New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) has selected John Pelesko to serve as its next provost and senior vice president for academic affairs after a nationwide search. Pelesko, currently the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Delaware (UD), will start on Aug. 1. Pelesko, an NJIT alumnus who earned a Ph.D. in mathematical sciences from the university, will seek to enhance NJIT’s educational programs and grow its research portfolio through federal, state and industry partnerships. More broadly, he’ll work closely with NJIT President Teik C. Lim and the Board of…

NJIT Ph.D. physics student John Stefan has new findings about earthquake-like events on the Sun that have recently shaken up the world of space science during one of the biggest international conferences for high-performance computing of the year — the SC22 Supercomputing Conference. At SC22 in Dallas, TX, Stefan and NJIT physics professor Alexander Kosovichev showcased research at NASA's conference exhibit, which has offered surprising new details about how solar flares generate powerful sunquakes that ripple along the Sun’s surface, similar in effect to earthquakes. Stefan’s findings have…

Today’s world is driven by data – and data science is what powers the engine in this rapidly expanding global ecosystem. To address the need for talent and knowledge in this emerging field, NJIT’s Departments of Data Science and Mathematical Sciences have launched a new Ph.D. in Data Science program, dedicated to growing the field and generating top-notch data scientists.  The program offers a computing option and statistics option to accommodate different interest profiles, with some overlap between the two. The computing option, offered by the data science department, deals with the…

NJIT's Entrepreneur Society hosts an annual startup job fair, providing students with the opportunity to pursue careers and meet directly with the founders of new local companies. Hundreds of students attend, many looking for the perfect match, while others were there to network or learn about the startup experience from the dozens of companies present. Aravindakshan Sarma, studying for an M.S. in information systems, said he's looking for a full-time job and prefers working at a startup rather than a large company. "I'm trying to see if I fit somewhere … Probably as a data analyst or…

A solar radio burst with a signal pattern, akin to that of a heartbeat, has been pinpointed in the Sun’s atmosphere, according to a new study. In findings published in the journal Nature Communications, an international team of researchers has reported uncovering the source location of a radio signal coming from within a C-class solar flare more than 5,000 kilometers above the Sun’s surface. Researchers say the study’s findings could help scientists better understand the physical processes behind the energy release of solar flares — the solar system’s most powerful explosions. “The…

The latest book from NJIT’s Chaudhery Mustansar Hussain captures the dichotomy of nanotechnology: it facilitates everything from the delivery of medicine and sunblock to the development of smart phones and filtration of wastewater but also produces tiny particles that are invisible to the eye and therefore can easily be absorbed by soil or humans. What’s more, research into the potential toxicity of the particles lags the explosive growth of nanotech, with more than 240 related products now on the market. Such concerns fueled the development of Hussain’s book, Environmental, Ethical and…

Bin Chen, associate professor of physics and researcher at NJIT’s Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research (CSTR), has been awarded the 2023 Karen Harvey Prize from the Solar Physics Division of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) for “significantly advancing” our understanding of the fundamental physics driving the largest explosions in our solar system — solar flares. The Karen Harvey Prize, established by AAS’s Solar Physics Division in 2002 in memory of solar physicist Karen L. Harvey (1942-2002), is awarded each year in recognition of a significant contribution to the study of the Sun…

Just how realistic are the nail-biting shark attack scenes we see portrayed on the big screen? Recently, NJIT Ph.D. student and shark researcher Amani Webber-Schultz sat down with Business Insider to take a deep dive into 10 memorable shark attack scenes from TV and Hollywood, lending some expert commentary and ranking how each stacks up to actual science. From Jaws to Finding Nemo, Webber-Schultz dispels some popular myths about the famed predators, while offering lesser-known facts about the world of great whites, hammerheads and more.   Along with studying shark morphology and…

At NJIT’s annual STEM Leadership Forum, teachers, administrators and curriculum builders for elementary thru high school students attended to find out more about why forensic science has inspired so many students to pursue STEM degrees, and how they can incorporate it into their teachings. “It’s an altruistic field of study,” noted David Fisher, director of NJIT’s forensic science program and former expert criminalist with New York City’s Chief Medical Examiner. “Students want to do something meaningful. So if you can teach STEM in a meaningful way, it’s more likely you’re going to capture…

A forest’s resilience, or ability to absorb environmental disturbances, has long been thought to be a boost for its odds of survival against the looming threat of climate change. But a new study suggests that for some Western U.S. forests, it’s quite the opposite. In the journal Global Change Biology, researchers have published one of the first large-scale studies of U.S. forest land exploring the link between forest resilience and mortality. The study is based on more than three decades of satellite image data used for assessing forest resilience, and more than two decades of ground…