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University Awards Two Honorary Degrees
At May 21 Commencement At NJPAC

The first woman and first African-American to chair the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Shirley Ann Jackson, received an honorary Doctor of Science degree at NJIT's 112th commencement exercises, May 21, at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), in Newark. Jackson will be the first African-American woman to lead a major research university when she becomes president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in July.

Jackson, who has been a leader in research, education and government service, was one of three distinguished honorees at the event. The others were Donald P. Greenberg, a pioneer in computer graphics and scientific visualization, who received an honorary Doctor of Science degree, and Angelo J. Perna, associate dean of Newark College of Engineering, who was awarded the university's Allan R. Cullimore Medal for Distinguished Service.

Jackson numbers many other "firsts" among her achievements. She was the first African-American woman to earn a doctorate at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. For two decades, she was a leading researcher in theoretical condensed matter physics at Bell Laboratories and Rutgers University. Her awards and honors include five honorary degrees, induction into the National Women's Hall of Fame, the Thomas Alva Edison Science Award and the 1993 New Jersey Governor's Award for Excellence.

For more than three decades, Greenberg's work as a teacher, lecturer and writer in interactive graphical environments has influenced students, scholars and practitioners in architecture, engineering and computer graphics. Greenberg broke new ground in many areas, including producing one of the first movies to use sophisticated computer graphics. Through his early understanding of the rich potential of computer-aided design, he played a vital role in shaping the contemporary practice of architecture. Greenberg is a founding director of the National Science Foundation's Science and Technology Center for Computer Graphics and Scientific Visualization. At Cornell University, in Ithaca, N.Y., Greenberg originated and directed the school's Computer-Aided Design Instructional Facility, and currently is director of the Program of Computer Graphics.

As associate dean of Newark College of Engineering, Perna currently directs a major National Science Foundation undergraduate curriculum initiative and has developed several of the university's seminal pre-college programs. A member of the school's chemical engineering faculty for 32 years, Perna also is recognized for his research in hazardous waste and environmental engineering, with more than 70 published papers and 100 presentations to his credit.

NJIT awarded 653 bachelor's degrees, 917 master's degrees and 36 doctorates in the past academic year.

Among them were Class Valedictorian Robin Tanenbaum, who graduated with a B.S. in Applied Mathematics, a minor in computer science and a 4.0 grade-point average. She was the only student in this academic year's class to achieve straight "A"s throughout her college career.

The event marked the second year that NJIT held commencement exercises at the NJPAC, located on 12 acres in downtown Newark. Opened two years ago, NJPAC is a cornerstone in the revitalization of Newark.

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