Unprecedented Success for NJIT Students in National Scholarship and Fellowship Competitions
Whether they’ll be soaking up cultures abroad in the coming year or advancing research in science, health care and other fields, all of the NJIT students receiving prominent and highly competitive scholarships and fellowships in 2019 are, in a word, impressive. In fact, two university records were achieved: For the first time, an NJIT student earned the David L. Boren Scholarship, which seeks to build a workforce of national security professionals with critical language skills, and two NJIT students were awarded Barry M. Goldwater Scholarships, for undergraduate research, in the same year.
“It’s exciting to see so many NJIT students receiving national recognition,” said Lorna Ronald, associate director of prestigious fellowships and honors advising, Albert Dorman Honors College, who works with students on fellowship applications and led a reception at the college to recognize the recipients. “As a newcomer to the Honors College, I’ve been blown away by the caliber and motivation of NJIT students. I’m thrilled that our students have earned these awards, which will open doors and create opportunities for even greater success in the future."
Boren recipient John Antley, an environmental science major and Dorman Scholar, will travel to South Korea for six months in spring 2020. There he will learn the Korean language, with plans to then apply this new skill toward fostering bilateral partnerships that help address national security issues around pollution in the Pacific Ocean.
“It does feel really good,” he remarked about being the first at NJIT to be awarded a Boren Scholarship. “It’s going to be a really cool experience.”
Applied physics student Samantha Lomuscio, who shares Goldwater honors with biomedical engineering major Sebastian Fine, both Dorman Scholars, commented, “It feels surreal. … Before college, I didn’t even really know about research too much, so I can’t believe the changes that have happened throughout my college career. I never thought I’d be in this position, winning an award like this.”
For the past year Lomuscio has studied the spatial and temporal origins of solar flares in NJIT’s Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research, “trying to understand the cause of solar flares … why particles are accelerated in the solar atmosphere, [and] to figure out the mechanism behind that.” Supported by her scholarship, she plans to pursue a doctorate in astrophysics starting fall 2020.
Leaving this June for Singapore is Samir Peshori, a Dorman Scholar and double major in computer science and information technology. He’ll study at Nanyang Technological University, thanks to the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, which provides grants for American undergraduates to pursue academic studies or internships abroad.
“In Singapore, I’ll be taking entrepreneurship classes, exploring, talking with people,” said Peshori, choosing Singapore at the suggestion of his father and for its reputation as a topnotch technology hub. “I think it will be a wonderful time.”
Much work goes into applying for these scholarships and fellowships, for students as well as university staff and faculty. In addition to Ronald, students receive help from their research mentors and fellowship campus representatives, including John Carpinelli, professor of electrical and computer engineering, and Cristiana Kunyczka, director of global initiatives.
As Honors College Dean Louis Hamilton pointed out at the reception, “We have so many wonderful students at NJIT, but to achieve this level of success really requires a much larger effort. It requires an institutional effort, which helps us get our students the recognition they deserve and brings the resources together. And it requires a lot of personal effort, in terms of advisers and mentors who are part of the process.”
The Full List
Boren Scholarship
John Antley, environmental science
South Korea
Jenan Abu-Hakmeh, business
United Arab Emirates
David Lipstyn, biology
Spain (Alternate)
Gilman Scholarship
Samir Peshori, computer science and information technology
Singapore
Youliana El Komos, architecture
Italy (Alternate)
Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship
Sebastian Fine, biomedical engineering
Samantha Lomuscio, applied physics
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship
Victoria Harbour, biomedical engineering
Dylan Renaud, applied physics
