, college undergraduates, and four professional engineers. The facilitators will be Kris Wood, associate professor of mechanical engineering at University of Texas at Austin, and Patricia Davies, associate professor at Purdue University's School of Engineering. Harry West, best known for the development and creation of the Reebok pump, is the "Discovering Engineering" alumnus on the panel.
Products created by engineers, such as in-line skate wheels, computers and the Slinky will be shown and discussed. Also, results from the sixth National Engineers Week Future City Competition will be presented.
AMP, Inc., Hewlett-Packard, IBM, and the National Engineers Week Committee are sponsoring the teleconference.
A special Web site will be set up for questions prior to the broadcast
as well as live and on line during the telecast. The Web site will remain
open for up to two weeks afterward. The special site is located at NTU's
Web site: http://www.ntu.edu
Self-directed Computer Training Open House
A Success; More Courses Now Available
The open house and hands-on demonstration of NJIT's new self-directed computer
training was well-attended and well-received by the campus community. Reid
Vail of Gartner Group Learning explained the advantage of this flexible
training format over classroom instruction. Courses are offered in technology-based
formats, e.g. videotape, CD ROM, diskettes and via the Internet. Additionally,
these formats are easy to use and offer the user "just-in-time" learning
on the latest software. Users can rerun each lesson as many times as needed
and at their own pace.
Below is a list of commonly asked questions and answers about this new training initiative:
Q. What courses are available?
Operating Systems:·Moving Up to Windows 95
·Microsoft Windows 95
·Getting Started on MS Windows 95
·Gaining Expertise on MS Windows 95
Microsoft Office '97:
· Introduction to Microsoft Office 97
· MS Word 97
(Proficient User or Expert User)
· MS Access 97
(Proficient User or Expert User)
· MS Excel 97
(Proficient User or Expert User)
· MS PowerPoint 97
(Proficient User or Expert User)
Windows 3.1:
· Integrating the Microsoft Office (4x)
· MS Word 6.0
· MS Access 2.0
· MS Excel 5.0
· MS PowerPoint 4.0
Internet and Networking:
· HTML Authoring
(Essentials or Advanced)
· Internet: Global Communications
· Internet: Joining the Global
Community
Q: How Do I Get Started?
A: Select the course(s) from the Compliance and Training Programs Web page (via Faculty & Staff on the NJIT Home page.) If you do not have Internet access, you can use the IT server from ADMIN (arrow to Compliance and Training Programs and tab to course titles).Q: How do I register?
A: Send an e-mail to gglearning@admin.njit.edu with the following information:1. Type course registration on the subject line.
2. Type your name, department and selected course title or titles in the body of the text.
If you need Internet access, indicate that in the body of your message. You will receive an access code from the Office of Compliance and Training Programs. If you are not registering for an Internet-delivery format, simply go to the PC Store to purchase the courseware at $9 each.
Q: What are the Delivery Formats?
A: The delivery formats are:· Videotape Presents screen instructors and walk through exercises; has accompanying workbook.
· Computer-Based Training multi-diskette installation required on hard drive; features interactive lectures with accompanying workbook.
· CD ROM a single CD ROM must be installed on a PC; features interactive lectures and exercises. Requires PC with a CD ROM drive.
· Multimedia CD ROM features a CD ROM and an installation guide; requires a multimedia capable PC (sound-card and speakers).
· Internet Learning Center this is a Web-based training program on the Gartner Group ITC or Internet Learning Web Site; practice exercises are incorporated within the design.
NOTE: not all courses are available in all formats.
Q: How Do I Pick a Delivery Format?
A: You should pick the format that is most convenient for you and that is able to run on your desktop equipment. If you have technical system questions, or any general questions about the program, please address them via e-mail to:gglearning@admin.njit.edu or call ext. 6593 and speak to a PC specialist.
Additionally, the Van Houten Library has added many titles to their
reserve holdings. CD ROMs and videos will be available to be viewed at
several work stations on the first floor during normal library hours. Although
you can view the videos and
CD ROM delivery formats in the library at no charge, we suggest you
use this service to preview the information to find the best starting point
for you or your department. Then, purchase the courseware from the PC Store
at the low rate of $9 per course. They are yours to keep, can be reviewed
at any time and can be shared with others.
If you have additional questions, call the Office of Compliance and Training Programs at ext. 3134 or ext. 3133.
NJIT/Rutgers-Newark Black History Month 1998
Wednesday, Feb. 11
Thursday, Feb. 12
Friday, Feb. 13
Monday, Feb. 16
Tuesday, Feb. 17
Wednesday, Feb. 18
Thursday, Feb. 19
Saturday, Feb. 21
Sunday, Feb. 22
Monday, Feb. 23
Wednesday, Feb. 25
Thursday, Feb. 26
Friday, Feb. 27
Co-sponsors of Black History Month 1998
Rutgers-Newark: Academic Foundation Center · African-American Studies Department · ARA Food Service · Black Organization of Students · Common Purposes Committee · Honors Department · Interfraternity/Sorority Council · Newark College of Arts and Sciences - Student Government Association · Panhellenic Council · Program Board · Office for Multicultural Student Affairs · Office of the Provost · Office of Student Development · Organization of Black Faculty and Staff · Robeson Campus Center · University College Alumni · University College - Student Government Association · WRNU Radio
Free Canoe, Kayak Paddling Instruction
The university community is invited to attend free informal introductory instruction on paddling canoes and kayaks every Tuesday during February and March, 7-9 p.m., at the Physical Education Building pool.The instruction, provided by members of the New York/Northern New Jersey Chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC), will introduce various boats, gear, and paddling techniques. Participants will have the opportunity to try out different boats and practice strokes. Those who attend more than one session will be invited to join the several AMC outings held in late spring and early summer.
Participation is limited to the first eight who sign up for each session on the Monday of the prior week. Sign up by calling Vinnie Ann Costanza, ext. 3636. Participants should bring a swim suit, towel and lock.
Don Getzin, chemistry, chemical engineering and environmental science, and Charles Wilson, mechanical engineering, are the program coordinators.
INFO: Don Getzin, ext. 3576.
Mechanical Engineering Professor Speaks In China
Mechanical engineering assistant professor Tina Chu had the opportunity to lecture in China last October, one of only two representatives from academia from the greater New York area invited to speak at symposiums on "International Cooperation and Exchange of Scientific Research and Applications between China and the United States."She also was invited to participate in the celebration of the 48th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. During her visit, Chu lectured and visited academic institutions, medical centers, and local industries. Her topics were "Biomechanics/Biomaterials and Rehabilitation Engineering Research Activities at NJIT" and "Collaboration of Biomedical Engineering Research Activities between NJIT, UMDNJ and NJCBMD/Rutgers."
Chu also has been invited to chair a special session at the 5th International Conference on Composites Engineering, July 5-11 in Las Vegas, entitled "Bioceramic Composites for Medical Applications." The International Community for Composites Engineering and the University of New Orleans are sponsoring the conference.
NJTPA's Kingsberry Wins Award
The new director of finance and public affairs for the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, Stephen Kingsberry, received the Founder Award from the Hunterdon Area Rural Transit, Inc., Jan. 26 in recognition of his "dedicated service" in the formation of the organization.Faculty Member Named IEEE Guest Editor
Neeraj Suri, an assistant professor of computer and information science, has been invited to be a guest editor for a special issue of the IEEE "Transactions on Parallel and Distributed Systems." The topic is dependable real-time systems, Suri's area of research at NJIT.Seminar Features Highway Safety Director
Michael F. Trentacoste, director of the Office of Highway Safety, Federal Highway Administration, will discuss "Improving Highway Safety," Wednesday, Feb. 18, 3 p.m., in Guttenberg Information Technologies Building 3710.Trentacoste will discuss current highway safety problems and some of the initiatives under way at the transportation department to meet these challenges. The National Center for Transportation and Industrial Productivity at NJIT, as designated by the U.S. Congress, is sponsoring the seminar.
INFO: Brenda Arthur, ext. 3355.
Bell Labs R&D Manager To Present Seminar
Dean Alok Chakrabarti and the School of Management invite the university community to attend a reception and lecture presented by Matthias J. Merges of Bell Labs, entitled "Managing the R&D Investment," Thursday, Feb. 12, 6:30 p.m., in the Wilson Alumni Center.Registration and reception will be 5:30-6:30 p.m. The lecture will follow at 6:30 p.m.
Merges manages an operations research group responsible for network business planning and systems engineering. His current business research interests involve applying modern financial analysis techniques to R&D management and planning problems.
Seminars
Leonard J. Cimini, Jr. of AT&T Labs Research will present "Advanced Cellular Internet Service," sponsored by the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Center for Communications and Signal Processing Research, 11:30 a.m., Monday, Feb. 23, in Electrical and Computer Engineering Building 202.Cimini will discuss the technologies for achieving reliable high-speed
transmission to wide-area mobile and portable cellular subscribers with
very high spectrum efficiency.
People
Gwen San Agustin, HSMRC, thanks the university community for fruit basket she received while out on disability.Jeanie Regencio, Purchasing, thanks the university community for their support and lovely fruit basket sent after the passing of her mother, Amelia Anjos Santos.
Sabrina Stephenson, University Advancement, thanks the university community for their support and fruit basket sent after the passing of her brother, Michael Dun.
Arthur Sutphen, Center for Manufacturing Systems, thanks the university for the fruit basket and thanks his students for the cards and gifts during his illness.