April 8, 1998 - Contents
Men's Volleyball At Home For NCAA Division 1 Tournament
May Commencement Features Two Days Of Ceremonies
Physics Professor Wins NSF CAREER Award
Overseers Support 'Campaign For NJIT'
Humanistic Economics Symposium To Honor Rivlin
Lambda Theta Phi Chapter Receives National Recognition
Health Fair Helps Employees Select Optimal Plan
World Week Celebrates 11th Anniversary
NJIT/Rutgers-Newark
World Week 1998 Events Calendar
"New Visions for the Millennium"
Theatre Arts Program Presents 'The Oak Table'
Student Services Division Staff Raises
More Than $1,000 Toward Building Sciences Challenge
Civil Engineering Thesis Wins Top Honors
Math Grad Paper Takes First At National Conference
Mathematics Undergrads Attend Conference
Estrin To Be Feted At Testimonial Dinner
CAA Learns About Graduate Certificate Offerings
Students To Present Research
At URE Undergrad Mini Conference
Peter Jensen Scholarship Call For Nominations
Students Must Comply With Immunization Laws
Employee Assistance Offers CPR Courses
Aquatic Staff Offers 'Learn To Swim' Program
NJIT Campus Events Calendar: April 8- May 6
Seminars
People
Classifieds
Men's Volleyball At Home For NCAA Division 1 Tournament
The men's volleyball team has gained a berth in the Eastern Regional of the NCAA Division 1 Tournament for the second consecutive season, and is guaranteed a home match for the first time. By winning the Tait Division of the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA), NJIT is guaranteed one of the top four seeds and a home match, 4 p.m., Saturday, April 11.NJIT had its largest crowd ever, in excess of 500 fans in Entwisle Gymnasium, for the March 31 match vs. Rutgers-Newark. The Highlanders (15-6) have defeated Penn State, Harvard, and George Mason, among others. Standout players include juniors Harold Nazaire and A.J. Mihalic, sophomore Pedro Trevino, and senior Wycliffe Gordon, who ranks third in the nation in hitting percentage.
A victory in the NCAA quarterfinals would set up a semifinal match on April 16. The Eastern Regional final is scheduled for April 18, with the winner going on to the NCAA Final Four. A victory in the NCAA Division 1 Tournament would be a first for NJIT.
May Commencement Features Two Days Of Ceremonies
Ongoing renovations at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel has forced the university to select alter-natives to a single ceremony and location this year for the May Commencement exercises.
Commencement exercises for master's degree recipients will be the evening of Thursday, May 21. The colleges will convene separately followed by a special reception for graduates and their guests.
The baccalaureate degree recipients and doctoral candidates will participate in a single ceremony 10 a.m., Friday, May 22, at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center's Prudential Hall.
All degree recipients participating in Commencement are permitted three guest tickets.
Further information will be announced to the university community as it becomes available.
Physics Professor Wins NSF CAREER Award
Trevor Tyson, assistant professor of physics, has been granted a 1998 National Science Foundation CAREER Award.The $300,000 award, $75,000 a year for 4 years, will cover Tyson's general research on local atomic structural studies of transition metal oxides. This work complements research funded by the U.S. Department of Energy on CMR magnetoresistive materials and his NJIT-IBM GOALI proposal on NiO read-head sensors for hard drives.
The NSF-funded research will focus on structure-transport correlations in high temperature superconductors. Graduate, undergraduate, and high school students and teachers will be involved.
Overseers Support 'Campaign For NJIT'
Members of the Board of Overseers are showing their support to The Campaign for NJIT: Design for the Future. Thanks to the efforts of the following Overseers, the university has received three pledges of support.· Brian Maher, chairman and CEO of Maher Terminals$100,000 pledged for a residential scholarship for students from New Jersey urban areas.The Campaign will be brought to faculty and staff this fall as the university enlists their support on this major fund-raising effort for scholarship and endowment.· Art Weinbach, president and CEO of ADP$100,000 pledged for a scholarship to support students in the Albert Dorman Honors College.
· Stephen Solomon, president and CEO of ABB Lummus Global, Inc.$50,000 pledged for scholarship support to a chemical engineering student.
The Campaign is directed through the Office for University Advancement, ext. 3400.
Humanistic Economics Symposium To Honor Rivlin
A symposium on humanistic economics will honor Alice M. Rivlin, Vice Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Thursday, May 21, 1-6 p.m., on the Guttenberg Information Technologies Building third floor.The symposium will focus on the use of economic analysis to encourage the prosperity of people from all sectors of society. Dean Alok Chakrabarti and the School of Management are hosting the event. Participants are Rivlin, Alan Blinder, a professor of economics and co-director of the Center for Economic Policy Studies at Princeton University, and Romesh Diwan, professor of economics and former department chairperson at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Rivlin took office on June 24, 1996, for a four-year term. She is serving a full term as a member of the board through Jan. 31, 2010. Before joining the board, she served as director and deputy director of the White House Office of Management and Budget.
Registration begins at 1 p.m. The symposium will take place from 1:30-4 p.m., followed by reception from 4-6 p.m.
INFO: Barbara Tedesco, ext. 3248.
Lambda Theta Phi Chapter Receives National Recognition
The NJIT chapter of Lambda Theta Phi received national recognition recently at the fraternity's 22nd Anniversary Awards Banquet when it was presented with the "Chapter of the Year" award.This award is presented to the chapter that has excelled and gone beyond the call of duty to live up to the goals and ideals of the fraternity, which include academic excellence, community service, and cultural awareness. NJIT's chapter was chosen out of a pool of Lambda Theta Phi chapters from across the nation.
Throughout the years, the brothers have committed themselves to setting a high standard for the members of the chapter, as well as the Greek community. Their efforts also have led to other honors such as the "IFSC Community Service Award," numerous commendations, and other forms of recognition from the university and the surrounding community. Not only have the brothers played a major role in the area of community service, they have excelled in the area of academics. The members have one of the highest over all GPAs among the Greek letter organizations.
The brothers are proud to have been named "Chapter of the Year" and to have represented NJIT at a national level. They would like to share this major accomplishment with the entire campus community, especially the Latino community, whom they have represented over the years. The chapter thanks all who have contributed to the fraternity's success and who have collaborated with the brothers to build a strong working relationship. The chapter extends special thanks to chapter advisor Leroy Thomas, associate dean of student services; Eida Berrio, dean of student services; Donna Minnich, Hazell Center director; Rick Brown, director of Greek Life, the Inter Fraternity/Sorority Council, HOST/SHPE, and CaribSO for their support.
Health Fair Helps Employees Select Optimal Plan
The annual NJIT Health Fair is Wednesday, April 8, in the Hazell Center Gallery to help employees select an optimum health plan. The Health Fair coincides with the state health plan open enrollment period, April 1-30.Health care plans are personal decisions based on the needs of the employee and his or her family. No single plan is best for everyone. The issues worth considering are medical services, frequency of doctor visits, nature of the visits, young children, benefits offered, and costs associated with each plan.
NJIT provides employees with several separate choices of health care coverage.
- Traditional Plan reimburses employees for the cost of hospitalization, doctor bills, surgery, and other medical services and supplies. There are no restrictions in choosing a doctor.
- NJ Plus combines managed care with the option of reimbursement for services performed out of the NJ Plus network of physicians, hospitals and laboratories.
- HMO provides complete coverage for medical services rendered by affiliated physicians and hospitals.
World Week Celebrates 11th Anniversary
Several NJIT professional staff and students initiated World Week 11 years ago because of the university's increasingly diverse student population. World Week 1998, "New Visions for the Millennium," will be April 13-18.Through the years, NJIT and Rutgers-Newark have worked together to celebrate all the Heritage Months (Hispanic, Asian, Black, Women) and World Week. World Week has become an annual event celebrating the cultural diversity at the NJIT and Rutgers-Newark campuses.
The celebration usually occurs during the second or third week of April, depending upon Easter and Passover, and the weather because several events occur outdoors. The celebration of World Week involves most of the cultural student organizations. Events held during the week include lectures, cultural performances, food festivals, and celebrations.
A committee of students, faculty, and staff plan World Week each year. The students are encouraged to take the lead in deciding and planning the events for the week. Many of the student organization members perform during the cultural shows and prepare a cultural food dish for the food festival. World Week offers the opportunity for the various student cultural organizations to work together and presents an opportunity for the entire campus community to learn about other cultures in an enjoyable manner.
Theatre Arts Program Presents 'The Oak Table'
"The Oak Table," a new play by Michele Raper Rittenhouse, director of the Rutgers-NJIT Theatre Arts Program, will be performed April 23-25, 7 p.m., and April 26, 2:30 p.m., in the Theater.Debbie Saivetz directs this emotional comedy about two women, a homeless poet and a struggling young writer, fighting to connect to the life surrounding their homes in New York City's Tompkins Square Park on a moonlit summer night in 1980. In their journey, they find a parade of unusual individuals and finally each other.
Tickets are $5, students and seniors citizens; $7, general admission. For ticket reservations, call (973) 353-5119, ext. 17.
Student Services Division Staff Raises
More Than $1,000 Toward Building Sciences Challenge
The Students Services Division Staff contributed more than $1,000 toward
the Building Sciences Challenge. The money will be used to renovate Campbell
Hall, which will house the offices of the Dean of Student Services and
the Counseling Center.
Sheridan Quarless, director of the University Learning Center, and Leroy Thomas, associate dean of students, co-chaired the fund-raising drive. The Building Sciences Challenge received 100 percent participation from the staff that serves under Eida Berrio, the dean of student services. The contributions were made in the form of personal checks and/or payroll deductions. Although only two of the offices in the division will be housed in the new location, all staff members participated in the fund-raising effort.
Civil Engineering Thesis Wins Top Honors
Civil engineering master's student Keith MacBain won the Outstanding Master's Thesis Award from the Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools.MacBain's thesis is a study of highway barriers entitled "Characteristics of Recycled Plastics and Applications for Highway Appurtenances." Ala Saadeghvaziri, associate professor of civil engineering, is his advisor. Edward Dauenheimer, associate chairperson for the civil and environmental engineering department, made the nomination.
The award includes a $250 check and certificate courtesy of University Microfilms. MacBain and his advisor are invited to receive the award at the Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools' annual meeting April 24 in Baltimore. Ron Kane, assistant vice president and dean of graduate studies, will be attending as the incoming association president.
Math Grad Paper Takes First At National Conference
Mathematics graduate student John Gilchrist was named the winner of the Second SIAM Student Conference Student Paper Award.Gilchrist was invited as a featured speaker to address the full meeting during the conference held March 19-21 at Florida State University. His talk was entitled "Propagation of a Melting Front Induced by Microwave Heating." Math graduate student Zili Huang also presented a paper, "Premixed Flame Propagation in Oscillating Stagnation Point Flow."
"This is the largest applied math conference that focuses on student participation," said John Bechtold, director of graduate studies in the Department of Mathematical Sciences. "It has provided our students with tremendous experience and exposure. The Department of Mathematical Sciences is very proud of the students' performances and the national recognition that they have received."
In 1996, Gilchrist shared the Student Paper Award with John Pelesko, the first NJIT student to complete the Ph.D. in Mathematical Sciences, at the First SIAM Student Conference held at Clemson University. Pelesko is now the Von Karman Instructor at Caltech.
Mathematics Undergrads Attend Conference
Michael Dancu, a senior applied mathematics and mechanical engineering student who delivered a talk on his research project, was one of five applied mathematics undergraduate students who attended a conference Feb. 21 at Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pa.Dancu, who spoke on phase plane and energy analysis of a journal bearing's behavior overcoming friction on its initial movement, was joined by Steven Arturo, Dalia De, Michelle DeBonis, and James Mawe. Dawn A. Lott-Crumpler, assistant professor of mathematics, accompanied the students.
Students from 25 colleges in New Jersey and Pennsylvania participated. Colin Adams, a professor at Williams College, opened the event with a lecture on the size and shape of the universe. The College of Science and Liberal Arts provided funding for the trip.
Estrin To Be Feted At Testimonial Dinner
Herman A. (Doc) Estrin will be honored for his 60 years of teaching at a testimonial dinner, Saturday, May 9, 6:30 p.m., at the Italian-American Social Club in North Plainfield.The North Plainfield High School Alumni Association in conjunction with
the Alumni Association of NJIT, the Grant School Alumni of South Plainfield,
and the Drew University Alumni Association are sponsoring
the event.
John T. Cunningham, author of 35 books about New Jersey and a member of the New Jersey Literary Hall of Fame, will serve as master of ceremonies. Proceeds from the dinner will help establish the Dr. Herman A. Estrin Scholarship Award to benefit outstanding writers and journalists at North Plainfield High School.
Estrin began his teaching career as Grant School in 1938 and taught for more than 50 years at NJIT. He is a 1933 graduate of North Plainfield High School and a 1937 graduate of Drew University. He received both a master's degree (1942) and doctorate (1954) from Columbia University.
In 1976, Estrin initiated the NJIT-based New Jersey Literary Hall of
Fame, which includes the most prestigious writers in the state. Tickets
for the dinner are $20 and may be purchased by calling Mario Caruso,
(908) 756-2776, or Mary Bato Mazepa, (908) 754-3503.
CAA Learns About Graduate Certificate Offerings
The Committee on Academic Affairs reviewed the 1998-1999 Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Graduate Certificate Program at its April meeting.CPE will offer 13 programs, eight of which are on-going. One was previously a company collaborative offering and four are new. In addition, two current certificates will be retired due to low enrollments.
Sixty-seven students had completed a Graduate Certificate by fall 1997. Of these, 44 (65 percent) had already continued into a corresponding NJIT master's degree program. Another 23 students received certificates at the start of the spring 1998 semester.
In related information, Ron Kane, dean of graduate studies, announced that the Council of Graduate Schools has asked NJIT to help develop national guidelines for graduate certificates.
Multi-lifecycle Engineering Research Center
Provost Gary Thomas said the center received a written evaluation from the National Science Foundation (NSF) team that conducted the February site visit for its Engineering Research Center Program.The report was positive with no "serious concerns" and only a few minor concerns noted, according to Thomas. Since the February visit, a reverse site visit occurred during which Reggie Caudill, executive director, gave a presentation to the NSF's Blue Ribbon Panel that included a road map of the 10 years the grant program would entail. NSF will make its recommendations for three to five finalists to the National Science Board. The results will be announced in early May.
Administration Costs
Costs of Administration for Fiscal Year 1998 reports for the five colleges compiled by the Office of the Provost were distributed and discussed. The figures for the 12-month estimate costs are based on faculty administration, administration salaries, staff salaries, staff/student costs, and over-time pay by college and department. Cost estimated for full-time equivalency units also was included in the report.Other News
· On Deans' Day the colleges were hosts to 402 accepted freshmen and their parents. Attendance reflected an increase for all colleges over last year's event.· Faculty members are encouraged to turn in graduate application files as the acceptance offer deadline is nearing.
Students To Present Research
At URE Undergrad Mini Conference
The annual Undergraduate Research Mini Conference will be Friday, April
17. The students' will give their presentations 10 a.m.-12 p.m., in the
School of Architecture Gallery.
The Undergraduate Research Mini Conference is sponsored by the University Research Experience (URE) program, which provides assistance to students who historically have been underrepresented in master's and doctoral degree programs in the science, math, engineering, and technology fields. URE offers these students the opportunity to participate in research projects with faculty mentors, with the expectation that they will go on to enroll and graduate from graduate school.
At this year's Undergraduate Research Mini Conference, 22 researchers will have the opportunity to display and present their research projects to peers, faculty, administration, and a panel of judges. They will give two, 30-minute oral presentations and will be judged on the content of the research as well as the quality of their presentations. Prizes will be awarded for the best presentations and projects.
This year the URE program expanded its services to more students due to a grant from the Alliance for Minority Participation of the Philadelphia Consortium.
Peter Jensen Scholarship Call For Nominations
The Peter Jensen Scholarship is seeking nominations. Interested applicants must submit a letter of consideration that includes name, address, telephone, student ID number, and year in school.To be considered for the scholarship, applicants must be upper division students and have demonstrated financial need. Preference will be given to a student formerly or currently active in student government. Application letters must be forwarded by Monday, April 13 to Rick Brown, Hazell Center 103.
INFO: Rick Brown, ext. 3605.
Students Must Comply With Immunization Laws
Student Health Services asks the faculty and staff to support student compliance with the New Jersey Immunization Requirement. It's the law.Students are reminded that they must submit proof of immunization in order to register for 1998 summer and fall semesters. With news of recent outbreaks of measles, rubella and tuberculosis among young adults, every student is urged to seek proper immunization in order to protect themselves. A more comprehensive program for identifying individuals who are not in compliance has resulted in strict enforcement. For this reason, many students who may have "fallen through the cracks" in the past are now being held accountable.
Students can log onto the Self-Registration Screen and access "view your medical information." This will give them the opportunity to check their status and see if information is missing. For more information, please contact Student Health Services at ext. 3621 or via e-mail at dudas@admin.njit.edu.
Employee Assistance Offers CPR Courses
The Employee Assistance Program is offering pediatric and adult cardiopulmonary resuscitation courses April 14 and 21 in the Hazell Center. The pediatric courses (through age 8) will be offered 12-1 p.m. and the adult sessions (age 9 and older) will be conducted 1-2 p.m.American Heart Association standards are followed in all courses. Class size is limited. For registration information, call ext. 3293 or send an e-mail message to conrad@admin.
Aquatic Staff Offers 'Learn To Swim' Program
The aquatic staff is offering a spring session of swim classes to the university faculty and staff and their families at the NJIT pool.Children's classes are offered on Saturdays for infants and toddlers: April 18 and 25, and May 2 and 9. Classes are toddlers: 10-10:30 a.m.; Level I: 10-11:15 a.m.; Level II: 10:45-11:30 a.m.; Level III: 11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m.; and Level IV: 11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m. The fee is $18 per child.
Adult beginner classes are scheduled for Tuesdays from 5-6 p.m. Register at the physical education building front desk.
INFO: Amy Milavsky, ext. 3638.
Seminars
Electrical and Computer Engineering
· Roy D. Yates of the Wireless Information Networks Laboratory at Rutgers University will present "Power Control and Multi-user Detection for Wireless Systems," sponsored by the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Monday, April 13, 11:30 a.m., in Electrical and Computer Engineering Building 202.Yates will describe a distributed algorithm and show that it converges to a minimum power solution for the powers and an MMSE multi-user detector for the filter coefficients. He will then compare the performance and implementation of this receiver to a decorrelating detector for power controlled users.
· Jorn W. Janneck of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology will present "Modeling Complex Discrete Event Systems: The Moses Approach," sponsored by the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the IEEE Control Systems Society, Thursday, April 16, 4:45 p.m., in Electrical and Computer Engineering Building 202.
Janneck will outline the status of the Moses Project and future plans. The models are structured by means of a concept of object-oriented and parametric components and the different modeling formulisms (including Petri nets, synchronous data flow, and state machines), their interactions, and the way in which they are mapped onto a common semantic basis.
Physics
· Dale Gary of the NJIT Department of Physics will present "Listening for the Next Solar System: Radio Imaging of the Sun with Owens Valley Radio Observatory," sponsored by Sigma Chi, NJIT Chapter, Monday, April 20, 4 p.m., in Electrical and Computer Engineering Building 202.Gary will focus on the techniques of radio imaging, the principles of operation of the OVRO Solar Array, which is now a part of NJIT, and the science that is addressed with multifrequency radio imaging.
People
Louis Johnson, Mailing Services, thanks the university community for the messages of condolences he received upon the passing of his brother.Classifieds
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