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. “The possibilities before you are very great. The needs of humanity also are very great. And we are counting on you to help us meet them,” said Jackson, who has led RPI since 1999. “So, as you go about your lives and your careers, let…

Sreya Sanyal ’22 is right where she wants to be in the fight against cancer — at the cutting-edge of medical research. She’ll soon be using the breakthrough gene-editing technology CRISPR-Cas9, often described as “genetic scissors”, to study human disease as a post baccalaureate researcher with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) after graduation. For Sanyal, whose parents met and graduated from medical school in India, her journey toward a career as a physician-scientist specializing in cancer biology has deep roots, beginning at the age of 10.  “My mom was an oncologist who was…

On May 4, celebratory glasses were raised at the signature year-end awards ceremony for NJIT’s College of Science and Liberal Arts (CSLA), where the incredible milestone of the college’s 40th anniversary served as backdrop to the festivities. It was an afternoon full of recognition for this year’s standout faculty, students, staff and alumni inside the Central King Building’s Agile Strategy Lab. The ceremony also offered plenty of moments to look back on four transformational decades since former NJIT President Saul Fenster originally dubbed the college the university’s “Third School” in a…

For biology graduate Xavier Reyes, his decision to hang up his lab coat in exchange for overalls to become an organic farmer is the best way he can move the needle on sustainability. The Albert Dorman Honors College student had come to NJIT with the idea that he would pursue a career in ecological research to help the fight against climate change and improve the relationship between nature and mankind. He conducted research with some of NJIT’s most prolific faculty, like Phil Barden, researching how the size of an ecosystem affects its ability to hold biodiversity. His analysis in the…

In class, on campus grounds and in Newark, students at NJIT’s Albert Dorman Honors College are working toward creating a greener, more sustainable urban environment in keeping with the university’s broader push toward sustainability. The students are acting locally even while they think globally about benefits of biodiversity and hazards of climate change. Their efforts include everything from planting trees and shrubs on campus and clearing debris from nearby Branch Brook Park to reimagining the garden atop the Campus Center. For the latter project — part of the Honors First-Year…

Biochemistry undergrad Simone Bishara ’23 has spent the past year conducting research at NJIT that could one day improve the lives of those in need of tissue transplants — that work has helped earn her a prestigious Goldwater Scholarship that’s driving her closer to her career aspirations.  This year, Bishara was named among 417 recipients of the honor, which is typically reserved for the most exemplary U.S. undergraduates pursuing research careers.  “I’m extremely grateful that I was awarded such a prestigious scholarship,” said Bishara, an Albert Dorman Honors College student…

Neil Maher, NJIT master teacher and professor of history, has been named fellow for The New York Public Library’s Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers. The fellowship traditionally attracts outstanding scholars, writers and visual artists from around the world. Fellows collaborate and develop scholarly work over a nine-month term with access to the vast research collections at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street. The fellowship is regarded as one of the most sought-after in the humanities, with past fellows having won National Book…

Scholarships enabled Jennifer Cabral and Dominic Bosi to overcome financial hurdles and study science and engineering at New Jersey Institute of Technology. Cabral and Bosi are both first-generation students from working-class families. As such, they needed help to afford college. Generous donors supplied that, and once enrolled, they found their callings and are pursuing them with passion. Both undergraduates shared their stories at an annual NJIT brunch celebrating the impact of scholarships that also featured remarks from pioneering alumna R. Cynthia Pruett ’55 and President Joel S.…

NJIT’s student newspaper, The Vector, continues making its journalistic voice heard — the paper is the recipient of several awards from U.S. college media contests recently. The Vector was named the Corbin Gwaltney Award winner for “Best All-Around Student Newspaper” (among large universities) at the Society of Professional Journalists Region 1 Mark of Excellence Awards, beating out competition from the likes of Hofstra University and Boston College.  Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) judges have praised the paper for its “visuality and a creative selection of…

From an estimated pool of over 5,000 college sophomores and juniors, two NJIT students — Simone Bishara and Vishva Rana, both Albert Dorman Honors College scholars — have been named Goldwater Scholars this year by the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. The scholarship is recognized as among the country’s most prestigious for STEM undergraduates pursuing research careers. The NJIT Goldwater Scholars represent two of 10 statewide, and 417 total students across the United States with over 400 academic institutions nominating students. Goldwater Scholars each…