College of Computing Industrial Affiliates Program Continues to Impact the Corporate World

When companies want to address important challenges and opportunities that would benefit from computing expertise, they look to the Industrial Affiliate Program (IAP) at the NJIT Ying Wu College of Computing (YWCC).

Such was the case for global, diversified media, information and services company Hearst. Looking to transform how its magazine group packages and presents data, Hearst took advantage of its IAP membership and was connected with NJIT Assistant Professor Aritra Dasgupta, an expert in the field of visual analytics and data visualization. 

Working closely with the company, Dasgupta created and delivered a curriculum for specialized training that introduced Hearst teams to ways they can use data visualization to change how they present, talk about and, ultimately, understand the important findings and observations living in the company’s vast collection of data. Today, the curriculum developed by Dasgupta lives on, taught by the company’s Sales Training and Corporate Development Department.

Helping with education and training programs is a frequent request of IAP members. Members also look to the college’s talented students and expert faculty to conduct research and development projects or assist with community outreach initiatives. 

The J&J Technology Awareness Program is one innovative example of the latter. Johnson & Johnson has a long history of supporting the communities in which they are located. When J&J wanted high school students from underserved communities to learn about the many career options in technology, they contacted IAP. An IAP team was formed to create a program that recruits college students to serve as mentors/coaches to teams of high school students who, during a six-session competition over several months, work to solve real-world tech challenges at J&J. Members of the winning team receive a monetary prize and a letter of recommendation from J&J that they can include in their college admissions materials.

Now entering its fourth year, the J&J Technology Awareness Program continues to thrive – promoting STEM and the career possibilities available to a college graduate with a STEM degree. Thanks to its design as an engaging, collaborative team competition, the program has become popular among high school students from target communities who are looking to apply their skills in a real-world setting, establish mentoring relationships with tech professionals and explore career paths in the expansive field of technology. 

“As the only college of computing of its kind in our region, YWCC has a wealth of expert faculty and students who are pushing computing science and technology forward in innovative and transformational ways,” said YWCC dean Craig Gotsman. “Through IAP, we have established numerous working relationships with companies interested in taking advantage of the unique expertise we can provide. We are proud of these relationships and always ready to expand them as a trusted partner of more companies, regionally and nationally.”

Other companies that have worked with YWCC through its Industrial Affiliate Program include Google, UPS, Microsoft, Prudential, Facebook, AT&T and the pharmaceutical giant Merck.

More information about IAP is available here: https://computing.njit.edu/affiliates.