NJIT in the News

NJIT has received a proclamation from NJ Governor Jon S. Corzine recognizing the university and Panasonic “for their continued commitment to developing the creative thinking and technical skills of New Jersey’s students.” NJIT student interns help to design the Panasonic Creative Design Challenge, with NJIT faculty and staff serving as judges. Since 1991, NJIT has partnered with Panasonic in the competition sponsored by the company, which tests many skills as high school teams vie for college scholarships and other prizes.

Governor Jon S. Corzine will announce the kickoff of the New Jersey Economic Innovation Alliance, made possible by a Workforce Innovation for Regional Economic Development (WIRED) grant, on March 16, at 10 a.m. at NJIT. A public session from 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Campus Center Atrium will feature Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor Douglas Small who will explain the initiative. The $5.1M WIRED grant will support community partners’ efforts to harness the regions’ unique resources to transform their local economies. The grant also will be used to expand employment and worker development opportunities in the award region.

Governor Jon Corzine signed groundbreaking legislation to fund construction of a major stem cell research facility at NJIT as well as complementary facilities in New Brunswick, Camden, Allendale, and Belleville. The legislation, which had been previously approved by the New Jersey State Senate and Assembly last week, allocates $50 million for construction of the NJIT facility in Newark. The bill will advance NJIT leadership in creating the Newark Institute for Regenerative Medicine, dedicated to creating technologies to translate basic research in stem cell science into practical and deliverable therapies for patients.

Governor Jon Corzine will be the keynote speaker at NJIT’s 2006 Commencement to be held at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford on May 18 at 9 a.m. NJIT will bestow an honorary doctorate of humane letters to Corzine for his public service to the nation as a U.S. senator and to the state as governor.

U.S. Senators Frank R. Lautenberg and Jon S. Corzine announced $1 million in federal funding they secured to further develop NJIT’s smart gun. The Senators announced the funding during a Dec. 9 visit to a pistol range in Bayonne, where an NJIT policeman demonstrated the effectiveness of Smart Gun.