An independent, flexible, small sensor for breast tumor detection was the winner of the top Dr. James F. Stevenson Innovation Award at the 2024 Undergraduate Summer Research and Innovation (URI) Symposium at NJIT. Isabella Frangiosa, a rising senior at Rowan University, said the inspiration of her device was “all the women who can't get easy access to mammograms and try to maybe build something, or start to build something that can help improve that problem.” Her device will use piezoelectric polymers, which generate charge in response to mechanical stress, and have much potential for…

Nearly 100 high school rising juniors and seniors spent their July days at New Jersey Institute of Technology, where they’re studying advanced topics such as cybersecurity, engineering, entrepreneurship, neuroscience and robotics. The students came from 64 school districts throughout the Garden State, across all backgrounds and income levels, for the program called StemX produced by NJIT’s Center for Pre-College Programs. To attend, they had to maintain a B grade-point average at their school and write an application essay. About a third of the students received scholarships due to financial…

New Jersey Institute of Technology has announced the renaming of its College of Science and Liberal Arts to the Jordan Hu College of Science and Liberal Arts (JHCSLA) in recognition of a historic gift from Jordan Hu ’89, founder and chief executive officer of RiskVal Financial Solutions, LLC and a former member of the university’s Board of Trustees. Hu’s contribution marks the single largest philanthropic commitment ever made by an NJIT graduate to the university, and will provide crucial funding to JHCSLA that will enhance STEM education and research across campus, and open a range of…

The legacy of Kelly O’Connor, who was an active alumna of New Jersey Institute of Technology for 30 years, endures with two new scholarships that will serve female students who are interested in STEM. The Kelly A. O’Connor Pre-College Scholarship will cover the cost of summer programs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics for students in elementary, middle and high school who need financial help. It will be awarded annually to at least three girls. The Kelly A. O’Connor Opportunity Scholarship will help first-year undergraduates who previously participated in pre-college…

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 Jordan Hu, Founder and CEO of RiskVal Financial Solutions, LLC, was recognized as the Immigrant Entrepreneur of the Year. Originally hailing from Taiwan…

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. Rojas-Cessa is a professor of electrical and computer engineering and a leader of NJIT’s Hispanic/Latino Employee Resource Group. He joined the university in 2001 and studies energy systems and networking. Yaramothu is an assistant professor of biomedical engineering. He earned his B.S. at NJIT in 2013, stayed here for graduate school and made his career as a Highlander. “We are very proud of Chang…

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. In 1999, Leon formed LB Electric Company, LLC (LBE), at NJIT's Venturelink (formerly the Enterprise Development Center). LBE provides…

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." Arjun Venkatesan, associate professor in NJIT’s Civil and Environmental…

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. “Specialized [hardware] accelerators are crucial for maximizing the potential of AI tools, but current design tools’ complexity and required hardware expertise hinder…

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. William Mascharka, CEO of Frazier Industrial Company, and Carlos P. Oliver, president of Frazier, were selected by an independent panel of judges composed of previous award winners, leading CEOs and other notable business leaders. They were evaluated on…