NJIT in the News

Martin Katzen, PhD, professor in the department of mathematical sciences (shown here with NJIT President Robert A. Altenkirch), Deran Hanesian, PhD, professor in the Otto H. York Department of Chemical, Biological and Pharmaceutical Engineering, and Onofrio Russo, PhD, professor in the department of physics, received awards for 45 years of service on Oct. 28 at the 2009 Service Award ceremony and reception. A total of 134 employees and retirees were recognized for their years of service to the university. 

Donations of gently-used, career-appropriate items of clothing for women are urgently needed for the "Successful Suits" collection drive to benefit Dress for Success Newark. The clothing drive is one of the community service projects for NJIT's observance of national Make A Difference Day on Oct. 24. Items needed are business suits: pants/trouser suits, skirt suits, and dresses (any size, but sizes 14 and up preferred); jackets or blazers, skirts and slacks, blouses, new nylons, new and nearly new shoes (sizes 9 and up preferred), scarves, purses, belts, jewelry, and tote bags (preferably black). All items should be in excellent condition (no obvious tears, stains, missing buttons or broken zippers), only dry-cleaned or laundered, currently in style and ready to wear. When donating your clothing, please include your name, address, and an itemized donation list with your clothes; this information will be used to generate your tax receipt for the donation. Please bring items on Oct. 22 and Oct. 23 to NJIT's Career Development Services Office, 5th Fl., Campbell Hall. 

In a year when the majority of college grads have had trouble finding employment in their fields, the NJIT undergraduate full-time employment rate for recent college graduates has been surprisingly better than the national average. This is especially good news for the more than 2,000 students who will attend NJIT’s bi-annual career fair on Oct. 14, 2009, from 12:30-5 p.m. on the NJIT campus in the Athletic Center and the Campus Center Ballroom.   

Some 75 NJIT students—almost double last year's number—joined 300 volunteers who helped care for the historic cherry blossom trees in Newark's Branch Brook Park on Oct. 3 as part of Prudential Financial's 15th annual Global Volunteer Day. Prudential's long-time partnership with the Branch Brook Park Alliance has spawned the park's own volunteer day, which coincides with the Prudential event. 

Laurence Howell, PhD, of Wayne, executive director of NJIT’s Educational Opportunity Program, received the Excellence in Service Award at NJIT’s University Convocation, an annual celebration held on Sept. 2, 2009. 

Peter Fischbach, of Toms River, executive chef and director of food service for Gourmet Dining Services at NJIT, captured second prize at the 2009 Great American Seafood Cook-Off, held last Saturday in New Orleans. This is the second year in a row in which Fischbach took the top prize. Working with him both years was chef, Erik Weatherspool, also of Toms River. 

NJIT’s Executive Chef Peter Fischbach, of Toms River, captured second place at the 2009 Great American Seafood Cook-Off on Saturday in New Orleans. Fischbach is director of food service for Gourmet Dining Services at NJIT. The cook-off featured 15 teams, each preparing a domestic-seafood dish that reflected the cuisine of their home state. Fishbach and his sous chef Erik Weatherspool were given one hour, start to finish, to prepare 10 plates of his seared scallops dish. 

NJIT’s Executive Chef Peter Fischbach, of Toms River, will represent New Jersey this summer for the second time in the Sixth Annual Great American Seafood Cookoff on July 18, 2009 in New Orleans. Fischbach is director of food service for Gourmet Dining Services at NJIT. This summer and fall, he is spearheading an effort to plant and maintain a rooftop garden on the university's Campus Center that will supply produce for the kitchen.

Many seniors who will graduate at NJIT’s commencement ceremony tomorrow (9 a.m.-noon) at the Prudential Center are looking forward to the big day but not just for the sheepskin. They will look forward just as much to their starting dates at plum jobs with starting salaries upwards of $60,000. 

NJIT's School of Management and the Division of Career Development Services are sponsoring an event to help students who are looking to enter the job market on April 22, 2:30-4 p.m. in Eberhardt Hall. Greg Mass, executive director of career development services at NJIT, will give the keynote presentation "Skill Requirements for An Innovation Driven Economy." Contact: Michael Ehrlich.

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.

Join MathWorks engineers for a free technical demonstration of MATLAB 2008 and how it can be used as a flexible platform for technical computing and application development in engineering, math, and science curricula and research on March 12, 9 a.m.-12 noon in the Guttenberg Information Technologies Center Rm. 3730. Learn new content such as Speeding Up MATLAB Applications during this technical demonstration. Agenda and registration: http://ist.njit.edu/matlabday.php

NJIT expects a surprisingly strong turn-out for both students and companies at next week’s upcoming annual Career Development Services Spring Career Fair. Registered companies include Johnson & Johnson, Verizon, Telcordia, AT&T as well as federal agencies ranging from the FBI in Newark to the US Patent and Trademark Office in Washington DC.   

Nine lucky NJIT students are testing one of the nation’s first application development courses for the Apple iPhone. The upper-level course, taught by Director of University Web Services Jim Robertson, illustrates how to develop applications for the popular iPhone.

NEC Foundation of America has awarded NJIT a $32,000 grant to support the dissemination and use of therapeutic video games to serve children with severe sensory and motor disabilities. 

Ralph Izzo believes that our society is steering a very unsustainable course when it comes to energy — and he speaks with authority. In the first Technology and Society Forum presentation at NJIT for spring 2009, Izzo will explore how the impacts of climate change and an uncertain economy make it imperative to redefine our complex relationship with energy.

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.  

Faculty, staff and students at NJIT found time to brighten the holiday season for needy children in and around Newark. More than 22 organizations, clubs and departments collected five boxes of new toys and over $500 in donations during the third annual campus-wide Toys for Tots drive. Beneficiaries of all the activities included the Salvation Army, Harmony House, FOCUS, La Casa and other agencies in the greater Newark Area. Members of the NJIT community gave cash donations, dropped off toys or children's books, attended athletic home games, baked and bought cookies or joined the Wall of Fame plaques benefiting the Toys for Tots campaign. “Once again, the NJIT community demonstrated its commitment to the service of others in these hard financial economic times,” said Humberto "Humby" Baquerizo, NJIT's Assistant Director of Greek Life and Wellness Programs. "I am thankful for all the faculty and staff, student organizations, Greeks, and the Athletic Student Activity Board, who continue to assist with this program by bringing the holiday spirit to those families in need." 

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.

NJIT's College of Computing Sciences is presenting a seminar entitled, "In Pursuit of Unintended Consequences and Other Thoughts on NJIT’s Website Strategy", on Dec. 3, 2:30-3:30 p.m. in the Guttenberg Information Technologies Center Rm. 3710. 

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

AIG in conjunction with the New Jersey Business Force (of which NJIT is a member) will conduct a one-day symposium on July 14 in NJIT's Campus Center Atrium to address the implications of a Category 3 hurricane on critical infrastructure in the NYC/NJ region. James Eberwine, Lead Forecaster at the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, NJ will be the keynote speaker. For registration and additional information, contact Col. (Ret.) Hank Straub, 609-577-5373, hstraub@bens.org.

NJIT’s associate provost for information services and technology and chief information officer David F. Ullman, of South Orange, was named  chief information officer for 2008 (for nonprofits) by the New Jersey Technology Council (NJTC).

Jonathan James, a junior majoring in industrial engineering, and Yvan Christophe, a senior majoring in biomedical engineering, were among a group of NJIT students who participated in Beautiful Newark Day this week at the West Side Park Community Center. The activity was part of NJIT's “The Big Give” community service campaign during the month of April.

David Ullman, associate provost for information services and technology and chief information officer at NJIT, has been named New Jersey Technology Council 2008 CIO of the Year in the nonprofit category. The award recognizes a chief information officer or an executive in an equivalent position for his/her innovation and creativity in planning and deploying their enterprise systems, future IT goals, management philosophy and service to the industry and community.

More than 100 employers seeking engineering, computer science, architecture, management, allied and applied science, and liberal arts majors are expected to participate in the annual Spring 2008 Career Fair on March 12, 12:30-5 p.m. at NJIT. 

NJIT’s Executive Chef Peter Fischbach, of Toms River, will represent New Jersey this summer in the fourth annual Great American Seafood Cookoff, Aug. 4, 2008 in Louisiana.

NJIT President Robert A. Altenkirch presented an award for 20 years of service to Saida Leon, administrative assistant to the executive director of University Communications, at the annual Service/Retiree Awards ceremony and reception on May 24 in the Campus Center Ballroom.

Joel S. Bloom, EdD, vice president of academic and student services and dean of the Albert Dorman Honors College at NJIT has been named an Educational Opportunity Fund Champion for 2007. The award, sponsored by New Jersey’s Commission on Higher Education, is annually presented to dedicated New Jersey individuals who provide maximum education and opportunity for New Jersey’s disadvantaged youngsters.

NJIT will lead a public-private partnership preparing adults with physical disabilities for entry-level and advanced jobs in information technology. A $946,000, two-year grant from the Henry H. Kessler Foundation, of West Orange, will support “EmployMe!,” a two-year, continuing education program.

Stephen M. Eck has been appointed director of admissions, announced Joel S. Bloom, EdD, vice president of academic and student services and dean of the Albert Dorman Honors College. “Steve has excelled in all of his past endeavors, and we anticipate that he will continue to do so in his new position,” said Bloom.

Kathryn D. Kelly has been appointed associate vice president for enrollment services and dean of admissions, announced Joel S. Bloom, EdD, senior vice president of academic and student services and dean of the Albert Dorman Honors College.

Alexander Haimovich wants to improve consumer wireless services during the next three years, despite predictions of worsening services. That’s why Haimovich, an electrical and computer engineering professor at NJIT will lead a research team to prevent a downturn in services.

Anthony W. Schuman, an associate professor at the New Jersey School of Architecture at NJIT, received at NJIT’s annual awards convocation, the Foundation Overseers Public and Institute Service Award.

If your company or corporation has not yet established an internship program with a college or university, this may be a good time to create such a program, said Greg Mass, executive director, Career Development Services, NJIT.

NJIT was recently named as one of six new higher education institutions to join the National Advisory Committee for the Educational Testing Service (ETS) Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Literacy Assessment, which is used voluntarily by higher education institutions and high schools that want to assess the ICT skills of its students.

NJIT”s Division of Career Development Services hosted an extensive, six-day and evening training seminar on campus earlier this month for the Wachovia Bank/NJ Department of Community Affairs Housing Scholars Program, a partnership between Wachovia Bank, the NJ Department of Community Affairs, and NJIT. Six of the 24 students selected this year were NJIT students. They created a redevelopment plan for a pre-selected neighborhood that included many of the components found in a formal redevelopment plan. Accompanied by NJIT staff as well as planning professionals, they studied the Lower Clinton Hill neighborhood of Newark and produced several maps using GIS technology. Following the training seminar each scholar will complete a 10-week paid internship at a New Jersey nonprofit community housing agency.

NJIT's Division of Career Development Services partnered with Gateway Northwest Maternal and Child Health Network recently to present the first Greater Newark Skill Building Summit for Health Leadership at NJIT. Gregory Mass, executive director, Division of Career Development Services, provided the welcoming address. The Summit convened 65 key public health stakeholders within Greater Newark dedicated to improving immunization rates and other health outcomes within their communities. The purpose of the Summit was to give participants the opportunity to learn new methods for improving their agency management skills. 

A group of high school students spent the day and most of the night at NJIT building meditation rooms out of nothing more than UPS boxes and tape. The project is part of the New Jersey School of Architecture’s Summer Architecture Career Exploration Program, a two-day intensive class that teaches students what it is like to attend architecture school. A jury of architects judged the finished projects and selected a winning design (at left).

NJIT President Robert A. Altenkirch presented an award for 50 years of service to Nissim Towfik, an associate professor in the department of physics, at the annual Service/Retiree Awards Ceremony and reception on June 15 in the Campus Center Ballroom. A total of 134 employees and retirees were recognized for their years of service to the university. 

A new A to Z search index of NJIT web pages was launched by the Office of University Communications late last week. The search index complements the new NJIT Google search engine introduced in November.

A group of 50 students from NJIT’s New Jersey School of Architecture will spend spring break cleaning out houses in a flood-ravaged neighborhood in New Orleans. "Helping people rebuild their houses, and their lives, is an amazing feeling and a great experience,” says Thomas Reynolds, a senior at NJIT who helped organize the trip. “I’d much rather spend my vacation helping these people than sitting on a beach in Florida.”

Local college students who are hunting for jobs will have a chance to interview with officials from prominent companies during a collaborative career fair hosted by NJIT, Essex County College, Rutgers University-Newark, and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey on Feb. 1, 2-6 p.m. at The Robert Treat Hotel, Newark.

Wilfred Augustin, a computing help desk associate at NJIT and a specialist in the U.S. Army, will be leaving to serve in Iraq on December 28, 2004.  Augustin will be stationed at Base Speicher, 60 miles north of Baghdad.

In an effort to leverage resources and create ongoing communication channels, the IEEE North Jersey Section and NJIT’s Division of Career Development Services (CDS) have entered into an alliance that stands to greatly benefit both organizations. “It is our objective to distribute information about various career development programs, services, and events that we think will be of interest and value to the IEEE members and their employing companies,” says Gregory Mass, executive director of the Career Development Center.