NJIT in the News

Jeff Koberstein, PhD, of Columbia University will discuss "Modification of Surfaces Using Light and Click Chemistry" at the Otto H. York Department of Chemical, Biological and Pharmaceutical Engineering Graduate Seminar Series on Nov. 30 at 2:45 p.m. in Tiernan Hall Rm. 373. 

Ecevit Bilgili, PhD, an assistant professor in the Otto H. York Dept. of Chemical, Biological and Pharmaceutical Engineering at NJIT, will discuss "Pharmaceutical Development of Comminution and Fluidized Bed Granulation Operations: from Theory to Industrial Practice" on Nov. 23 at 2:45 p.m. in Tiernan Hall 373.

Even if you are not a cook, you might have wondered why a pinch of flour (or any small particles) thrown into a bowl of water will disperse in a dramatic fashion, radiating outward as if it was exploding. Pushpendra Singh, PhD, a mechanical engineering professor at NJIT who has studied and written about the phenomenon, has not only thought about it, but can explain why.

Paul Englert of Alcatel-Lucent Wireless Technologies will discuss "Engineering Issues in the Development of Fourth Generation (4G) Wireless Networks" on Nov. 18, 1-2:30 p.m. in MEC 224.

Mark Panczyk, who received his bachelor of science in chemical engineering from NJIT in May 2008, was recognized by the American Chemical Society's Division of Colloid and Surface Chemistry for his outstanding poster contribution at the Fall 2009 ACS national meeting in Washington, D.C.  Panczyk, who is currently pursuing doctoral studies at the University of Delaware, won one of five awards in a competition that featured some 200 posters. 

Leean “Coco” Orama, a senior majoring in engineering technology and president of the NJIT Student Senate, was one of only four students nationwide selected to receive an all-expense-paid scholarship to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) GreenBuild International Conference and Expo in Phoenix today through tomorrow.

Norma J. Clayton '81, vice president of learning, training and development at The Boeing Company and a member of the NJIT Board of Overseers, was named 2009 Technologist of the Year by Black Engineer.com. Clayton, who graduated from NJIT with a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering, received the university's Outstanding Alumnus Award in 2006.

Ali N. Akansu, PhD, professor in the department of electrical and computer engineering, will discuss "Generalized Discrete Fourier Transform with Nonlinear Phase: Theory, Design and Applications" on Oct. 28 at 2:30 p.m. in ECE 202.

Kalle Levon, PhD, a professor of Chemical and Biological Science at the Polytechnic Institute of NYU, will discuss "Selective Potentiometric Detection of Macromolecular Ions" on Oct. 26 at 2:45 p.m. in Tiernan Hall Rm. 373. The lecture is part of the Fall 2009 Otto H. York Department of Chemical, Biological and Pharmaceutical Engineering Graduate Seminar Series.

NJIT Mechanical Engineering Professor Anthony D. Rosato, PhD will discuss "Density Relaxation of Granular Matter" at the Applied Mathematics Colloquium Series on Oct. 16 at 11:35 a.m. in Cullimore Lecture Hall 2.

All students (BS, MS and PhD) are invited to experience the spirit of innovation that drives biomedical engineering research in University Heights at NJIT's Biomedical Engineering Research Open House on Oct. 16, 2-4 p.m. in Fenster Hall, 6th Floor. Tour NJIT BME laboratories and see the work first-hand, meet with NJIT BME faculty who are leading these research programs, and much more. 

Xi Chen, PhD, an associate professor in the department of earth and environmental engineering at Columbia University, will discuss "Energy Conversion using Nanoporous Materials and Functional Liquids" on Oct. 7, 1-2:30 p.m. in the Mechanical Engineering Center Rm. 224.

Stem cell researcher Treena Livingston Arinzeh will discuss current stem cell applications at NJIT, including the regeneration of bone and cartilage for bone fracture and osteoarthritis treatments, spinal cord repair, and liver regeneration at NJIT’s first Research Café.  

"Internet 2.0: Hype or Hope?" is the topic of the IEEE COMSOC Distinguished Lecture by Henning Schulzrinne, PhD, the Levi Professor of Computer Science at Columbia University, on Oct. 8 at 6 p.m. (refreshments start at 5:45 pm.) in 202 ECEC. The event is co-sponsored by the IEEE Communications Society North Jersey Chapter and the NJIT Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Contact Nirwan Ansari at 973-596-3670 or Yanchao Zhang at 973-642-7817.

NJIT Biomedical Engineering Professor Treena Livingston Arinzeh, PhD will discuss "Stem Cells: Their Origins and Applications Being Explored at NJIT" at the opening session of The Research Café on Sept. 29 at 4:30 p.m. in the Faculty Dining area on the third floor of the Campus Center. Refreshments will be served and also can be purchased in the Pub or other Campus Center locations. Contact Jay Kappraff at x3490.

Anthony D. Rosato, PhD, a professor in the department of mechanical and industrial engineering at NJIT, was invited to give a presentation at the Joint IUTAM-ISIMM Symposium on Mathematical Modeling and Physical Instances of Granular Flows on Sept. 14-18 in Reggio Calabria, Italy. "Density Relaxation of Granular Matter via Monte Carlo and Discrete Element Simulations" is the title of his paper.

Haim Grebel, of Livingston, an NJIT electrical engineering professor, whose work focuses on understanding the properties of structures at the nanoscale, especially singled-walled carbon nanotubes and graphene, has received the NJIT Excellence in Research Award.

Akash R. Shukla, an industrial engineering major at NJIT, celebrated on Sunday the release of his new book titled Measure of a Man, a personal account of his experience with limb-lengthening surgery and his year-long recovery. Attending the event were NJIT President Robert A. Altenkirch, Interim Provost Donald H. Sebastian, NCE Dean Sunil Saigal and Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Chair Rajpal S. Sodhi. For more information about Shukla's book, click here. 

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.

More than a dozen NJIT civil and mechanical engineering students, faculty and interested staff members have spent the past three years working with villagers in a poor Haitian village to remove bacteria from their drinking water and halt water-borne illnesses.  Working under the auspices of Engineers Without Borders (EWB), the NJIT group has made four visits, to date, and are planning one last visit in October.

Anthony D. Rosato, PhD, a professor in the department of mechanical engineering at NJIT, will give an invited mini-course this week on “Simulation of Rapid Granular Flows” at the University of Salerno in Italy. 

V. Ramgopal Rao, PhD, a professor in the EE Department of IIT Bombay, a visiting professor at Georgia Tech and a distinguished lecturer of the IEEE Electron Device Society, will discuss "Polymer Based Sensor Systems for Healthcare and Homeland Security" at an IEEE and Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Seminar on June 8, 5-6 p.m. in the ECE Building Rm. 202. 

"Are VLSI Test Channels A Portal for Hackers?" is the topic of a talk by Ramesh Karri, PhD, of the Polytechnic Institute of NYU on May 18 at 11:30 a.m. in the ECE Building Rm. 202. For more information, contact Roberto Rojas-Cessa.

The New Jersey Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has presented the Educator of the Year Award to John Schuring, Stabile Professor for Innovation and Technology at NJIT. (ATTENTION MEDIA: To interview Schuring as an expert, contact Sheryl Weinstein at 973-596-3436.)

NJIT has a reputation for turning out first-generation American college students.  Three seniors, who will graduate at NJIT’s upcoming May 16, 2009, commencement ceremony (9 a.m.-noon) at the Prudential Center, exemplify that tradition.

NJIT will induct former star soccer player and fencing alumnus Roland Barth into its 2009 Athletics Hall of Fame on May 9, 2009 in the Campus Center Atrium.

Priya Santhanam, a graduate student in the Otto H. York Department of Chemical, Biological and Pharmaceutical Engineering at NJIT, took first place in the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Region I-NE Student Conference for master's-level students held at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Her award comes with a $500 cash prize and an invitation to attend (all expenses paid) the national AIAA conference to be held in January 2010 in Orlando, Florida. Priya's paper is based on her MS thesis work at NJIT; she is now applying to the PhD program.

Jane C. Li, PhD, a vice president at NL Chemical Technology, Inc. in Mount Prospect, Illinois, will give The Vincent A. Stabile Systems Engineering & Management Lecture on May 4 at 3 p.m. in the Guttenberg Information Technologies Center Seminar Room 3730. Contact: Vonney Williams, vonney@njit.edu, ext. 3333.

A team of 25 NJIT civil engineering students—including many seniors—will be working round-the-clock through graduation to ready a 20-foot-long model steel bridge for a prestigious national competition.  The team qualified for this important event by taking first place in the recent Metropolitan Region Steel Bridge Competition.

For the eleventh time in the last 12 years, NJIT has taken first place in the prestigious ASME Student Sections Committee Contest (formerly the Ingersoll-Rand Contest) for District A, which includes all the major universities and colleges in the Northeast. The contest involves the writing of a comprehensive report that documents activities by the ASME Student Section. 

Bonnie J. Dunbar, PhD, president and CEO of The Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington, will be the guest speaker at a Biomedical Engineering Seminar on April 23 at 11:30 a.m. in Kupfrian Hall Rm. 118. Dunbar recently retired from the NASA Johnson Space Center, where she was Associate Director, Technology Integration and Risk Management for the Space Life Sciences Directorate.

Undergraduate research projects by students from Newark College of Engineering, College of Computing Sciences and College of Science and Liberal Arts will be showcased at the NJIT Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program Tenth Annual Research Symposium on April 17, 9:15-11:45 a.m. in the Campus Center Atrium. The symposium is open to all of the NJIT community as well as the public.

The NJIT ASCE Steel Bridge Team has once again proved their engineering prowess by winning the 2009 Metropolitan Region Steel Bridge Competition held on April 4 at Polytechnic University in Brooklyn. In addition to winning first place overall, the team placed first in Structural Efficiency and Stiffness. The team now advances to the 2009 Steel Bridge Nationals scheduled for the Memorial Day Weekend at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. 

The NJIT community mourns the passing this morning of Bernard Coopersmith, a 1944 graduate of Newark College of Engineering and friend of the university. Coopersmith received the NCE Distinguished Alumni Service Award in 2000 and served as the president of the NJIT Alumni Association in 1969. Last year, Coopersmith joined those about to become alumni at Commencement 2008, receiving special recognition from NJIT President Robert A. Altenkirch as the “most mature” alumnus to participate in the ceremony.

Salman Naqvi, of Kearny, a junior studying electrical engineering at NJIT, was named a prestigious Goldwater Scholar earlier this week by the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program. 

An NJIT electrical engineer has cracked the code that will enable researchers around the world to detect tampering with electronic images.

James T. Jenkins, PhD, the Walter S. Carpenter, Jr. Professor of Engineering, Theoretical and Applied Mechanics at Cornell University, will discuss "Dense Inclined Flows of Granular Materials" on April 6, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. in the Mechanical Engineering Center 224. The lecture is part of the Granular and Multiphase Flows Colloquium Series sponsored by the Granular Science Laboratory.

The Lasers and Electro-Optics Chapter of the IEEE North Jersey Section and the Electronic Imaging Center at NJIT will host “Cellular-Scale Dynamics: Kinetics and Hydrodynamics,” a seminar by Howard Stone, PhD, professor of Engineering and Applied Mathematics at Harvard University, on April 6 at 3:30 p.m. in the Campus Center Ballroom B. For more information, contact Professors Raquel Perez-Castillejos or Haim Grebel.

Maria Flytzani-Stephanopoulos, PhD, professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Tufts University, will discuss "Gold-Doped Ceria or Iron Oxide as Low-Temperature Catalysts for the Water-Gas Shift Reaction” on March 30 at 2:45 p.m. in Kupfrian Hall Rm. 205. The lecture is part of the Spring 2009 Graduate Seminar Series in Chemical Engineering at NJIT. Contact: Seminar Coordinator/Assistant Professor XianQin Wang, 973-596-5707; Xianqin.wang@njit.edu.

Perumalsamy Balaguru, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Civil Engineering at Rutgers University, will discuss “Recent Research on Infrastructure Materials and Structural Mechanics” at the Civil and Environmental Engineering Seminar on March 30 at 11:30 a.m. in Colton Hall Rm. 416.

The New Jersey Chapter of the Society of Material Handling  gave NJIT last night $3,000 to fund students studying material handling or management. NJIT students who study this discipline are enrolled in the industrial engineering discipline offered by Newark College of Engineering.

Natacha DePaola, PhD, professor and Department Head of Biomedical Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, will discuss "Biophysical Regulation of Mammalian Cell Function: Understanding Disease, Developing Therapies, and Engineering Functional Tissues" on March 27 at 11:30 a.m. in Cullimore Lecture Hall 3. 

Gene Gurkoff, PhD, a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of California-Davis, will discuss "Post-Traumatic Neuronal Activity and Cell Death" at a Biomedical Engineering Department Seminar on March 26 at 11:30 a.m. in Fenster Hall Rm. 698.

NJIT’s Newark College of Engineering (NCE) will hold its 11th annual Salute to Engineering Excellence on Thursday, March 26, 2009, from 6-9 p.m. in the Campus Center Atrium at NJIT. The event will celebrate the 90th anniversary of NCE, the predecessor institution of NJIT.

Jelena Kovacevic, PhD, professor in the Biomedical Engineering and and Electrical and Computer Engineering Departments at Carnegie Mellon University, will discuss "Problems in Biological Imaging: Opportunities for Signal Processing" on March 13 at 11:30 a.m. in Cullimore Hall Lecture 3.

Stan Moyer, executive director and strategic research program manager at Telcordia Technologies, will present a seminar on "Trusted Access to Information in a Diverse Services Environment: A High-Value Mobile Application Enabler" on March 9 at 6 p.m. in the ECEC 202.

NJIT's Newark College of Engineering and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will present a lecture on intellectual property on March 2, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. in the Guttenberg Information Technologies Center Rm. 1100. Mindy Fleisher, Supervisory Patent Examiner of the USPTO, will be the guest speaker. 

Samir Mitragotri, PhD, associate professor in the Chemical Engineering Department at the University of California, Santa Barbara, will discuss "Designing Polymeric Carriers for Drug Delivery" at the Spring 2009 Graduate Seminar Series in Chemical Engineering on March 2 at 2:45 p.m. in Kupfrian Hall Rm. 205. 

Jin Sun, PhD, postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Princeton University, will discuss "Constitutive Modeling of Dense Granular Flows" at the Granular and Multiphase Flows Spring 2009 Colloquium Series on March 2, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. in the Guttenberg Information Technologies Center Rm. 3740.

Kwabena A. Narh, PhD, associate chair and undergraduate advisor for the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department, presented a poster at the National Science Foundation Engineering Education Awardees Conference held in Reston, VA from Feb. 1-3. The title of his poster was “Outcomes and Lesson Learnt at the REU-site on Engineered Nano-Composite Particulate Materials.” Narh also recently presented a paper titled “Influence of Deagglomeration States of Carbon Nanotubes on the Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Nanocomposites” at AsiaNaNo 2008, the 2008 Asian Conference on Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. 

Kamalesh Sirkar, PhD, distinguished professor of chemical engineering at NJIT, and internationally-renowned expert in membrane separation technologies, has been named a Fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. 

Jelena Kovacevic, PhD, professor of biomedical engineering and electrical and computer engineering and director of the Center for Bioimage Informatics at Carnegie Mellon University, will discuss "Problems in Biological Imaging: Opportunities for Signal Processing" on Feb. 13 at 11:30 a.m. in Cullimore Lecture Hall 3.

"Fault Diagnosis Engineering of Digital Circuits Can Identify Vulnerable Molecules in Complex Cellular Networks" is the topic of a Mathematical Biology Seminar by Ali Abdi, associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at NJIT, on Feb. 10 at 4 p.m. in Cullimore Hall, Room 611.

Michael Jaffe, PhD, Research Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Chemistry and director of the Medical Device Concept Laboratory at NJIT, will discuss the “Impact of Process and Physical Structure on the Performance of Polymeric Biomaterials” on Jan. 30 at 11:30 a.m. in Cullimore Lecture Hall 3.

"Pile Foundations in Difficult Ground: The Bronx Parking Facilities at Yankee Stadium" is the topic of a Chemical Engineering Department Seminar presented by Andrew Leung, P.E., Vice President and Drew Mazujian, P.E., Project Manager of Yu & Associates, Inc. of Elmwood Park, NJ on Dec. 8, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. in Kupfrian Hall Room 210.

"Tools of the Trade" is the topic of a Biomedical Engineering Department Seminar on Nov. 21 at 11:30 a.m. in Cullimore Lecture Hall 3. Dennis R. Filippone, MD, former chairman of the Department of Surgery at Saint Barnabas Medical Center and a surgical services consultant at Saint Barnabas Health Care System, will track the fundamental disciplines in medicine, namely diagnosis, treatment, and procedures from the simple to the complex with a focus on the urinary system.  

NJIT has received a donation of $30,000 from Charles Lubetkin, of Verona. The money has been earmarked for the Lubetkin Family Soccer Endowed Scholarship fund.      

If you are a student and you are considering attending NJIT, check out NJIT’s Career Development Center (CDC) http://www.njit.edu/cds/ with the mission to help students find great jobs. Hundreds of top companies from around the region come to CDC’s biannual fairs to recruit. CDC also helps students find internships and part-time jobs (co-ops) at these firms.

Beth Cheney, R&D Project Manager at Datascope Corp. will present an introduction to medical device product development and respective regulatory requirements on Nov. 14 at 11:30 a.m. in Cullimore Lecture Hall 3.    

G.B. Giannakis, PhD a professor and the ADC Chair in Wireless Communications in the department of electrical engineering at the University of Minnesota, will discuss "Distributed Estimation Using Wireless Sensor Networks" on Nov. 14, 12:30–1:30 p.m. in the ECEC 202. The seminar will be presented by NJIT's Center for Wireless Communications and Signal Processing Research.

The Research & Development Council of New Jersey will present on Nov. 6, 2008, a coveted Thomas Alva Edison Patent Award to NJIT Distinguished Professor Yeheskel Bar-Ness, a prominent expert in the field of wireless communications and signal processing.

Thomas Felicetti, PhD, executive director of Beechwood Rehabilitative Services, Woods Services, will discuss “Red Flags in Brain Injury” at a Biomedical Engineering Department Seminar on Nov. 7 at 11:30 a.m. in Cullimore Lecture Hall 3. 

Nina C. Shapley, PhD, an assistant professor in the department of chemical and biochemical engineering at Rutgers University, will discuss "Flow of Concentrated Suspensions in Asymmetric Bifurcations" at the Fall 2008 Fluid Dynamics Seminar Series on Nov. 10 at 4 p.m. in Cullimore Hall Room 611.

Nine industry/academic speakers will present a broad spectrum of important issues including careers, research, and education at the "Bioelectronics, Imaging, and Control: Challenges and Opportunities" seminar on Nov. 6, 5-6 p.m. in  ECEC 202 (Conference Room). The seminar is to open to IEEE members, science and engineering students and communities as well as the general public. For more information, contact Professor Timothy Chang at 973-596-3519; chang@njit.edu.

Scientists believe that complex diseases such as schizophrenia, major depression and cancer are not caused by one, but a multitude of dysfunctional genes. A novel computational biology method developed by a research team led by Ali Abdi, PhD, associate professor in NJIT’s department of electrical and computer engineering, has found a way to uncover the critical genes responsible for disease development.

NJIT's Department of Biomedical Engineering will host a seminar by Kathryn Uhrich, PhD, professor, associate chair and graduate program director and co-director of the Stem Cell IGERT at Rutgers University on Oct. 31 at 11:30 a.m. in Cullimore Lecture Hall 3. "Biodegradable Polymers from Bioactives" will be the topic.

The lecture by Jin Sun, PhD, professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Princeton University, scheduled for October 20 has been cancelled.

An NJIT professor who has discovered new communication channels in underwater environments and invented a technique to communicate data through these channels will be honored later this month by the New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame.

NJIT conducted a summer research program in partnership with the Heritage Institute of Technology (HITK) in Kolkata, India. The 20 students enrolled in NJIT’s Undergraduate Research Experience Symposium were able to participate in a state-of-the-art research facility with world-class faculty. They were accompanied by Srabanti Basu, a senior lecturer in biotechnology at HITK. The program was initiated and managed by Durga Misra, PhD, a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at NJIT, who also encouraged the participation of faculty and the Albert Dorman Honors College students who mentored the HITK students after hours in their residence hall. “The Summer Research Experience is a rare opportunity to receive hands-on training with NJIT professors and students at the university’s facilities,” said Misra. “A group of three students worked in NJIT’s new Vincent A. Stabile Systems Engineering and Management Laboratories to gain experience with the Stabile Laboratories’ Festo System.” Student research projects included low-power microchip design, drug delivery systems, nanoelectronics, ultrafiltration to scalable web search, clean slate Internet design and management systems analysis.

Howard Scalzo, principal engineer at Ethicon, Inc. will discuss career opportunities for biomedical engineering majors at the Biomedical Engineering Seminar Series on Oct. 10 at 11:30 a.m. in Cullimore Lecture Hall 3. Scalzo will describe the research, development and launch of two products he has been involved with during his career.

Hanchen Huang, PhD, a professor in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Nuclear Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, will discuss "Nanorods Processing: Synthesis and Mechanics" on Oct. 8, 1-2:30 p.m. in the Mechanical Engineering Center Room 204.

Ali Abdi, PhD, an associate professor in the department of electrical and computer engineering at NJIT, will receive the 2008 New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame Innovators Award for his work on underwater acoustic communication. Dr. Abdi will be presented with the award in a ceremony on October 23 at Stevens Institute of Technology.

Camelia Prodan, PhD, assistant professor in the department of physics at NJIT, will discuss "Dielectric Spectroscopy for Biological Applications" at the Department of Biomedical Engineering Seminar Series on Oct. 3 at 11:30 a.m. in Cullimore Lecture Hall 3. 

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 http://rememberingdanaknox.blogspot.com. 

Kensall Wise, PhD, a professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, will discuss "Chronic Multi-Electrode Microsystems for Neuroscience and Advanced Neural Prostheses" on Sept. 23, 1–2 p.m. in the NJIT Campus Center, Room 235.

Michael T. Bergen, a biomedical engineer at the Neurobehavioral Research Laboratory, VA New Jersey Health Care System and an adjunct professor in the department of biomedical engineering at NJIT, will discuss “The Development of An Ambulatory Recording System for Multi-Variable, Multi-Subject, Studies” on Sept. 19 at 11:30 a.m. in Cullimore Lecture Hall III.      

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 students Sean O’Malley and Peter Bonanno received “The Best Scientific Achievement Prize” last month at the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS) Users' Meeting for their presentation  “Jahn and Teller Play with Nano-Chessboards at CHESS.”  The poster explained how a ZnMnGaO4 film consisting of a checkerboard of nanorods of two different spinel phases could be self-assembled, analyzed, and understood in terms of the packing between matching surfaces of the different domains.

Three Indian students from the Heritage Institute of Technology, Kolkata, India, are spending the summer in New Jersey in NJIT’s new Vincent A. Stabile Systems Engineering and Management Laboratories. Working with Stabile Scholar Frank Munoz (left), a graduate student in engineering management, Soumik Chakrabarty, Saurabh Kumar, and Shipon Roy are taking advantage of a rare opportunity to gain experience with the Stabile Laboratories’ Festo System.

Paul Dupiano, of Union, and Sunny Patel, of Morganville, both electrical engineering majors at NJIT, have been awarded $5,000 scholarships from the National Consortium of MASINT Research (NCMR) Scholars Program. NCMR's scholarship program was established to encourage future scientists to consider technical career paths within the intelligence community. Scholarship funds assist promising undergraduate juniors and seniors with tuition, textbooks, room and board.

Ying Wu, founder of UTStarcom, a highly successful telecommunications firm, and currently General Partner at CTC Capital, met on Tuesday with Stewart D. Personick (right), the Ying Wu Endowed Chair Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Newark College of Engineering, and NJIT President Robert A. Altenkirch. The Ying Wu Endowed Chair is supported by a gift of $1.5 million from Mr. Wu, who earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering at NCE in 1988.

Stewart D. Personick, PhD, an internationally recognized pioneer in the theory and practical applications of new and emerging technologies in telecommunications systems and networks, has accepted the Ying Wu Endowed Chair in Wireless Telecommunications in NJIT’s department of electrical and computer engineering at NJIT’s Newark College of Engineering.

Bryan J. Pfister, PhD, a specialist in neural tissue engineering, has been awarded a prestigious Faculty Early Career Development Award by the National Science Foundation (NSF).   Pfister, who is an assistant professor of biomedical engineering at NJIT’s Newark College of Engineering, received the award to support and expand his research into rapid axon stretch growth, a technique for regenerating damaged or diseased nerve cells.

Philip Rinaldi '68, founder and former chief executive officer of Coffeyville Resources and a member of the NJIT Board of Overseers, hosted a dinner cruise around Manhattan for 38 guests on June 5 aboard his one-of-a-kind yacht, the Vivere. The cruise was a silent auction offering at NJIT's Celebration 2007. In addition to the Rinaldis’ generosity, the NJIT Board of Overseers and NJIT Board of Trustees members who signed on for the cruise donated more than $10,800 to NJIT. As per Phil’s request, this amount will be equally divided in support of scholarships at the New Jersey School of Architecture, Newark College of Engineering, and the College of Science and Liberal Arts.   

Six-inch-wide blooms of fragrant old copper, yellow, coral and deep red English roses will cascade through mid-June around the front and rear yards of NJIT junior Matthew Mitchell, 20, of Hillside. Since the age of 14, Mitchell, a mechanical engineering major, has applied his penchant for precision to cultivate these gorgeous antique blooms for his parents Aldeana and Joseph Mitchell.

NJIT's Vision and Neural Engineering Laboratory is seeking research subjects who have tried progressive lenses (bifocals without the line) and wear them regularly or dislike them and have not had LASIK surgery or any other types of eye surgery. Participants will receive $10 per hour of experimentation. The study will last 3-6 sessions; each session is approximately 1 hour and occurs on different days. We will work with your schedule. Contact: Tara Alvarez, PhD, associate professor of biomedical engineering at NJIT, e-mail: tara.l.alvarez@njit.edu; 973-596-5272.  

Salman Naqvi, an electrical engineering major at NJIT, has been been awarded the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Ernest F. Hollings Scholarship for 2008. Naqvi is working with NJIT Physics Professor Andrew Gerrard on developing a compact molecular-aerosol Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) system that detects the gravity waves above the Newark and New York City metropolitan areas. 

For the sixth consecutive year, NJIT's Department of Mechanical Engineering has been named the District A winner of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Student Section Contest. The competition involves the compilation of a comprehensive report on the professional activities of the Student Section of ASME. 

Durga Misra, PhD, professor in the department of electrical and computer engineering at NJIT, was elected to serve as chair of the Dielectric Science and Technology (DS&T) Division of the Electrochemical Society. Misra is also a Fellow of the Electrochemical Society.

A team of four students received the platinum (first place) award for their project "A Real Time Wireless Data Acquisition System" at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Senior Design Workshop on May 5. From left: Atam Dhawan, PhD, chair of the department of electrical and computer engineering at NJIT; William Contrares; Fernando Delgado; Darren Coppola; Yevgeniy Voronin; and Kevin Carswell, chair of the ECE/IAB at IBM.

Kodzovi Acolatse, a PhD student in the department of electrical and computer engineering, discussed "SCFDE Space Time Spreading (STS) Schemes in Multi-User DS-CSMA Wireless Communication” today at NJIT. Acolatse was one of eight doctoral students who presented their research at the annual Center for Wireless Communication and Signal Processing Research Day.

NJIT will award Oscar Tapia, Clifton, a first-generation former Mexican immigrant, the university’s highest honor for earning a perfect grade point average (GPA). The honor will be bestowed upon the Dover High School graduate tomorrow at 9 a.m. during NJIT’s 2008 commencement at the Prudential Center.  

Gloria Portocarrero, of Union City, receives her bachelor of science in biomedical engineering from NJIT at the Prudential Center this Saturday at 9 a.m. She’ll walk at the head of her class—an Albert Dorman Honors College scholar who’s accepted into a master’s degree program for next fall in biomedical engineering.

Giuseppe Di Benedetto and Micaela Caramellino, two doctoral students in NJIT’s graduate chemical engineering program, recently received recognition at a student poster event organized for developing efficient and robust approaches to manufacture nano- and micro-sized drug particles. The New Jersey section of the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering was the sponsor.

Tara L. Alvarez, PhD, associate professor in the department of biomedical engineering and director of NJIT’s Vision and Neural Engineering Laboratory, was one of 12 Outstanding Women of Science recognized at the New Jersey Association for Biomedical Research (NJABR) 2008 Red Carpet Gala held on May 1 at the Bridgewater Manor in Bridgewater, NJ. 

Sara Gatmir Motahari, a doctoral student in electrical and computer engineering at NJIT, was recently named a 2008 Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship finalist. She will receive an award of $1,000. The program awards academic scholarships to outstanding undergraduate and graduate women who are completing degrees in computer science and related fields and who have demonstrated a commitment to advancing women in technology.

The Occupational Safety and Health Engineering (OSE) Master's Program at NJIT will host the 2008 Annual Student Research Day of the NY-NJ Education and Research Center (ERC) on May 14, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. in the Guttenberg Information Technologies Center Room 3740. 

Ronald H. Rockland, PhD, interim chair of the department of engineering technology and professor in the departments of engineering technology and biomedical engineering at NJIT, was recently elected as an Engineering Technology Council (ETC) Director by the engineering technology members of the American Society of Engineering Educators (ASEE). The ETC of ASEE is the national organization that speaks for engineering technology education and is committed to promoting quality education and creative endeavors in engineering technology. 

During Chris Sakowski’s first year at Marlboro High School, Marlboro, he signed up for an elective class in business management. But since he was the only student to register, the school cancelled the class and asked him to choose another. Electronics was his lucky pick. “I immediately fell in love with the class, the teacher, and the subject matter,” recalled Sakowski, now a senior. “And I’ve not lost an ounce of passion since then.”

Robert Heary, MD, professor of neurosurgery and program director of the Neurosurgical Residency Training Program at UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School, will discuss "Spine Biomechanics and Spinal Cord Injury and Biomechanics Laboratories" on May 2 at 11:30 a.m. in Cullimore Lecture Hall 3. 

Jennifer Lukes, PhD, William K. Gemmill Assistant Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, will discuss “Thermal Transport at Nanostructure Interfaces” on May 5, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. in the Mechanical Engineering Center Room 221. The lecture is part of the Spring 2008 Granular and Multiphase Flows Colloquium Series.

Katherine J. Strandburg, JD, PhD, an associate professor of law at the DePaul University College of Law, will discuss "Modeling Innovation by a Kinetic Description of the Patent Citation System" on April 28, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. in the Guttenberg Information Technologies Center Room 3740.

Albert Lossinsky, PhD, senior research scientist and head of the Laboratory of Cell Culture, Neuroanatomy and Experimental Neuropathology and adjunct professor of neuroscience at Seton Hall University, will discuss "Transendothelial Cell Transport of Proteins, Leukocytes and Pathogens in Blood-Brain Barrier Inflammation" on April 25 at 11:30 a.m. in Cullimore Hall Lecture Hall 3.    

Lisa Simone, PhD, assistant research professor in the department of biomedical engineering at NJIT, will be the guest speaker at the NJIT Collegiate Section of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) annual Networking Night and Awards Reception on April 24 at 5:30 p.m. in the Faculty/Staff Dining Hall (Campus Center, 3rd Floor). RSVP by April 21 to Felicia Amaechi.

Patrick Snowhill, PhD, scientist, Product Development at Integra Life Sciences Corporation, will discuss “Integra LifeSciences: A Brief History of Medical Device Development” on April 18 at 11:30 a.m. in Cullimore Lecture Hall 3.

Edgardo Farinas, PhD, an assistant professor in the department of chemistry and environmental science at NJIT, has received a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER award for his project "New Tools for High-Throughput Screening of Protein Libraries: Engineering Metalloproteins Displayed on Bacillus Subtilis Spores." The prestigious career award recognizes teacher-scholars most likely to become the academic leaders of the 21st century.

Students in Professor Kevin J. McDermott’s Industrial Robotics Course will compete in the 6th Annual Mobile Robots Competition on April 21 at 1:30 p.m. in the Industrial Robotics Laboratory in GITC 2310. Teams of Industrial Robotics students have been designing, developing and building individual mobile robots based on the theory and techniques acquired during the semester. The competition will encompass several tasks that each mobile robot, which can be autonomous or wire controlled, must perform during specific times. 

Jan Achenbach, PhD, Walter P. Murphy and Distinguished McCormick School Professor at Northwestern University will discuss "Structural Health Monitoring–What is the Prescription?" on April 14, 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. in the Guttenberg Information Technologies Center Rooms 3730 and 3740. The lecture is sponsored by Elsevier and the NJIT Granular Science Laboratory.

Qing Yang, PhD, distinguished professor of engineering in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at The University of Rhode Island, will discuss “TRAP-Array: A Disk Array Architecture Providing Timely Recovery to Any Point-in-Time” on April 18 at 11:45 a.m. in ECEC Room 202 (conference room). The talk is sponsored by the IEEE Computer Society and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at NJIT. 

Much whooping and cheers could be heard for miles along the New Jersey waterfront as a team of NJIT civil engineering students ascended to the throne for the third consecutive year as top civil engineering students in the New York Metropolitan Region.     

Lev N. Krasnoperov, PhD, a professor in the department of chemistry and environmental science at NJIT,  will speak at the joint seminar of the Chemical Engineering Department and Chemistry and Environmental Science Department on April 14 at 2:45 p.m. in Kupfrian Hall Room 117. “The Negative Temperature Dependences in Simple Metathesis Reactions and the Modified Transition State Theory” is the title of his lecture.

For the third year in a row, the NJIT Steel Bridge Team captured first place overall in the 2008 Metro Region Student Steel Bridge Competition on April 5 at Stevens Institute of Technology. The team now advances to the Steel Bridge Nationals to be held at the University of Florida in Gainesville during the Memorial Day Weekend.

MengChu Zhou, PhD, a professor in the department of electrical and computer engineering at NJIT, presented a keynote lecture on "Petri Nets" on April 7 at the 2008 IEEE International Conference on Networking, Sensing and Control in Sanya, China.

Hats off to engineering excellence was the theme of the 2008 annual awards celebrating NJIT’s Newark College of Engineering. Three New Jersey engineering executives were honored along with top students.

Ralph Mitchell Siegel, PhD, an assistant professor in the Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience at Rutgers University-Newark, will discuss “There is No Spoon: The Misrepresentations of Association Cortex in Monkeys” on April 11 at 11:30 a.m. in Cullimore Lecture Hall 3.

The Granular and Multiphase Flows Seminar by Mark Richman, PhD scheduled for April 7 has been cancelled.

NJIT Mechanical Engineering Professor Pushpendra Singh and his graduate students Muhammad Janjua and Sai Nudurupati have co-authored with Dr. Nadine Aubry of Carnegie-Mellon University an article that was featured in the recent issue of The Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS). In their paper, “Micro- and Nano-particles Self-assembly for Virtually Defect-Free, Adjustable Monolayers,” they report on their experiments in which ordered monolayer assemblies with adjustable lattice spacing are formed on liquid surfaces by applying an electric field normal to the interface. According to Dr. Singh, this striking result has tremendous potential technological applications in fields where precisely structured materials are used.

"Novel Approaches to Hydrogen Storage for Fuel Cell Applications" is the topic of a seminar by Arvind Varma, PhD, R. Games Slayter Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering and Head of the School of Chemical Engineering at Purdue University, on March 31 at 2:45 p.m. in Kupfrian Hall Room 117. Varma's lecture is part of the Spring 2008 Chemical Engineering Department Graduate Seminar Series.

Dennis C. Prieve, PhD, Gulf Professor of Chemical Engineering at Carnegie-Mellon University, will discuss "Electrolyte-Dependent 2-D Aggregation of Colloidal Particles on a Planar A/C Electrode" on March 24 at 2:45 p.m. in Kupfrian Hall Room 117. The lecture is part of the Spring 2008 Chemical Engineering Department Graduate Seminar Series. 

Consider that it may take less than a decade for pharmaceutical compounds now passing undetected through wastewater treatment plants to morph from a minor to a major public health issue, said NJIT researcher Taha F. Marhaba.  Marhaba, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, has been director of the New Jersey Applied Water Research Center at NJIT since 2002.

Sankaran Sundaresan, PhD, professor in the department of chemical engineering at Princeton University, will discuss "Coarse-Grained Two-Fluid Models for Gas-Flows" on March 10 at 2:45 p.m. in Kupfrian Hall Room 117. The lecture is the seventh in the Spring 2008 Chemical Engineering Department Seminar Series at NJIT.

For the second consecutive year, NJIT's Department of Mechanical Engineering has been awarded a 2008 American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Lucy and Charles W.E. Clarke Scholarship. NJIT's winning proposal emphasized the positive impact the ASME Student Section has had on the Mechanical Engineering Department. 

Walter Konon, chair of the civil and environmental engineering department at NJIT, will be interviewed by WABC Eyewitness News reporter Jim Hoffer tonight at 7 p.m.

Kathleen J. Stebe, PhD, professor and chair of the department of chemical & biomolecular engineering at Johns Hopkins University, will discuss “Spontaneous Ordering of Particles at Surfaces and Interfaces” on March 3 at 2:45 p.m. in Kupfrian Hall Room 117. The lecture is part of the Spring 2008 Chemical Engineering Department Graduate Seminar Series at NJIT. 

Kwabena Albert Narh, PhD, an associate professor in the department of mechanical engineering at NJIT, has been awarded a grant by the Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation Division of the National Science Foundation to investigate the use of cryogenic ball-milling to deagglomerate highly clustered carbon nanotubes.

Kimon Valavanis, PhD, a professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering and Director of the Unmanned Systems Laboratory in the College of Engineering at the University of South Florida, will discuss "On the History of Robotics: A Journey through Time" on Feb. 20 at 11:30 a.m. in the Campus Center Ballroom A. 

An electrical and computer engineering junior at NJIT was named to the second team of the 19th annual all-USA college academic program sponsored by the publication USA TODAY. Mohammad Farhan Haider Naqvi, of Kearny, received the honor based upon an application he submitted last fall listing his accomplishments to date.  

Paul Chaikin, PhD, Silver Professor of Physics in the Department of Physics & Center for Soft Matter Research at New York University, will discuss “Toward Self-Replication with Colloids” on Feb 25 at 2:45 p.m. in Kupfrian Hall Room 117. The lecture is part of the Spring 2008 Chemical Engineering Department Graduate Seminar Series at NJIT.

Gintaras Reklaitis, PhD, Edward W. Comings Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering at Purdue University, will discuss “Progress in Decision Support Approaches for Pharmaceutical Product Pipeline Management” at a joint seminar of the Chemical Engineering Department at NJIT, the NSF Engineering Research Center and the New Jersey Center for Engineered Particulates. The talk is set for Feb. 20 at 2:45 p.m. in Kupfrian Hall Room 117. 

An open house and robotics demonstration of cutting-edge manufacturing processes will showcase the new Vincent A. Stabile Laboratory at NJIT’s Newark College of Engineering (NCE) on Feb. 20, 2008 from 1 p.m.- 4:30 p.m.

Ernest Geskin, PhD, a professor of mechanical engineering and director of the Waterjet Technology Lab at NJIT, presented a paper last month at the Fifth Annual World Scientific and Engineering Academy & Society (WSEAS) Conference on Fluid Mechanics in Acapulco, Mexico. The paper will be included in a book to be published by MIT Press.

Anthony D. Rosato, PhD, a professor in the department of mechanical engineering at NJIT, gave an invited mini-course on “Direct Numerical Simulation of Energetic Granular Systems” at the Technical University of Madrid in Spain. 

Howard A. Stone, PhD, Vicky Joseph Professor of Engineering and Applied Mathematics at Harvard University, will discuss “Manipulating Thin-Film Flows: From Patterned Substrates to Evaporating Systems” on Feb. 18 at 2:45 p.m. in Kupfrian Hall Room 117. The lecture is part of the Spring 2008 Chemical Engineering Department Graduate Seminar Series.

Chao Zhu, PhD, a professor in the department of mechanical engineering at NJIT, will present two separate talks—"Simulation/ Modeling of Powder Flow" and "Characterization of Powder"—on Feb. 5 at the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) 43rd annual Pharmaceutical Technologies Arden Conference. "Particle and Powder Technologies for Solid Dosage Forms" is the topic of this year's conference, which will be held from Feb. 3-8 at The Thayer Hotel in West Point, NY.

Mark Richman, PhD, an associate professor in the department of mechanical engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, will discuss “Kinetic Theory for Anisotropic Thermalization and Transport of Vibrated Granular Materials” on Feb. 4, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. in MEC Rm. 224. The lecture kicks off the Granular and Multiphase Flows Spring 2008 Colloquium Series.

Thomas H. Epps, III, assistant professor in the department of chemical engineering at the University of Delaware, will discuss “Combinatorial Studies of Surface Interactions in Block Copolymer Thin Films” on Jan. 28 at 2:45 p.m. in Kupfrian Hall Rm. 117.

More than 30 New Jersey high schools are expected to attend the Fall Career Day event today from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Hosted by NJIT's Newark College of Engineering, students will have the opportunity  to explore six diverse engineering fields, all on the same day on the NJIT campus.

We can all breathe easier thanks to NJIT alumnus John J. Mooney. In 1971, Mooney co-invented the three-way automotive catalytic converter, one of the 10 most important innovations in automotive history. During NJIT’s May 17 graduation ceremony in Continental Airlines Arena, he will receive an honorary doctorate.

As a child Ashley Chou enjoyed playing with Legos. Taking things apart to see how they worked was her passion. She never lost this inquisitive quality, which she hopes to serve future employers well. Chou will graduate from NJIT on May 17, 2007 with a degree in industrial engineering.

Hamid Bagce will graduate on May 17, 2007 from NJIT at Continental Airlines Arena with a perfect 4.0 average and with one of the top honors from Newark College of Engineering. Last March, he was named best biomedical engineering student of the year.

When Matthew Schaefer started his freshman year at NJIT, he set himself a lofty goal: In four years, he’d graduate with a perfect grade-point average. As NJIT’s May 17, 2007 graduation approaches, Schaefer will have met his goal. The Randolph Township native will graduate with a 3.988 accumulated average.

Maureen Sturgeon, a non-traditional, adult student who is on her second career, may be the most industrious student to graduate May 17, 2007, from NJIT. Sturgeon will graduate with an almost-perfect grade-point average, while holding down a full-time job as the engineering inspector for Franklin Township.

Sunil Saigal, PhD, PE, has been appointed dean and distinguished professor with tenure in the department of civil and environmental engineering at Newark College of Engineering at New Jersey Institute of Technology.

Wassim Jabi, PhD, an assistant professor in the New Jersey School of Architecture at NJIT, will lead a research team to apply the traditional studio model of teaching and learning to computing sciences. Earlier this month, the NSF announced support of the project with an 18-month, $200,000 grant.

John W. Seazholtz, a member of the board of overseers at NJIT and a 1959 graduate of Newark College of Engineering, received NJIT’s highest honor: the Edward F. Weston Medal for Distinguished Professional Achievement by an alumnus.

Durgamadhab Misra, PhD, a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at NJIT, will present an invited research talk on “Negative Bias Temperature Instability in TiN/Hf-silicate Based Gate Stacks" at Cornell University's 2006 Lester Eastman Conference On High Performance Devices on August 2-4.

Charles M. Forman, a senior partner at the law firm of Forman Holt and Eliades and a widely respected leader of bankruptcy law in the region, was named an outstanding alumnus by the Newark College of Engineering (NCE) at NJIT on May 5 during the college’s awards banquet.

The NJIT community mourns the loss of Herbert M. Iris, ’51, a major benefactor to the athletics program at NJIT and the national chair of the Highlanders Athletics Campaign. Iris served in the Navy after graduating from high school and received a BS degree in civil engineering from the Newark College of Engineering in 1951. He started Iris Construction Co. in 1959, building industrial and office complexes across northern New Jersey.

Stephen Shaw, president of Shaw Built Homes and mayor of Mountain Lakes, will be named an outstanding alumnus by the Newark College of Engineering (NCE) at NJIT. Shaw, who earned a civil engineering degree from NCE in 1982, will be honored during the annual NCE Awards Banquet on May 5 in NJIT’s Campus Center.