Celebration of the Life of Dr. Dana Knox

Thursday, December 11, 2008
Campus Center Atrium
2:30 p.m.

Please join us at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 11, 2008 as we gather to remember and celebrate the life of our friend and colleague Dana E. Knox.

A professor of chemical engineering, member of the Otto H. York Department of Chemical, Biological, and Pharmaceutical Engineering and Associate Provost, Dana passed away suddenly on Wednesday, September 24, 2008; he was 53. He was a great friend to NJIT and we are fortunate to have known him, but perhaps his greatest and most remarkable gift to NJIT was how much he cared about our students, and how committed he was to NJIT’s faculty, staff, administration, and friends.

Beloved as a colleague across the NJIT campus and as a dedicated advisor for many students who received their degrees from NJIT, he would have celebrated his 25-year anniversary at the university this year. 

There will be a reception following.

October 27, 2008

The final report from an NSF-sponsored workshop “Women Engineers in Advanced Academic Positions, WEAAP: Effecting Change in Higher Education” is now available for downloading at: http://womenscenter.njit.edu/docs/WEAAP_REPORT_OCT_9_2008.pdf

The WEAAP workshop was convened at NJIT in January 2008 under funding from the NSF Directorate for Engineering, Engineering Education and Centers Division and the Director of Diversity and Outreach in the Office of the Assistant Director for Engineering.  In addition to focusing on specific obstacles of gender bias and developing strategies to counter them, WEAAP aimed to examine issues related to the changing demographics and fiscal realities among students and faculty in engineering colleges, as these integrated issues are key to the field’s progress, continued development and sustainability, both in higher education and for the nation. Those invited to the workshop included women administrators in higher education who had been trained in any of the various fields of engineering and who had served in faculty positions in the past in Colleges of Engineering.  Participants included women from 17 US states and Canada, from 18 public and 7 private institutions, ranging in enrollment from less than 2,500 to over 50,000.

Divided into three panel segments of two topics each, participants presented information both on their own institutions and on national trends. Discussion and networking followed each panel segment, and post-workshop communication on the issues raised continued via online forums where WEAAP participants posted White Papers, PowerPoint presentations, updated information and general questions.

The report contains both description of workshop events and an overview of the results.
Major conclusions resulting from the discussion include:
    1. A Network is needed: A virtual organization for professional engineering women in all sectors and across institutions needs to be designed, implemented and funded. This network and organization should be established as a partnership and with the support of other organizations, including SWE and ASEE.
    2. Once established, the organization should develop and promote the identified activities, including:
            - Create a think tank that operates as a brain trust on key issues
                     i.   Economic models for higher education
                     ii.  Colleges of Engineering as part of the economic engine of states, regions and nations
            - Develop leadership in Colleges of Engineering for our campuses, for higher education, and for our professions
            - Support the graduate environment for women engineering students
            - Refocus on the professional school model for Colleges of Engineering
            - Train faculty and students for entrepreneurship
            - Create cross-sector collaborations

October 9, 2008 - Academic Regalia on Sale

On Wednesday, October 15th from 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm, the NJIT Bookstore will be having a sale for NJIT faculty on the academic regalia that we all need for participation in commencement exercises.  Please see this flyer for additional details.

September 30, 2008 - NJIT Community Mourns Passing of Associate Provost Dana E. Knox

The NJIT community mourns the passing of Dana E. Knox, PhD, professor of chemical engineering in the Otto H. York Department of Chemical, Biological and Pharmaceutical Engineering and Associate Provost for Undergraduate Programs at NJIT, on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2008 at home. He was 53. Born in Mineola, NY, he lived in Troy, NY and Iselin before moving to Edison in 1995. He received his BS, MS and PhD degrees from Rensselaer Polytechnic University. He received the Franzosini Award from the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry in appreciation of his continuous contribution to the Solubility Data Project. Dr. Knox was serving as the chairman of the Subcommittee on Solubility and Equilibrium Data for IUPAC and was extremely active in the American Institute of Chemical Engineering, often organizing and chairing sessions at the National Meeting. He was also a frequent contributor to annual meetings of ASEE. An avid sports enthusiast, he once coached the Ice Hockey Club at NJIT and also enjoyed soccer, golf and racquetball. He was beloved as a colleague across the NJIT campus as a dedicated advisor for many students who received their degrees from NJIT; this year he would have celebrated his 25-year anniversary at the university. He was currently serving as co-advisor for NJIT's Student Chapter of AICHE. He received awards for excellence in teaching and for excellence in advising from the Newark College of Engineering. In 1994, Dr. Knox received the university-wide Robert W. Van Houten Award bestowed by NJIT alumni to recognize teaching excellence. In 2002, he was appointed to the rank of Master Teacher at NJIT. Surviving is his wife; Petra; and a sister, Laura Matthews of Plattsburgh, NY. A Blessing will be held on Monday, Sept. 29, 2008 at 10 a.m. at the Gosselin Funeral Home, 660 New Dover Road, Edison, followed by Interment at St. Gertrude Cemetery in Colonia. Visitation: Sunday 2-4 & 7-9 p.m. at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers or other expressions of condolences, and as a tribute to Dr. Knox’s commitment to education and to the NJIT community, donations to the Dr. Dana E. Knox Memorial Scholarship Fund at NJIT are suggested. Contact: Jacquelynn Rhodes, associate vice president of development, rhodes@njit.edu or 973-596-3407. NJIT friends and colleagues can share memories of Dana and condolences with his family at Remembering Dana Knox.

Open NJIT Faculty Forum Websites

The Open NJIT Faculty Forum agenda and presentations are now available to view by clicking the following links. Please note, at this time only those with an NJIT ucid and password are able to access the documents.

• Materials Science and Engineering
• Biological and Health Science and Engineering
• Infrastructure Systems
• Multimedia, Imaging and Information Systems
• Greening and Sustainability
• Computational Modeling and Simulation

July 14, 2008 - New York / New Jersey Metro Area Critical Infrastructure Symposium

This symposium will consider how well the critical infrastructure of the metropolitan area could withstand a hit by a Category 3 hurricane, something that the experts say will happen eventually. Sponsored by AIG, New Jersey Business Force and NJIT, this symposium will take place in Campus Center Atrium from 10am - 3pm. Contact hstraub@bens.org, rocco.cassetta@aig.com or matthew.dimmick@aig.com for more registration or form more information.

May 17, 2008 - University Commencement

The university commencement exercises were held today at the Prudential Center in downtown Newark. For more information and pictures from the event, please visit the commencement website.

April 9, 2008 - Board Day & Provost's Student Research Showcase

Today was the day for both of these events. In the morning, all of the various advisory boards and boards of visitors for NJIT colleges, departments and programs met in the morning. They concluded with a luncheon in the ballroom where President Altenkirch discussed the state of the university. Afterwards, several board members were among the judges for the Provost's Student Research Showcase, where the best of the university's student researchers presented their work.

March 25, 2008 - Snow Day Make Up

The University was closed for a snow day on Friday, February 22.  This lost day will be made up for by holding an extra class day on Tuesday, May 6.  That day the University will operate a Friday class schedule.  This will reduce the number of pre-examination period reading days from two to one (Wednesday, May 7th).  See the full spring 2008 academic calendar.

January 22, 2008 - Memorial Service in honor of Gary L. Thomas (Former Provost)

A memorial service will be held in honor of Gary A. Thomas (Former Provost), on Wednesday, January 30, 2008 from 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the Campus Center, Atrium. 

January 17, 2008 - NJIT Vice President Joel S. Bloom To Receive 2008 Harris Award from the College Board

Joel S. Bloom, EdD, vice president of academic and student services and dean of the Albert Dorman Honors College at NJIT, has been selected by the Middle States Regional Assembly of the College Board to receive the William U. Harris Award of Excellence for 2008. The award is given annually to one who “exemplifies the characteristics of the person for whom the award is named, including his contributions to students, the College Board and the field of education in general.”  Bloom will be presented with the award on Feb. 14 during the Middle States Regional Forum at the Sheraton Atlantic City Convention Center.

January 3, 2008 - NJIT Community Mourns Loss of Dr. Gary Thomas 

The NJIT community mourns the loss of Dr. Gary Thomas who died on Tuesday, January 1, 2008, at age 70.  From among his many years in practice as an engineer, professor and administrator, Dr. Thomas devoted 18 years to NJIT from 1980 through 1998. Thomas served as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs from 1990 to 1998, vice president for research and graduate studies from 1992 through 1998, and vice president for academic affairs from 1980 to 1990. Thomas also helped form NJIT’s College of Science and Liberal Arts (where he served as the first dean), the School of Management, and the Dorman Honors College. Subsequent to his tenure at NJIT, Dr. Thomas was appointed chancellor of the University of Missouri–Rolla. He retired from that position and returned to New Jersey in 2005.

Dr. Thomas is survived by his wife, Barbara Tedesco; four children, Katelin Thomas, Ellie Thomas, Derek Thomas, and Jennifer Tedesco; three grandchildren, Gwyneth and Caleb Foley and Ahsaan Cauley; his sister, Lois Innes; his brother, Donald Thomas; and many nieces and nephews.

During his service at NJIT, he led the development of the university’s academic and research programs resulting in significant growth in research expenditures to over $40 million. Dr. Thomas advocated for the growth of graduate education programs in order to support the university’s research effort. A doubling of PhD awards was achieved during his tenure. As a tribute to Provost Thomas’ leadership for graduate education and research growth at NJIT, the Gary Thomas Doctoral Fellowship Program has been recently established in his name by the university, with the first awards to be made in Fall, 2008.

Arrangements for viewing have been made at the Farmer Funeral Home, 45 Roseland Avenue in Roseland, New Jersey on Friday, January 4 from 2-4 p.m. and from 7-9 p.m. In lieu of flowers or other demonstrations of remembrance, the family requests that contributions be sent to NJIT to add to the endowment that supports the Gary Thomas Doctoral Fellowship. Checks should be made payable to The NJIT Foundation and sent to the address below. Questions regarding the Thomas Fellowship program may be directed to Jacquelynn Rhodes, Associate Vice President of Development at 973-596-3407; rhodes@njit.edu.

Office of University Advancement
Attn: Gary Thomas Doctoral Fellowships
New Jersey Institute of Technology
323 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd
Newark, NJ  07102-1982

December 15, 2007 - History Professor To Receive Award for Book on 18th-Century Scottish Authors and Publishers

Richard B. Sher, distinguished professor of history and chair of the federated history department at NJIT, will receive the Leo Gershoy Award for The Enlightenment and the Book: Scottish Authors and Their Publishers in Eighteenth-Century Britain, Ireland, and America (University of Chicago Press, 2006).  Dr. Sher will be presented with the award at the 122nd annual meeting of the American Historical Association on January 4, 2008 in Washington, DC.

July 16, 2007 - NJIT Mourns Passing of Otto H. York, Longtime Friend and Benefactor 

The NJIT community mourns the passing on July 12 of Otto H. York, a friend and benefactor to the university for more than three decades. A distinguished chemical engineer, inventor and entrepreneur, he was a leader in the field of gas and liquid separations and created a multi-million dollar industry. Through the Otto H. York Foundation Inc., he supported many groups working to improve healthcare, education and environmental research; in 1989, NJIT dedicated the Otto H. York Center for Environmental Engineering and Science in his honor. Read more.

May 4, 2007

Liberty Science Center and NJIT have signed an agreement affirming their dedication to collaborating and cooperating in programs and initiatives that advance mutual missions and objectives that lead to improved teaching and learning, and that contribute to improved science and technology literacy. Read the press release.

April 27, 2007

The Open Partnership, linking women in academe, industry and government, is meeting today in the NJIT Campus Center. The keynote speaker is Angie McGuire, Deputy Chief, New Jersey Governor's Office of Economic Growth.

April 25, 2007

Sunil Saigal, PhD and PE has accepted the position of the dean of Newark College of Engineering at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT).  He will also be appointed as Distinguished Professor with tenure in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Dr. Saigal currently holds a position as Interim Dean of the College of Engineering at the University of South Florida (USF).  His current tenured faculty appointment is as Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, with a joint appointment as Professor in Biomedical Engineering.  He served as Chair of Civil and Environmental Engineering at USF from 2002 to 2006.  Before his position at USF, Dr. Saigal was appointed Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and of Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University.

He received his Ph.D. degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics in 1985 from Purdue University.  He has developed variety in his research interests, from early interests in computational mechanics and nanocomposite structures to recent projects in computational cardiomechanics and orthopedic biomechanics.  Dr. Saigal has been a prolific researcher, supervising more than 20 PhD students in his career to date and he has received more than $4.3 million in funding from a variety of different agencies, including National Science Foundation (NSF) from which he received a Presidential Young Investigator award in 1990.

Dr. Saigal is very well-published with over 110 refereed publications in leading journals to his credit.  He has taken on prestigious editorships and completed proposal review assignments for several agencies including NSF and DOD basic research programs (AFOSR, ARO, ORNL).  He is active in several professional societies and is an elected Fellow of the American Societies of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Dr. Saigal will bring all of this expertise and experience to NJIT and he will play a strong leadership role in developing and implementing a new vision for the Newark College of Engineering.  I am confident that he will mentor our NCE faculty and work with them to develop the research directions and academic innovations leading to increased research funding for the college, improved instruction for the students, and the culture change in the college that will increase productivity and elevate its national standing.

Join me in welcoming Dr. Sunil Saigal to the New Jersey Institute of Technology and the Newark College of Engineering.

April 16, 2007

This past weekend, New Jersey Institute of Technology hosted the Mid-Atlantic Regional Meeting of the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE). The conference featured more than fifty presentations and workshops given by speakers from all across the nation.

All of the papers presented had been reviewed by the organizing committee, and six nominated for the Best Paper Award. From these nominees, the paper presented by John Giordano and Scott Ransbottom of the United States Military Academy titled "Diversity in Uniform: An Approach to Teaching Introductory Information Technology" was selected to receive the section's Best Paper Award for the year.

April 12, 2007

The Third Annual Provost's Student Research Showcase was held yesterday in the Campus Center Atrium. More than Fifty students presented posters featuring their innovative research on a wide variety of topics. Although all the participants were "winners" for having been selected to participate, the following were chosen by the judges as being especially meritorious.

Undergraduate:

• 1st Place - Samin Nawaz
• 2nd Place - Roshan Prabhu
• 3rd Place - Team of Gian Francisco, Arwa Gheith, Kiratbir Khurana and Latha Singanamalli

Graduate

• 1st Place - JoAnn Saitta
• 2nd Place (tie) - Lauren Beach
• 2nd Place (tie) - Corina Bot

January 19, 2007

The Call for new Graduate Growth with Industry (GGI) proposals has been issued. Interested parties should refer to this Powerpoint presentation given last November that describes the process to be followed and the information required, as well as to this budget format. Proposals must be completed, approved by the appropriate chairpersons and deans, and submitted by February 9, 2007.

January 17, 2007

A Calendar and Summary of Events is now available to view for the Institute Workshop Series held on Thursdays at 3:30PM - 5:00PM. Please use the link below to access the word document. Institute Workshop Series

December 8, 2006

Please use the links below to access information on the ASEE Mid-Atlantic Conferance and Call for Abstracts.

ASEE Mid-Atlantic Section Spring 2007 Conferance (main page)
Call for Abstracts

December 4, 2006 - For Your Information

Please use the links below to access information on the Scientists/Engineers in Residence Program at Liberty Science Center:

• Scientists/Engineers in Residence Program (.pdf)
• Joseph Amara, Direction, Education Recourses and Programs (.pdf)
• Jeffrey Osowski, Vice President, Learning and Teaching (.pdf)
  
  

October 25, 2006 - NJIT DAY

On Saturday, October 7, 2006, Members of the NJIT community gathered to take part of NJIT's ongoing celebration of the 125th anniversary of Newark Technical School.

October 9, 2006 -- Fall & Spring Semester Workshops

Please click the link below to view upcoming faculty workshops for the 2006 - 2007 Academic Year. (Workshops)

September 7, 2006 -- University Convocation

On Wednesday, September 7, 2006, University Convocation took place in the Jim Wise Theatre of Kupfrian Hall. The Keynote Address was given by the Honorable Cory A. Booker, Mayor of Newark and excerpts are available here

August 21, 2006 -- Academic Attire on Sale

The university no longer covers the cost of commencement regalia. As a result, the purchase of academic attire by faculty and staff can be a prudent investment. The NJIT Bookstore's principal supplier of commencement regalia, Collegiate Apparel (a division of Herff Jones), is having a sale during September. The Bookstore has arranged for a Collegiate Apparel representative to be on campus with samples on September 20, 2006 from 10AM to 3PM. For those who may be interested in purchasing attire, please look at this flyer (pdf format). Also, please note the representative may be able to provide information on alternatives that are even lower cost than those described in the flyer.

May 30, 2006 -- NJIT to Offer a Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology at Camden County College

Students at Camden County College will soon be able to earn a bachelor’s degree from New Jersey Institute of Technology without leaving their campus. Starting this fall, NJIT will offer a bachelor's degree in information technology at CCC's Blackwood campus. CCC students who have earned an associate's degree in one of five areas can register for the bachelor’s degree.Read more

May 30, 2006 -- Newark College of Engineering Dean Search
For the latest information on the Newark College of Engineering Dean Search, click here.

May 10, 2006 -- Young Scientists from Kearny, North Arlington Receive Research Grant
On Wednesday, May 10, Congressman Steve Rothman (D-NJ) presented two New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) students with Congressional Certificates honoring their work on sustainable energy practices. The students, Ronnachai Tiyarattanachai of North Arlington and Shih-Yun Kuo of Kearny, won a research grant through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's P3 (People, Prosperity, and the Planet) student design competition to complete one of their research proposals.

May 5, 2006 -- EPA Design Competiton
A team of students under the supervision of Maurie Cohen, PhD, an assistant professor in the department of chemistry and environmental science at NJIT, competed for the EPA’s Second Annual P3 (People, Prosperity, Planet) Award at the National Student Design Expo on May 9 and 10 in Washington, DC. This photo features EPS student Ken Car with Mike Ferguson who represents New Jersey's 7th Congressional District (Somerset County and the surrounding vicinity). 

March 3, 2006 -- NCE Dean Resignation and Search Process (49kb, pdf)

February 7, 2006 -- Jim Robertson, Assistant University Librarian, Accepted to the Prestigious Frye Leadership Institute
Jim Robertson, Assistant University Librarian at NJIT, has been selected in a national competition, to attend the 2006 Frye Leadership Institute, to be held June 4 to 16, in Atlanta, GA.  The Frye Leadership Institute exists to develop creative leaders to guide and transform academic information services for higher education in the twenty-first century.  The Institute seeks to bring to tomorrow's higher education leadership the insights and understanding of the issues that will inform this framework, including academic, technology, economic, public policy, student, and constituent-relations dynamics.  Every leader is selected based, in part, on a practicum.  Jim’s practicum, the year after the Institute, will be the definition, architecture, and development of a prototype for collaborative searching, i.e. allowing more than one user to search database(s) collaboratively and simultaneously.  

Jim was nominated by NJIT Provost Priscilla Nelson and NJIT University Librarian Richard Sweeney.  Only 18% of this year’s nominees were selected to attend.  The Institute is partially supported by a grant from the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation and is sponsored by the Council on Library and Information Resources, EDUCAUSE, and Emory University.  See http://www.fryeinstitute.org/

January 25 -- NJIT Mathematician Receives Noted Math Prize
Robert Miura, PhD, a professor in the departments of mathematical sciences and biomedical engineering, was honored on January 18 by his colleagues for receiving on January 13 the Leroy P. Steele Prize for a Seminal Contribution To Research In Mathematics from the American Mathematical Society.  Read more.  

January 18, 2006 -- Announcement of the Hurlburt Professorship
I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Katia Passerini as the Hurlburt Professor of Management of Information Systems at NJIT. Dr. Passerini, Assistant Professor of Management Information Systems (MIS) in the School of Management, holds a joint-appointment in the Information Systems (IS) Department in the College of Computing Sciences (CCS). The Hurlburt Professorship was established in 1997 by Mr. and Mrs. Frank Hurlburt (NJIT Class of 1935).Read More (pdf, 70 KB).  

May 2005 -- Priscilla Nelson named Provost of New Jersey Institute of Technology
Priscilla P. Nelson, civil engineer and natural disaster specialist, was named provost and senior vice president for academic affairs of New Jersey Institute of Technology in May 2005.  Before joining the university, she was a senior executive at the National Science Foundation (NSF) and a member of the civil engineering faculty at the University of Texas. She is internationally recognized for her achievements in engineering research and education, and her service in leadership roles and professional societies.

Read a press release about her appointment.
Read her biography.
Read an interview with the provost in NJIT Magazine. (pdf, 77KB)