NJIT Computer Science and Engineering Experts Talk About 'Smart' Cities
Accomplished computer science and engineering professors at New Jersey Institute of Technology were among the featured speakers at a conference about creating “smart” cities that was organized by two centers of NJIT’s Martin Tuchman School of Management: the Leir Research Institute and Hub for Creative Placemaking.
Distinguished Professor of Computer Science Guiling “Grace” Wang talked about her research into developing responsive traffic signals whose timing adjusts based on the volume of traffic. Artificial intelligence is central to that project.
In addition, Wang, who’s also associate dean of research at NJIT’s Ying Wu College of Computing and director at the university’s Center for AI Research, detailed her efforts to use blockchain technology to create a decentralized credential management system for vehicles that’s secure and protects privacy.
Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Rayan Hassane Assaad identified 10 technological “disruptions” that are spurring the development of smart cities, including drones, sensors, wearables, automation, the internet of things and self-driving cars.
Assaad, founding director at the Smart Construction and Intelligent Infrastructure Systems Lab at NJIT’s Newark College of Engineering, also emphasized the importance of data collection, interconnectedness and intelligence in managing infrastructure systems, be they in transportation, water management or energy. He ended his presentation with a quote from entrepreneur Jim Rohn: “For things to change, you have to change.”
The professors were among nine speakers at the conference, which took place at NJIT. The experts came from a variety of organizations, including the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, Regional Plan Association, National Endowment for the Arts, Gensler design and architecture firm, Choose New Jersey and New Jersey Business Action Center.
The hub for the conference was apropos as NJIT is known for bringing people together, advancing knowledge and spurring innovation, as President Teik C. Lim and Martin Tuchman School of Management Dean Oya Tukel noted in their welcoming remarks.
The keynote speaker was an interesting choice: Ben Stone, the design and creative placemaking director at the NEA. Stone, who holds degrees in fine arts, American studies and city planning, shared nine examples of how design and creativity can help shape and explain new infrastructure projects.
On a day of rapid-fire, PowerPoint-fueled show-and-tell, Stone also detailed NEA grant programs that support community development around the country. Our Town, for example, funded the painting of murals on buildings in Baltimore that teased the transformation of three neighborhoods into an arts and entertainment district.
Stone, whose grandfather taught mechanical engineering at what was then Newark Technical School (now NJIT), illustrated the need to put people first in the development of smart cities — a theme that other speakers echoed throughout the conference.
“The design expertise that our team provides is not just about aesthetics. It’s about economics. It’s about connections. It’s about community development, bringing people together around a shared vision,” Stone said.
“Artists and designers are creative problem-solvers who can work alongside all of you,” he added, noting that they can serve as “allies in the work you all are doing, allies in community development work, allies in thinking about the future of our communities and thinking about them creatively and holistically together.”
