Producing Leaders, Albert Dorman Honors College Awards Alumni and Students at Annual Reception
The Albert Dorman Honors College brought together students, alumni, faculty and staff on April 8 for its second annual Alumni Recognition and Dorman Awards Reception, an evening at NJIT’s Highlander Pub that celebrated achievement across generations of the honors college community.
Held after the college’s “Passing the Torch” networking ceremony, the reception connected the recognition of current scholars with a broader tradition of alumni mentorship and service. It recognized student scholars for academic excellence, research, leadership and service, while also honoring alumni and supporters whose careers and engagement have helped shape the Albert Dorman Honors College.
In welcoming guests, Dean Louis Hamilton framed that connection as central to the college’s identity. “NJIT does not need an Honors College to produce clever computer scientists, engineers or scientists, architects or business people,” Hamilton said. “NJIT has an Honors College to produce leaders.”
Associate Dean of ADHC Burcak Ozludil then introduced the awardees and their accolades.
Albert Dorman Future Leader Award — Brock Shahinian
Brock Shahinian, an environmental science major with a minor in applied statistics, received the Albert Dorman Future Leader Award, which recognizes a graduating Dorman Scholar who demonstrates exceptional academic achievement, leadership and promise for future impact. Shahinian is NJIT’s first Udall Scholar and a Barry M. Goldwater Scholar whose research has examined how pollution affects native pollinator populations.
Joan and Albert Dorman Prize for Community Education and Development — Kaily Peixoto
Kaily Peixoto, a construction engineering technology major, received the Joan and Albert Dorman Prize for Community Education and Development, awarded to a scholar whose service supports the educational growth of Newark’s youth. Peixoto has been active in service and mentorship through programs including the Math Success Initiative and America Needs You, while also building professional experience through internships in the public and private sectors.
Dean’s Prize for Outstanding Undergraduate Research — Anmol Doss
Anmol Doss, a mechanical engineering major with minors in psychology and grand challenges of engineering, received the Dean’s Prize for Outstanding Undergraduate Research. His work has focused on rehabilitation engineering and assistive technologies, including research on femur bone strength in individuals with spinal cord injury that earned first place at the 2025 Dana Knox Student Research Showcase. He will continue that work as a Ph.D. student at Mayo Clinic.
Dean’s Prize for Outstanding Undergraduate Research — Allison Harbolic
Allison Harbolic, a biology major with minors in chemistry and psychology, also received the Dean’s Prize for Outstanding Undergraduate Research. Supported by the NIH URISE Fellowship, Harbolic has conducted award-winning research on the effects of nanoplastics and endocrine-disrupting chemicals on reproductive health and has presented her work at major scientific conferences. She plans to continue work at the intersection of toxicology, public health and medicine.
Edward J. Schmeltz ’71 Award for Civil Engineering Excellence — Grace Nigro
Grace Nigro, a civil engineering major with minors in philosophy and applied ethics and environmental engineering, received the Edward J. Schmeltz ’71 Award for Civil Engineering Excellence. The award recognizes a Dorman Scholar in civil engineering who has demonstrated academic achievement, leadership and service within the honors college. Nigro has held leadership roles across the college and campus, including as a teaching assistant, peer mentor and student chapter officer, while pursuing work related to water systems and sustainability.
The Hank Geiser ’45 Award — Santiago Garcia
Santiago Garcia, an electrical engineering major, received The Hank Geiser ’45 Award, which honors a Dorman Scholar in business or engineering who demonstrates strong academic performance, leadership and service, with interest in innovation, entrepreneurship or real estate-related fields. Garcia is co-founder of Verdura Automations, an AI-powered greenhouse climate control system designed to improve efficiency for farmers.
Recognizing Alumni
The evening’s alumni honorees reflected the long arc of the honors college’s influence, recognizing graduates and supporters whose careers and service continue to shape the community around it. Hamilton noted that the college’s reputation is built not only on student achievement in the present, but on the example set by those who came before. “That reputation of the Albert Dorman Honors College is a global reputation,” he said, adding that “that reputation is built on our alumni.”
Distinguished Honors Young Alumni Award — Sreya Sanyal ’22H
Sreya Sanyal received the Distinguished Honors Young Alumni Award, which recognizes a recent Albert Dorman Honors College graduate who has demonstrated leadership or impact in their field while continuing to contribute to the honors college and society. Sanyal is an M.D./Ph.D. student at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Princeton University, where she is pursuing doctoral research in molecular biology while preparing for a career as a physician-scientist focused on surgical oncology and gastrointestinal cancers.
Distinguished Honors Alumni Leadership Award — Humaira Chaudhry, MD ’01H
Humaira Chaudhry received the Distinguished Honors Alumni Leadership Award, presented to an ADHC graduate who has made a lasting impact in their field through sustained leadership and mentorship. Chaudhry is chair and professor of radiology at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and has built a career in academic medicine spanning clinical care, research, education and health equity.
Friend of the Albert Dorman Honors College Award — C. Stephen Cordes ’72
Stephen Cordes received the Friend of the Albert Dorman Honors College Award, which honors a non-ADHC alumnus whose support and contributions have had a meaningful impact on the college community. A longtime NJIT supporter and former chair of the Albert Dorman Honors College Board of Visitors, Cordes has played a significant role in advancing opportunities for Dorman Scholars through philanthropy, mentorship and institutional leadership.
Our legacy...
“I thank our alumni for the great example you set for our scholars and all that you do for the college. Our legacy of passing the torch, our legacy of paying it forward, our legacy of being of service to others is really embodied in our alumni,” said Hamilton. “To the students, we look forward to celebrating your future successes.”