NJIT now has a chapter of the Google Developer Student Club.

Google formed the international organization two years ago to teach real-world information technology skills that aren't necessarily taught in college classrooms. It's also a way for the software giant to promote its products and recruit new employees.

NJIT welcomed 35 data science students to its newly opened NJIT@JerseyCity location this semester, with a goal of doubling that number in the spring and reaching 500 students in three years, Ying Wu College of Computing Dean Craig Gotsman said at the ribbon-cutting ceremony held December 5 at the new location.

David Bader, distinguished professor of computer science, is the director of NJIT’s new Institute for Data Science. His interests lie at the intersection of data science and high-performance computing, with applications in cybersecurity, massive-scale analytics and computational genomics. Dr. Bader works closely with researchers in academia, industry and government to develop the next generation of computing capabilities and has advised the White House on the National Strategic Computing Initiative.

What is NJIT’s new Institute for Data Science?

Programmers can tell you what machine learning does and how it works, but they can't really prove why it works. Enter the mathematicians.

The what and how of machine learning are well documented — it's software that examines big data to find meaning and possibly suggest actions, based on looking for patterns and complicated statistics — and now NJIT mathematics professor Zuofeng Shang is among a small group of researchers worldwide who want to understand and document the underlying mathematical principles of it.

Data science has reached a point where techniques such as deep learning can beat humans at recognizing objects, although experts are still figuring out how to make explainable predictions from massive data, NJIT distinguished professor David Bader said.

For Elena Prokhorova, the decision to begin taking master’s level courses while still a computer science undergrad came down to personal interest, as she wanted more options than what was available in the undergraduate catalog. 

Anupriya Gotkhindi was listening to a lecture in her machine learning graduate class when she noticed a sign language translator having difficulty trying to decipher the complex issues being taught and the technical terms used by the instructor.

An NJIT team finished in the top third at this year's regional bracket of the International Collegiate Programming Contest, approximately matching last year's result and leaving members with valuable lessons for next year and for their careers beyond.

Long before social networks, instant messengers, web forums, Internet Relay Chat, AOL, Compuserve, and dial-up bulletin board systems, there was EIES – Electronic Information Exchange System, pronounced like the word eyes – developed here at NJIT in the 1970s.

Hundreds of college students from throughout the Northeast will descend on NJIT on Oct. 27 to participate in a prestigious international programming competition. 

The International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC), will host its Greater New York Region competition on NJIT’s campus this Sunday. Winners of the regional competition will advance to the national finals to be held next year in Atlanta.