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Computer science undergraduates Alfred Simpson and Luis Velasquez each received $5,000 scholarships this spring from the New Jersey chapter of the Society for Information Management.

The society is a professional organization for information technology executives. Scholarships are provided by the state chapter's charitable foundation.

It was a global cyber attack of epic proportions — but only in the best way possible for the student chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and the NJIT Secure Computing Initiative. The second annual NJIT JerseyCTF competition attracted participants from around the world and exceeded the target goals — and expectations — of the organizers by more than doubling the previous year’s registrations. 

If you can envision a future where robots need eyeglasses to accurately deliver packages and safely perform dangerous missions, then Craig Iaboni would be your local android optician.

Until then, Iaboni is pursuing an M.S. in computer science at NJIT by coding new kinds of neural networks and using cutting-edge architectures to help electronic beings better see the world around them.

NJIT hosted the ninth New Jersey Big Data Alliance Symposium, bringing together nearly 200 experts from academia, government and industry to share ideas about the present state and future trends of their field.

Attendees represented a gamut of careers, not just programmers, which the panelists said indicates that the importance of artificial intelligence, data science and machine learning applies to nearly all aspects of life in the 21st century. Many students were also present.

Crisis presents opportunity, and given the pandemic, war in Ukraine, structural racism, climate change and questions around the world’s supply of energy, food and water, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute President Shirley Ann Jackson called on the Class of 2022 at New Jersey Institute of Technology to take on such challenges with the goal of improving lives.

Pradnya Desai, a senior computer science major, made it her mission to accomplish as much as possible during her four years at NJIT, amassing an impressive resume that includes multiple awards and recognitions for her work combining technological invention with a desire to positively affect  society.

Anuja Badeti started interning at Bloomberg in high school, kept working there during summer breaks from college and will accept a full-time role upon her graduation from the joint B.S./M.S. program in computer science this spring. 

It's a strikingly logical career path, considering her childhood dream of being a farmer — "I really liked the idea of being able to grow food and eat it," she said — and then her move into campus politics, where she served as president of the NJIT Student Senate after not being involved until her junior year.

LIVE STREAM LINKS:

• May 11, 2022, 3 p.m.  NJIT, Doctor of Philosophy Hooding Ceremony  https://youtu.be/k7gF15btnYk
• May 13, 2022, 9:30 a.m.  NJIT, Newark College of Engineering Convocation Ceremony  

Information technology student Sam Itman has long believed that knowledge and passion for technology can open doors as “it presents a world of opportunities to those who are willing to discover them.” For Itman, these opportunities have led to an impactful internship at Optum and a cybersecurity position with the federal government.

Sreya Das, graduating this spring with a bachelor's in computer science and is headed for the cybersecurity team at financial giant JPMorgan Chase, credits much of her success to involvement with activities outside the classroom.

Das joined so many NJIT student organizations and academic commitments that she practically lost count. "The number of activities she is successfully involved in is mind boggling. I call her superwoman," Ying Wu College of Computing Professor James Geller said.