From exciting architectural plans for the August 2013 Chinese Solar Decathlon to a better hospital rating system, six student research projects recently captured the imagination of judges at the 2013 NJIT Dana Knox Student Research Showcase, held last week on April 17, 2013.  Seventy-two graduate and undergraduate students participated. >>

Somenath Mitra, PhD, of Bridgewater, a professor in and chair of the department of chemistry and environmental science, has been selected to be promoted to Distinguished Professor with tenure at NJIT’s University Convocation, an annual celebration to be held Sept. 14, 2011.  >>

NJIT will mark the start of the new academic year on Sept. 14, 2011 with the annual celebration and awards ceremony at its University Convocation.  >>

A faster, better and cheaper desalination process enhanced by carbon nanotubes has been developed by NJIT Professor Somenath Mitra. >>

Xiangxin Meng, of Edison, a doctoral student studying chemistry with chemistry professor Somenath Mitra at NJIT, received on April 14, 2010, the second-place bronze medal for her graduate entry “Polymer Films Containing Microparticles of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients for Oral Drug Delivery” at the NJIT Dana Knox Student Research Day Showcase.  >>

Kenneth Gethard, of Fairfield, a doctoral student in environmental science at NJIT, received the second-prize silver medal for his graduate project “Desalinations Using Carbon Nanotube Enhanced Membrane Distillation.” His advisor was Somenath Mitra. The award was presented at the annual NJIT Dana Knox Student Research Showcase held April 14, 2010.  >>

Ornthida Sae-Khow, a doctoral student in the department of chemistry and environmental science at NJIT (shown here with advisor Somenath Mitra), took first place and received a $1000 cash award in the North Jersey Chromatography Group (NJCG) Student Research Poster Competition. Her poster was entitled  "Micro Scale Solid Phase Extraction Using Carbon Nanotubes as Adsorbents." >>

Judith Sheft, associate vice president for technology development at NJIT, has been awarded funds from the New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology to assist faculty researchers with the most promising patentable inventions with funding grants of up to $50,000.  >>

The New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology has awarded almost $100,000 as part of its SBIR bridge grant program to two start-up companies based in NJIT’s high technology business incubator. Applechem Inc. and Lenterra, located in NJIT’s Enterprise Development Center (EDC), each received Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) bridge grants. >>

Somenath Mitra, PhD, professor of chemistry and environmental science at NJIT, discussed his current research on "Organic Solar Cells" and "Smart Coatings" on Engineering TV.  >>

Researchers at  NJIT have developed an inexpensive solar cell that can be painted or printed on flexible plastic sheets. “The process is simple,” said lead researcher and author Somenath Mitra, PhD, professor and acting chair of NJIT’s Department of Chemistry and Environmental Science. “Someday homeowners will even be able to print sheets of these solar cells with inexpensive home-based inkjet printers.” >>

Dan Watts is on a crusade. The NJIT research professor would like the pharmaceutical industry to adopt safer, greener, more efficient and more effective manufacturing processes. Last week Watts brought his crusade down to the grass roots level at a five-day workshop at which 16 faculty from universities around the nation developed ways to encourage their students to pursue careers in the pharmaceutical industry so this new way of thinking can flourish. >>

Students at NJIT work side by side with professors on the university’s most prominent research projects—projects that could lead to new technologies in fields such as biomedical engineering and cancer research. During the Third Annual Provost’s Student Research Showcase on April 11, top students will illustrate that research with poster presentations, which will run from 1-4 p.m. in the Campus Center Atrium. The event is free and open to the public. >>

In less than 20 minutes, researchers at NJIT can now seed, heat and grow carbon nanotubes in 10-foot-long, hollow thin steel tubing. “The work took us three years to develop and get right, but now we can essentially anchor nanotubes to a tubular wall. No one has ever done anything like this before,” said lead researcher Somenath Mitra, PhD, professor and acting chair of NJIT’s Department of Chemistry and Environmental Science. >>

Kitchen chemistry is alive and well at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) as chemical researchers report cooking up a new and more water-soluble strain of carbon nanotubes.  An article about this work, “Rapidly Functionalized, Water-Dispersed Carbon Nanotubes at High Concentration,” appeared Jan. 11, 2006, in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. >>

Researchers at NJIT have discovered a novel method of changing the chemical characteristics of carbon nanotubes by heating them in a closed vessel microwave oven. Somenath Mitra, PhD (at left) and Zafar Iqbal, PhD, both professors of chemistry and environmental sciences, will discuss their findings on March 17 from 8:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m. at the 229th national meeting of the American Chemical Society in San Diego. “We understand ourselves to be the first in the world to have discovered this method,” said Mitra. “The beauty is that our method is green and clean.”  >>