NJIT Magazine - Winter 2011 by NJIT

maga zi ne

winter

Seeing the uv

higher frequency

lower frequency

NJIT researchers expand the boundaries of materials science

in china NJIT Partnerships and Alumni Success

Central High Update Renovating an Historic High School

Executive Summary

A Message from NJIT President Robert A. Altenkirch

“ Where there is an open mind there will always be a frontier.” — Charles F. Kettering Algebra, geometry, trigonometry, chemistry, physics and drawing – these were the only courses available to students at Newark Technical School in the 1880s. It was a curriculum very narrow by the standards of the 21st century. Yet the knowledge gained would help industries in the Newark area to accelerate the transformation of daily life with products developed through the focused application of science and technology. Over the decades, Newark Technical School grew to become Newark College of Engineering, and then New Jersey Institute of Technology. The frontiers of research and education expanded as well, attracting an increasing number of women and men to a range of disciplines that would have been impossible to envision in the 19th century. Today, described in this issue, NJIT faculty and students are at work on the leading edge of fields such as materials science, probing the basic structure of matter with instrumentation unimaginable a hundred and thirty years ago. NJIT’s mission has also evolved to encompass proactive involvement with the life of our host city. The update on renovating the recently acquired Central High School building emphasizes our commitment both to providing new facilities that serve students enrolled at NJIT and strengthening the relationships we have established with the surrounding community. In 2011, NJIT is engaged to an increasing degree with the global community. Our students have come to Newark from many countries, among them the People’s Republic of China. In the article about his trip to China, Donald Sebastian, senior vice president for research and development, writes about the mutual benefits of this international connection, including technological progress that can improve life for the people of every nation. Much has changed since Newark Technical School first held classes in a leased building at 21 West Park Street. Nonetheless, we share an important bond with all those who studied there. They were open to new, transformative ideas. While our frontiers are much broader, realizing their full potential depends on the same spirit. An open mind, as the noted American automotive engineer Charles Kettering said, also guarantees that there will be even more exciting frontiers to explore in the years ahead.

N J I T M a g a z in e Winter 2011 Jean M. Llewellyn Executive Director Office of Strategic Communications Dean L. Maskevich Editor Christina Crovetto MS ’03 Assistant Editor Babette Hoyle Production Coordinator Skelton Design Design Editorial Advisory Board Joel Bloom, Robert A. Boynton, Charles R. Dees, Jr., E. Perry Deess, Kirstie Gentleman, Kathryn Kelly, Carol Pilla, Jacquelynn G. Rhodes, Henry Ross, Anita Rubino ’83, Steven Saperstein ’84, Michele Scott ’93, Donald H. Sebastian, Nancy Steffen-Fluhr, Sheryl Weinstein NJIT Magazine is published by New Jersey Institute of Technology, Office of Strategic Communications. Its mission is to foster ties with alumni, university friends and corporate partners and to report on relevant issues, particularly those in education, science, research and technology. Visit us on the web at magazine.njit.edu Please send letters of comment and requests to reproduce material from NJIT Magazine to: NJIT Magazine Office of Strategic Communications University Heights Newark, NJ 07102-1982 Dean.Maskevich@njit.edu Robert A. Altenkirch President Charles R. Dees, Jr. Vice President University Advancement Robert A. Boynton Executive Director Alumni Relations

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Features pag e 10

Seeing the Light: Materials Research NJIT researchers are expanding the boundaries of materials science at the National Synchrotron Light Source. page 16

A Solar Link with China Senior VP Donald H. Sebastian reports on NJIT’s partnership with Apollo Solar Energy, Inc. and the success of alumni in China. page 20

d e p a r t m e nt s 2 Abstracts

NJIT news in brief 7 p oint by point

Athletics update 8 g iving

NJIT development news 24 a lumni circuit

Class notes, alumni calendar, and more 3 3 at the edge

Leading-edge achievements by faculty, staff, students, alumni

Of Central High and NJIT: A New Relationship An update on NJIT’s renovation of the historic Central High School building.

The Shanghai skyline: “New York on steroids” according to Donald H. Sebastian, NJIT’s senior vice president for research and development. NJIT MAGAZINE

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abstracts Tuning In on the Sun

“Space weather incidents such as solar coronal mass ejections and solar flares can cause problems with cell phone reception, GPS systems, power grids and other technologies,” says Dale Gary, distinguished professor of physics and OSVA director. “We hope that by improving radio frequency observations of the Sun we can learn much more about the nature of these phenomena and how to minimize their terrestrial impact.” The three-year grant will increase the number of receiving dishes from 7 to 15 and allow for other improvements to equipment at the site. It’s very significant that the refurbished array will enable researchers to study the Sun over 17,000 frequencies, as opposed to the 86 frequencies previously available. According to Gary, the availability of so many frequencies will facilitate observing the Sun at much narrower frequencies, which is basic to obtaining more detailed information about the phenomena under investigation. Observing at narrower frequencies also makes it easier to compensate for interference from terrestrial sources, such as wireless communications systems. n ovsa.njit.edu

A $5 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to upgrade and expand the Owens Valley Solar Array (OVSA) in California has been awarded to NJIT under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Operated by NJIT since 1997, the OVSA is the only radio observatory in the U.S. dedicated to solar research.

Food for Thought The international food production and processing industry is the focus of a new NJIT bachelor’s program in multinational engineering management. NJIT will offer the degree in partnership with a consortium of universities from the United States and the European Union (EU). Support includes a $416,000 grant from the U.S. Department 2

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of Education’s Fund for Improvement of Post Secondary Education and an equal grant from the EU. Layek Abdel-Malek, NJIT professor of industrial engineering and program director, expects to enroll a first class of 12 students at participating U.S. and European campuses in September. NJIT is the lead American institution, while the University of Parma, Italy, leads the European effort. Rutgers University, New Brunswick, and the University

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Space weather incidents such as solar flares can cause problems with cell phone reception, GPS systems, power grids and other technologies.

of Extremadura in Spain are also partners. The program will emphasize industrial engineering, supply chain management and operations management, along with intensive language training and cultural exposure. U.S. students will spend 12 months of the four-year program in Italy and Spain, while European students will spend a year at NJIT or Rutgers. n mechanical.njit.edu

The breathalyzer system can detect several hundred different chemical compounds in samples of human breath.

Honoring Innovation

Photo: Zhengfang Chen, PhD ’98

NJIT faculty and alumni were among the innovators honored at the 22nd Annual New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame Awards ceremony in October. Timothy Chang, distinguished professor of electrical and computer engineering, received a Special Award for achievements ranging from personalized weapon technology to molecular biology and decentralized control systems. Yun Q. Shi, professor of electrical and computer engineering, was recognized for his work in digital forensics and security. Chang has been a leader in the program to develop handguns

Professors Yun Q. Shi and Timothy Chang

that can electronically recognize authorized users and record all firing activities, funded by the National Institute for Justice, the State Department and the Army. Chang’s work in biomedical applications includes his patented Smart Pin liquid-dispensing system for molecular research. His investigation of decentralized control has significant implications for managing urban traffic networks, large power grids and data routing on the Internet.

Richard Caizza, who earned a certificate in plastics technology from NJIT in 1992, received the Inventor of the Year award for his patent “Single-Handedly Actuatable Safety Shield for Needles.” This innovation improves the safety of needles used to create a permanent means of entry into a vein or artery so that drugs may be administered without repeatedly puncturing the skin. Vikki Hazelwood, MS ’98, biomedical engineering professor at Stevens Institute of Technology, received the Advancement of Invention award, given for a “sterling record of sustained encouragement of innovation in New Jersey” serving as a “model to encourage careers linked with or dependent upon invention and innovation.” Shi was also among 30 New Jersey inventors from eight companies and universities honored in November at the 2010 Thomas Alva Edison Patent Awards ceremony, sponsored by the Research and Development Council of New Jersey. Shi was recognized for his invention of a new method to detect tampering with electronic images. Known as steganography, Shi’s innovation allows original digital cover images to be recovered without distortion once hidden data has been extracted. This technology, which has received four patents, has promising applications in digital forensics, intellectual property security and the transmission of medical images. Other NJIT researchers working on this project were Zhicheng Ni, PhD ’05 and Professor Nirwan Ansari. n ece.njit.edu

Breath Test Detects Radiation Menssana Research Inc., whose laboratory is in the NJIT Enterprise Development Center, has a $4.2 million contract from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to apply its unique breathalyzer technology to testing for radiation exposure. If the contract is exercised with options, it could total over $22 million. The breathalyzer system that the company has developed, which is much more sensitive than those used to measure blood alcohol concentrations, can detect several hundred different chemical compounds in samples of human breath. It is currently in studies to identify disease biomarkers for lung cancer, breast cancer and tuberculosis. A pilot study has already identified biomarkers indicating radiation exposure in cancer patients receiving radiation therapy. Safe, non-invasive and painless, the Menssana system requires only that a person breathe gently into a mouthpiece for two minutes. The project’s long-term goal is to develop a point-of-care breathalyzer that could be used to rapidly screen large numbers of people for radiation exposure, and to determine the severity of the dose received. n www.njit-edc.org

Photo: Astrid Phillips

Visit NJIT Magazine online at magazine.njit.edu for links to more information about topics in this issue.

Menssana founder and CEO Michael Phillips, MD NJIT MAGAZINE

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“ The EDC provided the mentoring that enabled these life-science companies to participate in this federal program.”

Health Innovators Gain Federal Support Edge Therapeutics, Healthy Functions, HiLin Life Products, Urovalve and Samos Pharmaceuticals – what do these high-tech New Jersey companies have in common? They’ve achieved success in the health care field with the assistance of NJIT’s Enterprise Development Center (EDC) and are the recipients of more than a million dollars in funding awarded in 2009 and 2010 under the federal program “Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project Grants for the State of New Jersey.” The Internal Revenue Service (IRS), in conjunction with the Department of Health and Human Services, approved applications from companies having no more than 250 employees for projects that showed significant potential to produce new and cost-saving therapies, support jobs and increase U.S. competitiveness. The IRS determined the amount to be awarded to each company. Edge Therapeutics, Inc. transforms well-established off-patent drugs into targeted, locally delivered therapies that address medical conditions in the central nervous system.

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Healthy Functions, LLC develops state-of-the-art support surfaces to help prevent and treat pressure ulcers. HiLin Life Products, Inc. offers products and services that improve women’s reproductive health. Urovalve Inc.’s mission is to design, develop and commercialize superior medical devices that address serious problems with urinary flow and control. Each of these companies is currently based at the EDC. Samos Pharmaceuticals, LLC, an EDC graduate now headquartered in Kendall Park, New Jersey, has developed a platform technology that allows for the oral or parenteral delivery of drugs over a several-day period, such as 7 days or 30 days, with the administration of a single pill or capsule. “The EDC provided the mentoring that enabled these life-science companies to participate in this federal program,” says Judith Sheft, associate vice president for technology development at NJIT. “We made the companies aware of the opportunity, arranged for a seminar featuring tax accounting experts and helped the firms prepare their applications. The outcome encouraged us all.” The EDC is New Jersey’s largest high-technology business incubator, and one of the largest in the nation. The over 90 companies presently housed at the EDC employ some 300 people. They have attracted more than $55 million in third-party funding and have had revenues of approximately $40 million. n www.njit-edc.org

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Photo: john micale

Judith Sheft, Associate VP for Technology Development

Researchers Receive Coulter Awards Associate Professor Treena Arinzeh and Assistant Professor Cheul Cho, both in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, have received prestigious Coulter Foundation Translational Awards for promising patent applications. The Coulter program provides funding for professors in established U.S. biomedical engineering departments, with initial funding of at least $200,000 over a two-year period for each recipient.

The Write Stuff Highlander teams were once again in hot competition for prizes at NJIT Day in October — the annual fall festival of fun activities open to the entire NJIT community. This year, for the first time, competitors pulled together to write the word “Highlanders” in a rather unconventional manner. n

NJIT Associate Professor Treena Arinzeh will receive funding for work that involves creating a composite material for bone repair. This material can be combined with stem cells to enhance the rate of repair. Cho’s research focuses on designing a clinically-scaled bio-artificial liver. The Coulter Foundation supports biomedical research that is translational in nature. Translational research seeks to develop promising technologies with the goal of progressing toward commercial development and introduction into clinical practice. n biomedical.njit.edu

book shelf

Humanities Department lecturer Miriam Ascarelli has published Independent Vision: Dorothy Harrison Eustis and the Story of the Seeing Eye (Purdue University Press, 2010), a biography of Dorothy Harrison Eustis, founder of The Seeing Eye, the first guide-dog school in the United States and a well-known Morristown, New Jersey, institution. Drawing on correspondence, private papers and newspaper accounts, the book focuses on the arc of Eustis’s life from her upper-class childhood in Victorian Philadelphia to the confluence of events that led to the creation of The Seeing Eye in 1929 and her death in 1946. n

Premier poster presentation Architecture major Sophia Sobers is the first undergraduate from NJIT’s College of Architecture and Design to have a research poster accepted for SIGGRAPH, the international conference and exhibition on computer graphics and interactive design techniques held annually for more than three decades. Sobers, an Albert Dorman honors scholar, traveled to Los Angeles for her presentation on interactive parametric architecture in the

design category at the conference sponsored by the Association of Computing Machinery. n

Photo: john micale

E. Pierre “Perry” Deess, director of institutional research and planning, has co-authored The Jury and Democracy: How Jury Deliberation Promotes Civic Engagement and Political Participation (Oxford University Press, 2010). Supported by in-depth interviews, juror surveys, and court and voting records across the United States, the authors show that jury service can trigger changes in how citizens view themselves, their peers and their government – and can even increase electoral turnout among infrequent voters. Jury service is also a factor in long-term shifts in media use, political action and community involvement.

Executive chef and NJIT Food Services director Peter Fischbach

Rooftop Garden of Plenty Two years ago, NJIT planted a prototype garden on the sunny, windy roof of the Campus Center to see if anything would grow amid the solar panels. When all of the test vegetables grew well, 220 square feet of raised, irrigated planting boxes were built. Among the garden’s most enthusiastic advocates is Peter Fischbach, award-winning chef and director of Food Services at NJIT. In the fall, Fischbach helped to bring in a harvest that he nurtured along with NJIT students, volunteers and Food Services colleague Julia Aiello. Fischbach’s Campus Center menus benefitted from fresh spinach, kale, Swiss chard, collard greens, lettuce, arugula, carrots and beets. Going forward, the plan is to plant a spring garden at the end of March, weather permitting. Hopes are high for eventual expansion into a rooftop farm of 2,000 square feet or more. Organic gardening consultant and NJIT alumna Wanda Knapik ’83 has helped to make the Campus Center garden a success. In 2008, Knapik launched My Local Garden (www.mylocalgarden.com), which is currently focused on building a broad community of backyard vegetable growers in New Jersey and creating a more sustainable local food system. The garden will also be an outdoor classroom for NJIT’s Department of Biological Sciences. “We will be using this garden to provide inspiration and hands-on learning about biodiversity in ecological systems for our students,” says Assistant Professor Daniel Bunker.

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END NO T ES

Victor Matveev, associate

professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences, was part of a research team that recently published “N-type Ca2+ channels carry the largest current: Implications for nanodomains and transmitter release,” in Nature Neuroscience. Since transmitter release is involved in virtually every aspect of nervous system function, this research has broad significance for the understanding of normal brain processing and central and peripheral nervous system disorders. Marino Xanthos, professor in the Otto H. York Department of Chemical, Biological and Pharmaceutical Engineering, was awarded the 2010 Heinz List Award at the annual meeting of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE). His colleagues honored him for outstanding achievements in polymerization reactions and polymer devolatilization.

Ali Akansu, professor of electrical

and computer engineering and his former doctoral student Handan Agirman-Tosun, PhD, published the paper “Generalized Discrete Fourier Transform with Nonlinear Phase,” in IEEE Transactions on

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Sponsored by LIST USA, an extrusion and polymer reaction machinery manufacturer, the award is given to an individual who has demonstrated unique vision and innovation in the field of polymer processing technology. Xanthos, an SPE Fellow, holds five U.S. patents and has published more than 250 journal articles and conference papers over a career spanning more than 40 years. At NJIT, he has served as director of research for the Polymer Processing Institute, where he supervised researchers who developed new applications for recycled plastics based on reactive polymer processing. Signal Processing, Vol. 58, No. 9. Akansu also gave a talk titled “Generalized Discrete Fourier Transform with Nonlinear Phase: A Time-Frequency Method” in October at Purdue University.

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Sima Bagheri, professor of civil and environmental engineering, participated at the 8th Annual National Academies Keck Futures Initiative (NAKFI) conference, “Seeing the Future with Imaging Science,” in November. NAKFI is a 15-year effort of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine to catalyze interdisciplinary inquiry and to enhance communication among researchers, funding organizations, universities, and the general public. Bagheri’s contribution is titled “The Impact of Global Change on Nearshore Water Quality – A Remote Sensing Approach.” Maurie J. Cohen, associate professor and director of the environmental policy studies program at NJIT, gave the keynote address on “The New Political Economy of Economic Growth” at the Pace Institute for Environmental and Regional Studies Conference on the Environment in November. Carol S. Johnson, associate profes-

sor in the Department of Humanities, has won the 2010 National Council of Teachers of English Award in Technical and Scientific Communication in the category of Best Book in Technical or Scientific Communication for The Language of Work: Technical Communication at Lukens Steel, 1810-1925 (Baywood Publishing Company, 2009). Allison Perlman, assistant profes-

sor of history, has been awarded a research fellowship in the Verklin Program in Media Ethics and Policy at the University of Virginia. She is the first research fellow in the Verklin Program, which seeks to promote high-quality academic research on the ethics of media

policy, the reciprocal relationship between the media and the law, and the political and social impact of media regulation. Stephen Pemberton, associate professor of history, presented “Hemophilia,‘The Most Hereditary of All Diseases’: How Genetics Mattered for Experimental Hematologists Engaged in Efforts to Manage Hereditary Bleeding Disorders (1947-1964)” at the Human Heredity in the Twentieth Century Workshop held in the UK at the University of Exeter. In another presentation, Pemberton discussed the history of sickle cell disease in the 20th century and its link to race at a national symposium sponsored by the National Institutes of Health to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the discovery of this disease. Paul G. Ranky, professor in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, presented “Case-Based/Problem-Based Sustainable Green Engineering Teaching /Learning Methods and Experiences for Millennial Generation Engineering Students in the USA, Europe and Asia” at the 2010 International Symposium on Flexible Automation in Tokyo. He also served as co-chair of the Green Engineering Session at the conference. Andrzej Zarzycki, assistant professor in the College of Architecture and Design, has been elected to the New York City chapter of the ACM/SIGGRAPH Board of Directors. ACM/SIGGRAPH is the Association for Computing Machinery Special Interest Group for computer graphics and interactive techniques. n

point by point

Below: Honored members of the 1960 championship men’s soccer team: (left to right) Roy Knutsen ’62, Co-Captain William Garro ’62, Ed Cruz ’63, Don DePree ’63, Roger Edwards ’63, Andrew Handwerker ’63, Alex Khowaylo ’63, Bob McEntee ’62, Peter Szabados ’61 and Coach J. Malcolm Simon. Adam Zlotnick and Guy Cilento ’84 accepted the commemorative medallion on behalf of their late fathers, Bob Zlotnick ’63 and Co-Captain Guy Cilento ’61.

The latest news about NJIT sports: www.njithighlanders.com

A Special Evening for Athletics NJIT added three new members to its athletics Hall of Fame; celebrated the 50th anniversary of its 1960 men’s soccer national championship; remembered late, great baseball coach John “Gene” Schmid; and honored a retiring physical education faculty member at annual Hall of Fame ceremonies held in the Campus Center in October. The three new Hall of Fame inductees were: Tarik Rodgers (men’s volleyball; class of 1996, ME); Jon Ross (men’s soccer; class of 1956, ME); and the late Gregory Soriano (men’s fencing; class of 1975, CE). Duane Felczak, who is retiring at the end of 2010 after serving on the physical education faculty since 1974, was honored as the latest recipient of the Robert Swanson Award, named in honor of the late professor and director of athletics (1947 to 1972).

The 1960 Newark College of Engineering soccer team, celebrated at the event, finished the season undefeated, with 12 wins and one tie, and was champion of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Members of that historic team who attended were joined by their coach, Mal Simon. NJIT also remembered the late coach Gene Schmid, who died in June 2010. Schmid, head coach of NJIT baseball from 1973 to 1997, also served NJIT for more than 20 years as director of career planning and placement. He led the Highlanders to 393 victories and 11 conference championships. Coach Schmid’s number 6 was retired. His children, attending with grandchildren, received gifts commemorating the night. Schmid’s son, Kevin, spoke on behalf of the family. Here is a brief look at the three

Photo: Stephanie Pillari

Volleyball Alumna Division I Student-Athlete of the Year

From left: Women’s Volleyball Head Coach JR Martins, Sabrina Baby, Associate Athletic Director Alexis Schug

Photo: Larry Levanti

By Tim Camp, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information

new Hall of Fame inductees: Tarik Rodgers was a starter for NJIT men’s volleyball for all four of his seasons. As a senior in 1995, he was the national Small College Player of the Year. He was named to the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association All-Tournament Team in 1994 and 1995 and was Most Valuable Player of the EIVA Division III championship. After graduating from NJIT, Rodgers earned an MBA in finance and strategy from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. Jon Ross, who had served in the United States Army prior to attending NCE, was 25 years old as a senior in 1955. Ross was the

second NCE player ever honored on the National Soccer Coaches of America Eastern District Team. He began his post-college career in the Pittsburgh area and eventually retired in 1995 from Con Edison in New York. The late Greg Soriano (19502007), a native of Newark, was one of the top NAIA fencers in the East. As a freshman, he was second in the East and in New Jersey; as a sophomore, he was NAIA East and New Jersey champion in the saber; as a junior, he was fourth in New Jersey and second in the NAIA East; and as a senior, he was second in the NAIA East and competed in the NAIA nationals. n

Sabrina Baby ’10, who starred for four years on the women’s volleyball

team, was honored as the female statewide Division I Student-Athlete of the Year for 2009-10 by the College Athletic Administrators of New Jersey. The award, given by the group comprised of athletic administrators from all of the state’s two- and four-year institutions, is the latest of many received by Baby for her accomplishments, both athletic and academic. The holder of every significant match, season and career record for digs at NJIT, Baby was both an NCAA national Division I statistical champion in 2009 and the first Academic All-America for NJIT in the school’s Division I competition. On the court, Sabrina was the 2009 national statistical champion in digs per set, averaging 6.27 digs and leading the 2009 Highlanders to the national team statistical championship in that category as well. In December 2009, she became an Academic All-America honoree when the College Sports Information Directors of America voted her onto the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Third Team. n

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giving Making a vital investment Celebration 2010 – once again this festive event filled the Pleasantdale Chateau in West Orange, New Jersey, with NJIT supporters committed to increasing the university’s endowed scholarship assistance for exceptionally talented young men and women. Over the past 16 years, Celebration has raised more than $3.8 million for endowed scholarships. At the podium as master of ceremonies was Michael A. Wall, executive vice president, Accelerant Sales Group, LLC. In addition to chairing the 2010 Executive Dinner Committee, Wall serves on the NJIT Board of Overseers and the Board of Visitors for the School of Management.

Master of Ceremonies Michael A. Wall

Student Speaker Karen Cilento

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Architect and athlete Architecture major Karen Cilento ’12 represented the students whose scholarships are helping to make their educational aspirations a reality. Cilento is the recipient of NJIT Honors, Presidential, Faculty, and Women in Science and Engineering scholarships. Enrolled in Albert Dorman Honors College, Cilento is already applying her talents as a fourth-year architectural student to real-world projects. Working with Habitat for Humanity in a studio course focused on affordable, sustainable housing for Newark residents, she created a townhouse design that has been selected for construction in the near future. It’s expected that several units based on Cilento’s design will be built in the city after detailed plans are developed and approved.

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Learn more and contribute at www.njit.edu/giving

Cilento excels in athletics as well. A Division I swimmer, she broke NJIT’s longest-standing record for the 50-meter freestyle sprint and was named to the Metropolitan Swimming and Diving Conference All-Academic Team for the 2008-2009 season.

NJIT Overseer James J. Coleman, Jr. was honored for lifetime achievement. Presidential honor Celebration is also an occasion to honor individuals and organizations for singular accomplishments and concern for NJIT. As in past years, presentation of the President’s Medal for Lifetime Achievement was a special highlight of the evening. For 2010, NJIT President Robert A. Altenkirch honored James J. Coleman, Jr. Coleman is chairman of InternationalMatex Tank Terminals, a familymanaged company that has major facilities in the U.S. and Canada for handling, storing and transshipping bulk liquids. A distinguished attorney, Coleman is also managing partner of the law firm Coleman, Johnson and Artigues in New Orleans. Additionally, he is president of the Coleman Development Company, Inc., a trustee of the Owen-Coleman Foundation and director of the Squaw Valley Corporation. Long a member of the NJIT Board of Overseers, Coleman will make another important contribution to NJIT as co-chair

of the NJIT NEXT campaign, along with Overseer Vincent J. Naimoli. The goal is to raise more than $150 million to build on the university’s legacy of excellence, providing support to compete successfully for students, faculty, funding and institutional recognition. Professional prominence Clifford M. Samuel ’88 was presented with the Edward F. Weston Medal for Professional Achievement. In his position as vice president for international access operations at Gilead Sciences, Inc., Samuel is working to accelerate access to life-saving medical therapy across the developing world. Products offered by Californiabased Gilead Sciences include medications for HIV/AIDS, liver disease and serious cardiovascular and respiratory conditions.

Clifford Samuel ’88 is working to accelerate access to life-saving medical therapy across the developing world. Samuel, who serves on the Albert Dorman Honors College Board of Visitors, supports the Clifford M. Samuel Trust Endowed Scholarship at NJIT. He is engaged in promoting community health closer to home as a member of the Community Advisory Board for the AIDS Health Project organized by the University of California, San Francisco.

Photos: Ginny Twersky

An outstanding partnership Each year, Celebration recognizes an outstanding corporate partner for their uniquely supportive relationship with NJIT. Both the company and the individual accepting the 2010 award have such a relationship. Nicholas M. DeNichilo ’73, ’78 accepted the award on behalf of Hatch Mott MacDonald (HMM), where he’s president and chief executive officer. He’s worked at HMM and its predecessor, Killam Associates, since 1974. DeNichilo also reserves time in a demanding schedule to participate on the NJIT Board of Overseers. In his remarks, DeNichilo spoke about the strong ties between the company and NJIT. He touched on the many NJIT graduates employed, endowed scholarship support, the executives serving on NJIT advisory boards and teaching as adjunct instructors, and the NJIT Corporate Club at the firm. Also attending the event were HMM vice presidents Philip LiVecchi ’06, Albert Melini ’73 and Joseph G. Stanley ’78, ’85. Stanley is president of the NJIT Alumni Association, and LiVecchi and Melini serve on the NCE Board of Visitors. Interviewed after Celebration, DeNichilo advocated for firms such as HMM to increase support for engineering education at all levels. “New talent is the life blood of our business,” he says. “Our corporate headquarters is in New Jersey and our relationship with NJIT is especially close. By meeting students before they graduate, by providing internships

Celebration 2010 honorees (left to right): Clifford M. Samuel, Edward F. Weston Medal for Professional Achievement; James M. Coleman, Jr., President’s Medal for Lifetime Achievement; Nicholas M. DeNichilo, who accepted the Outstanding Corporate Partner Award on behalf of Hatch Mott MacDonald.

and inviting them to see projects first-hand, we have the opportunity to get a sense of their talent as potential employees.” “Interest in engineering careers should also be encouraged in high school, and earlier,” asserts DeNichilo, a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers Industry Leaders Council. “It has to be a national priority. Our infrastructure for transportation, water, power and other vital services is in serious need of repair and upgrading.” DeNichilo says that decades of growth after World War II have greatly stressed the nation’s infrastructure, in some cases to a very dangerous point. It’s tragic, he adds, that it takes

“ We should be doing even more to encourage young people to think about careers in engineering, and to help them along the way. It’s a vital investment in the continuing success of companies like Hatch Mott MacDonald and the prosperity of the entire country.” Nicholas DeNichilo ’73, ’78, President and CEO, Hatch Mott MacDonald

a crisis like the collapse of a bridge to focus public attention on this critical issue. Rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure is also essential for remaining competitive in global markets. “That’s why we should be doing even more to encourage young people to

think about careers in engineering, and to help them along the way,” DeNichilo says. “It’s a vital investment in the continuing success of companies like Hatch Mott MacDonald and the prosperity of the entire country.” n

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seeing the RIGHT:

Part of the interior experimental space at the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSL S), Brookhaven National Laboratory. The two NSLS rings enable researchers to explore the frontiers of materials science in the ultraviolet, infrared and x-ray regions of the spectrum. Illustration p.10, photos p.11, p.13 courtesy of NSLS, Brookhaven National Laboratory.

beamline status as of August 2010

vuv x-ray

diffraction and 0 20 scattering Macromolecular 0 9 crystallography microspectroscopy 3 6 spectroscopy 7 9 other 1 4 diagnostic and 8 10 instrumentation construction 0 2 available 7 2 unused 5 3 insertion devices

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light :

astery of new materials has transformed the quality of life throughout history. Bronze and iron, basic to the rise of our civilization, have distinct historical epochs named after them. Steel, aluminum, plastics and a host of other materials accelerated progress in more recent eras, and semiconductors â&#x20AC;&#x201D; most notably silicon â&#x20AC;&#x201D; are at the heart of the computer revolution. Research with increasingly sophisticated instrumentation has been essential to progress in materials science. Developing theoretical models to increase our fund of materials knowledge requires probing such fundamental properties of matter as atomic, electronic and spin interactions and their interrelationships. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a

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quest that continues at Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York State, engaging NJIT Physics Department members Professor Trevor Tyson, Associate Professor Andrei Sirenko and Associate Professor Tao Zhou. At Brookhaven, the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) is central to their work. The two NSLS accelerator rings produce intense beams of “synchrotron light” over a broad range of energies and at frequencies which, in general, are invisible to the human eye. One ring is dedicated to research in the x-ray region of the electromagnetic spectrum and the other to the ultraviolet and infrared regions. Synchrotron light and appropriate end-user instrumentation can illuminate a great deal about the atomic structure, dynamics, and magnetic and electrical properties of materials, as well as other key characteristics. Tyson, Sirenko and Zhou have designed and installed new and more capable instrumentation on each ring at the NSLS. Tyson has also supervised the installation of an advanced system for materials research at NJIT. These efforts could lead to breakthroughs in theoretical modeling for high-temperature superconductivity, and for electronic and optical applications involving ferroelectric phenomena as well as combined ferroelectric and ferromagnetic systems. They could promote development of alternatives to

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fossil fuels for producing electric power – including materials for innovative battery, hydrogen and solar technologies. “Materials science has entered a fascinating era in which new microscopy and imaging technologies give direct evidence that atomic structures predicted by theory do, indeed, exist,” says Donald H. Sebastian, NJIT’s senior vice president for research and development. “Our researchers are creating the next generation of instrumentation that now probes the atom itself – with the prospect of creating a technology base leading to advanced materials with the power to revolutionize every field of application imaginable. We are truly fortunate to have faculty members like Trevor, Andrei and Tao, who are quite literally at ‘the edge in knowledge’ of this fast-evolving field.” Enhancing a regional resource The three NJIT faculty members are helping to enhance Brookhaven’s capabilities as a regional resource serving investigators from universities, industry and government. With a $530,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Sirenko and Zhou have recently added a spectroscopic ellipsometer to one of the NSLS infrared beamlines, or research stations. NJIT also manages access to the new instrument for all researchers. A growing number of requests for “beamtime”

Associate Professor Andrei Sirenko at Brookhaven with the far-infrared ellipsometer that he developed with Associate Professor Tao Zhou for the National Synchrotron Light Source.

are coming from other U.S. universities and foreign institutions. Spectroscopic ellipsometry is a powerful technique for materials research in fields ranging from semiconductor physics to biology. It is non-destructive and does not require physical contact with a sample. Analysis of how reflected light is polarized facilitates investigation of materials down to a single atomic layer, providing information about structure, chemical composition, electrical conductivity and other properties. NJIT’s technical and managerial responsibilities at Brookhaven underscore the university’s standing in the scientific community. “No single university can build and maintain a facility like the NSLS,” Zhou says. “But we can individually make contributions needed to take full advantage of its capabilities.” For their own research, Sirenko and Zhou plan to study materials that include multiferroics and superconducting films. Better understanding of multiferroics – in which unique electric and magnetic properties coexist – could lead to data-storage devices with speeds and capacities not possible at present. The potential of superconductivity, especially

“

aterials science has entered a fascinating era in which new microscopy and imaging technologies give direct evidence that atomic structures predicted by theory do, indeed, exist.” — Donald H. Sebastian, NJIT senior vice president for research and development

if it can be sustained at or near room temperature, ranges from the transmission of electricity with virtually no resistance to wide deployment of magnetic levitation trains capable of operating above 300 miles per hour. “Adding state-of-the-art instrumentation to the NSLS is very significant for the future of science and engineering in the U.S.,” Sirenko says. “We’re all part of an effort that encourages the spirit of cooperative research most likely to produce important results.” Shedding light on invisibility As Sirenko explains, the far-infrared ellipsometer that he and Zhou have developed for the NSLS provides greater capabilities for observing the difference between electrical and magnetic effects. The equations that James Clerk Maxwell formulated in the 1860s prove that electricity and magnetism are coupled in nature. However, while materials researchers have an increasing need to distinguish between magnetic and electrical phenomena, they have found it very challenging to do so for many experiments. With the help of the new ellipsometer, it will be possible to study magneto-electric effects in optics and advance understanding of the mutual interaction between electrical and magnetic optical excitations. One potential goal is to identify new materials that allow full control of how they propagate light, which

might even make it possible to bend light around objects in a way that renders them “invisible.” This could lead to the ultimate stealth technology. Although still in the realm of science fiction, Sirenko speculates that the ability to manipulate light in an appropriate manner could make the spacecraft “cloaking device” envisioned by the creators of Star Trek a reality, at least in the far-infrared spectral range. A decade at the x-ray ring Over the past decade, NJIT has had a major role in operating and upgrading the NSLS x-ray ring, where the university jointly operates two beamlines for scattering and spectroscopic studies under a program organized by Tyson. In addition to serving on the panel that reviews research proposals for the NSLS, he is a member of panels that oversee funding, operations and development of new light sources at other national synchrotron facilities. With more than a hundred publications, Tyson is one of the most highly cited researchers in the physical sciences at NJIT. Starting with an NSF Faculty Early Career Award, his work has been substantially funded by the NSF and the U.S. Department of Energy. Awards for his synchrotron-based research have totaled over $4 million, including more than $2 million for unique instrumentation. Tyson’s group developed one of the first high-resolution x-ray emission spectrometers

N S L S AT B R O O K H AV E N

An aerial view of the National Synchrotron Light Source at Brookhaven National Laboratory.

A Unique Light in New York The National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) is located at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York, within the greater area of the Town of Brookhaven on Long Island. Established in 1947, it is staffed by some 3,000 scientists, engineers, and other personnel. Brookhaven each year hosts thousands of guest investigators, including researchers from NJIT. Discoveries at the facility have won six Nobel Prizes. The Brookhaven laboratory was originally dedicated to nuclear research. The scope of work has expanded greatly, and today the lab operates under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy. The NSLS, commissioned in 1982, is one of the most extensively used research facilities in the world. In addition to materials science, investigators from universities, government and industry pursue a wide range of other studies in chemistry, the biological and environmental sciences, and medicine. The two NSLS rings accelerate electrons to produce beams of “synchrotron light” at specific frequencies. The x-ray ring is 170 meters (557 feet) in circumference with approximately 60 beamlines, or experimental stations. NJIT belongs to Participating Research Teams that jointly operate two of the x-ray beamlines. An additional 25 beamlines are available at the vacuum ultraviolet ring, which produces mostly ultraviolet, visible and infrared light. This ring is 51 meters (167 feet) in circumference. Now under construction at Brookhaven, the NSLS-II facility will produce x-rays more than 10,000 times brighter than the current NSLS, offering capabilities vital for further pioneering research.

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o single university can build and maintain a facility like the NSLS. But we can individually make contributions needed to take full advantage of its capabilities.”

— Tao Zhou, Associate Professor of Physics International interest Three new types of detectors with unequaled counting rates are also being developed under Tyson’s guidance. Lack of this capability has impeded synchrotron research around the globe, since no commercial system can deal with the high levels of radiation that can be produced. The detectors have already had a positive impact on research in the emerging field of x-ray holography. Investigators will have access to the new detectors at ten NSLS x-ray beamlines, and researchers worldwide are expressing interest in collaborative use of the equipment. Envisioning even greater experimental utility, the innovative detectors are a key component of the proposal put forward by Tyson and an international group of scientists for a highpressure, high-magnetic-field beamline. Additionally, in collaboration with a commercial manufacturer, Tyson and his colleagues are helping to develop high-magneticfield systems specially designed to operate in the steel enclosures at synchrotron facilities. Incorporating permanent magnets as well as superconducting magnet technology, the systems provide control of the magnitude and direction of magnetic fields and offer enhanced capabilities for x-ray experiments. Subjecting samples to both high pressure and strong magnetic fields makes it possible to study states of matter that produce novel physical properties, among them superconductivity. Photo: john micale

“

Associate Professor Tao Zhou

in the U.S. and a compact system for routine measurements. These instruments enable accurate determination of electronic structure and valence as well as direct measurement of magnetic properties. The innovative concepts and methodology stemming from this effort have provided key support for the proposal to build a beamline at the new NSLS-II synchrotron ring dedicated to x-ray emission studies. They have also led to the development of instrumentation at other facilities – at Argonne National Laboratory’s Advanced Photon Source, for example, where researchers are evaluating materials that could be used to produce better batteries. The high-resolution spectrometer is a potent tool for research that includes investigating the characteristics of transition metal oxides. Studying these materials could yield insights into new types of superconductors containing iron, active metal sites in protein molecules, nanoscale carbon and boron nanotubes and nanoribbons, as well as more efficient energy storage in batteries.

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Wide-ranging research The capabilities of the NSLS x-ray ring are invaluable for the efforts of NJIT investigators and other researchers in fields such as chemistry, biology, geology and physics. For example, NJIT Professor Lisa Axe, Civil and Environmental Engineering, has conducted x-ray studies of heavy metals found in dredged sediments, and Assistant Professor Xianquin Wang, Chemical Engineering, has researched catalytic control of the atmospheric pollutant sulfur dioxide. The NSLS equipment is also available to NJIT undergraduate and graduate students. Under Tyson’s supervision, ten NJIT PhD candidates have completed their dissertations. These graduates are now teaching at U.S. universities, designing x-ray systems for medical use, developing novel materials for the electronics industry, and applying innovative x-ray techniques to the study of materials under high pressure in the earth’s interior. On the NJIT campus NSF funding of more than $280,000 that Tyson has received is also moving materials research forward on the NJIT campus. Awarded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the grant has allowed acquisition of a sophisticated system for studying materials critical to innovative energy technologies – such as more efficient batteries and photoelectric solar cells. In addition, the system will be a significant educational resource for NJIT students. It will be especially important for those enrolled in the master’s program in materials and energy efficiency that NJIT is developing. Newark-area high school students will benefit, too, particularly those from groups underrepresented in scientific and technological fields. For more than five years, Tyson has engaged young men and women in summer programs focused on materials research. The goal is to increase the students’ scientific literacy and motivate them to consider careers in science, engineering and technology.

Photo: Christina Crovetto

science can accomplish in the real world, and what education at the college level can mean in their lives.” n Author: Dean L. Maskevich is editor of NJIT Magazine. Below: Leading NSLS investigator Professor Trevor Tyson (far right) and student researchers working with the physical properties measurement system recently installed at NJIT. From left are PhD candidates Tian Yu and Tao Wu, and post-doctoral student Peng Gao.

NJIT SCIENCE

Participants learn basic chemistry, electronics, physics and computer programming through hands-on experiments with materials that are potential high-temperature superconductors and storage media for hydrogen transportation fuel. The experience includes trips to the NSLS to measure the spectra of samples that the students have prepared. “It is serious materials research tailored to the level of their abilities,” Tyson says. “These young people come to NJIT and learn what

Alternative Energy Insights at NJIT The new physical properties measurement system at NJIT will be a valuable tool for developing materials vital to cutting our consumption of fossil fuels. The system can be used to analyze and optimize materials for fuel cells, new types of batteries, solar generation of hydrogen from water, hydrogen storage, and other leading-edge technologies. It will also be integral to educational initiatives such as a new MS program focused on materials and energy efficiency, and a program that promotes careers in science and technology among Newark-area high school students. The instrumentation’s capabilities include determining the thermal-transport, heat-capacity and electron-transport properties of materials. Optical investigation via light pipes and fiber optic cables facilitates the study of photovoltaic systems and materials for the photo-electrochemical production of hydrogen. Measurements over a temperature range of 2 K to 400 K (-457°F to 260°F) are possible. The availability of strong magnetic fields enables investigation of particle spin and thermal properties. An integrated system for recovering the liquid helium needed makes operation cost-effective and allows continuous availability to students and researchers.

physics.njit.edu

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a solar link with

china In July 2010, Donald H. Sebastian, NJIT’s senior vice president for research and development, traveled to China to make presentations on NJIT’s new partnership with Apollo Solar Energy, Inc. Following is his account of the trip, which included meeting NJIT alumni now working on the forefront of technology and commerce in China. Last March, NJIT signed a $1.5 million threeyear research agreement with Apollo Solar Energy, Inc. of Chengdu, China, an agreement both scientifically and economically significant. The funds will support the Apollo CdTe Solar Energy Research Center at NJIT, which will focus on basic and applied research for increasing the efficiency and manufacturing yield of cadmium-telluride (CdTe), thin-film photovoltaic cells. Apollo is the world’s leading miner and refiner of rare earth materials used in major types of thin-film photovoltaics and owns what may be the only source of highconcentration telluride ores. At the invitation of Apollo, I traveled to China along with NJIT Professor Kenneth Chin, center director, and Dr. Jingong Pan (ECE ’08), recently appointed Apollo’s chief executive officer. In the course of our ten-day visit, we met with the company’s industrial partners and government sponsors to discuss the current state of the solar energy industry in America and projections

Beijing Chengdu

Shanghai

for growth based on government policy and market trends. In addition to making presentations in a half-dozen locations on our new solar energy partnership, I met many NJIT graduates who have returned to China and are now business and government leaders. It was my first trip to China and nothing had prepared me for the extent to which Westernization has taken hold. [continued]

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It is not hard to believe that there will be 220-mph rail service between Beijing and Shanghai by 2012, and that is only one segment of 11,000 miles of new construction. New York on Steroids Arriving in Shanghai on a direct flight from Newark, my immediate impression was New York City on steroids. The skyline is dominated by new super-sized skyscrapers. City streets and the modern highways are clogged bumper-to-bumper, mostly with late-model, high-end European and Japanese cars. And to my surprise, road signs and billboards had English-language subtitles that added to the Western feel. All of Shanghai’s airports are modern, clean and efficient. Even the provincial airports I encountered later in the trip were on par with regional airports in the U.S., and that is not what I had been led to believe about internal air travel. Security checks were comprehensive without imposing delays and even used face-recognition technology to validate identity throughout our trip. No One on the Line My first presentation was in Bengbu, Anhui Province, at the Design and Research Institute for the Glass Industry. Afterwards I saw the facility where special glass for solar panels is manufactured. The production line was several hundred feet long with nary a person in sight. Perhaps four people staffed the automated control center, and one person was housed in an inspection station at the end of the line. It was an experience repeated throughout my visit – we have given away our manufacturing base in the U.S. on the false premise that we cannot compete with low-cost labor in developing nations. The manufacturing centers that I visited were highly automated and had relatively few workers, and all of them were in skilled positions. Labor content does not seem to be the primary determinant compared to speed of execution in creating or expanding production capacity. I saw first-hand how Apollo is developing market-pull for their raw materials by assembling a vertical coalition of partners that can move photovoltaics into widespread use. Meeting with representatives of the glass industry and later with the China National

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Building Material Group in Beijing, I noted the clear focus on fostering “building integrated photovoltaics” as the model for sustainable office and housing design. In essence, every surface of every building can become part of a distributed energy production grid which, when coupled with appropriate storage technology, scales to meet even peak demand. Solar Power for Rails and Roads Traveling to Zhuzhou in Hunan Province, I met alumna Jackie Zhou (CS ’03), leader of the Renewable Energy and IT Industry Group of the Hi-Tech Industry Development Zone. Already prominent in government, she is working to integrate solar technology into the country’s massive high-speed railway project. Evidence of this massive infrastructure project was everywhere. It is not hard to believe that there will be 220-mph rail service between Beijing and Shanghai by 2012, and that is only one segment of 11,000 miles of new construction. In Changsha, capital of Hunan Province, alumnus Tao Qu (Transportation ’98) is piloting a novel service using 4G wireless to provide drivers with up-to-the-minute information about traffic conditions while also streaming business news and entertainment. Look for big things as his start-up, GAC Technologies, gets off the three-mile test track and onto the national highway system – and look for thin-film photovoltaics to be a source of power for delivering the services envisioned. After my presentation in Chengdu, home city of Apollo, to attendees from research institutes and universities, I toured Apollo’s metal refining facility. I also saw their pilot production center for manufacturing thinfilm CdTe photovoltaics – another impressive high-tech, low-labor operation. A New Regional Club The first order of business in Beijing, our last stop in China, was a wonderful dinner hosted by alumnus Ying Wu ’88 that was also

top:

Dr. Jingong Pan ’03 and Donald Sebastian take questions from the audience at Bengbu Design and Research Institute for the Glass Industry. above: Jackie Zhou ’03 (far left), Donald Sebastian and Dr. Jingong Pan (4th and 5th from left) in Zhuzhou, Hunan Province, with officials of CSR, a major manufacturer of railroad rolling stock.

attended by a dozen NJIT PhD alumni. It was gratifying to see the extent to which their NJIT education has led to advancement in industry and government. It was also heartening to learn that these graduates wish to maintain a stronger bond with the university by seeking a charter from the NJIT Alumni Association as the China Regional Club. Ying Wu graciously accepted election by acclamation as the first chair of the club. Wu came to the U.S. for graduate study. He credits the master’s in electrical engineering that he earned at NJIT as an important educational asset that led to employment at Bell Laboratories and subsequent entrepreneurial success in the telecommunications field.

f irst person

More Thoughts About NJIT from Alumni in China

Weichen Ye 1998 PhD Electrical Engineering Director, Multi-Service Operator Group, Intel China

My NJIT degree helped to launch my career with my first job in the U.S. with Lucent Technologies immediately after graduation. And certainly when I decided to move back to China after 10 years of service at Lucent, my NJIT degree gave me strong credentials for my new job with Intel as CTO of Intel’s broadband wireless business unit in China. Jackie Zhou 2003 MS Computer Science Renewable Energy and IT Industry Group Leader, Investment Promotion Bureau, Zhuzhou High-Tech Industrial Development Zone

“I learned about state-of-the-art technology and how it could be applied in very practical ways,” he says. Wu went on to found the highly successful China-based telecommunications firm UTStarcom and today is chairman of China Capital Group. His generous support of NJIT includes a gift of $1.5 million for the Ying Wu Endowed Chair in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Homes Off the Grid The next day we presented to an audience assembled by the China Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection Group. Later, we toured the advanced modular home demonstration site created by the China National Building Material Group. The site showcases high-end, 3,000 square-foot, single-family homes. A key goal is to take homes such as these off the power grid with thin-film photovoltaics, and to develop international markets

Beijing – the first meeting of the NJIT Alumni Association’s China Regional Club. Front row: Jingong Pan, Kenneth Chin, Men Chu Zhou, Ying Wu, Donald Sebastian, Jun Li, Weichen Ye. Back row: Yujia Gao, Jackie Zhou, Helen Cao, Tao Xu, Dequan Liu, Xin Tang, Cathy Sebastian, Matt Hsia, Yan He.

using core fabrication technologies while retaining regional architectural designs. Although it was a brief exposure to a nation nearing 1.5 billion in population, I did visit seven cities in five provinces. Today, China is clearly a nation with a burgeoning, prosperous middle class. Everywhere, I met people across the private and public sectors who are unabashed entrepreneurs and capitalists with genuine respect and admiration for the United States. I feel that there are forces at work which may be more powerful in uniting the people of our two countries in the common purpose of improving the global standard of living than the disparate political ideologies separating our governments. n

With my NJIT degree, I found my first job with Nu Horizons Corporation, a top North American semiconductor company that needed a native Chinese to expand the South China market. I was the first sales person sent from New York to Shenzhen. Of course, with my NJIT degree, it was easier and quicker for me to start my current work in government, building connections and cooperation with advanced high-tech institutes, companies and other organizations. Michael Zhu 2006 PhD Chemical Engineering ARKEMA – Fluoropolymer Group Manager, BD China, Global Market Manager - Battery

My five years of studying at NJIT have enabled me to communicate well with all colleagues or customers around the globe, and equipped me with the necessary expertise in polymer and materials science.

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Of Central High and NJIT a new relationship

his past June, NJIT became the owner of what is now known as the NJIT Central King Building – the former Central High School of Newark. The acquisition concluded a sale and purchase agreement with Newark Public Schools initiated in May 2008. Work to meet immediate NJIT needs is in progress as a host of creative ideas are proposed for a comprehensive renovation and usage plan. The first use of the building by NJIT students is set for second-floor classrooms this spring, when they will enter through doors on Summit Street that have been freshly painted in the university’s signature red. Projects such as the installation of sprinkler and fire alarm systems, plus elevator upgrades, have been under way since last summer. Later improvements are to include smart-classroom technology, new telecom and computer networks, and upgrades for lighting and temperature control.

left:

Freshly painted NJIT red, the Central King Building entrance faces Summit Street, which will become a pedestrian mall closed to vehicles.

above:

Central High School in 1964, facing Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard

Photo: John Micale

Although ownership of the Central High building has passed to NJIT, President Robert A. Altenkirch says that there are links between Newark’s “hometown university” and the city’s high school students that will remain strong. “We are continuing many of the relationships and initiatives that existed when we were neighbors, commitments that are part of our engagement with the Newark community at large. Acquisition of this historic building connects NJIT even more firmly to the life of the city that has been home to our university for more than a century.”

Wonderful potential The Central King Building gives NJIT a substantial amount of much-needed space for classrooms and other uses, along with an elegant 930-seat auditorium, gym and swimming pool. “This is a building full of wonderful potential,” says Anthony Schuman, associate professor in the College of Architecture and Design and a member of the committee assembled by Altenkirch to develop a comprehensive vision for the facility’s future. [continued]

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Continued revitalization of the Central King Building will require implementing changes that are feasible as well as creative.

Schuman also emphasizes that the building should be recognized as an important link between the community and the university. Built in 1911, the structure continues to resonate as an important city institution on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, the former High Street, which is still fronted by major religious, civic and educational institutions in the 21st century. Collegiate Gothic Four and a half stories tall, the structure’s original design was developed by Ernest F. Guilbert of the Newark architectural firm Guilbert and Betelle. The imposing staircases that led to the main entrance on High Street were replaced in 1974 by an addition to house a new gym and pool.

Darius Sollohub, director of New Jersey School of Architecture, is also serving on the president’s planning committee. He identifies the building’s exterior architectural style as Collegiate Gothic. “The form is a classic educational building that is best described as a square donut with an auditorium in the middle. Princeton and Yale have prime examples of this same architecture on their campuses.” Sollohub points out characteristic exterior ornamentation that includes crenellated towers, arched entrances, and elaborate terra cotta ornamental work around windows. The style has many pluses. “The scale of the rooms is generous, and ample daylight flows in through large windows everywhere,” Sollohub says. Future directions Continued revitalization of the Central King Building will require implementing changes that are feasible as well as creative. For example, there is the challenge of renovating the gym and pool while presenting a facade that is a more welcoming presence on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard.

“This structure is a very strong historical and physical connection between Newark and our campus, so it’s a significant consideration,” says Schuman. “Of all the buildings that had impressive entrances on High Street, none was grander than Central High School with its terrace and dual cascading stairways leading to the street.” Central High needed the gym and pool, but the way these facilities were integrated with the original structure fundamentally changed the building’s relationship with a once grand street. Schuman asks whether it’s even architecturally and economically realistic to open a new entrance on that side of the building. Alternatively, an appropriate redesign of the current main entrance from Summit Street is more doable. NJIT acquired Summit Street with the Central High building, and it is now closed to public vehicular traffic for its entire length. Transformation of the street into a pedestrian mall will continue as part of the university’s master plan for campus beautification and improvement. n Author: Sheryl Weinstein is public relations director at NJIT.

Renovations currently in progress will create much needed space for classrooms and other uses in NJIT’s new Central King Building. above: For future use – a 930 seat auditorium. Photos: John Micale

left:

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Three Stories of Central High and NJIT alumni

heir days as students at Central High School are separated by decades, and each has worked to realize different career aspirations. But in addition to having graduated from Central High, Matthew E. Perry, Jr. and Donia Piersaint and Cherokee JestAllen share the bond of being NJIT alumni.

why, before moving to North Carolina in retirement, he was a dedicated member of the Advisory Board of NJIT’s Educational Opportunity Program for more than 20 years, serving terms as president and vice president. He was also a member of AT&T’s Campus Executive Team for NJIT, a partnership that helped to support the university’s long- and short-term objectives as well as outreach initiatives focused on motivating young people at all levels to stay on the right educational path.

2006, after working briefly in a similar capacity for Pfizer, she took the step of starting her own consulting practice. Today, based in Brooklyn, New York, Donia + Associates LLC is building success with a broad range of business-management services for clients that include city and state agencies. Piersaint and her colleagues offer expertise in areas such as strategic planning, work-flow and staffing analyses, workforce development, customer service and training.

Inspired to Achieve Perry, who received his Central High diploma in 1964, at first went on to NJIT’s certificate program in plastics engineering and a position at AT&T’s Western Electric plant in Kearny, New Jersey, which Matthew Perry produced equipment for the former Bell Telephone System. The impetus to achieve was strong, he says, fostered by his parents at home, teachers he had at Central High, and later the faculty at Newark College of Engineering. Subsequently working for AT&T at the corporate level in information technology, Perry had managerial positions of increasing responsibility in areas that included telecommunications, systems engineering and data systems, manufacturing, marketing and finance. For some six years prior to retiring in 1998, he was at the forefront of the revolution in communications technology, as a manager for the company’s long-distance wireless operations. In the course of his AT&T career, he also returned to NCE to complete a BS in industrial engineering, 1976, and an MS in industrial administration, 1978. “NCE was very welcoming and very supportive, and I felt that I had to give back, especially with respect to helping African American students have the same opportunities that I had,” Perry says. That’s

Support to succeed Piersaint, who came to Newark and Central High from Haiti, received her high school diploma in 1996. Hearing Carlomagno Ontaneda, EOP assistant director of recruitment and Donia Piersaint admissions, speak about educational opportunities at NJIT was truly inspirational, she says. “Carlo then worked with me to apply successfully to NJIT as if he were my high school guidance counselor. He gave me help that I will always appreciate.” Yet Piersaint also says that college work was at first very daunting — so much so that she needed to take time off after two semesters to “regroup” as she puts it. Having taken a year off, Piersaint returned to campus more determined than ever to succeed. She completed a BS in biomedical engineering in 2003. More academic achievements followed — a 2004 MS in industrial engineering and a 2005 MS in occupational safety and health. Piersaint completed her first master’s as a full-time student and pursued her second graduate degree while employed at Schering-Plough, initially in environmental safety and health. She then transitioned to supply-chain management. In

More than a number Jest-Allen is an even more recent alumna of Central High and NJIT. Her high school diploma is dated 2004, and her NJIT bachelor’s from the School of Management was awarded in 2009. Cherokee Jest-Allen She added an MS in information systems to her academic accomplishments at NJIT in 2010. Jest-Allen says that she wanted to study at NJIT ever since the seventh grade, motivated by the encouragement of an uncle who had attended the university. Participating in the summer Project Grad program while in high school and the Educational Opportunity Program at NJIT were important avenues to her academic success. After completing her master’s, Jest-Allen accepted a part-time position with NJIT’s Office of Career Development Services, as coordinator for the community work-study and public service programs. She looks forward with enthusiasm to embarking on a career in information technology and speaks highly of the university that has prepared her with the necessary knowledge and skills. “I’ve had a great experience. The people here do help you along the way. You really are much more than a number at NJIT.”

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alumni circuit in traffic and transportation engineering in 1991. In addition, he is licensed in radon measurement and building and pesticide inspection. He is also a certified federal Department of Housing and Urban Development inspector. Mohammadish, who oversees a staff of more than 170, has a variety of engineering responsibilities within the city, including design and construction of roadways, buildings, bridges, parks and traffic signals. Under his direction, Newark has seen the successful completion of the Broad Street Streetscape and Ferry Street projects, and the renovation and modernization of 13 parks. He has also supervised state and federally funded roadway resurfacing and trafficsignal modernization projects. n

Photo: Freddy Tenore, Newark Fire Department

Alumnus Mehdi Mohammadish was sworn in as director of engineering for the City of Newark last November at a ceremony in the City Hall Municipal Council Chamber. Mayor Cory A. Booker held the Bible and City Clerk Robert P. Marasco administered the oath of office. Previously acting director of engineering, Mohammadish came to the city’s engineering office in 2007 from the Essex County Department of Public Works, where he had served as principal engineer since 1989. A Newark resident for more than 15 years, Mohammadish completed his BS in civil engineering in 1985 and a master’s

— Alan Weinberg

Mayor Cory A. Booker and Mehdi Mohammadish

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Photo: Dave Rossi

Newark’s New Engineering Director

“ My MBA has provided me with a tool kit of skills I use every day to grow and expand my new business.”

Alan Weinberg EMBA ’07 (right) and business partner Michael Goldblatt

In Alan’s Orchard “Local food is better for you, your family, your community and the environment for countless reasons.” That’s the philosophy Alan Weinberg and business partner Michael Goldblatt have put into practice at Alan’s Orchard, the store they recently opened in downtown Westfield, New Jersey. The emphasis is on fresh and organic vegetables, fruit, breads, dairy, meats and more delivered daily from local farms and artisans. Visit alansorchard.com to learn more about what Alan and Michael offer at 102 Quimby Street in Westfield.

A former community relations director for New Jersey Transit, Alan sharpened his entrepreneurial acumen with an Executive MBA from NJIT’s School of Management. “The Executive MBA not only helped me advance at the corporate level, but has also been absolutely essential in helping me plan and implement my start-up business,” Alan says. “My MBA has provided me with a tool kit of skills I use every day to grow and expand my new business.” For more about the School of Management and the Executive MBA: management.njit.edu. n

We want to hear from you! Do you have news about your career, your family, an avocation? Share it in a class note for NJIT Magazine. And be sure to let us know if you have a new address. On the Web, use the form at www.njit.edu/alumni/classnotes. By e-mail, send news and photos with your graduation year(s) to alumni-classnotes@njit.edu.

Alumni Profiles

Moneesh Arora Improving the Process For industrial engineer Moneesh Arora ’92, improving processes is of paramount importance. That’s as true in his current position as vice president and general manager at ADP as it was when he started on his first job after graduation with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Arora, who grew up in Bergen County, says that “research and recommendations led me to NJIT. I wanted to attend a good engineering school. Research that I did myself and recommendations from my father and guidance counselors confirmed that NJIT would be a good choice.” Asked why he decided to become an industrial engineer, Arora explains that it’s a solid foundation not only for careers that draw mainly on the engineering expertise involved, but for a wide spectrum of leadership positions. “You learn how processes work, and how

to implement and improve processes – whether it’s a manufacturing process or any one of many others needed to make an organization successful.” With full-time jobs scarce when he completed his degree, Arora accepted a contract position with the Port Authority. His responsibilities were significant. They included helping to manage a $700 million capital improvement plan and budget for JFK, LaGuardia and Newark Airports. The work entailed oversight of 200 concurrent capital projects and coordination of 3,000 contractors. The breadth and level of Arora’s subsequent positions clearly validate his assertion that industrial engineering can open numerous doors in the workplace. Moving on to Ogden Energy Group, he became director for finance and information systems. As a principal consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers, Management Consulting Services, he was responsible for leading business development and service delivery. His responsibilities for national and international enterprise management continued to increase at Dun & Bradstreet and Thomson Reuters, ranging from online applications and enterprise software for energy companies to a portfolio of media products and services for the legal profession. In his progression of posts, Arora has helped to meet the needs of diverse segments of the economy. Today, at ADP, he is contributing to the vitality of one

Via U.S. mail to: Robert A. Boynton, Executive Director,

Alumni Relations, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Eberhardt Hall NJIT Alumni Center, Room 218, 323 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Newark, NJ 07102-1982

of our nation’s most important engines of prosperity – small businesses. He oversees a portfolio of services, including payroll and human-resource management applications designed for the small business market. While Arora has been engaged with a varied range of enterprises, he does speak of one constant. It’s implementing processes that enable people to realize their potential to the fullest and to do the best job possible. “Putting the right people in the right positions and helping them grow is the foundation for success in any organization,” he says. “I’m passionate about growing people that grow the business.” Nearly a decade after graduating from NJIT, Arora continues to endorse the value of studying industrial engineering, especially as preparation for participating in the fast-evolving 21st century economy. “You want to be able to take advantage of all the career options that come your way. A background in industrial engineering can put you in that position. The skills acquired will make you flexible and adaptable for work in many environments. And NJIT is a great place to gain those skills.”

Patrick J. Mc Gowan Enjoying a 30-Year Vacation Patrick Mc Gowan ’88 likes to tell people that he’s been on vacation for a very enjoyable 30 years, ever since he traveled to the United States from Ireland for what was to be a month-long visit with relatives. “I just fell in love with the people and the country and decided I wanted to stay,” he says. Since making that decision at the age of 17, Mc Gowan has built a full-service construction firm that today has projects worth $100 million under way. The journey to Mc Gowan’s present success began when his uncle, Patrick Herbert, head of New Jersey-based ICS Builders, gave him his first taste of life in construction – wielding shovel and broom to clean up debris at a job site. Then there was the

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alumni circuit a lu m ni prof i l es ,

continued

question of how to stay in the country legally. The answer was a student visa. Mc Gowan’s uncle had studied at Newark College of Engineering and highly recommended the school to his nephew. Attending classes in the evening, Mc Gowan completed a BS in construction engineering. He continued to work for ICS Builders, rising from laborer to executive vice president. In 2001, Mc Gowan felt that it was time to strike out on his own. He has tirelessly invested his energy and talent in making Mc Gowan Builders, Inc. a leading general contracting and construction management company that has booked projects in many fields – including retail, office, hospitality, health care, education, non-profit, residential, culture and transportation. Along the way, brothers Martin and Thomas joined him at the firm. Headquartered in East Rutherford, the Mc Gowan team and a substantial staff serve clients from New Hampshire to Florida. These have included JPMorgan Chase, Saks Fifth Avenue, Columbia University, Beth Israel Medical Center, H&R Block, Macy’s, Staples, and United Parcel Service. The Cenacle Sisters Convent and Retreat in Ronkonkoma, New York, and the Lincoln Square Synagogue in New York City are also on the firm’s roster of projects. Mc Gowan’s strong ties to New Jersey and Newark are evident in his hopes for the city, and the satisfaction he takes in having

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worked on projects such as the New Jersey Performing Arts Center and the new headquarters of The Leaguers, one of the largest non-profit community organizations in the state. The Leaguers facility was built to consolidate and expand the group’s services, which include pre-school classes for nearly a thousand children. “Newark has seen hard times, but there are good things happening,” Mc Gowan says. “I’m glad that we’re part of the rebuilding.” But Mc Gowan is committed to much more than success as a builder. He and his brothers are dedicated to making a positive difference for people facing very difficult challenges in life, especially individuals with Down syndrome. Growing up in Ireland, Mc Gowan had a beloved aunt who was challenged by that congenital affliction. “Our parents made us aware that we have an obligation to care for others, for our elders and for those who have not been as fortunate. It’s the way we were raised.” Mc Gowan and his brothers have established The Loretta Mc Gowan Foundation, named in memory of their late aunt, to foster Down syndrome research as well as to provide assistance for families coping with Down syndrome and other developmental disabilities in the United States and Ireland. A member of the NJIT Board of Overseers, Mc Gowan also maintains a strong supportive connection with his alma mater. “I was really blessed to attend

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Grand Marshal Patrick Mc Gowan at the 2010 Queens County St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New York City’s borough of Queens. Left to right (front row): Emma, Sarah and Niamh Mc Gowan; (back row): Patricia Mc Gowan, Patrick Mc Gowan, New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Honorary Female Grand Marshal and Executive VP of Irish Radio Network USA Aine Sheridan, and New York State Senator Martin J. Golden.

the school,” he says. “I was in the U.S. for only a few months when I started, and people I met as a student became my first friends here. Quite a few became very good friends, and I’ve stayed in touch with them over the years.” Mc Gowan goes on to say that his classes served him well as someone already working in construction. “I feel that I received an education that was unique in a very important way in that I had instructors who were working in the field themselves. They brought their practical experiences into the classroom. We could talk to them about what really happens on the job, in all phases of a project.” Commenting on how NJIT has changed since he was a student, Mc Gowan speaks enthusiastically about the increased range of academic programs and the many physical

improvements on campus. He also emphasizes the value of NJIT’s ethnic and cultural diversity, which he quickly came to view as a significant plus when he experienced it as a young immigrant from Ireland. “At NJIT, for the first time, I associated with people from many different backgrounds every day. I learned that culture can influence the way one approaches a professional challenge as an individual and as part of a team. Bringing as many perspectives as possible to a project produces the best results.” To date, Mc Gowan has worked with numerous alumni as clients and is always looking forward to both serving other NJIT graduates as a builder and hiring young alumni looking for careers in the construction industry. More information on his firm may be found at www.mcgowanbuilders.com.

“ When I drive over the bridges that we have helped to build, I know that we have not only connected points on a map or crossed a river with steel. We have connected people to each other.” — Wei Wang

Wei Wang Applying the Best Means and Methods You might say that Wei Wang PhD ’94, founder and head of Manhattan-based UrbanTech, is a “builder’s builder.” Much of the work at his structural engineering firm involves specifying the best means and methods for meeting key challenges posed by projects that main contractors have booked. Even before submitting their bids, some contractors ask him to advise on incorporating the best techniques for timely and costeffective completion of project requirements – with an overarching emphasis on delivering the highest quality possible. UrbanTech’s expertise is manifest in numerous projects in the public and private sectors. But Wang cites several recent contracts that have given him and his colleagues special satisfaction. In New York, UrbanTech had a major role in the reconstruction of three swing bridges connecting Manhattan to the Bronx – the 145th Street, 3rd Avenue and Willis Avenue bridges. “We bridge the future,” UrbanTech’s Website says of these and comparably impressive efforts. While Wang continues to look toward future success in the U.S., his path to a PhD in civil engineering at NJIT and the founding of UrbanTech began in China. After earning a bachelor’s in engineering at Tongji University, Shanghai, in 1984, doctoral work took him to Denmark for research in the plasticity and

fracture mechanics of reinforced concrete. As fortune would have it, a mutual acquaintance mentioned Wang’s research to NJIT Professor of Civil Engineering Thomas Hsu at a conference in Canada. A discussion between Hsu and Wang about his work led to Wang’s coming to the U.S. in 1991 and completing his doctorate. A number of consulting jobs followed before a friend who headed a construction company suggested that Wang consider starting his own firm. Wang made this entrepreneurial move, and UrbanTech was launched from the basement of his home. When it comes to engineering solutions for the most complex construction challenges – such as those recently surmounted for the New Jersey Department of Transportation on Route 46 – UrbanTech has gained wide recognition over the past decade. Wang explains that UrbanTech worked closely with the main contractor to prepare the winning bid, which presented a superior scenario for replacing the highway bridge spanning Overpeck Creek in Bergen County. “The process was hyper bid-hyper build,” he says of the strategies they formulated to accelerate both bidding and high-quality construction. It was a process validated by the results. Demolition of the existing bridge and completion of the new structure took just seven months, an award-winning accomplishment for UrbanTech. Wang, a Professional Engineer registered in New York and

Wei Wang at the Willis Avenue Bridge in New York City.

Delaware, says that it is especially gratifying to see his firm’s tangible contributions to the infrastructure that people need and use every day. “When I drive over the bridges that we have helped to build, I know that we have not only connected points on a map or crossed a river with steel. We have connected people to each other.” On a personal level, Wang speaks of the imperative to increase the number of clients served by UrbanTech while maintaining the quality for which his company is known. Dedicated to these goals, he is working to achieve even greater success for UrbanTech. Yet Wang also calls attention to a broader imperative – that of replacing and upgrading key components of our country’s infrastructure. It’s a message that he shares at NJIT as a member of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Advisory Board.

Today, a comparison with infrastructure development in China is unavoidable, and Wang adds his voice to those cautioning that the U.S. must address its infrastructure deficiencies for the sake of continuing prosperity both nationally and on the global economic stage. “Much of our infrastructure – roads, bridges, utility systems – was built many decades ago. Some of it is a century old and must be replaced.” It bodes well for the nation’s future that engineers like Wang and companies like UrbanTech are committed to this task. n

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class notes Mal & Friends NJIT Magazine invites new correspondents to join Mal Simon in sharing news about class members and alumni organizations. Professor emeritus of physical education and athletics, Mal was director of physical education and athletics, and men’s soccer coach, for 30 years. In 1993, he received the Cullimore Medal for his service to the university. If you would like to be a regular correspondent, don’t hesitate to send an e-mail to the editor of NJIT Magazine: dean.maskevich@njit.edu.

First, the latest news from Mal – By virtue of having been advisor to the NCE class of 1960, I became an honorary Golden Highlander at the 2010 NJIT Alumni Reunion. The new Golden Highlanders present at the reunion were Bill Bambrick, Dave Bannon, Joe Begasse, Ed Blyskal, Mary Cody, John Cole, Bob Geissler, Lenny Gigantino, Paul Koelbel, Dick Miske, John J. Mooney, Ed Sapp and Bob Sorensen. Bill Bambrick believes he was

born with a science gene that directed most of his life choices. As a junior and senior in high school, he studied college and graduate level material and ranked 5th among high school students in a statewide science and math test. Bill writes that he received a top-notch education at NJIT and looks back fondly on those years and the great teachers he had. In his senior year, he was selected to the Omega Chi Epsilon Honorary Chemical Engineering Society. His first position was as a researcher at American Cyanamid Company working on the catalytic muffler program. He was twice recognized with the American Cyanamid Scientific Award and contributed 47 papers and patents to the public domain. Upon retirement, Bill

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struck out in the new directions of consulting and politics, which included being elected a Town Meeting Representative, serving on the Board of Assessment Appeals, and as a Justice of the Peace in Old Greenwich, Connecticut, where he and his wife live. Dave Bannon was very active in

campus organizations. He was elected president of the freshman, sophomore and junior classes, and president of the student council and archon (president) of Pi Kappa Phi social fraternity in his senior year. Dave was recognized for his academic and leadership achievements with selection to the Phi Eta Sigma, Eta Kappa Nu, Tau Beta Pi and Omicron Delta Kappa honorary societies. Dave’s professional career started at AT&T Bell Laboratories where he wrote key software for the first commercial electronic switching system. He moved to GTE Labs in Bayside, New York, as research manager for switching and memory, where he wound up his engineering career as principal promoter for GTE’s first digital switching system and the GTE 800 Number Intelligent Network Service. After earning an MBA, Dave joined the GTE Network Business

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Planning Group and helped write GTE’s first competitive business plan. In 1988, he moved to Digital Equipment Corporation in New England as a telecom marketing and business planner. Dave changed careers again in 1993, working in the hospitality industry as a manager at an upscale yacht club in Clearwater, Florida. He decided to retire for good in 2004 after surviving his fourth hurricane. Dave and wife Margaret are snowbirds with homes in Westbrook, Connecticut, and Oldsmar, Florida. During his days at NCE, Joe Begasse played intramural sports, was a member of Phi Eta Sigma and Eta Kappa Nu, and marched on the AFROTC Highland Rifles drill team, becoming its commander in his senior year. Upon graduation, he received an Air Force commission and was assigned to Massachusetts Institute of Technology for a year to learn weather forecasting. Joe was then sent to an Air Force base in Japan for two years where, in addition to his military duties, he taught basic electronics, business math and college algebra for the University of Maryland extension program. While in Japan, Joe met his future wife, Kiko, who was working parttime on base while completing a degree in English Literature. After his Air Force tour, he moved into the computer field and worked for IBM as trainee instructor. When IBM wanted to transfer him out of New York City, he went to Con Edison as a training and technical manager, where he stayed for 26 years until retiring in 1995. Joe and Kiko live in Livingston, New Jersey. Mary Cody married classmate

Harold Cody two days before starting their senior year. Their

son, Harold, was born six weeks after graduation. Her cap and gown made a nice pregnancy ensemble. After graduation, Mary worked for Hercules Powder Company and then Allied Signal Corporation. While working as a research engineer, she developed a health problem that led her into the medical/nutritional field in search of answers. This resulted in a second career in clinical and therapeutic nutrition after earning an MS and PhD in the field. Mary founded a neutraceutical company specializing in herbalbased smoking deterrents and developed five related patents. She had a private practice for more than 25 years in Boonton Township, New Jersey, before retiring and moving to her current home in the Mid-Hudson Valley of New York State. Sadly, after 37 years, her husband died. Now in retirement, Mary writes short stories and poetry, volunteers at church and travels the world. John Cole and his wife, Katheryn, to whom he has been married for 45 years, live at the Jersey shore in Manahawkin. John’s first position was with Procter and Gamble as an electrical and instrument planning engineer for two years and he then worked as an electronics engineer at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center for five years.

In 1967, he went to work for the Communications Electronics Command at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey. As a civilian employee, he was division chief of the Computer Security Group, C3 Systems, and managed the Army’s computer security research and development program, jointly funded by the Army and the National Security Agency. After

10 years as project manager with Unisys Corporation and computer security analyst for Telos Corporation at Fort Monmouth, John started his own company, Sigma Solutions. He provided support for the certification and accreditation of a classified Army system until his retirement in 2001. John J. Mooney is co-founder and president of the Environmental and Energy Technology Institute. John earned an MS in chemical engineering from NCE in 1960 and an MBA in Marketing from Fairleigh Dickinson University in 1991. He worked for Engelhard Corporation for 43 years, primarily in research, development, marketing and sales of catalytic converters for automobiles, trucks, motorcycles and water craft, as well as for small engines for chainsaws and garden equipment. He holds 17 U.S. patents and is co-inventor of the three-way catalytic converter now used on all gasoline-fueled passenger cars and other vehicles in North America, Europe, Japan and other industrial countries. Among his many honors, he received the National Medal of Technology in 2002 from President George W. Bush at a White House ceremony, and an honorary doctorate from NJIT in 2007. John and his wife, Claire, live in Wyckoff, New Jersey. Fabian Hurtado ’74 and his wife,

Jeanie, are on the move again. This time to Egypt where Fabian is managing a project for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. More information can be found by typing “Wheeled Vehicle Maintenance Facility” on Google. Fabian and Jeanie have toured six continents and worked in most of them, including Asia (Jordan and Turkey), Europe (Romania and Greece),

Central America (Guatemala), South America (Venezuela and Brazil) and North America. After two careers with the Air Force and at Picatinny Arsenal, Lou DeVito ’60 is on his third career as the fencing and soccer coach at West Milford High School in New Jersey. An interesting coincidence is that one of his team’s opponents is New Jersey’s Wayne Valley High School, coached by Dan Kilday, former NJIT soccer coach. Lou’s coaching career actually started after graduation from NCE when he served as assistant soccer coach of the 1960 National Champions while, on assignment for the Air Force, he was studying meteorology at New York University. The golf rain gods did not favor us in September as the NJIT Athletic Golf Outing and Soccer/Basketball (Feet and Hands) Outing were rained out. The golf outing was rescheduled, but the Feet and Hands event could not be rescheduled. Host Bob Welgos ’62 has promised sunny weather for the next outing in 2011 at the Newton Country Club. Bob has taken on a new professional challenge by serving on the Board of Directors for a medical alert company founded by a long-time friend. Visit www.activecare.com for information about the company. Plans are underway to honor alumni from the 1951-54 soccer teams in September 2011. Members of those teams are urged to contact me at coach7157@yahoo.com. And keep all the news coming.

1962 Walter H. Kraft PE (CE), MS (CE) ’65, PhD (Engineering Science) ’75, a member of the Albert

Dorman Honors College Board of Visitors, received the Coordinating Council Best Project Award at the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) 2010 Annual Meeting and Exhibit held in Vancouver, Canada. Kraft, who is executive technical director for Eng-Wong, Taub and Associates was recognized for an outstanding project titled “Management and Operations of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS): An ITE Informational Report,” which promotes the sharing of Council members’ extensive experience in the field of ITS technology and management and operations.

1981 August (Gus) F. Manz, Jr. (EE) has

earned the designation of Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM) from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM). Gus writes that achieving CPSM certification requires passing three difficult exams covering all aspects of supply management. A member of the New Jersey affiliate of ISM, Gus currently serves as senior manager of strategic sourcing at Wyndham Worldwide in Parsippany, New Jersey. Prior to joining Wyndham in 2009, he was a contractor at Merck, sourcing IT professional services for 10 months, after having worked for more than 25 years in a variety of procurement roles at Western Electric/AT&T/Lucent Technologies/Alcatel-Lucent. The New Jersey affiliate of ISM, consisting of 700 members, represents the state’s procurement managers with respect to promotion and education for the supply management and purchasing profession. It is affiliated with the Institute for Supply Management, Inc., which has over 38,000 members internationally.

1984 Curtis J. Schopfer (ME) has been

in the cable and wire rope industry since graduation and employed since 1997 at Loos & Co., a manufacturer of steel wire and wire rope for aircraft, medical, automotive and commercial applications. Curtis also chairs the Aircraft Control Cable Group, a collaborative effort by manufacturers of aircraft cable and hardware, assemblers, and the government agencies responsible for related specifications. In addition, he serves as chairman of the Wire Rope Technical Board.

1987 Ehsan Bayat (Engineering Technology) has received the 2010 Mahatma Gandhi Humanitarian Award from The Friends of South Asian American Communities and the Afghan California Business Council. Since 2005, the Bayat Foundation, led by Ehsan and Fatema Bayat, has contributed to over 200 projects to improve the quality of life for the youth, women, poor and elderly of Afghanistan by constructing new facilities and infrastructure, and to promote health, education economic and cultural programs.

1992 Chuck Sommers (Arch) shares the news that he has been named vice president of architecture and store planning at Elie Tahari Ltd. in New York City. “I worked as a project manager for LVMH Fashion Group/Louis Vuitton from 2001-2007. I then joined Elie Tahari as a project director. After surviving layoffs and downsizing, I was recently promoted. I oversee the design and construction of Elie Tahari boutiques worldwide.”

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class notes 1993 Anthony La Rosa (ME), principal

and managing director, Tri-Power Design, LLC visited campus as a speaker for the Mary Sullivan Memorial Lecture Series and discussed his career path from NJIT. Anthony writes, “I was very impressed with the new facilities and equipment at NJIT, especially the renovation of Eberhardt Hall.”

2000 Adeel Yousuf (ChE) works for

the Aviation Department of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey as an environmental specialist. He is responsible for environmental issues encompassing air and water quality, noise standards, sustainability, permitting and compliance at all of the airports for which the Port Authority is responsible.

2006 Trevor Williams (Mgmt) has

joined the National Council on Aging (NCOA) as a data analyst in Washington, D.C. Prior to joining NCOA, Trevor provided administrative support for various companies through CityStaff. He also worked as a market analyst, researcher and federal account executive for a software development company in Jersey City.

In Memoriam NJIT notes with sadness the passing of the following alumni: Edward Kondracki ’59 Vinson Arnold ’63 Francis J. Zientara ’88

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In T h e i r O w n W o r d s David Bannon EE ’60, Jack Heath ChE ’08 and Harry Roman EE ’70, MS ENE ’74 have written to share some thoughts about their days at NJIT and experiences that followed. All alumni are encouraged to join them and submit brief articles of 150-200 words for consideration in future issues.

How did NCE influence my life? David P. Bannon I chose NCE partly because my Dad taught here, but primarily because I enjoyed math and science and wanted a good technical education. NCE was close-by and appeared to be the highest-rated technical school for the tuition – by a long shot. Proof came upon graduation when over a dozen NCE grads were hired over a three-year period by AT&T Bell Labs. I was fortunate to be one of those grads. After graduation, I wanted a master’s degree, and I chose the program at Bell Labs, which had been in place for some years. You couldn’t work at Bell Labs unless you got a master’s from NYU’s on-site graduate school at the Labs’ Murray Hill, New Jersey, campus. It was tough as nails – it took me extra work in New York City to meet the requirements, but it was free as long as you got a B or better. My MEE cost me $75.00, for one C. So did NCE prepare me for Bell Labs? You bet! NCE’s reputation was outstanding, and its approach to teaching was remarkable. Its multiple exams imparted knowledge in depth, and a strong mix of practical knowledge came from the broad industrial base of its professors, many employed in industry.

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Another area in which NCE excelled was the Dean’s Office, which assisted students in finding industrial experience before graduation. I worked on 900 MHz radar at Lockheed Electronics, and built electric meters at QVS, a small factory in East Orange. This job was the turning point in my NCE career. At QVS, I met a Navy veteran, John Florin, who suggested I become involved in extracurricular activities at NCE. The easiest way to do that, he said, was to put my name in to be a class representative. So I became a representative, and in due course ran for class president and won! This introduced me to a whole new world of friends and mentors, particularly Dr. Herman A. Estrin, professor of English and Student Council advisor. After that came sophomore and junior class presidencies, and in my senior year, Student Council president. Student activities did not displace studying, however – they couldn’t, for our semester class loads were never less than 18 credit hours. Participating in class activities led to invitations to join a social fraternity, which was a good substitute for the campus dormitory life that I was not able to experience at NCE – dorms didn’t appear until much later. I joined Pi Kappa Phi and was elected archon (president) late in my junior year. Other societies joined were Phi Eta Sigma (National Freshman Honor

Society), Eta Kappa Nu (EE Honor Society), and Tau Beta Pi (Engineering Honor Society). These led to an invitation to join Omicron Delta Kappa, the National Leadership and Scholarship Society. All of these activities and events led to my job interview for one of the elite departments at Bell Labs, the Electronic Switching Systems Development Group, which would produce the world’s first commercial electronic computer-driven telephone office by 1965. The early work I did was to coordinate technical inputs of many engineers working on interfaces among the various system components. It put me in working relationships with many engineers, supervisors and department heads at the Labs. The NCE extracurricular activities had prepared me well for this work, and this work experience proved invaluable in subsequent managerial assignments in my professional career. So, did attending NJIT/NCE become important to me? Absolutely, and in ways I could not have imagined. The message for student readers is this: Make the most of your career on campus at NJIT. Join groups that appeal to you, and participate to the absolute, fullest degree that you are able. The rewards of these efforts may not show for years, but they will surely arrive. But always make your studies your first priority, for that is why you chose NJIT, one of the finest technical institutions you will find, anywhere. Editor’s note: David Bannon’s father retired from Newark College of Engineering as an associate professor of metallurgy after a 25-year teaching career in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Harry Roman (right) before retirement from Public Service Electric and Gas, conferring with Professor Ken Chin on a joint NJIT-PSE&G research project.

Father Did Know Best Harry T. Roman By 8th grade, I was sure I was going to: – be an engineer and inventor… after my boyhood hero Thomas Edison – attend Newark College of Engineering – work for Public Service Electric and Gas Company Dad had seen my head and hand skills at work in our North Newark home basement workshop, and felt NCE might be a great choice for me later on. His years at Public Service (now PSE&G) showed him there were excellent jobs in engineering at the company. My inspirational high school science teacher (and lifelong mentor) also discussed engineering and NCE with me. I clearly remember the day I picked up my freshman orientation kit. Close to 30 hours of classes a week seemed pretty daunting to me. Back in the day, NCE was referred to as “the factory”….9 to 5 every day. Dad’s simple message was, “It will pay off down the road. You can do this.” Having a part-time job through high school at the Robert Hall clothing store in Bloomfield, I kept it through NCE, making about $1.75/hr, and working 20-25 hours a week….certainly enough to pay the $235 a semester (plus books) tuition back then; and enough to afford a used ’57 Chevy with gasoline at 25 cents a gallon. When classes let out at the end of the day, homemade, big-bore, Detroit-steel muscle cars

growled to life, and we all rumbled off to a night of homework. I tutored Central High students in algebra, geometry and trig for a few extra dollars, which later led to a career-long association with teachers, lecturing about engineering in many New Jersey classrooms. Some early attempts at serious writing emerged in sophomore year; and today in retirement, I write teacher resource books and educational math card games. On a very hot graduation day in 1970, under a big tent on the athletic field, I received my diploma on Thursday and started at PSE&G the following Monday. I’ll never forget the smile on Dad’s face. He called every one of his eight brothers and sisters back home in Pittsburgh that night. I never regretted his advice those many years ago. If only I could hear his voice again. Thanks Dad.

A Challenging But Rewarding Journey Jack Heath Encouraged by my guidance counselor and my father, I began my college career at NCE in the fall of 1964. I thought it was a good choice since I loved math and science and heard that engineers could make a good living. It didn’t take long for reality to set in. During our first “common lecture” we were told to look at the person on our left and on our right. By the end of the first year one of them would not be at NCE, and by

the second year the other genius would also be gone. Welcome to the world of competition. We were then asked to recite the engineer’s code, a part of which I have always remembered: As the keystone of professional conduct is integrity, the engineer will discharge his duties with fidelity to the public, his employers and clients, and with fairness and impartiality to all. It is his duty to interest himself in public welfare, and to be ready to apply his special knowledge for the benefit of mankind. Whether in the classroom or laboratory, or on the basketball court, I was exposed to the tools and core values necessary to achieve my personal goals. Integrity, analytical thinking, teamwork, dedication, discipline and commitment were a constant theme on and off the court. I believe my experience playing college basketball provided a foundation that translated well into my professional career. The importance of an individual’s role on the team, discipline and commitment are applicable to any business. In addition, exposure to individuals such as coach Mal Simon, coach and professor Joe Fitzgerald, President Robert Van Houten and others drove home these values on a daily basis. My career has included teaching, coaching, technical management and site management, which eventually led to my job as CEO of Arkwright, an international manufacturer of imaging supplies owned by OCE (a Dutch imaging

Joining Jack and Linda Heath (3rd and 4th from right) are (from left) children and spouses John (son) and Carrie, Bob and Laura (daughter), Kristin (daughter) and Burt.

equipment manufacturer). During my entire career I never did any “chemical engineering,” but the skills and values I acquired at NCE served me well. It was not all about the equations or theory. I retired from business in 2009 and soon realized that retirement was not for me. To make a long story short, I am back at work and have the best job of my career. I am the CEO of a non-profit, Lower Shore Enterprises (LSE). LSE evaluates, trains and employs individuals with disabilities. We are unique in that we pay our employees to work in our facility, a true manufacturing environment. Our ultimate goal is to place individuals in jobs in the community. And yes, the tools I have talked about certainly apply to my new venture. In addition, I now have the opportunity to really live the code I read aloud in 1964. By the way, because of my family situation in 1969, I didn’t receive my chemical engineering degree with my class. I actually received it in 2008, with my children and grandchildren as witnesses, the year before my retirement. It truly has been a challenging but rewarding journey. n

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alumni Calendar save the date! 13th Annual Salute to Engineering Excellence Reception and Networking Event Thursday, March 24

NJIT Campus Center Atrium For more information, contact Kathy Dickerson at kathy.dickerson@njit.edu or 973-642-4555, or visit http://engineering.njit.edu/excellence2011.

Golden Highlanders Annual Spring Luncheon Monday, May 16

For all alumni who have already celebrated their 50th anniversary reunion, classes 1935 – 1960. For more information or to register, visit www.njit.edu/alumni or call 973-596-3441.

A Private tour In October, members of the NJIT Alumni Club of Metro D.C. enjoyed a private tour of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. Their docent, retired astronaut Larry McKinley, treated alumni and their guests to a wealth of stories about the space program as they toured the popular museum.

Alumni Reunion Weekend 2011 Friday, May 20 – Sunday, May 22

Corporate Clubs

Regional Clubs

Five-Year Anniversary Class celebrations as well as non-anniversary class, college, department and fraternity/sorority events. Alumni Reunion Weekend has something for every NJIT alum!

NJIT’s Corporate Clubs provide valuable networking opportunities for alumni in the workplace while also assisting NJIT students and faculty. Current Corporate Clubs include: Eng-Wong, Taub & Associates, Hatch Mott MacDonald, PSE&G, ScheringPlough, Turner Construction and United Parcel Service.

NJIT Regional Clubs are planning events across the country.

For more information:

Reconnect with NJIT and fellow alumni over a weekend of activities featuring receptions, dinners, college and department presentations, exhibits, and the annual Alumni Achievement Award presentations by the Alumni Association. There’s a Saturday evening dinner dance in the Campus Center Ballroom, a “Party on the Roof” sponsored by the Association’s Young Alumni Club, and the “All Alumni Lounge and Bar.” For more information about Reunion Weekend or to make reservations online: www.njit.edu/alumni/class or contact the Alumni Relations Office at 973-596-3441.

For the most current information about Alumni Association activities, visit www.njit.edu/alumni. Join us on Facebook and LinkedIn too. Go to www.njit.edu/alumni/community. 32

NJIT MAGAZINE

WINTER 2011

www.njit.edu/alumni/clubs

Corrections In the fall 2010 issue, the photo caption on page 20 should have stated that Ralph Izzo is receiving the hood for his honorary doctorate at Commencement 2010 from NJIT Trustee Stephen P. DePalma ’72, not Vincent L. DeCaprio. On page 28, the correct graduation year for Henry W. Ott is 1957.

For more information: www.njit.edu/alumni/clubs

Young Alumni Club The Young Alumni Club organizes social, networking, and educational events for alumni and their families. www.njit.edu/alumni/clubs

at the edge

The Future from Fenster Hall

NJIT has been an engaged partner in the life of its host city for well over a century. It’s a relationship that continues to evolve with initiatives such as the university’s Greek Village and Gateway projects. These NJIT commitments are complemented by other investments in Newark’s future. On the right in this photo – taken by graduate student Harish Damodaran from Fenster Hall – is the 19thcentury Saint Michael’s Hospital building at the intersection of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard and Central Avenue.

Today a vital health care resource, adjacent Saint Michael’s Medical Center plans a sweeping $250 million redevelopment that includes restoring its original building for offices and medical-student housing. A new four-story structure to rise nearby will be the heart of the revitalized Saint Michael’s medical campus, containing a larger emergency room, auditorium and other facilities. To learn more: greekvillage.njit.edu gateway.njit.edu

Non-profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Lancaster, PA Permit No. 299

New Jersey Institute of Technology University Heights Newark, NJ 07102-1982 www.njit.edu

the edge in knowledge

Now More Than Ever: The NJIT Graduate Edge Graduate study is an essential step toward success in today’s challenging job market. New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), a leading science and technology university, offers affordable master’s degrees that can give you a key 21st century advantage. NJIT has a program to suit your goals — and schedule — with some

A Best College

degrees that can even be completed online.

— Princeton Review

A Top National University — U.S. News & World Report

Applied Mathematics Applied Physics Applied Statistics Architecture Bioelectronics Bioinformatics Biology Biomedical Engineering Biostatistics Business Administration in Management of Technology (MBA)

Business and Information Systems Chemical Engineering Chemistry Civil Engineering Computational Biology Computer Engineering Computer Science Computing and Business Critical Infrastructure Systems Electrical Engineering Emergency Management and Business Continuity

Engineering Management Environmental Engineering Environmental Policy Studies Environmental Science Healthcare Systems Management Industrial Engineering Information Systems Infrastructure Planning International Business Internet Engineering IT Administration and Security

Graduate Open Houses at NJIT: March 10, April 14, May 19, July 14, August 4, August 18

Management Manufacturing Systems Engineering Materials Science and Engineering Mathematical and Computational Finance Mathematical Sciences Mechanical Engineering Occupational Safety and Health Engineering Pharmaceutical Bioprocessing

Pharmaceutical Chemistry Pharmaceutical Engineering Pharmaceutical Systems Management Physics Power and Energy Systems Professional and Technical Communication Software Engineering Telecommunications Transportation