Alumni News

NJIT Athletics Announces 2024 Hall of Fame Induction Class

NJIT Athletics is proud to announce seven individuals and one team will comprise the 2024 NJIT Athletics Hall of Fame induction class. The Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held on October 19, 2024 in NJIT's Wellness and Events Center Associate Vice President/Director of Athletics Lenny Kaplan announced.

Q&A with Jamie Payton, New Dean of Ying Wu College of Computing

Jamie Payton is the new dean of NJIT’s Ying Wu College of Computing. She met with NJIT News for a Q&A session about her views on computing education and questions about current events in computing. The following transcript is lightly edited for clarity. Her Roadmap to NJIT NJIT News: Northern New Jersey is incredibly dense and diverse. How do you like it here so far?

NJIT Alumni Jordan Hu and Dieter Weissenrieder Honored at NJ Immigrant Entrepreneur Awards

The 11th Annual New Jersey Immigrant Entrepreneur Awards, held on June 25 at the Pines Manor in Edison, New Jersey, celebrated the remarkable achievements of immigrant business leaders who have significantly contributed to New Jersey’s economy. Among the distinguished honorees were two exceptional alumni from New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT): Jordan Hu ’89 and Dieter Weissenrieder ’76. Jordan Hu: Immigrant Entrepreneur of the Year

Researchers Leveraging AI to Train (Robotic) Dogs to Respond to Their Masters

An international collaboration seeks to innovate the future of how a mechanical man’s best friend interacts with its owner, using a combination of AI and edge computing called edge intelligence. The project is sponsored through a one-year seed grant from the Institute for Future Technologies (IFT), a partnership between New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU).

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NJIT Earns Top 3 Ranking for Bachelor's, Master's from University HQ

New Jersey Institute of Technology is among the best universities in New Jersey to earn a bachelor’s or master’s degree according to University HQ. Statewide, NJIT is ranked No. 3 for Best Bachelor’s and Master’s Colleges, the independent education organization found. Specifically, NJIT achieved these notable rankings: –No. 2 Best Online College in NJ –No. 3 Best MBA in NJ –No. 9 Online Master’s in IT Nationally

Rojas-Cessa, Yaramothu Named Senior Members of National Academy of Inventors

NJIT engineering professors Roberto Rojas-Cessa and Chang Yaramothu are among the newest senior members in the National Academy of Inventors and the only two from New Jersey in their class.

NJIT Celebrates Alumnus Robert Cohen at Tri-County Scholarship Fund's 43rd Annual Awards Dinner

Robert Cohen, chair of NJIT’s Board of Trustees and president of Stryker’s Digital, Robotics, and Enabling Technologies organization, will be honored at the Tri-County Scholarship Fund (TCSF) 43rd Annual Awards Dinner. This event is set for Oct. 28, 2024, at The Legacy Castle in Pompton Plains, New Jersey, and will gather more than 800 attendees. Robert Cohen, a three-time NJIT alumnus, will receive the Hall of Fame Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the medical device industry and his dedicated support of education.

Leon Baptiste, NJIT Alum and Board Member, Recognized as NJBIZ ICON Honoree

Leon Baptiste '91 has earned distinction as an NJBIZ ICON honoree for his role in shaping New Jersey's economy as president of LB Electric Co. LLC. The NJBIZ ICON awards recognize leaders over the age of 60 from New Jersey industries such as accounting, healthcare, education, financial services, commercial real estate and more for work throughout their careers — not just in their respective fields, but in the state’s larger business community as well.

Aidan Kidd Signs Professional Contract with Chicago Dogs

Former NJIT left-handed pitcher Aidan Kidd has signed a professional contract to play with the Chicago Dogs of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official MLB Partner League. Kidd, from Laguna Beach, California, appeared in 49 games throughout his four-year collegiate career in a Highlander uniform. A two-time America East selection and All-Tournament honoree, Kidd led the America East in strikeouts (97) for the second-straight season.

Novel Pre-Treatment Process Enhances PFAS Removal from Drinking Water

In a groundbreaking effort to tackle the pervasive issue of PFAS contamination in drinking water, a research team at New Jersey Institute of Technology has received funding from the Bureau of Reclamation's Desalination and Water Purification Research program. This highly competitive grant, awarded to only eight projects out of over eighty applicants, supports their innovative project titled "Enhanced Coagulation for the Removal of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances using Hydrophobic Ion Pairing Approach Project."

Griffin Fieseler Signs Professional Contract to Play Volleyball in Denmark

NJIT men's volleyball alum Griffin Fieseler announced that he has signed a contract to play professional volleyball for Hvidovre VK Volleyball Klub in Denmark. Fieseler, NJIT's starting setter, concluded his collegiate career compiling 2,008 assists, 322 digs, 99 total blocks and 42 service aces in 246 sets played.

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AI, Relying on Hardware Support, Could Improve by Thinking for Itself

People keep finding novel uses for generative artificial intelligence, the latest being that it can learn to design specialized hardware to make itself work faster. Generative AI applications such as large language models became mainstream when ChatGPT went viral in 2022, but they require copious, complicated hardware underneath their user-friendly skins, especially when asked to act on more than just interactive text.

NJIT Alumni Honored with Entrepreneur of the Year New Jersey Awards

Two alumni from New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), William Mascharka '64 and Carlos P. Oliver '77, have been named Entrepreneur of the Year 2024 New Jersey Award winners. This prestigious award, presented by Ernst & Young LLP (EY US), recognizes their exceptional entrepreneurial spirit and leadership in high-growth companies.

Men's Swimming and Diving Earn CSCAA Spring Scholar All-Academic Honors

The NJIT men's swimming and diving program was one of 722 teams from 417 institutions to be named Scholar All-America for the Spring 2024 semester by the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA). The Highlanders posted a team grade point average of 3.56 during the spring semester with nine players earning a perfect 4.0 GPA and 22 players with a 3.0 GPA or higher.

10 Questions for NJIT's New Dean of Architecture and Design

As interim dean of NJIT’s Hillier College of Architecture and Design, Gabrielle Esperdy found ways to apply design thinking to the challenges of leading an academic college of more than 1,000 students. Now, as she starts her first month as dean, she realizes that her background prepared her well for administration. Also, the support of President Teik C. Lim and Provost John Pelesko spurred her to be an active interim dean and ultimately apply for the job.

Engineers Unveil Survival Mechanisms of a Singularly Durable Life Form, the Spore

Bacterial spores are some of nature’s most adept survivors. Subject to extreme environments – blazing and freezing temperatures, drought and even the vacuum of space – they coat themselves in a thick husk and lie dormant until conditions improve. In studying the way these single-cell organisms respond to an environmental change – an uptick in humidity, Gennady Gor, an associate professor of chemical and materials engineering at New Jersey Institute of Technology, noticed anomalous behaviors.

NJIT Alum and Trustee Chair Robert Cohen Inducted as Fellow to the National Academy of Inventors

Robert Cohen, a three-time alumnus, chair of NJIT's Board of Trustees and President of Digital, Robotics, and Enabling Technologies at Stryker, has been inducted as a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). This prestigious honor recognizes Cohen’s prolific, innovative and groundbreaking contributions to the medtech field and academia.

Princeton Review Ranks NJIT No. 23 in the U.S. for Best Value

New Jersey Institute of Technology’s value proposition has grown in the eyes of The Princeton Review. The university ranks No. 23 nationally among public schools on the review’s list of Top 50 Best Value Colleges for 2024 — up 12 places from last year. At the same time, NJIT remains No. 11 among public schools on the Top 20 Best Career Placement list.

Sunblock for Solar Panels: NJIT Startup Merges Data, Material Science

Materium Technologies, a startup company with deep NJIT roots, is bringing data science innovations into the slowly evolving field of solar energy panels. Startups are always a gamble, but the Materium team has a good hand, with two pair of Highlanders — recent alumni Sheldon Fereira (M.S. ‘23) and Scott Daniel (M.S. ‘24), advised by Professor Nuggehalli Ravindra and Adjunct Instructor Michael Jaffe. Their collective scientific expertise spans the worlds of artificial intelligence, applied physics, biomedical engineering, and semiconductors.

NJIT Names Architectural Historian to Lead its College of Architecture and Design

After a national search, New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) found the best person to lead its Hillier College of Architecture and Design (HCAD) right on campus. Interim Dean Gabrielle Esperdy, a noted architectural historian, has been appointed dean, effective July 1. Esperdy will be steering the execution of HCAD’s strategic plan in close partnership with other colleges as they strive toward NJIT’s goal of becoming a nexus of innovation.

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