NJIT in the News

Michael Brownstein, PhD, an assistant professor in the department of humanities at NJIT, presented a talk entitled “Experimental Philosophy and Non-Conscious Moral Judgment” on Nov. 13 at The Philosophical Psychology Lab at Harvard University.

NJIT’s College of Science and Liberal Arts (CSLA) recently honored faculty, staff, students and alumni for outstanding work.

NJIT Humanities Professor Christopher Funkhouser, PhD, an expert in digital poetry, will perform at The Network as a Space and Medium for Collaborative Interdisciplinary Art Practice Conference on Nov. 8 in Bergen, Norway. Funkhouser, who is also director of the Communication and Media Program at NJIT, will perform "Psychographic Poetry."

NJIT Humanities Lecturer Jon Curley and Architecture Associate Professor Tony Schuman will join Newark-based filmmakers Marylou Tibaldo-Bongiorno and Jerome Bongiorno for a panel discussion about making the film New Work: Newark in 3D on Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. at the Newark Museum. Curley wrote and recorded the poems that accompany the film, which is being shown in tandem with the 1920 avant-garde film Manhatta and will become a permanent part of the museum's permanent collection.

NJIT Humanities Lecturer Jon Curley has collaborated with Newark-based filmmakers Marylou Tibaldo-Bongiorno and Jerome Bongiorno on a film about contemporary Newark that will be exhibited at the Newark Museum for its Centennial Celebration, Sept. 22, 2009-Jan. 10, 2010. Curley wrote and recorded the poems that accompany New Work: Newark in 3D, which will be shown in tandem with the 1920 avant-garde film Manhatta and become a permanent part of the museum's collection. In addition, he will join the Bongiornos for a panel discussion about making the film on Thursday, Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. at the museum. 

NJIT Professor Burt Kimmelman, who has published five poetry collections, will read from his collected works on Sept. 15, 2009 at 8 p.m. in The Carriage House Poetry Series.

A sign on the corner of 1st Avenue and East 4th Street in Manhattan was renamed at a ceremony this summer in honor of  Frieda Zames, the late NJIT Associate Professor Emerita of mathematics and disability rights advocate who played a pivotal role in making the NJIT campus accessible to persons with disabilities. Zames, who taught math at NJIT for 27 years, died in 2005 at the age of 72.  Her three decades of advocacy also included pushing for access to the 88th floor observatory of New York's Empire State Building, which is now accessible. 

Carol Johnson, PhD, of Oak Ridge, associate professor in the department of humanities, was promoted to associate professor with tenure at NJIT’s University Convocation, an annual celebration held on Sept. 2, 2009. 

Eric Katz, PhD, of Bay Shore, NY, a professor in the humanities department, received the Award for Undergraduate Instruction, Upper Division at NJIT’s University Convocation, an annual celebration held on Sept. 2, 2009. 

Robert Friedman, PhD, of Closter, associate professor in the humanities department, received tenure at NJIT’s University Convocation, an annual celebration held on Sept. 2, 2009. 

NJIT marks the start of the new school year on September 2, 2009 with University Convocation, an annual celebration and awards ceremony.  The event, which recognizes the accomplishments of students, faculty and staff, will be held at 3 p.m., in the Jim Wise Theatre in Kupfrian Hall on the NJIT campus. A reception follows.

NJIT humanities professor, author and clarinetist David Rothenberg will appear in the upcoming PBS documentary “The Music Instinct” airing June 24, 2009 on Channel 13 and affiliate stations throughout the state and the NYC region. He is also a participant through this week in the second annual World Science Festival in New York City. Various scientific luminaries in this week’s events include Lisa Randall, E.O. Wilson, Brian Greene, and celebrity science fans like Harrison Ford and Alan Alda.

The Society for Technical Communication has named NJIT Professor Nancy W. Coppola, of Mountain Lakes, an associate fellow. This is one of the highest ranks that the society confers upon a member. Candidates for this honor are nominated by members and must have at least 15 years of experience in technical communication and have been a member for at least 10 years. Recipients have attained eminence in the field of technical communication through achievements and contributions to the profession and society.

NJIT professor and poet Burt Kimmelman, of Maplewood, will be a featured reader in the Phoenix Poetry Reading Series on June 7 at 5:30 p.m. at Bangal Curry, 65 West Broadway in New York City. Kimmelman chairs the department of humanities at NJIT.

Michele Rittenhouse, managing director of the NJIT Theatre Arts Program, has had her play “Red Rover” accepted for development at the Seven Devils Playwright Conference in Idaho this June.  Rittenhouse will work there for two weeks with a director and dramaturg to develop the play for a staged reading. She will also mentor high-school writers from the town.

NJIT Humanities Professor and clarinetist David Rothenberg brings a unique perspective to interpreting our relationship with nature through words and music—a perspective he will share when he performs at NJIT on April 1, 3-4:30 p.m. in the Campus Center Atrium. The event, which wraps up the Spring 2009 Technology and Society Forum Series at NJIT, is free and open to the public.

Richard B. Sher, PhD, a distinguished professor of history at NJIT, has been elected a Corresponding Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE). Sher, of Maplewood, is one of only 44 new Fellows and one of five new Corresponding Fellows.

NJIT English professor and poet Burt Kimmelman, of Maplewood, has been invited to read from his work at Seton Hall University’s Poetry-in-the-Round on March 4, 2009 at 7 p.m. in the library on campus. Poet Adele Kenny will also be featured.  The public is invited to attend; there will be no charge. 

Nancy W. Coppola, PhD, a professor in the department of humanities at NJIT, will be named one of 25 Associate Fellows for the Society for Technical Communication. 

Richard B. Sher, PhD, a professor of history at NJIT and a former Guggenheim Fellow, has received a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Fellowship to edit a volume of the correspondence of James Boswell, the eighteenth-century Scottish writer. Boswell was best known for his biography of Samuel Johnson. Sher’s research focuses on the thought and culture of 18th century Scotland.

NJIT Humanities Professor and clarinetist David Rothenberg and Rutgers Music Professor and pianist Lewis Porter will perform jazz and electronics selections on Feb. 11, 2:30-4 p.m. at the John Cotton Dana Library on the Rutgers-Newark campus. The concert is free and open to the public.

A new book by Carol S. Johnson, PhD, assistant professor in the department of humanities at NJIT, shows how archives available in local and state libraries across the U.S. can provide rich sources of technical communication history and examples of technical and business writing. In The Language of Work: Technical Communication at Lukens Steel, 1810 to 1925 (Baywood Publishing Company, Inc., 2009), Johnson explains that our predecessors eventually turned logs and notes into standardized texts and industry bibles, creating many of the types of information design that we use today. A podcast series related to the book is available at http://web.njit.edu/~cjohnson/lukens.htm

NJIT Humanities Professor and digital poet Christopher Funkhouser was among the 10 American poets commissioned for the Presidential Inauguration by the Associated Press and featured by the New York Times.

There’s something for everyone this spring at NJIT’s semi-annual Technology and Society Forum Series.  In two weeks, Ralph Izzo, chairman and chief executive officer of Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) opens the event with a closer look at sustainability.  

Searching for an up-and-coming newsmaker for 2009 to round-off your new year’s spotlight? Why not take a closer look at three young, dynamic NJIT professors with a visit to “Spotlight” in the NJIT Newsroom.  There you’ll find the following three winning professors with contact information so you can reach them today! 

Thousand Mile Song: Whale Music in a Sea of Sound (Basic Books, 2008) by NJIT humanities professor, author and clarinetist David Rothenberg, has been named one of the ten best science and technology books for 2008 by Booklist on Line, a publication of the American Library Association.   

The Great Depression collided with a wave of natural disasters, including the Dust Bowl and devastating floods of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Recovering from these calamities—and preventing their reoccurrence—was a major goal of the New Deal. In Nature's New Deal: The Civilian Conservation Corps and the Roots of the American Environmental Movement (Oxford University Press, 2007), NJIT author and professor Neil M. Maher recounts the history of one of Franklin D. Roosevelt's boldest and most successful experiments, the Civilian Conservation Corps.

The NJIT Department of Humanities Communication and Media Program will host a screening of representative works by students enrolled in the Video Narrative course this semester on Dec. 8, 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m in Cullimore Hall Room 411. The event concludes the Department of Humanities Videography Den Fall 2008 series of student-faculty produced video screenings. For more information, e-mail Christopher Funkhouser.  

Congratulations to Theologos Homer Bonitsis, Christopher Funkhouser, and Elizabeth Avery-Gomez '07 and students Nilufa Rahim and Brian Novello on their recent accomplishments.

David Rothenberg, PhD, a professor in the NJIT Humanities Department, received at NJIT’s recent annual awards convocation, NJIT’s Excellence in Research Award.

NJIT Associate Professor Robert S. Friedman is first author of a reference guide to the theory and research supporting the field of technology and innovation management.

NJIT Humanities Professors Christopher Funkhouser and Andrew Klobucar will perform on August 30, 4-6 p.m. at the Bowery Poetry Club in New York City. Admission: $6. 

NJIT will mark, once again, the new school year with University Convocation, an annual celebration and awards ceremony recognizing students, faculty and staff accomplishments. 

NJIT Humanities Professor Christopher Funkhouser, PhD, will perform while screening his latest multimedia text-movie, this is not a b (pdp remix), which was recently published at trickhouse.org, on July 20, 4-5 p.m. at the Bowery Poetry Club in New York City. 

NJIT Professor and Maplewood resident Burt Kimmelman will read from his poetry tonight at the Bright Hill Literary Center, Treadwell, NY. The Center is located near the State University of New York at Oneonta. Kimmelman, a professor in NJIT’s department of humanities, has published five poetry collections and is awaiting the publication by Talisman House in early 2009 of his sixth collection, As If Free.

David Rothenberg, PhD, professor of humanities at NJIT, will discuss his new book Thousand Mile Song: Whale Music in a Sea of Sound on WNYC 93.9 FM's "Soundcheck Live" program today at 2 p.m. 

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Nancy Steffen-Fluhr, PhD, an associate professor in the department of humanities and the director of NJIT’s Murray Center for Women in Technology, received the University Change Agent Award on June 9 from the Women in Engineering ProActive Network (WEPAN). The award recognizes and honors an individual who has driven positive change at his/her institution with regard to the climate for women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, with an emphasis on engineering. 

Christopher Funkhouser, PhD, associate professor in the department of humanities at NJIT and an expert in digital poetry, read from his forthcoming work, Technopoetry Rising, on WNYC Radio's "Ceptuetics" program earlier this month.

NJIT Humanities Professor, writer and musician David Rothenberg, PhD, will share his insights into the music of the natural world at a recital on May 3 at 7 p.m. at the Glynwood Center in Cold Spring, NY. There is no admission charge, but registration is required. For reservations, contact Anita Barber at 845-265-3338 x 101. 

NJIT Humanities Professor Christopher Funkhouser, an expert in digital poetry, will give a lecture on "IBM Poetry: Exploring Restriction in Computer Poems" on March 26 at the University of Pennsylvania. 

Whale sounds from thump to song have long struck a chord with NJIT humanities professor, writer and musician David Rothenberg. The rhythms so captivated the intrepid clarinetist that he spent much of last year playing interspecies duets with these melodic mammals. 

Nancy W. Coppola, associate professor in the department of humanities at NJIT, has been named associate editor of IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication. A senior member of IEEE, Dr. Coppola’s editorial domain is technology transfer and innovation.

David Rothenberg, PhD, professor in the department of humanities at NJIT, will perform two one-man shows presenting his upcoming CD Whale Music and forthcoming book Thousand Mile Song (Basic Books) at the Garage Theatre’s SoloFest on Jan. 13 at 3 p.m. at the Puffin Foundation and on Jan. 20 at 3 p.m. at the Garage Theatre on the Fairleigh-Dickinson Teaneck campus. Call 201-569-7710 for reservations or log on to www.garagetheatre.org.

An op-ed on whale song by David Rothenberg, PhD, a professor in the department of humanities at NJIT, was published last week in the New York Times. Rothenberg commented on recent events concerning a humpback whale and her calf that were stranded in the San Francisco River.

Humanities Professor Elected A Fellow of the International Biographical Association Karl W. Schweizer, PhD, a professor in the department of humanities, was elected a Fellow of the International Biographical Association in Cambridge, England.Graduate Student Receives Schering-Plough Science and Innovation AwardAmit Goyal, a chemical engineering major at NJIT, was one of 13 graduate students throughout the country who received the 2007 Schering-Plough Science & Innovation Award. Selected by the academic faculty at their respective schools, the students have the opportunity to present their individual research during a two-day symposium attended by their faculty advisors and researchers from Schering-Plough Research Institute, the company’s research and development arm.Architecture Student Awarded Scholarship at National Consulting Firm Joshua Prol, an architecture major at NJIT, was awarded a paid internship at GreenbergFarrow, the national planning, architectural, engineering and development consulting firm, as part of its University Partnership scholarship program.

Christopher Funkhouser, PhD, a professor in the department of humanities at NJIT, will speak on the topic "Creative Cannibalism and Digital Poetry" and perform "States of Malaysia 2.0" on May 20-21 at the E-Poetry 2007 event in Paris, France.

Christopher T. Funkhouser, PhD, a professor in the department of humanities at NJIT, will discuss his recent experience as a Fulbright Scholar researching hypermedia writing and producing an eBook at Multimedia University in Cyberjaya, Malaysia on April 17 at 4 p.m., Cullimore Hall, Room 411.

Humanities Professor Receives Award for Book on Writing Assessment
Norbert Elliot, PhD, a professor in the department of humanities, received the Stephen P. Witte Award for Excellence in Writing Assessment Scholarship for his book On A Scale: A Social History of Writing Assessment (New York: Peter Lang, 2005).  Instituted last year, the Witte Award is given on annual basis by the Journal of Writing Assessment.

Norbert Elliot, PhD, a professor in the department of  humanities at NJIT, received a master teacher award at NJIT’s annual awards convocation.

Christopher Funkhouser, PhD, an assistant professor in the department of humanities at NJIT, will present a lecture, “Digital Poetry: An Introduction,” as well as two digital poetry performances with writer and musician Eric Curkendall at the Thailand New Media Arts Festival 2006 in Bangkok on May 2-4. The performance will combine original poems, poems generated from Google search strings, poems made from spam e-mail messages, live music, and more. Funkhouser is currently teaching at Multimedia University in Cyberjaya, Malaysia, on a Fulbright Scholarship.

Norbert Elliot, PhD, professor in the department of humanities, and a team of researchers presented better ways to teach and assess writing at the College Composition and Communication conference held in Chicago last month. “When NJIT students spend much time assessing each other’s writing, one of the most important positive outcomes is the social relationships they create,” Elliot said.