njit magazine / fall 2010

within reach

f a l l m a g a z i n e10

10Helping stroke survivors regain vital abilities

14

Meet ian GatleyPhysicist and imaging pioneer is NJIT’s new provost

new therapies for stroke patients

i i N J I T M A G A Z I N E | F A L L 2 0 1 0

a MessaGe froM nJit president robert a. altenkirch

E x E c u t i v E S u m m a r y

Many horizons offering the potential for positive change beckon at a university.

At NJIT, an institution focused on science and technology, there are opportunities to

advance research and knowledge in a wide range of disciplines, including physics.

For this issue, NJIT Magazine interviewed Ian Gatley, NJIT’s recently appointed pro-

vost, senior vice president for academic affairs and distinguished professor of physics.

Dr. Gatley speaks about the personal excitement he

experienced as part of the team that pioneered infrared

imaging technology that has yielded a wealth of astro-

nomical information. He emphasizes that every student,

in every discipline, should have the opportunity for re-

search experiences that are equally exciting and fulfilling.

The feature about the work of Sergei Adamovich,

associate professor of biomedical engineering, looks

toward a research horizon very different from the

distant reaches of our galaxy. Along with students and

colleagues, and with major support from the National Institutes of Health, he is

developing innovative therapies intended to help stroke patients regain greater use of

their arms and hands. In addition to assessing how individuals who volunteer for this

research improve with respect to their range of movement, Professor Adamovich and

his team are investigating the brain’s responses to a therapeutic strategy that inte-

grates game-like exercises in virtual environments.

NJIT’s evolving engagement with the City of Newark presents yet another op-

portunity for accomplishing significant change. Continuing physical improvements

on campus are integral to the educational and civic commitments initiated with the

founding of Newark Technical School well over a century ago. The Abstracts section of

this issue includes the news that NJIT has completed acquisition of the Central High

School building located between Fenster and Campbell Halls. Although Central High

School students have moved to a new location, we continue to have a strong partner-

ship with the school, continuing many of the relationships and initiatives that existed

when we were neighbors, as we do with the Newark community at large. Acquisition

of this historic building anchors NJIT even more firmly in the life of its host city.

In the classroom and in the laboratory, the horizons of possibility are numer-

ous and diverse at NJIT. The challenge is to persist in taking all the steps necessary

toward translating the possibility of beneficial change into reality.

“ The horizon leans forward, offering you space to place new steps of change.” — Maya Angelou

N J I T M a g a z I N e

Fall 2010

Jean M. LlewellynExecutive Director University Communications

Dean L. MaskevichEditor

Christina Crovetto MS ’03Assistant Editor

Babette HoyleProduction Coordinator

Skelton DesignDesign

Editorial Advisory BoardJoel 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, University 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 http://magazine.njit.edu

Please send letters of comment and requests to reproduce material from NJIT Magazine to:

NJIT MagazineUniversity CommunicationsUniversity HeightsNewark, NJ [email protected]

Robert A. AltenkirchPresident

Charles R. Dees, Jr.Vice PresidentUniversity Advancement

Robert A. BoyntonExecutive DirectorAlumni Relations

N J I T M A G A Z I N E | F A L L 2 0 1 0 1

m a g a z i n e

d e p a r t M e n t s

2 absTracTs NJIT news in brief

8 poINT by poINT Athletics update

9 gIvINg NJIT development news

21 aluMNI cIrcuIT Class notes, alumni calendar, and more

33 aT The edge Leading-edge achievements by faculty, staff, students, alumni

10f a l l

features

pagE 10

Within reach: New Therapies for stroke patientsResearchers are developing rehabilitation techniques to help stroke patients regain greater use of their fingers, hands and arms. page 14

Meet Ian gatleyDistinguished physicist and educator, NJIT’s new provost has worked on the frontier of astronomical imaging. page 18

commencement 2010 New Jersey Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno endorsed embracing the unexpected.

The gargoyle above is one of the Gothic architectural touches on the Central High School building recently acquired by NJIT.

2 N J I T M A G A Z I N E | F A L L 2 0 1 0

Acquisition of the large structure had been initiated in 2008, when NJIT entered into a Sale and Purchase Agreement with the Newark Public Schools. All high school students have been

relocated to new facilities in Newark, and NJIT has begun renovation of Central High, where classes were first held in 1912.

NJIT’s initial use of the building, which incorpo-rates Jacobean and Gothic architectural features, will be for classrooms on the second floor. In addition to the installation of sprinkler and fire alarm systems, im-mediate improvements will include smart-classroom technology, new telecom and computer networks, and upgrades for lighting and temperature control.

The next issue of NJIT

Magazine will include a feature on the progress of renovation at Central High and how this historic building will be integrated into the campus in keeping with the university’s Landscape Master Plan. n

abStractS NJIT has begun renovation of Central High, where classes were first held in 1912.

Presidential Community serviCe Honor for nJitThe President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, an annual recognition program that celebrates exemplary com-mitment to service and volun-teering by institutions of higher education, has added NJIT to its ranks. The university was rec-ognized for implementing three

community service programs in 2009 under the auspices of NJIT’s Division of Career Development Services. They were the Wachovia/NJDCA Housing and Community Development Scholars Program, the Civic Engagement Computer Center@NJIT (CECC@NJIT), and the NJIT “Community of Caring” Campaign.

The Wachovia/NJDCA initia-tive is a partnership between NJIT, The Wachovia Foundation, and the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs. During

2009, 37 student scholars from NJIT and five other New Jersey schools assisted 29 non-profit agencies throughout the state with affordable housing, community development, neighborhood revi-talization, and economic develop-ment. The student-managed Civic Engagement Computer Center provides technical computer support for community agencies. The “Community of Caring” Campaign challenges the NJIT community to provide at least 10,000 hours of service each year to the people of New Jersey. n

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HistoriC sCHool Building now Part of nJitNJIT gained much-need-ed space for classrooms and other uses in June when ownership of the Central High School building at the eastern edge of the campus passed to the university.


lanzerotti leads Car aCCeleration ProBeLouis J. Lanzerotti, distinguished research professor in the Depart-ment of Physics, will lead the 16-member panel organized by the National Research Council of the National Academies to identify possible causes of unin-tended vehicle acceleration in the aftermath of Toyota’s large recalls. The group, which held its first

meeting in June in Washington, D.C., includes notable engineers, scientists and auto safety experts. They will review electronic sys-tems across the auto industry.

“We are all proud of Dr. Lan-zerotti’s continued contributions to fundamental and applied science and technology. He brings a very broad background to a critical analytical task that has implications for the safety of millions of people,” said NJIT Provost Ian Gatley.

A member of the National Academy of Engineering,

Lanzerotti is a retired Distinguished Member of Technical Staff at Lucent Technologies, where his responsibilities included supervi-sion of laboratories and research and development. His research interests include space plasmas, geophysics, and engineering challenges related to the impacts of atmospheric and space phe-nomena on space and terrestrial technologies.

Lanzerotti has chaired a number of NRC boards and committees, including the Space Studies Board, the Committee for the

Assessment of Options for Extending the Life of the Hubble Space Telescope, the Commit-tee on the Safety and Security of Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage, and the Army Research Laboratory Technical Assessment Board. He has been a principal researcher for NASA and com-mercial satellite missions. Cur-rently, he has a key role involving instrumentation for NASA’s dual spacecraft Radiation Belt Storm Probes mission scheduled to launch in 2012. n

“ We are all proud of Dr. Lanzerotti’s continued contributions to fundamental and applied science and technology.”NJIT Provost Ian Gatley

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This issue also includes a feature that you’ll find only online

— “Liberal Arts, Yew Trees and Combating Cancer.” Shimon

Schwarzschild ’50, electrical engineer, has responded to

“Bridging the Gulf – Science and the Liberal Arts Converge at

NJIT,” which appeared in the spring 2010 issue. He shares his

thoughts about the value of the liberal arts in science cur-

ricula and his experiences as an environmental advocate in the

controversy surrounding the protection of an important natural

resource and the development of a potent cancer treatment.

It’s online at http://magazine.njit.edu/yews or the QR

link below. n

visit NJIT Magazine online at http://magazine.njit.edu for links to more information about topics in this issue.


mayor Booker Cuts tHe riBBon at mediCal genetiCs laBCGC Genetics, Inc., the first pri-vate medical genetics laboratory in Portugal, recently inaugu-rated U.S. operations at NJIT’s Enterprise Development Center (EDC). The company selected Newark over other cities for its U.S. headquarters as a result of concerted efforts on the part of Brick City Development Corpo-ration and the City of Newark.

CGC Genetics offers more than 1,500 clinical genetic laboratory tests in the areas of molecular di-agnostics, cytogenetics, prenatal/pediatric screening, and cancer and personalized medicine. It will work with the Institute of Genomic Medicine at the Univer-sity of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey to improve health in the U.S. and other countries. n

www.njit-edc.org

green award for a PrettyfaB HouseThe unique sustainable design of a single-family home in Jersey City – dubbed the PREttyFAB house – has won a Project of

the Year Award from the city, presented in May at the Third Annual Green Awards ceremony. The design is the work of Assistant Professor of Architecture Richard Garber, Nicole Robertson and colleagues at their firm GRO Architects. The project has also received an award from the New Jersey Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, of which Garber and Robertson are members.

Designing the 1600-square-foot, prefabricated, super-sus-tainable house was not easy. “We were asked to set it on an un-dersized lot 22 feet wide and 54 feet deep, a derelict piece of land overrun with weeds,” says Garber. The budget was modest and the client wanted the home to resemble none of the others on a block of two-story wood-frame, now aluminum-sided, structures. “It’s always a challenge when you come in with plans for a house that looks like nothing else on the street,” he adds.

A modular green roof – which dissipates heat and slows the drainage of water – sits over a portion of the structure. Another segment has been op-timized for solar collection and includes a 260-square-foot pho-tovoltaic array. A battery stores excess energy produced. n

steel Bridge team sweePsFor the fifth year in a row, NJIT’s

Steel Bridge Team took first

place in the Metropolitan Region

Steel Bridge Competition, held

on the Fairleigh Dickinson cam-

pus in Teaneck, New Jersey. NJIT

bested schools that included

Columbia University, Cooper

Union and Stevens Institute.

“Under the highly able leader-

ship of Giancarlo Fricano and

Tien Tran, the NJIT Team placed

first in every scoring category,

including construction speed,

lightness, stiffness, construction

economy, structural efficiency

and display,” said team advisor

John Schuring, professor of civil

engineering. “This is the first

time ever that our students have

achieved such a clean sweep.”

The rigorous competition re-

quires teams to design and fab-

ricate a bridge of approximately

1/10 scale and erect it under

deadline pressure. The 20-foot

long bridge must be lightweight,

yet strong enough to sustain a

2,500-pound load.

The annual event is spon-

sored by the American Institute

of Steel Construction and the

American Society of Civil Engi-

neers. Schiavone Constructors

and Engineers of Secaucus was

once again corporate sponsor of

the NJIT team. nhttp://civil.njit.edu

“ It’s always a challenge when you come in with plans for a house that looks like nothing else on the street.”Architect Richard Garber

Cutting the ribbon for CGC Genetics (from left): East Ward Council Member Augusto Amador, Newark Mayor Cory A. Booker, CGC Genetics CEO Dr. Purifica-ção Tavares, Portuguese Ambassador to the United States Joao de Vallera, Deputy Mayor for Economic and Housing Development Stefan Pryor, NJIT Senior Vice Presi-dent for Research and Development Donald H. Sebastian, and New Jersey Medical School Interim Dean Dr. Robert L. Johnson.

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A member of NJIT’s faculty since 1992, Rothenberg’s widely pub-licized studies of bird song and whale song explore the complex, complementary relationship between music and the scientific investigation of nature. In 2008, Rothenberg received NJIT’s Excellence in Research Award for the College of Science and Liberal

Arts. His most recent book and CD, Thousand Mile Song: Whale Music in a Sea of Sound, chroni-cles the rich, underwater universe of whale vocalizations. Philoso-pher and musician, Rothenberg traveled from Hawaii to Russia, playing his bass clarinet while recording the sounds of whales in their native habitats. Thousand

Mile Song was named one of the ten best science and technology books for 2008 by Booklist Online, a publication of the American Library Association.

Published in the U.S. in 2005, Why Birds Sing examined bird song from the combined perspec-

tives of science, music, and po-etry. It has since been published in Australia, China, England, Germany, Italy, Korea, Spain and Taiwan as both a book and CD. Rothenberg is currently working on a book that assesses the con-nection between evolution and aesthetics, including the aesthetic power of Darwin’s concept of natural selection. n

For more about Rothenberg’s research, see “Bridging the Gulf: Sci-ence and the Liberal Arts Converge at NJIT” in the winter 2010 issue and “Technology and the Music of Birds” in the spring 2006 issue online at http://magazine.njit.edu.

NJIT Board of Overseers Excellence in Research Prize and Medal: www.njit.edu/about/boards/over-seers/awards/prize-medal

NJIT Degree a Top INvesTmeNT“What’s Your College Degree Worth?” a Bloomberg Business-week survey of 852 U.S. col-leges and universities looking for the best return on invest-ment (ROI), has named NJIT as one of four institutions in New Jersey offering the best

deal. Ranked at number 81, NJIT is in the top 10 percent of all the schools surveyed. Princeton University, Stevens Institute of Technology and The College of New Jersey were also among New Jersey’s four best buys. The study ex-amined graduation rates, total cost to graduation, ROI as a percentage, 30-year net return on investments, and 30-year net return for graduates. n

Harmonic connectionsOverseers HOnOr InterspecIes researcHer, MusIcIan, BestsellIng autHOr

For the third year, fall at NJIT is highlighted by presentation of the

Overseers Excellence in Research Prize and Medal — awarded to Pro-

fessor of Humanities David B. Rothenberg. The title of the program

— Harmonic Connections in Nature, Science, and Music — reflects the

essence of Rothenberg’s research. The unique interdisciplinary char-

acter of the achievements honored is also vibrantly communicated

by the tributes, multimedia presentations, and performances by

clarinetist Rothenberg and pianist Marilyn Crispell comprising the

event on October 6. Rothenberg’s own overview of his research was

complemented by remarks from Ofer Tchernichovski, neuroscientist

and animal behaviorist distinguished for his insights into bird song,

and Scott McVay, pioneering investigator of whale vocalizations.


sorting out a green CHallengeMichael Lowry knows how to sort things out. Last spring, the mechanical engineering major’s single-stream recycling machine took first place in the Annual Student Design Competition sponsored by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). Lowry’s challenge was to develop an autonomous mate-rial sorter that could distinguish between ferrous and non-ferrous metals, plastics, ceramics and other solid materials for recycling.

Named Rufus after NJIT’s mascot for all things green, Lowry’s design features a cardboard sorter, glass bins for different materials, and a one-inch wide conveyor belt. In addition to a $500 prize and trophy, he earned a place at the ASME national design competition scheduled for November in Vancouver.

NJIT has captured first place for eight of the last thirteen years in this competition. Among the contenders that Lowry faced were City College of New York, Drexel, The College of New Jersey, Rochester Institute of Technology, Stevens Institute, Tufts and Villanova. n

http://mechanical.njit.edu

HaBitat for Humanity wins witH nJitIt’s a win-win situation for Newark residents, NJIT, and architecture student Alexander Merlucci.* For NJIT, it’s recognition and a $25,000 grand prize awarded by the National Council of Archi-tectural Registration Boards (NCARB) for a townhouse design conceived in partnership with the Newark chapter of Habitat for Hu-manity. For area families, it’s the chance to own affordable homes built with the latest sustainable materials and technologies. The $25,000 prize will support con-tinuing collaboration with Habitat for Humanity in Newark and the NJIT Habitat chapter.

Fourth-year architecture student Merlucci developed the winning townhouse design for the 2009 Habitat Options studio taught by Associate Professor Darius Sollohub and alumnus Jak Inglese ’80, ’83. Inglese, principal of Inglese Architecture and Engineering, is a widely recognized expert in the field of affordable, sustainable housing.

A key objective of the studio was to work with Newark residents to get real-world insights into their

housing needs and preferences, and to come up with a design that Habitat for Humanity could incorporate in a planned town-house development. While most college design courses are largely exercises in aesthetics, this NJIT program focused on affordability, practicality and green design. All of the projects aimed at achieving high Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) ratings, a designation that could earn grants from the State of New Jersey to underwrite the up-front costs of ecological design elements.

Merlucci and runner-up Cara Constantino* are now work-ing with Inglese to prepare blueprints for the winning design and obtain all munici-pal approvals. Once the plans are finalized and all approvals obtained, construction will be carried out by crews consisting mainly of volunteers, including the families who will become homeowners, in the traditional Habitat for Humanity man-ner. All Habitat homeowners contribute 400 hours of “sweat equity” to building their new homes, which are financed by zero-interest loans. n

http://design.njit.edu

*Dorman honors scholars

NJIT has captured first place for eight of the last thirteen years in ASME’s Annual Student Design Competition.

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$1.5 mIllIoN graNT for solar research ceNTerNJIT has received a $1.5 million

grant from Apollo Solar Energy,

Inc. to establish a research

center focused on advancing

the use of cadmium telluride

semiconductor materials in

thin-film solar cells. Based in

Chengdu, China, Apollo Solar

Energy mines and refines

tellurium and tellurium-based

metals for the global electron-

ics market.

“Solar arrays using thin-

film technology have already

proven to reduce the cost per

watt to one-third the cost of

conventional systems,” says

Donald H. Sebastian, NJIT’s

senior vice president for

research and development.

“Through diligent improvement

in production, cost and quality,

solar power can be a legiti-

mate contender for much more

than the small percentage of

the global need that is now

projected for photovoltaics.” n

Ali Abdi, associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, has been acknowledged for outstanding contributions and leadership in un-derwater acoustic communications with an IEEE Region 1 Award.

Nancy W. Coppola, professor of English, has received the 2010 Jay R. Gould Award for Excellence

in Teaching from the Society for Technical Communication.

Sergiu M. Gorun, associate professor in the Department of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, was a member of a team that presented their research in May at the 43rd Annual Interna-tional Meeting of the Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy Group of

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Bar-Ness receIves commuNIcaTIoN Theory commITTee awarDYeheskel Bar-Ness, distinguished professor of electrical and com-puter engineering, is one of two recipients of the Communication

Theory Technical Committee Service Award for 2009 presented by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). The award recognizes Bar-Ness’ sustained leadership of the Com-munication Theory Committee, his role in organizing the first communication theory mini-con-ference at a major symposium, and his leadership in founding IEEE Communications Letters and serving as its inaugural editor-in-chief. A Fellow and Lifetime Member of IEEE, Bar-Ness is director of NJIT’s Center for Communications and Signal

Processing Research. n

arINzeh prINcIpal INvesTIgaTor for New Nsf graNT

Treena Arinzeh, associate profes-sor in the Department of Biomedi-cal Engineering, is the principal investigator for a $390,000 National Science Foundation grant for re-search into the use of a novel smart material, in combination with stem cells, as a tissue engineering medium

for repairing severe cartilage defects. Co-principal investigators are Michael Jaffe, biomedical engineering research professor, and Boris Khusid, professor in the Department of Chemical, Biologi-cal and Pharmaceutical Engineer-ing. Arinzeh and her colleagues will carry out integrated investigations that combine advances in materials science with engineering character-ization techniques, nano-material characterization, microelectron-ics, stem-cell bioengineering, and molecular biology/bioengineering techniques. The studies could have a significant impact in the fields of tissue engineering and regenera-tive medicine, smart materials and

biomaterials. n

the Royal Society of Chemistry in Cardiff, United Kingdom.

Eric Katz, professor in the Depart-ment of Humanities, presented a paper titled “The Nazi Engineers: Re-flections on Technological Ethics in Hell” at the 2010 Forum on Philoso-phy, Engineering and Technology held in May at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado.

Taha F. Marhaba, chair of the De-partment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, has been honored with the Distinguished Engineer Award from Rutgers University, presented annually to a graduate who has made significant technical contributions during their career. Marhaba earned his BS in civil engineering and MS and PhD in environmental engineer-ing from Rutgers.

Jay N. Meegoda, professor in the Department of Civil and Envi-ronmental Engineering, has been named a Fellow by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Farzan Nadim, professor in the Departments of Mathematics and Biological Sciences, will serve as a member of the Sensorimotor Inte-gration Study Section, Center for Scientific Review of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Study sections review grant applica-tions submitted to the NIH, make recommendations on these ap-plications to the appropriate NIH national advisory council or board, and survey the status of research in their fields of scientific expertise.

Anthony D. Rosato, professor in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, has received a Fulbright Senior Research Award to study the dynamic behavior of systems composed of particles at the University of Salerno in Fisciano, Italy.

Karl Schweizer, professor of history, has received The Citation of Merit for outstanding contribu-tions to historical studies from the International Biographical Associa-tion, based in Cambridge, England.


grant for energy auditing CoursesThe U.S. Department of En-ergy has awarded NJIT nearly $470,000 to create a series of comprehensive courses that will teach mechanical engineers in the New York Metropolitan Re-gion how to improve the energy efficiency of existing buildings. The NJIT Center for Building Knowledge, headed by Executive Director Deane M. Evans, will organize and run the courses.

“The challenge for the past 30 years has been making new build-ings more energy efficient,” says Evans. “However, during the past decade, the emphasis has turned to improving existing buildings. Hence there’s a greater need for cleaner-energy programs, and we’re here to rapidly turn out a new cohort of qualified energy commissioning agents, or audi-tors, for this region.”

Licensed engineers, architects and energy consultants who already have a strong base of knowledge and want to expand their services are encouraged to participate. For more informa-tion, contact Paul Romano, senior research architect, at the NJIT Center for Building Knowledge at 973-596-3098 or [email protected]. n

Bickert, who broke the school re-cord for hits (66; old record was 59) and games played (56; old record was 50), also led the 2010

Highlanders in batting average (.322), sacrifice bunts (4), games played and started (56), and at-bats and plate appearances.

Petrone, who fought through injuries that caused him to miss seven games, had a strong year with a .290 average, 186 at-bats, 31 runs (second on the team), six doubles, a team-best three triples, a home run, and 17 runs batted in. Petrone’s 17 stolen bases were a new school Division I record and he was also second on the 2010 team with 16 multiple-hit games. While his primary position was left field, where he started 35 times, he also played center field (6 games), was the designated hitter in five games, and the second baseman in three.

Leiter comes from one of New Jersey’s leading baseball families – his father, Mark, Sr., and uncle, Al, are retired long-time major league pitchers, and his uncle, Kurt, is also a retired profes-sional pitcher. A workhorse for NJIT as a freshman, he shared the team lead in wins (3) with classmate Tripp Davis and led NJIT in innings pitched (81.1) and strikeouts (60), while ac-counting for four of his team’s six complete games. His 14 games started also tied Davis for the team lead.

NJIT is one of eight schools whose players are eligible for NJCBA Division I All-State Teams, joining Fairleigh Dickinson (Teaneck), Monmouth, Princeton, Rider, Rutgers, Saint Peter’s and Seton Hall. The teams are chosen in an annual meeting with repre-sentatives of each school (usually the head coach) having one vote and being restricted from voting for their own players. n

*Dorman honors scholar

point by point

The latest news about NJIT sports:

www.njithighlanders.com

three score division i all-rookie honors

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NJIT is one of eight schools whose players are eligible for NJCBA Division I All-State Teams.

Teddy Bickert*, Mark Leiter, Jr. and Matt Petrone scored with

spots on the 2010 New Jersey Collegiate Baseball Association

Division I All-Rookie Team. Bickert and Petrone each saw action

at multiple infield and outfield positions, and Leiter is a right-

handed starting pitcher.

Clockwise from top left: Teddy Bickert, Mark Leiter Jr. and Matt Petrone


Support for NJIT takes many forms, and some are liter-ally concrete. In the case of the Naimoli Family Recreation Center, it’s steel and a host of other materials...including con-crete. Thanks to a gift from the family of Vincent J. Naimoli ’62, this addition to the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Cen-ter will more than double the amount of space available for recreational sports, intramurals, athletic practice sessions and other school activities.

Built in 1967 and expanded in 1990, the Fleisher Athletic Center has been hard pressed to accommodate the needs of the university’s growing student body. The new addition, which is expected to be available for use in early 2011, will add some 24,000 square feet to the Athletic Center’s current 17,000 square feet of floor space.

The Naimoli family has long been among NJIT’s most gener-ous supporters. Naimoli, who

earned a master’s in mechanical engineering at Newark College of Engineering, is chairman emeritus and founder of the Tampa Bay Rays and a member of the university’s Board of Over-seers. As chief executive officer of Anchor Industries Interna-tional, he was voted 1995 Florida Entrepreneur of the Year in the turnaround category. In 1999, he received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor from the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations, and in 2004 was inducted into the National Italian-American Sports Hall of Fame.

NJIT Athletics Director Lenny Kaplan explains that plans for the fully air-conditioned Naimoli Center include a floor surface

suitable for a variety of indoor recreational sports and intra-mural competitions. The wood floor of the Fleisher Athletic Center provides a venue suited primarily for basketball and volleyball. “The new space will accommodate indoor tennis, soccer, cricket and other recre-ational activities,” Kaplan says. “But that’s not the full story. It will be ‘programmable’ space that allows multiple uses at the

same time. We also see it as being available for pre-college programs, career fairs, confer-ences – you name it.”

Comparing the NJIT of today with the institution of his days as a graduate student, Naimoli says, “Academic growth, the construction of new buildings, and improvements in the overall appearance of the campus have been amazing. Adequate facilities for athletics and personal physi-cal fitness are an important part of this progress. They encour-age activity that I feel is really valuable for a healthy outlook on life as well as a healthy body. I’m very pleased that the Naimoli family can help to provide state-of-the-art space that the NJIT community needs not only for recreational athletics, but for a wide range of other uses.” n

giving learn more and contribute at

www.njit.edu/giving

Plans for the Naimoli Center include a floor surface suitable for a variety of indoor recreational sports and intramural competitions.

The Naimoli Family Recreation Center under construction

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a concrete Gift

Vincent J. Naimoli and his wife, Lenda, at Celebration 2009.

1 0 N J I T M A G A Z I N E | F A L L 2 0 1 0

sTrokes are the leading cause of seri-

ous, long-term disability in the united

states. of some six million u.s. stroke

survivors reported in recent statistics,

only five percent will regain full use of

affected arms and hands, which pa-

tients cite as a particularly disabling

motor loss. and that’s despite having

had intensive conventional therapy.

nEw thErapiES

for StrokE

patiEntS

witHin reaCH

But researchers are working to devise new and more effective

therapies for helping people who have suffered brain damage

caused by stokes to regain vital abilities. Among them are

NJIT Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering Sergei

Adamovich, students from his department, and colleagues

at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey

(UMDNJ). With the support of a $1.3 million grant from the

National Institutes of Health, Adamovich is developing better

ways to rehabilitate individuals who have difficulty controlling

their fingers, hands, elbows and shoulders. continued >

N J I T M A G A Z I N E | F A L L 2 0 1 0 1 1

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release bIrds perched aT

dIffereNT levels oN Trees.


Volunteers whose upper-body movements are still limited by the effects of strokes come to Adamovich’s sixth-floor laboratory in Fenster Hall on the NJIT campus for two-week therapy sessions. They spend up to three hours a day, five days a week participating in therapy and research that combines virtual reality “video games” and the use of robotic devices designed to assist in the rehabilitation process.

Adamovich has been collaborating for over 10 years with two research scientists and physi-cal therapists at UMDNJ – Alma Merians, PT, PhD, chair of the Rehabilitation and Movement Sciences Department, and Assistant Professor Eugene Tunik, PT, PhD. Their immediate objec-tive is to help individuals who have had a stroke with an innovative approach to rehabilitation. They are also exploring how this promising therapeutic strategy may actually change neu-ral connections in the brain as a patient’s motor functions improve.

bubbles aNd pIaNos

“Video game” is a convenient phrase to describe the virtual-reality (VR) environments that have been created to challenge volunteers with tasks they find difficult due to their strokes, Adamov-ich explains. For some of these activities, stereo-scopic glasses enhance the three-dimensional VR experience with greater depth perception and immersion in the task presented.

In the course of the NJIT program, indi-viduals with arm as well as hand impairment have been asked to reach out in virtual envi-ronments to burst bubbles, take cups from a shelf and place them on a table, use a hammer, and gently capture and release birds perched at different levels on trees. The goal is to im-prove the speed, smoothness and range of mo-tion of shoulder and elbow movements. A vir-tual piano simulation helps patients improve their ability to move each finger individually. Sounding notes by touching the virtual keys provides realistic auditory and visual feedback while also tracking hand and arm movements.

“Stroke rehabilitation programs are most effective when they both engage and increas-ingly challenge the patient,” Adamovich says. “An engaging virtual environment can aid in

this sense by systematically adapting the diffi-culty of a task to the ability of patients as they progress, and by motivating longer engage-ment in exercises than would likely be the case with conventional therapy.”

hapTIc help

In addition to sophisticated game-like activi-ties in virtual environments, the NJIT pro-gram integrates the benefits of what are known as “haptic” devices. CyberGrasp gloves, fitted to the top of the hand, are used for hand and finger exercises such as the virtual piano. The Haptic Master system is used for activities in-volving the entire arm and shoulder. “These devices, essentially robotic exoskeletons, make it possible for patients to initiate and execute as much of a movement as they can and then pro-vide varying degrees of assistance,” Adamovich says. “This gives participants a satisfying, en-couraging measure of success while incremen-tally forcing them to work at the highest level they are capable of given their impairment.”

Results to date have been encouraging. For example, a group of 20 recent volunteers ex-perienced motor-function improvement of 20 to 28 percent following participation in the NJIT program. They demonstrated improved independent finger flexion, finger speed, strength and range of motion as measured

during training tasks, as well as in kinematic measures of reaching and grasping and clinical tests of upper extremity function.

According to Adamovich, age appears to make no difference when it comes to the po-tential for improvement. People have enrolled in the program as many as 15 years past their strokes and sometimes make better progress than individuals six months past the event.

The Neural evIdeNce

From one perspective, the most important outcome of the work being done in Adamovich’s lab is the immediate, everyday benefits it can offer for participants who have suffered the trauma of a stroke. Equally significant, however, is the promise of fundamental insights into how haptic training in virtual environments

TMS, or transcranial magnetic stimulation (1), and functional MRI imaging (2) help to evaluate changes in the brain induced by robot-assisted therapy such as exercises with the Haptic Master (3). In the TMS experi-ment shown, Associate Professor Sergei Adamovich and UMDNJ Assistant Professor Eugene Tunik (standing, right) are working with volunteer Jony Scheynin to map the brain’s response to tasks performed in virtual reality. Scheynin is a student in the joint NJIT/UMDNJ biomedi-cal engineering PhD program. The photo was taken by NJIT BME alumnus Hamid Bagce ’07, now an MD/PhD student at UMDNJ.

1 3

2


may induce positive changes in the brain by virtue of the brain’s neuroplasticity – its ca-pacity to establish new functional pathways after serious damage. This knowledge is basic to establishing the clinical significance of the research under way at NJIT.

A physicist and engineer, Adamovich has long been interested in how the brain controls mo-tion, an interest that grew over the years as he became more focused on applied science. He emphasizes the importance of understanding the neural mechanism underlying the innova-tive rehabilitation strategy he is helping to de-velop. To this end, complementary studies of the brain’s response to the virtual-reality and haptic therapy under investigation have been initiated.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and functional MRI are being used to map brain activity in real time as subjects perform tasks related to the therapy program, as well as to evaluate the reorganization in brain networks after therapy. Before coming to Assistant Profes-sor Tunik’s lab at UMDNJ for TMS evaluation, subjects undergo MRI scanning to generate an exact computer model of their brain. The model is used during the TMS session for precise po-sitioning of the stimulation coil to ensure that the magnetic pulse enters the brain at a prede-termined point of interest.

“Little is understood about susceptibility

of brain function to visual, tac-tile and auditory manipulations within a virtual environment,” Adamovich states. “It is critical to determine the basic neurologi-cal mechanisms of moving and interacting within virtual reality, and to consider how they may be exploited to activate neural net-works associated with sensory

motor learning. Realizing the full potential of of our approach to therapy depends on gaining a thorough understanding of how sensory and haptic manipulations in virtual reality affect neural processes.”

However, Adamovich adds that virtual reha-bilitation for movement disorders has been de-veloping more slowly than virtual technologies in other areas of health care. There are several reasons for this situation. Continued progress requires sophisticated integration of hardware and software, which is technically complex and expensive. The interdisciplinary nature of re-habilitation research also presents challenges. The design of interfaces to accommodate per-sons with impaired movement requires skills that span orthopedics, neuroscience, biomedi-cal engineering, computer science and multiple rehabilitation disciplines.

Adamovich and his colleagues are work-ing to address these issues. Ultimately, they hope, the therapeutic benefits of their re-search will be clearly validated and widely available to improve the lives of people who have endured debilitating strokes. n

Author: Sheryl Weinstein is NJIT director of public relations.

http://biomedical.njit.edu

realIzINg The full poTeNTIal of our approach To Therapy depeNds oN gaININg a Thorough uNdersTaNdINg of hoW seNsory aNd hapTIc MaNIpulaTIoNs IN vIrTual realITy affecT Neural processes.”

“

Research into stroke rehabilita-

tion is continuing at NJIT, and more

volunteers who have experienced

strokes are needed for the program.

Investigation of the benefits of

virtual reality and haptic therapy

is also being extended to children

with cerebral palsy — the most com-

mon cause of physical disability in

children. The therapeutic experi-

ence for cerebral palsy is being

adapted for children in association

with Children’s Specialized Hospital

in Mountainside, New Jersey.

Volunteers for the stroke program

should be ambulatory and have

transportation to the NJIT campus.

The cerebral palsy program is seek-

ing participants between the ages

of 5 and 15.

Individuals interested in the

stroke rehabilitation program and

the parents or guardians of children

who might participate in the cere-

bral palsy program should contact

NJIT Associate Professor Sergei

Adamovich at 973-596-3413 or

[email protected].

research voluNTeers sTIll Needed:StrokE patiEntS, childrEn with cErEbral palSy

co

nt

inu

ing

re

se

ar

ch

Graduate student Qinyin Qiu working with a CyberGrasp Glove and the virtual piano therapy program

— Sergei Adamovich, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering


meet ian gatleynJit’S nEw provoSt

These images of the same portion of the Milky Way, acquired some twenty years ago, illustrate the dramatic difference in detail between astronomical observations made at optical and infrared wavelengths. The image at left is in the optical region of the spectrum. The image at right, from Kitt Peak National Observatory, is one of the earliest to be acquired with the pioneering infrared detector array that NJIT Provost Ian Gatley helped to develop.


Ian Gatley joined NJIT in May 2010 as

provost, senior vice president for aca-

demic affairs and distinguished profes-

sor of physics. A prolific scholar well

known in astronomy and imaging sci-

ence, Gatley received a BSc with first-

class honors in physics from Imperial

College, University of London and a PhD

in physics from the California Institute

of Technology. He then served as astron-

omer and project manager with the

United Kingdom Infrared Telescope in

Hawaii and later led the infrared astron-

omy program at the U.S. National Optical

Astronomy Observatories in Arizona.

As chair of the U.S. National Opti-

cal Astronomy Observatories Infrared

Steering Committee, Gatley headed

a multi-million dollar collaboration

funded by the U.S. Naval Observatory

and the National Optical Astronomy

Observatories to develop the world’s

most powerful indium antimonide infra-

red detector array. This detector, code-

named “Aladdin,” has been adopted by

major observatories around the globe,

and a large number of state-of-the-

art scientific instruments have been

designed specifically to take advan-

tage of its superior performance.

In 1997, Gatley became director

of the Chester F. Carlson Center for

Imaging Science at Rochester Insti-

tute of Technology (RIT), where he led

the integration of an Aladdin-based

camera with a telescope deployed at

the South Pole. This and other efforts

comprised proof of concept for an

approach to data capture and man-

agement ultimately utilized for NASA’s

Stratospheric Observatory for Infra-

red Astronomy. Building on a growing

strength in astronomy, RIT also inaugu-

rated a new PhD program in astrophysical

sciences and technology.

While Director of the Carlson Center,

Gatley served as associate direc-

tor of the New York State-supported

Center for Electronic Imaging Systems,

co-authoring a winning $14 million pro-

posal for a New York State Strategically

Targeted Academic Research Center,

the IT Collaboratory. This collabor-

ation with the University at [continued]

“ We really pIONeered INfrared OBSer-

vaTIONS. We dISCOvered eNTIre CluS-

TerS Of yOuNg STarS THaT Were

prevIOuSly uNkNOWN, aNd We Made

deTaIled MapS Of THe INNer regIONS

O f O u r g a l a x y, T H e M I l k y Way.”


What attracted you to physics and astronomy?

As a small boy in northern England, where the Industrial Revolution began, I became fasci-nated with how stuff worked. This led to a fas-cination with models that describe the physi-cal world, and I became crazy about physics at an early age, around 12. My mom and a phys-ics teacher I had in the English equivalent of high school were especially encouraging. My teacher even called me by my first name when we talked about physics outside of class. That was a big deal in England in those days.

With my mom’s help, I sought out the writ-ings of the Nobel prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman. Feynman would later re-emerge in my life when my wife, Cathy, had this brilliant idea that I should go to gradu-ate school in California, where I actually met him. I showed up to study physics but fell in love with astronomy.

Up to that point, I had spent a lot of time in the classroom and was used to solving prob-lems for which the answer was in the back of the book. So my perspectives were rather nar-row. When I went to Cal Tech, my life changed in many important ways.

How did your life change in California?

I met people who were inventing a new kind of astrophysics, called infrared astronomy, which I found I could understand very well. There are places in interstellar space that are very, very dusty – where stars are presently being formed, for example. This dust gets in the way of seeing what’s going on at optical wavelengths.

But people have known for a long time that if you could only make the observations, in-frared light would let you see a lot more, to see through the dust. When I showed up in Cali-fornia at the age of 22, I got the chance to visit the Mount Palomar Observatory, which has a 200-inch reflector and a fabulous amount of technology. At the time, they had hung one little sensitive infrared chip in the focal plane, a camera with only one pixel! Even then, at 22, I looked at it and felt, “Well, that’s pretty much a technological disaster – what we need is a real infrared camera.”

So I became fixated on the idea of develop-ing the technological capability to make infra-red observations, and the people I was able to work with were fabulous, brilliant. By chance, I had showed up at the very beginning of in-frared astronomy. It was just barely happen-ing. The difference between no pixels and one pixel was profound because it got us started, and we became a big team of people working for years and years and years, decades actually. But eventually we produced a camera with a million pixels.

It was like being in at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. Each time we took new infrared technology to the telescope, we made discoveries. How exciting is that? We really pioneered infrared observations. We discov-ered entire clusters of young stars that were previously unknown, and we made detailed maps of the inner regions of our galaxy, the Milky Way.

Eventually, we were able to obtain images that were quite dramatic and which attracted the attention of publications such as National Geographic magazine. One day, as I was giving an interview for National Geographic about

our work, the person I was talking to selected an image and asked: “If you made the same observation with the technology as it was before your improvements, could you take this picture in an hour? How long would it have taken?”

So we sat down and figured out that it would have required a much longer exposure. In fact, it would have taken something like 400 years. Helping to make a discovery with that sort of impact, which makes it possible to do things spectacularly more efficiently – it was a really glorious, exciting experience.

Why did you leave the lab in favor of academics and administration?

Although my 25 years as a hands-on research-er after I came to the U.S. were very fulfilling, it was time for a change. I wanted to be more directly involved in education, about which I am passionate. It was time to give back to the next generation.

I joined Rochester Institute of Technology, in Kodak country, to lead its first PhD pro-gram, which was in imaging science. The suc-cess of this program led RIT to offer PhDs in more fields. So I became a professional educa-tor and eventually dean of science, where my goals of giving back through education were realized in an important way by becoming a good administrator.

For me, the most appealing part of being an educator is doing one’s best to share the ex-citement of learning, of gaining new knowl-edge about the world around us. In science and technology, or any field, our challenge as educators is to inspire a life-long desire to learn. We need to do this by providing appro-priate educational experiences at every level, from the time a child first enters the class-room. We must invest all the imagination, passion and resources necessary to inspire and motivate young people of both genders and all cultures.

It’s especially important at the college level, particularly at a school like NJIT, to involve all students in research – in doing what they hear about in lectures and read about in textbooks.

“ I wanted tO Be MOre dIrectly InvOlved In educatIOn, aBOut wHIcH I aM passIOnate. It was tIMe tO gIve Back tO tHe next generatIOn.”

Buffalo’s Institute for Lasers, Photonics and Biophotonics and the NYS College of Ceramics at Alfred University integrates nano-material science, microsystems, photonics, remote sensing systems and information technologies.

Gatley was next appointed dean of the College of Science at RIT, where he took a special interest in promoting a cul-ture that involved all undergraduates in research. Most recently before coming to NJIT, he led the Center for Student Inno-vation that serves as a hub and clearing-house of RIT innovation resources.

In the following interview, NJIT’s new provost shares some thoughts about his career and the university’s future.


Practical experiences that excite students so that they demand to know more are essential. Doing is a vital key.

How do you view the role of provost?

Live the mission. A provost must exude the values of the institution, and efficiently focus enthusiasm for its mission. That requires a great deal of listening and a clear vision of the big picture, to understand what people need to perform to the best of their abilities. People must be able to follow their passions in order to live their dreams and each fulfill his or her own unique potential.

What do you see as NJIT’s strengths?

NJIT is a superb institution with an obvious passion for doing the job of teaching really well. In both teaching and research, it’s all about the people. I like what NJIT’s people do. There is a clear emphasis on developing the tools needed to achieve important ends, among them taking advantage of our location to strengthen our partnerships with govern-ment and industry.

What do you feel lies ahead for NJIT as an institution challenged to meet President Obama’s vision for advancing education in science and technology?

The United States is still the envy of the world when it comes to higher education. But America must become more competitive, and while it is still too soon to talk about results, I’m glad that President Obama has put edu-cation in science and technology on the na-tional agenda.

Education must be available to everyone who is qualified. Words are easy, however. We must make the actual investment needed. I think NJIT’s strategic plan makes a strong statement about the university’s commitment to working toward this goal. n

Interviewer: Jean M. Llewellyn is executive director of university communications at NJIT.

PHo

To

: Jo

HN

MIC

ALE


“ yOu CaN’T depeNd ON yOur eyeS WHeN yOur IMagINaTION IS OuT Of fOCuS.” —NJIT President Robert A. Altenkirch

Left: New Jersey Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno and NJIT President Robert A. Altenkirch


coMMenceMent 2010 “reaCH aS yOu rISe.”

— New Jersey Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno

o n May 17, at NJIT’s 2010 commencement, New Jersey

Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno endorsed the value

of embracing the unexpected in life, and NJIT President

Robert A. Altenkirch urged the graduating class to always

retain the imagination and wonder that lead to great

accomplishments.

Guadagno, who began her public career as a federal prosecutor, was the

75th sheriff of Monmouth County and the county’s first woman sheriff.

She is also New Jersey’s first lieutenant governor.

NJIT awarded 2,237 degrees to the Class of 2010, which Guadagno

addressed as the keynote speaker at the Prudential Center in Newark.

Guadagno received an honorary doctorate of humane letters. Energy-

industry leader Ralph Izzo and medical pioneer Leon Smith were also

awarded honorary doctorates.

sIx “sIMple” rules

“Love what you do” but “stay open to surpris-es,” Guadagno said. “If anyone ever told me when I was your age that I would be a sheriff or lieutenant governor some day, I never would have believed them.”

Guadagno, who said that the primary goal of her speech was to be “quick, since it’s only me who stands between you and your diplo-ma,” advised students to follow six simple life rules. “First and foremost, do what you love. Everything else will fall in place.” Number two was always to expect the unexpected with its corollary rule, number three – to make sure you have a backup plan.

“Take that long shot,” she also advised, dis-cussing her own life and how opportunities arose like the recent election for lieutenant governor. “My shot was running for an office no one ever heard of,” she said.

Number five focused on humility. “Learn from your failures,” she remarked, “and make

sure you always move forward afterward.”Her last piece of advice was don’t fear am-

bition. “Reach as you rise,” she urged. “Take the opportunities as they come along. And stay in New Jersey!”

servIce To INdusTry aNd The NaTIoN

Ralph Izzo, PhD, chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer of Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated (PSEG), received an honorary doctor of science degree. Since joining Public Service Electric and Gas in 1992, Izzo has served in various executive positions within PSEG’s family of companies.

Izzo is a well known leader within the util-ity industry, as well as the public policy arena. His public-policy experience includes service as an American Physical Society Congressional Science Fellow in the office of former U.S. Senator Bill Bradley. He also served four years


as a senior policy advisor in the office of for-mer New Jersey Governor Thomas H. Kean, specializing in energy, science and technology.

Izzo’s career began as a research scientist at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, performing numerical simulations of fusion energy experiments. He has published or pre-sented over 35 papers on magnetohydrody-namic modeling.

pIoNeerINg acTIoN agaINsT dIsease

Leon Smith, MD, an early AIDS activist, was also awarded an honorary doctor of science degree. Smith developed the first viral diag-nostic laboratory in New Jersey as well as HIV and hepatitis C clinics at Saint Michael’s Medi-cal Center, Newark, where he still practices. The “go-to” doctor for mystery diseases, he was chief of infectious diseases at Saint Michael’s before becoming chair of the hospital’s depart-ment of medicine.

In 1979, Smith identified New Jersey’s first AIDS cases and worked with Saint Michael’s to establish the state’s first AIDS clinic. Although people were initially reluctant to work there, the clinic was eventually able to treat 50 people daily, a roster that grew to more than 5,000 patients. “That was before we had good therapy,” says Smith. “Today the drugs are so good, it’s easier to treat AIDS than diabetes.” Smith is also actively involved with the Leon Smith Foundation, which is dedicated to combating AIDS in Africa.

seeINg WITh IMagINaTIoN

NJIT President Robert A. Altenkirch advocated an imaginative and creative perspective on the world, quoting Mark Twain who cau-tioned that “You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.” Looking back over the past hundred years or so, Altenkirch said, one finds many surpris-ing pronouncements by intelligent, educated individuals whose imagination was blurred. “They couldn’t accept the feasibility or foresee the potential of scientific and technological ad-vances that others did.”

Altenkirch gave the example of renowned

mathematician and physicist Lord Kelvin, who asserted the impossibility of heavier-than-air flying machines fewer than ten years before the Wright Brothers’ first flight in 1903. In 1946, Altenkirch went on to say, famed movie-producer Darryl Zanuck stated, “Tele-vision won’t be able to hold on to any market it captures after the first six months.” And he cited the ironically confident 1977 statement by the founder of the mainframe computer manufacturer Digital Equipment Corpora-tion that “There is no reason why anyone would want a computer in their home.”

But others looked ahead to different futures, Altenkirch continued, and offered a different message that merits special attention today. One such individual was the pioneering chemist Sir Humphry Davy, a close friend of the poets William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, whose perspective on the future was poetic as well as that of a clear-eyed scientist. Early in the 19th century, Davy wrote, “Nothing is so fatal to the progress of the human mind as to suppose our views of sci-ence are ultimate; that there are no mysteries

in nature; that our triumphs are complete; and that there are no new worlds to conquer.”

“Whatever paths you follow as graduates of NJIT,” Altenkirch projected, “I know that you will always be among those who understand that accomplishments in the present are nev-er ultimate, never end points. We know that your capacity to marvel at the mysteries of the world around us will not diminish, and that you will persist in seeking to change the world in ways that are both exciting and positive.” n

“I kNOW THaT yOu WIll alWayS Be aMONg THOSe WHO uNderSTaNd THaT aCCOMplISHMeNTS IN THe preSeNT are Never ulTIMaTe, Never eNd pOINTS.” —NJIT President Robert A. Altenkirch

Top: Leon Smith (left), who received an honorary doctor of science degree, with Fadi Deek, dean of the College of Science and Liberal Arts.

Above: Ralph Izzo receiving the hood for his honorary doctor of science degree from NJIT Trustee Vincent L. DeCaprio ’72.


The TwelfTh SaluTe The accomplishments of alumni, faculty, students and friends of Newark College of Engineering were recognized in March at the school’s twelfth annual Salute to Engineering Excellence, held once again at the Campus Center.

The three graduates honored as prominent NCE alumni have devoted their careers to improv-ing orthopedic and cardiac health. Alex Khowaylo ’63 lived in a displaced persons camp in Germany after World War II before emigrating with his fam-ily to America and settling in New Jersey. After completing his degree in mechanical engineer-ing, he went to work for a firm that was part of the fledging orthopedic implant industry. He has since enjoyed a long career in the field, developing joint replacement devices for hips, knees and shoulders. He most recently was a co-founder of Implex Corp., serving as chair-

man and chief executive officer until the company was acquired by Zimmer Holdings in 2004. Implex developed the first new biomaterial for orthopedic ap-plications since the early 1980s.

Robert C. Gorman and Joseph H. Gorman are both ’84 alumni with degrees in chemical engineering. They subsequently graduated from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and today are associ-ate professors of surgery at the University of Pennsylvania. They are also co-directors of the Gor-man Cardiovascular Research Group, a laboratory focused on the design of devices for treating heart-failure and cardiovascular problems which receives support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The brothers have served on numerous study sections and advisory committees for the NIH as well as the American Heart Association. Robert Gor-man was recently recognized with a prestigious Established Investigator Award from the American Heart Association.

Turner Construction Compa-ny, where many NCE grads have built careers, was the recipient of the Outstanding Partner-ship Award for 2010. Since its inception in 1902, when Turner pioneered the practical use of reinforced-concrete design, the company has grown dramati-cally. Today, it is a $10 billion corporation with 46 offices and more than 5,000 employees nationwide. Turner’s New Jersey office has built or managed the construction of many of the

state’s leading commercial, resi-dential, institutional, industrial, sports and healthcare facilities, as well as buildings at NJIT.

Receiving NCE faculty and staff awards were Basil Baltzis, Excellence in Teaching; Kevin McDermott, Saul K. Fenster Innovation in Engineering Education; Shivon Boodhoo, Excellence in Advising; Edna Shepherd Randolph, Outstand-ing Staff Award; Lynnette Randall, Maureen Fagan, Dean’s Service Award.

The NJIT chapter of Engi-neers Without Borders received the Outstanding Student Chapter Award for their humanitarian efforts to provide the people of Milot, Haiti, with safe, clean water.

Students and future alumni recognized were Giancarlo Fricano (CE, Surveying EngTech), Saul K. Fenster Innovation in Design

Award; Rui Zhang (CompE), NCE Outstanding Graduate Student Award; Salman Haider Naqvi (EE)*, NCE Outstanding Senior Student Award – Overall; Mariya Tohfafarosh (BME)*, Razmenka Lazoroska (CHE), Matthew Young (CE), Salman Haider Naqvi (EE)*, Vinskey Louissaint (EngTech)*, Phong Pham (EE, ME)*, Departmental Outstanding Senior Student Award; Lekshmi Pillai (CHE)*, Kate Boardman (EE)*, NCE Madame Mau Outstanding Female Engineering Student Endowment Award. n

*Dorman honors scholars

alumni circuit

Robert C. Gorman ’84 (left) and Joseph H. Gorman ’84

Alex Khowaylo ’63


honoring ouTSTanding alumni2010 alumni achievement awards

The presentation of Alumni Achievement Awards has become a highlight of NJIT’s annual Class Reunion Weekend. The 2010 awards ceremony in May, sponsored by the NJIT Alumni Association, recognized six graduates for excep-tionally diverse career accomplish-ments and service to their home communities, to our nation, and to the people of other countries.

Austin L. ALvArez Service to U.S. Navy Submarine Programs

Austin Alvarez has seen a lot of shocking situations over more than 40 years at Electric Boat Corporation in Connecticut. A division of General Dynamics, Electric Boat designs, builds and maintains nuclear submarines for the U.S. Navy. Alvarez is a

staff engineer and technical leader for shock and structures development, vital work affect-ing the safety and survivability of the Navy’s undersea fleet.

Alvarez’s service to submari-ners began with his 1968 degree in civil engineering. Although he enjoyed playing junior varsity basketball during his first two years at NJIT, he switched to intramural competition due to the demands of his academic program. Of that program, he says, “I had many outstanding courses and professors, but the writing course I had with Doc Estrin still stands out in my memory. Being able to write well and communicate effectively has been invaluable.”

Joining Electric Boat the year he graduated, Alvarez has ably applied all of his skills in the course of a career that began, as he recalls, when engineers worked with slide rules. As in every field, the introduction of computers was revolution-ary. Dynamic shock analysis was among the key applications for Electric Boat – facilitating

sophisticated modeling of the forces generated by events such as underwater explosions and their effects on submarine struc-tures and attached equipment.

Alvarez had the opportunity to specialize in this analytical area early on at Electric Boat. He subsequently led efforts to bring a number of significant advances on board, including the applica-tion of the Underwater Shock Analysis Code to submarines.

In addition to his NCE degree, Alvarez has an MS in civil engi-neering from the University of Connecticut and an MBA from Rensselaer. He is a Professional Engineer registered in Connecti-cut. Numerous awards attest to his professional accomplish-ments. In 2005, he received the General Dynamics Technology Excellence Award for his contri-butions to structural engineering and shock design and analysis. In 2009, he was inducted into the University of Connecticut’s Academy of Distinguished Engineers and honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Shock and Vibration Information Analysis Center.

Alvarez is succinct when it comes to characterizing his four decades with Electric Boat: “I’ve never been bored a day on the job. There are always new chal-lenges.” Not long ago, he even had a major assignment with echoes of a part-time job he held while an undergraduate student. As an undergraduate, Alvarez worked part-time and summers for the Newark engineering firm that had designed several new buildings for NJIT’s expanding campus, and he inspected concrete

poured for the structures. For a multi-year project

launched in 2004, Alvarez led the design team that conceived unique strategies for using reinforced concrete to extend the service life of Electric Boat’s three graving docks – the mas-sive facilities where submarines are built and repaired. The legacy for the U.S. Navy and the nation is that Graving Docks 1 and 2 have been certified for 50 more years of service and Graving Dock 3 for 75 more years.

BenjAmin P. D’ArmientoA colorful career

A 1948 grad in chemical engi-neering, Benjamin D’Armiento has worked in a field literally full of color. For more than three decades, he earned professional prominence with dyes and colo-rants essential for applications such as printing and automotive finishing. His life has had figura-tive touches of color too – as a fencing champion, community activist and enthusiastic tour guide for foreign visitors to the U.S.

At Newark’s Barringer High School, one indicator of D’Armiento’s technical aptitude was the savings bond won in a competition sponsored by the 1939 World’s Fair, whose theme was “Building the World of Tomorrow.” “I won for the idea of an elevated monorail that would run down the median of a highway stretching from north-ern New Jersey to Atlantic City,” D’Armiento says.

Although he worked at the Newark Public Library while studying to become an engi-neer, D’Armiento still managed

Austin Alvarez at Electric Boat Corporation’s Graving Dock 3 before major reconstruction.

“ You can’t ask the right questions if you don’t know what you don’t know. NJIT deserves a great deal of credit for giving me the tools to ask the right questions and to make a difference in people’s lives.” — Arthur E. Hahn

alumni circuit


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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 [email protected].

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

to exercise his fencing skills. A champion high-school fencer, D’Armiento and several like-minded students parried initial administrative reluctance to reenergize the college’s fenc-ing program, suspended during World War II. “I loved the sport and was even able to continue as a coach at the YMCA in Newark for about 14 years after gradua-tion,” he recalls.

After receiving his degree, D’Armiento joined a firm named Interchemical, an association that lasted until 1996 through acquisition by United Technolo-gies and BASF. Initially assigned to food container coatings, it wasn’t long before he took on the work where he made a signifi-cant professional mark.

Managing design and construc-tion of an automated facility in Indiana that produced and then pumped ink to a large printing plant was among the many high points of D’Armiento’s career. Two patents also underscore his expertise – one for greatly acceler-ating the preparation of container coatings and another for the

recovery of solvents used in print-ing and automotive finishing.

Before he retired from full-time work with BASF as manager of engineering for the North American graphics group, D’Armiento traveled widely in Europe to evaluate plants and operations. Back home, he was also a tour guide for visiting foreign staff. “I really liked to do it, and on weekends I would escort visitors to all the sights in Manhattan – the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, and many other places. I think it’s because I enjoy meeting dif-ferent people so much.”

As D’Armiento tells it, his sociability has led to forays into community activism as well. Living in Clifton, New Jersey, before retirement, he successfully organized neighbors to keep a developer from building an unwanted apartment complex. Today, D’Armiento lives in Toms River, Ocean County. Getting to know D’Armiento, the mayor recognized just the person to organize a petition drive aimed at asking residents to vote on

changing the name of what was then Dover Township to Toms River – to avoid confusion with the Dover Township in Morris County. D’Armiento spearheaded the collection of signatures for a ballot question that voters enthusiastically passed.

D’Armiento continues to be very much engaged with his alma mater. He’s on the Alumni Association’s Board of Directors and the President’s Alumni Ad-visory Council. A member of the Monmouth and Ocean County Regional Club, you’ll also see him greeting alums and guests at events like Lakewood BlueClaws baseball games.

Arthur e. hAhnMagnetic pioneer

It happens many millions of times each day around the world – the coded magnetic strip on a plastic credit card is automatically read to complete a purchase. The same technology makes it possible to use an ATM and to pay for riding on a subway or bus with a paper fare card. And it’s all thanks to the role played by alum Arthur Hahn in the in-troduction of this indispensable innovation.

In the early 1970s, Hahn headed a small group at IBM charged with finding a practical way to incorporate a magnetic strip on

plastic and paper cards using the “bar code” that the company had developed. As Hahn relates, “IBM understood the potential of the technology, and we had the assignment of determining the best method for putting that magnetic strip on plastic and paper cards and designing a fully automated production line.” IBM had also convinced the National Retail Merchants As-sociation to adopt their magnetic

bar code as a standard, and the success of Hahn and his team would transform shopping and other daily activities.

Yet this is not the only high-light of Hahn’s career. He con-tributed to pioneering research in wireless communications and later launched a company that made a major change in the way electricity is metered.

Arthur E. Hahn

Benjamin P. D’Armiento


Hahn came to IBM via RCA Laboratories and Taft Electro Systems. After high school in Matawan, New Jersey, he attended the RCA Institute, becoming an electronics techni-cian at the company’s world famous research organization in Princeton. While with RCA, he attended NCE at night, complet-ing a BS in electrical engineer-ing in 1969. At RCA, he also participated in the invention of the first low-power chip for FM wireless communications. Hahn is named on the 1969 patent for this revolutionary contribution to wireless technology.

Attracted by opportunities in the emerging field of computers, Hahn moved on to Taft Electro Systems in Edison, where he de-signed a digital computer used by Grumman Aviation to download operational data from fighter aircraft on the tarmac. “This work made me a perfect fit for the job at IBM, in their Information Records Division,” he says.

But Hahn admits that he’s a “restless entrepreneur.” After his magnetic code breakthrough at IBM, he started a company to market a product he conceived for metering electricity – the first digital kilowatt meter. The new firm, E-Mon, met the demand for “sub-metering.” E-Mon units support tenant billing, cost al-location, demand management and energy conservation for multi-family homes, apartment complexes, commercial build-ings, government facilities and college campuses.

Now living in San Diego, Hahn is retired from active

participation in the highly suc-cessful E-Mon enterprise. He keeps a hand in business with activities that include real estate, and he travels widely. Speaking about a recent trip to China, he touched on the significance of education in that country’s rise to economic power, and in his own life.

“You can’t ask the right ques-tions if you don’t know what you don’t know. NJIT deserves a great deal of credit for giving me the tools to ask the right ques-tions and to make a difference in people’s lives,” Hahn says. “These days, it’s amazing to see what the entrepreneurial spirit and education are achieving in China. I think education is really the solution for all the world’s problems.”

eDmunD h. hechtProfessional engineer, arbi-trator, international scholar

“Don’t even mention seafoam green to me today,” Edmund Hecht says with a laugh, recalling the institutional color he applied in copious amounts with an NCE painting crew in the mid-1950s. It was one of the part-time jobs he had while studying mechanical engineering. Hecht also worked in the college book-store and on the switchboard. In more recent years, he’s returned to the classroom as a teacher – sharing a wide range of knowl-edge at colleges in Texas and as a Fulbright Scholar in Ukraine.

“I owe a great debt to NCE,” Hecht says more seriously. “I received a truly outstanding

education. In addition, after my father became seriously ill, the administration helped to arrange my class schedule so that I could take what was a full-time job in the quality control lab at Hoff-man Soda, part of the Pabst beer company. My shift was from 3:30 in the afternoon until midnight.”

After graduating in 1956, Hecht accepted a job with Gen-eral Electric, becoming expert in the installation and maintenance of turboelectric equipment for power plants. He also discov-ered his flair for marketing and management, enhanced by the MBA he earned at Southern Methodist University. This set of skills served him well when, in the 1970s, he co-founded a tur-bomachinery repair company in Corpus Christi, Texas. Hecht and his family had settled in Corpus Christi after years of traveling for General Electric.

Hecht built a very successful enterprise. But with their chil-dren grown, Hecht and his wife decided it was time to change

course in life. He sold his share of the business and the couple spent time touring the U.S. and other countries.

Hecht’s next venture was the Turbomachinery Repair Users Council, with success again stemming from his technical and managerial acumen. He brought original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) together with potential clients to explore mutual interests and promote the benefits of OEM service.

Subsequently, with the found-ing of EHco Services, Hecht applied his aptitude for bring-ing people together in much broader venues. On the technical side, EHco appraises many types of plants and equipment. But having acquired the necessary certifications, Hecht can also arbitrate and mediate issues ranging from neighbors arguing about a barking dog to disputes involving labor contracts and child visitation rights in a di-vorce. Sanctioned in many states as a way to avoid costly court

Edmund Hecht (far left) with his wife Bernis at a coffee cooperative in Honduras, where he volunteered to advise local planters on quality control for processing cof-fee beans as well as plant maintenance and reliability.

alumni circuit

alumni achievement awards, continued


“ Study hard, get involved, learn to be a good communicator, live by ethics. But be sure to enjoy your days at NJIT.”— Walter H. Kraft

trials, Hecht explains that his role as a mediator is to facilitate “civil discussion of differences.” Arbitration is a binding proce-dure. “As an arbitrator, I’m really the judge and jury,” he says.

Hecht has shared his knowl-edge and experience as an adjunct instructor at various schools in the Corpus Christi area, including Texas A&M-Kingsville and Embry Riddle University. He also works closely with many educational and service organizations in his community. Internationally, he’s been a visiting university lecturer in Jordan and volunteered his skills as an executive in Armenia, Hungary, Romania, Serbia and Honduras. These commitments have been widely recognized with honors that include the President of the United States’ Volunteer Service Award that he received in 2004 and 2007.

In 2009, as a Fulbright Scholar, Hecht taught business courses at Kremenchuk State Polytechnic University in Ukraine. Speaking of the experience, he reflects, “The people I met are very enthusiastic about building their free-market economy. You’d have to learn the culture and lan-guage. But if I were younger, I’d definitely think about doing busi-ness in that part of the world.”

WALter h. KrAftA moving engineer

Walter Kraft has had a long and rewarding career keeping people on the move. He’s an interna-tionally known expert in traffic engineering and intelligent trans-portation systems. Kraft started on the road to his first job in the

field, at Edwards and Kelcey, with a 1962 BS in civil engineering. It was an association that would last more than 30 years.

Kraft was first given the choice of working in one of three areas: structures, highways, or some-thing called “traffic.” Looking further into his options, he chose the traffic department. “It struck me that traffic engineering was more of a ‘people’ profession, meeting the everyday needs of people who need to get from one place to another,” he recalls.

In meeting these needs, Kraft rose from staff engineer to part-ner and senior vice president. Along the route, he worked on projects ranging from optimiz-ing the flow of traffic for new and expanding shopping centers to installation of the first bicycle lane in Manhattan. He intro-duced personal computers at the firm. “For some, that was a genu-inely traumatic change in the corporate culture,” he says with a wry tone. During his time at Edwards and Kelcey, in addition to taking care of demanding pro-fessional responsibilities, Kraft added an MS in civil engineering and a doctorate of engineering science to his academic creden-tials – both from NJIT.

In 1994, Kraft headed in a new direction. He joined PB Farradyne, a subsidiary of Parsons Brinckerhoff, as a senior vice president. Over the next decade, Kraft served as president of PB Farradyne Engineering and vice president of Parsons Brinkerhoff Quade and Douglas. Much of his work focused on advocating and implementing the capabilities of “intelligent” traffic tech-nologies made possible by the

fast-growing power of computers and advanced remote sensors. Electronic signage could now give drivers real-time informa-tion about road conditions and traffic flow. First responders could be routed more quickly to the site of accidents and other emergencies, with others on the road routed away from hazards that include especially dangerous secondary accidents.

A Professional Engineer licensed in more than a dozen states, Kraft’s expertise has been widely honored, particu-larly by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE). He served as ITE’s international president in 1987 and later in various leadership positions, including chair of the Future Directions Advisory Committee. In 1999, he was named an ITE Honorary Member – at the time only the 60th member to receive what the institute describes as the “highest recognition of notable and outstanding professional achievement.”

Over the years, Kraft has also shared his knowledge as an

adjunct faculty member at NJIT and schools across the country. In 2010, he continues to promote state-of-the art traffic engineer-ing through his own consulting practice and as executive techni-cal director for Eng-Wong, Taub & Associates.

Kraft was a key mover in developing NJIT’s graduate transportation program, and he remains connected to the university as a member of the Albert Dorman Honors College Board of Visitors. His advice to the young men and women cur-rently pursuing their educational goals at his alma mater – “Study hard, get involved, learn to be a good communicator, live by ethics. But be sure to enjoy your days at NJIT.”

roBert m. zAnzALAriHelp in harm’s way

Advanced radar, laser, electro-optic, infrared warning and counter-measure systems – these are just some of the technical innova-tions that Robert Zanzalari has helped to develop and deploy during his civilian service with the U.S. Army’s Communi-cations-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center (CERDEC). In the field, such advances have increased the survivability of ground vehicles and aircraft, including the Army’s large helicopter fleet.

Today, at Fort Monmouth in New Jersey, Zanzalari is associate director of the CERDEC, which is part of the Army’s Research and Development Command. He is responsible for overseeing a science and technology portfolio intended to give troops a defensive

Walter H. Kraft


and offensive edge in battle. He’s been working to provide this edge since 1982, when he gradu-ated with a BS in mechanical engineering.

“I looked at various schools, including Stevens, but de-cided that NJIT offered the best preparation for the real-world workplace,” Zanzalari says. A serious student, he didn’t arrive at NJIT with the intention of also becoming a basketball star. “You might say I was recruited,” he explains, after his height of six feet, five inches was noted by members of the Athletics Department. Persuaded to play, Zanzalari went on to score 1224 points, the 11th highest record in NJIT basketball history.

Zanzalari says that he accepted a position with the Army because he saw the opportunity to use his skills for a range of assignments much broader than would be the case as a junior member of most organizations in the private sector. Starting with the Man-agement Information Systems Directorate at Picatinny Arsenal, he subsequently moved to Fort

Monmouth and positions of increasing responsibility. His work has also taken him abroad to present the benefits of leading-edge military technologies to U.S. allies.

In the late 1990’s, Zanzalari’s forward-looking responsibilities involved charting the strategic direction of efforts by a team of 75 engineers and scientists. He has been responsible for assessing the revitalization of systems engineer-ing across his Center as well, in keeping with initiatives launched by the Department of Defense and the Department of the Army.

After passage of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Law, Zanzalari was assigned to oversee transfer of major CERDEC op-erations to the Army’s Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland. For the Army, this was the most complex move under the law. It was accomplished with maximum consideration for the personnel to be reassigned and without disrupting vital research and development initiatives.

Zanzalari has received a host of awards in recognition of

his technical and managerial achievements. Among them are the Commander’s Award for Civilian Service, the Army Achievement Medal for Civilian Service and the Superior Civilian Service Award.

In his current position, Zanzalari is working to marshal technical resources from both the public and private sectors that best meet the Army’s needs.

Yet whatever the technology or tactical use, the ultimate test will always be whether it helps our troops to accomplish their mis-sion and bring them home safely from harm’s way.

“All aspects of my work for the Army are satisfying,” Zanzalari says. “But it’s especially gratify-ing to hear from the men and women in the field that what we do saves lives.” n

alumni circuit

Robert M. Zanzalari

archiTecTure alumS win wiTh hoopS

Justin Foster ’08, Lauren Page ’08 and Phil Kuehne ’07 – graduates of New Jersey School of Architec-ture and members of the design collective KIT – teamed up to take first place in a charrette competi-tion sponsored by the New York

Architecture League. A charrette competition involves working in-tensely to meet a challenging proj-ect deadline. The team’s winning design, which featured hundreds of hula hoops connected to form a canopy, was part of a tempo-rary summer installation in the backyard of the SUPERFRONT art gallery hosting events for New York City Explorers, a Brooklyn-based nonprofit group. n

Pho

To:

DA

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Hosted by jose Dias ’85 and

Maggie Dias, and cesar Gavidia

’77 and Griselda Gavidia, the 11th Annual Florida Soccer Reunion was held on March 12-14. Attendees were treated to sumptuous dinners at the Dias home in Palm City and a lively picnic including a “Survival of the Fittest” soccer game at the Halpatiokee Regional Park in Stuart.

A special guest on the last eve-

ning of the reunion was martin

(marty) hammer ’80. Marty, who lives in Berkeley, California, was on his way home from Haiti after spending two weeks there as a member of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute. When he e-mailed me that he was going to Haiti and on the way back home would stop in Miami on the last day of our reunion, I asked if he could spend some time with us. Marty played soccer at NJIT and some of his teammates would be at the reunion. As the party was at the Dias home, Jose invited Marty to stay there. Marty brought his computer and gave a dramatic talk and slide show about conditions in Haiti.

jim moreno ’73 made a hole in one on the par three thirteenth

hole at the Belleview Biltmore Golf Club in Clearwater, Florida.

The German construction giant Hochtief AG has acquired E.E. Cruz & Co., a heavy and civil con-struction company based in New Jersey whose owner and CEO is

ed cruz ’63. The acquisition was a joint venture between Flatiron Construction of Longmont, Colorado, and Turner Construc-tion of New York, subsidiaries of Hochtief. Ed will continue as CEO and all E.E. Cruz employees will continue in their current positions. Among the 250 em-ployees are COO and President

joe malandro ’70, Senior Project

Manager jack tobin ’87, Project

Manager Gus Lijo ’98 and Proj-

ect Engineers Pablo Lemus ’03

and Antonio Goncalves ’86.

ray Bilott ’56 tells an amusing anecdote about his varsity soccer debut vs. Long Island University in 1953. He writes, “I knew noth-ing about soccer when I joined the team under Alex Rae and really was there just in case someone got injured and they needed someone to fill in. But I loved sports and worked hard at all the practices, and although I had very little ball handling skills, I did have a strong

leg and could kick the ball like a bullet. I actually got into the game as a right inside when one of our last remaining players got hurt. The next couple of minutes will always remain in my memory.

The ball seemed to appear magi-cally at my feet about 20-30 yards from the goal. As the LIU fullback came to challenge me, I took a mighty swing with my left foot, causing the defender to momen-tarily shy away. Of course, I had totally missed the ball. But I spun around and kicked the ball with my right leg, by some miracle making contact with the ball and sending a missile into the upper left corner of the goal for our first score. We won that game and it helped me earn more playing time from then on. Alex and everybody told me what a great ‘fake’ and shot I had made, never realizing what a lucky fluke it was.”

2010 marks the 50th anniver-sary of the 1960 NAIA National Championship Soccer Team, which I had the privilege of coaching. Plans are being made to honor the team in October. But any celebration of this event would not be complete if we did not acknowledge those who start-ed varsity soccer at NCE in 1951. You can read about the beginning of soccer at NJIT in a separate

article written by jim Boyle ’58

and Kurt carlson ’53.

Jim was the goalie on the 1951 team because no one else could play that position.

Following the 1951 season, he left college for a tour in the U.S. Navy as an aviation electronics techni-cian. At the end of his enlistment, he returned to NCE for the 1954 season and played fullback for the next four seasons. Jim’s ac-tive participation in college life included intramurals, the Athletic Association, Alpha Sigma Mu, the veterans fraternity, and as as-sociate editor of the 1958 Nucleus. He was elected to Omicron Delta Kappa and Pi Delta Epsilon. Jim has the distinction of being the only player on the 1951 team to play on the first team I coached in 1955 and the only person to receive five varsity letters in one sport.

When I announced the 50th anniversary of soccer in 2002, Jim spent five years trying to convince me that I was wrong because he claimed the first team was fielded in 1951. It was my belief that this was a club team but Jim was equally convinced it was a varsity team. He finally showed me evidence that he was correct, which I acknowledged, along with a humble apology for being so stubborn, in one of my “Mal and Friends” columns. It was also my belief that the 1951 team was a club team that led me to allow Jim to play four more years of varsity soccer. Now

class notesmal & friendSNJIT 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:

[email protected].

First, the latest news from Mal –

(From left) Griselda Gavidia, Cesar Gavidia, Martin Hammer, Joseph Dias, Jose Dias and Maggie Dias


class notesthat it has been proven that he erroneously received one letter too many, I have determined Jim may keep the five letters but the 1951 team will have to forfeit its season. Despite this minor disagreement, Jim and I are still great friends because we are both of Scottish descent and were born the same year. Jim was employed by PSE&G for 36 years, retiring in 1993 as general manager of purchasing. He has continued his association with NJIT by being an active member of the Alumni Association and the Highlander Athletics Advisory Board.

Kurt played soccer as a youngster in Sweden and for Thomas Jeffer-son High School in Elizabeth. He was a member of the baseball and bowling teams at NCE and began his soccer playing days in his se-nior year when his friends on the 1951 team convinced him to come out for the 1952 team. At the first practice, the coach (Alex Rae) commented that Kurt reminded him of “a big Swede named Kurt Carlson he had played against many times.” When Kurt told him that was his father, Coach Rae asked Kurt to invite him to the next practice. His father could not refuse, and the two veterans had a great time reminiscing about some of their past battles.

Kurt’s engineering career, which was interrupted by two years in the U.S. Army, includes positions with the U.S. Army Corps of En-gineers and the New York Urban Development Corporation, which became known as the Empire State Development Corporation, in the Design and Construction Department. The period from 1980 until his retirement in 1998

was an exciting time in Kurt’s career as he was actively involved in such projects as the Javits Convention Center, The Carrier Dome at Syracuse University, The Center of Engineering and Physi-cal Science Research at Columbia University and the tramway to Battery Park City.

Enjoy the article that Jim and Kurt have written for this issue about the start of soccer at NCE, and the article about the work that Marty Hammer and his wife have done in Haiti. I hope their journalistic efforts inspire other alumni to share interesting reminiscences and experiences in brief articles.

And keep the news coming to me at [email protected] or [email protected].

1950henry W. ott (EE) received the 2009 PROSE Award for his book Electromagnetic Compatibility En-gineering, published by John Wiley & Sons, in the engineering and technology category. The PROSE Awards presented annually by the Association of American Publish-ers recognize the best in profes-sional and scholarly publishing by honoring distinguished books, journals and electronic content in over 40 categories.

1968joseph c. muscari (IE) has been appointed to the board of manage-ment of automotive supplier Dana Holding.

1978major General ellen m.

Pawlikowski (ChE) is the commander, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. She is respon-sible for managing the Air Force’s $2.2 billion science and technol-ogy program as well as additional customer-funded research and development of $2.2 billion. She is also responsible for a workforce of approximately 10,800 in the labo-ratory’s component technology directorates, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and 711th Human Performance Wing.

1980michael h. Armm P.e. (CE), MS ’84 (CE) has been elected chair-man of the Board of Trustees of Culpeper Regional Hospital in Culpeper, Virginia. The facility is an acute care teaching hospital affiliated with the University of Virginia Health System.

1986henry Duncan (IA) is the deputy head of risk for SG Equipment Fi-nance USA, located in Jersey City. He previously spent 15 years with CIT Group, most recently as the chief credit officer for CIT’s major global vendor relationships.

1987 David hughes MS (Computer Science) writes that his firm, D. Hughes & Co., has been “selected by Digital Foundation Corpora-tion as its exclusive trading partner for project management and related courses. The contract was

awarded after a competitive bid-ding process conducted through the Registered Education Provider RFP system hosted by the Project Management Institute.”

1989rich nass (EE) has been ap-pointed director of content for medical device brands at Canon Communications LLC.

1995mary “maureen” Woods P.e. (CE) is the principal and president of Maxwell Consulting Engi-neers, Inc., based in Florida. She writes, “We specialize in providing non-conventional, cost-effective solutions for coastal engineering challenges.”

1998Bahia munem MS (PTC) has been awarded one of seven Woodrow Wilson Women’s Studies Dissertation Fellowships. She is now a doctoral candidate in the Women’s and Gender Studies Program at Rutgers University in New Brunswick.

2002Gary Dantico (ChE) shares the news that he is working for Nestle, managing the company’s cruise ship beverage operations for the U.S. East Coast, the Caribbean, Eu-rope and the Mediterranean area.


Starting toward a national ChampionShipBy Jim Boyle ’58 and Kurt Carlson ’53

1951: That’s when soccer took to the field in a serious way at Newark College of Engineering, starting the Highlanders on the road to a national championship.

Spearheaded by Dolph Rotfeld ’53, former New York Scholastic All Star, soccer became a varsity sport at NCE in the fall of that year. Comprised of players born in such countries as Austria, Brazil, Costa Rica, England, Greece, Ireland, Scotland and the United States, our team had a very international character. Although we did not win once in a four-game season, the team

improved with each match, laying a foundation that future teams would build upon.

Losing to Pratt 0-10, Panzer 1-6 and Stevens 0-8 could have dampened our spirits, but we were having fun and knew we were improving. Our confidence was almost rewarded in our last game against Arnold College. We were leading 2-1 at half time on goals by Spyros Pappidas and Alfredo Serrano. Our lead almost increased to 3-1 in the third quarter, but a goal by Jerry Sorkin was disallowed when the referee ruled that Jerry was fouled and instead awarded us a penalty kick. Unfortunately, the kick was missed and Arnold tied the game, and in the closing minutes got the winning tally.

The many soccer balls we head-ed over the years have diminished our memory, so we couldn’t come up with names for all those able

to gather for the 1951 team photo we located. Here’s who we could recall: (standing, left to right), Paul Kisciras ’53, ?, ?, Steve Rotter ’53, Dolph Rotfeld ’53, Carmen Verrone ’53, Anthony Yannotta, Alfred Serrano ’53, Spyros Pap-pidas, (kneeling, left to right) ?, Jorge Miernik, ?, Jim Boyle ’58, Gil Blair ’54, Leo Blonarvitch, Jose Dominques-Rego. We’d ap-preciate hearing from the uniden-tified players or anyone who rec-ognizes them. Please email either of us: Jim Boyle at [email protected] or Kurt Carlson at [email protected].

With more than 12 lettermen returning, the nucleus of the 1952 team was essentially the same as the 1951 squad, and the season’s results showed how much the team had improved. We were coached by Alex Rae, a part-time NCE student, and Professor Robert Swanson,

chair of the Physical Education Department. Alex, who was born in Scotland and had played soccer for many years, used to watch the team practice at Branch Brook Park and volun-teered his services as coach for the next three seasons. Because of our demanding academic schedule and the time needed to travel from NCE to Branch Brook Park by car or subway, we never had a full team at any practice.

With team captain Alfredo Serrano and Andy Latawiec on the forward line, and Dolph Rotfeld, Steve Rotter, Carmen Verrone and Jorge Miernik supplying defensive strength, we went from losing every game in the initial season to a 4-3-2 re-cord in 1952. The opening game was a good indication of things to come as we upset highly favored Stevens 3-2. Prior to the game, Coach Rae implored us to do better than last year and try to keep the score to a reasonable 1-3 or 1-4. We said we expected to win – and we did.

After losing to Arnold College and Panzer College, we returned to the win column with a 4-3 victory over Long Island Uni-versity. Following a loss to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, we pulled another upset, this time over a strong Trenton State Teachers College, 2-1. Our sea-son ended with a 2-1 win over Pratt, and 1-1 and 0-0 ties with West Point and Queens College. Latawiec became the first player selected to the Eastern Area of the All-American Soccer Team.

The 1951 soccer team

The first decade of NCE soccer culminated in 1960 with the team sharing the NAIA National Championship with Elizabethtown College in a 2-2 tie game that was called after four overtimes due to darkness.

(continued)


The 1953 team, captained by Anthony Yannotta, lost quite a few seniors from the 1952 team, so it was almost like start-ing over again and the season ended with a disappointing 1-7 record. 1954, led by co-captains Latawiec and Jon Ross ’56, was another rebound year that ended with a 3-3-2 record.

In 1955, Mal Simon joined the Physical Education Department and took over the coaching reins from Alex, becoming NCE’s first full-time soccer coach. His debut was as inauspicious as our first season, ending with a losing record. The team soon improved and, following three winning seasons, went on a tear of 22 games without a loss. The first decade of NCE soccer cul-minated in 1960 with the team sharing the NAIA National Championship with Elizabeth-town College in a 2-2 tie game that was called after four over-times due to darkness.

Today, NJIT is known nationally as a team not to be taken lightly. We take pride in knowing we were there in the beginning.

rebuilding and health in haitiThe magnitude 7.0 earthquake that devastated the most densely populated area of Haiti in Janu-ary 2010 killed 230,000, injured 300,000, and left over a million homeless. To help answer the enormous and urgent needs of the Haitian people, New Jersey School of Architecture alumnus Martin Hammer ’80 and his physician wife Miriam Shipp visited Haiti for three weeks in April and May to contribute their professional expertise.

It was architect Hammer’s second visit – his first was in March with a 25-member reconnaissance team from the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) to evaluate buildings and infrastructure in and around Port-au-Prince. The second trip was with a five-member historic preservation team from the World Monu-ments Fund to assess over 200 Victorian-era buildings in the “Gingerbread District” of Port-au-Prince.

During that time, Miriam Shipp attended patients in underserved tent encampments in Port-au-Prince and Carrefour, and at a free clinic at the Aristide Foundation. She saw up to 50 patients a day as a primary care physician, treating conditions such as malnutrition, hyperten-sion and infectious disease. Shipp worked with the Haiti Emergency Relief Fund in conjunction with both Haitian and American clinicians. (www.haitiaction.net/About/HERF/HERF.html for more information).

Hammer continues his work in Haiti supporting sustainable

Dr. Miriam Shipp helped to meet Haiti’s medical crisis.

New Jersey School of Architecture alumnus Martin Hammer ’80 and his physician wife Miriam Shipp visited Haiti for three weeks in April and May to contribute their professional expertise.


reconstruction as a represen-tative of Builders Without Borders. This includes finding more sustainable alternatives to the prevalent concrete and block buildings that fared so poorly in the earthquake. Reviving vernacular building traditions will be an important part of this initiative, combining them with new understanding and tech-nologies to create shelter that is earthquake-safe, hurricane-safe, resource-efficient and afford-able. Pilot projects to involve and train Haitian builders will be an essential part of the effort.

For more information about Builders Without Borders: www.builderswithoutborders.org. n

long-Time coach and adminiSTraTor paSSeSJohn “Gene” Schmid, head coach of NJIT’s baseball team from 1973 to 1997, passed away on June 12 at the age of 74. Schmid has been called the “winningest coach” in school history, having produced 393 career wins against 316 losses, with three ties. He also served NJIT for more than 20 years as director of career planning and placement.

During most of his coaching career, Schmid worked with his student-athletes on a voluntary basis, guiding them through many outstanding seasons while serving NJIT full-time in Career Services. For 25 years, he provided insightful employment counseling and advice on skills vital for job seekers, from writing effective resumes to making the best impression at an interview.

Also affectionately known to players as “Spud,” Schmid came to Career Services in 1966 with a BS from St. Peter’s College, and he later earned an MS at Montclair State

University. In addition to coaching baseball, he was assistant basketball coach for two years and an advisor to Sigma Pi Fraternity. He retired from Career Services in 1991, but coached until 1997.

In 2002, Schmid was inducted into the NJIT Athletic Hall of Fame for his achievements as head baseball coach. The Highland-ers won ten Independent Athletic Conference championships and a Skyline Conference champion-ship. They made seven appearances in the Division III playoffs of the Eastern College Athletic Conference and won the championship in 1982, which led to the team’s induction into the NJIT Athletic Hall of Fame.

Schmid’s commitment to young athletes was not limited to baseball. He officiated at high school and college basketball and football games as well. He was a member of the New Jersey Baseball and Softball Umpires Association, and a mem-ber and past president of the New Jersey Football Officials Association and the International Association of Basketball Officials, Northwest New Jersey Board 168.

Schmid’s dedication was recognized with many personal honors. He was named Coach of the Year by the Skyline Conference and accorded the same honor ten times by the Independent Athletic Conference. In addition to being a member of the NJIT Athletic Hall of Fame, he was inducted into the Independent Athletic Confer-ence Hall of Fame in 1993 and the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame in 2006. Assistant chair of the Division III National Baseball Championship Committee for ten years, he received the New Jersey Collegiate Baseball Association Award in 1997.

i n m e m o r i a m

Gene Schmid with his wife, Marie, in 2006

The NJIT community also notes with great sadness the passing of the following alumni:

Arthur Worthington Goodale ’37Frank John Vecchiotti ’43Ned B. Sluyter ’52, MS ’55

Architect Martin Hammer is assisting with reconstruction in Haiti.


corporaTe clubSNJIT’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, Schering-Plough, Turner Construction and United Parcel Service.

Corporate Club information and events: www.njit.edu/alumni/clubs

regional clubSNJIT Regional Clubs are planning events across the country.

Check the Alumni Events Calendar and Regional Club pages on the Alumni Relations Website for more information: www.njit.edu/alumni/clubs

young alumni clubThe Young Alumni Club organizes social gatherings and networking events for alumni who have graduated within the last 20 years.

For information about Young Alumni Club activities, including career-advancement events: www.njit.edu/alumni/clubs

alumni reunionSPlanning for 2010 fifth-year an-niversary reunions is under way for all classes whose graduation years end in “0” and “5.”

For information about reunions and Alumni Reunion Committee meetings, visit your class Website at www.njit.edu/alumni/class.

Reunion information is also available from the Alumni Relations Office: 973-596-3441 or by email to [email protected].

alumni calendar

For the most current information about all alumni events — including specific dates — visit www.njit.edu/alumni/events and the Websites of the individual clubs and groups listed.

Information is also available from the Alumni Relations Office: 973-596-3441 or [email protected].

celebraTion 2010friday, november 12 Pleasantdale chateau West orange, new jersey

NJIT’s annual festive evening of dining and dancing in support of endowed scholarships for students.

Information: Jacquie Rhodes 973-596-3407 or [email protected]

Also visit www.njit.edu/celebration

11Th annual florida Soccer alumni reunionfriday-sunday, march 11-13, 2011 coral spring, florida hosted by hernan Borja and carlos restrepo

All alumni, soccer players or not, are welcome. For information contact Hernan at [email protected] or Carlos at [email protected].

S a v e T h e d a T e !

a KicKoff wiTh honorS Dick Sweeney ’82 (left), Albert Dorman Honors College Dean Joel Bloom, and Daniel A. Henderson at the colloquium on innovation and invention held in April, the first of the events commemorating the 15th anniversary of the college. Sweeney is co-inventor of the Keurig single-cup coffee machine, a founder of Keurig, Inc., and vice president for contract manufacturing and quality assurance. CEO of Intellect Wireless, Henderson is a sculptor, entrepreneur and inventor who holds 26 U.S. patents for innovations that include major contributions to wireless communications technology.

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The new industrial design pro-gram of NJIT’s School of Art + Design was represented for the first time last May at the annual International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) held in Manhattan. NJIT booth post-ers showcased some fifty student projects. Nine students displayed physical prototypes – Sarah Ovsiew’s lunchbox, lighting by Joe Kasper and Allen Catbagan, juic-ers by Reina Gonzalez and James Miller, and “smart modules” form-ing the kernel of designs by Philip Caleja, Samantha Goldman, Alex Kolesnikov and Sara Jane Rin.

The exhibit was created by student volunteers and Profes-sors Brooks Atwood (Industrial Design), David Brothers (Interior Design), and Glenn Goldman (Director, School of Art + Design) as well as University Lecturer Jose Alcala (Industrial Design) and adjunct/product designer Ran Lerner of Ran Lerner Design. ICFF allowed students to network with professional colleagues and potential employers while raising the visibility of NJIT.

induSTrial deSign on diSplay

at the edge

Allen Catbagan and Reina Gonzalez at ICFF. Juicer (above right) by Reina Gonzalez.

New Jersey Institute of TechnologyUniversity heightsNewark, NJ 07102-1982www.njit.edu

NoN-PRoFIT oRG.U.S. PoSTAGE

PAIDLANcASTER, PAPERMIT No. 299

the edge in knowledge

Graduate study is an essential step toward

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New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), a

leading science and technology university, offers

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key 21st century advantage. NJIT has a program

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www.njit.edu/gradstudy

A Best College — Princeton Review

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

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Business and Information Systemschemical Engineeringchemistrycivil Engineeringcomputational Biologycomputer Engineeringcomputer Sciencecomputing and Businesscritical Infrastructure SystemsElectrical EngineeringEmergency Management and Business continuity

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njit magazine / fall 2010

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