ABSTRACTS

Grad Student Unveils Sunquake Findings at Supercomputing Conference

NJITs Ph.D. physics graduate John Stefan’s findings about earthquake-like events on the Sun shook up the world of space science during one of the biggest international conferences for high-performance computing of the year — the SC22 Supercomputing Conference.

At SC22 in Dallas, Stefan ‘16H, ‘22, and NJIT Distinguished Professor Alexander Kosovichev showcased research at NASA’s conference exhibit, offering surprising new details about how solar flares generate powerful sunquakes that ripple along the Sun’s surface, similar in effect to earthquakes. Stefan’s findings have since been featured on the front page of NASA’s Supercomputing Division website.

Sunquakes can occur after solar flares ignite. Solar flares are intense eruptions on the Sun powerful enough to accelerate particles to near-light speed, and when some of these charged particles penetrate the Sun’s surface, they can transfer their energy in the form of pressure waves.

By studying this seismic activity and measuring how long these acoustic waves take to return to the surface, as well as their magnitude, researchers can better gauge the location and quantity of energy released from the Sun during a solar flare event.

At NJIT’s Center for Computational Heliophysics, Stefan analyzed solar flare models to study heating rates in the Sun’s atmosphere, giving him insight into the particle energies involved. In the process, he uncovered surprising factors driving the greatest sunquakes.

“We initially expected higher-energy protons would produce stronger sunquakes when they penetrate the solar atmosphere, but we actually found the opposite,” explained Stefan. “It turns out that lower-energy protons are more efficient at transferring momentum through collisions with the plasma in the Sun’s atmosphere and there can be many more of them produced during a solar flare compared to high-energy protons.”

Pictured: John Stefan

$1.3M for Engineering, Training Initiatives

NJIT will receive $1.3 million for new initiatives bolstering engineering education and manufacturing as well as mechatronics apprenticeship training, under a federal spending bill signed by President Joe Biden.

“The funding for these important initiatives will open more doors for more people, and will yield a better and more diverse workforce,” NJIT President Teik C. Lim said. “Talent is everywhere, but opportunities are not — we are fixing that.”

Community College Pre-Engineering Network

This initiative will address the significant gap in the U.S. between open STEM positions and qualified STEM graduates. Community college transfer students have traditionally low acceptance and graduation rates due to a lack of four-year college preparation in rigorous academic programs.

Through the creation of an NJIT STEM Success Academy — a six-week, intensive summer program — students will be introduced to engineering majors and themes, hands-on training and the impact of engineering on society. A special effort will be made to recruit underrepresented, minority and female participants with help from the academy’s partner, the New Jersey Community College Consortium.

Apprenticeship Training

This initiative prepares participants for entry-level technician or artisan positions and apprenticeships. Through supervised instruction, training, hands-on experience and background education, the 10-month program covers manufacturing skills in machinery, mechanical and electrical devices and mechatronics, PLC programming, operation, troubleshooting, repair, maintenance, standards and safety.

Anchoring the initiative is NJIT’s Makerspace, which features $3 million in state-of-the-art equipment ranging from industrial to small prototyping machines. The 21,000-square-foot center is the largest educational facility of its kind in New Jersey and exemplifies hands-on learning.

Pictured: A student works on the Haas VF-4, CNC Vertical Machining Center to create a plaque for a university ceremony.

Recognition for Graduates Under 30

Young graduates of NJIT have been nationally recognized for their accomplishments in design and education technology.

Interior Design featured Pamela Ospina ’18 in its list of the top 30 designers under the age of 30. Ospina, who earned a bachelor’s in interior design at NJIT, is a workplace designer at M Moser Associates in Manhattan.

Forbes honored the founders of PeduL, a recruiting platform co-founded by Sayyid Ali ’17 that connects businesses with minority students seeking scholarships, internships and jobs, in the category of 30 Under 30: Education. Ali, who earned a bachelor’s in information technology at NJIT, is chief technology officer at PeduL.

Pictured above: Sayyid Ali
Picture right: Pamela Ospina 

John Pelesko Brings Rich Experience to Provost’s Role

New Jersey Institute of Technology selected John Pelesko to serve as the next provost and senior vice president for academic affairs after a nationwide search. Pelesko served as the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Delaware (UD), and started his new role at NJIT on Aug. 1.

An NJIT alumnus who earned a Ph.D. in mathematical sciences from the university, Pelesko seeks to enhance NJIT’s educational programs and grow its research portfolio through federal, state and industry partnerships. More broadly, he’ll work closely with NJIT President Teik C. Lim and the Board of Trustees to identify, communicate and achieve NJIT’s academic priorities. In addition to his work as dean
at UD, Pelesko also served as a professor of mathematical sciences.

“John’s extensive experience as an educator and administrator, as well as his familiarity with and passion for NJIT’s mission, will enable him to provide the academic leadership that we need to fulfill our commitment to excellence and global impact through education, research, economic development and engagement,” Lim said. “He knows firsthand what makes NJIT tick and offers compelling ideas for how we can evolve to become a preeminent polytechnic university.”

Pelesko brings rich experience to the role, having served as a professor, department chair, associate dean, interim dean and dean at UD, where he worked since 2002. In four years as dean, he led UD’s largest and most diverse college, with 8,000 students, 600 faculty members, 24 academic departments and an annual budget of about $150 million.

Before UD, Pelesko taught mathematics at Georgia Institute of Technology and computing and mathematical sciences at California Institute of Technology.

At Brookhaven, Alum Examines How Wildfires Impact Climate

Tny particles in Earth’s atmosphere can have a big impact on climate. But understanding exactly how these aerosol particles form cloud drops and affect the absorption and scattering of sunlight is one of the biggest sources of uncertainty in climate models.

Ogochukwu (Ogo) Enekwizu, a postdoctoral research associate in the Environmental and Climate Sciences Department at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory, is trying to tame that complexity.

Enekwizu’s research focuses mainly on soot — specifically the black carbon particles emitted by wildfires. Though aerosol particles come from many natural and man-made sources, black carbon is unique because it warms the atmosphere by absorbing sunlight. That means wildfires, the biggest source of soot, may be having an increasing impact on Earth’s temperature.

Enekwizu’s interest in science started with a middle school chemistry class in Nigeria. After focusing on science in high school, she attended Nnamdi Azikiwe University, earning a bachelor’s in chemical engineering in 2009. Through those years she became increasingly aware and concerned about the impact of aerosol pollutants in her country.

After earning a master’s in chemical engineering from the University of Houston, Enekwizu conducted research at New Jersey Institute of Technology. Her focus was quantifying the direct impacts
of soot on climate, which led to her Ph.D. in 2020.

Beyond her research, Enekwizu judges science contests and speaks to students.

“Being a black female researcher, it is hard to find role models in male-dominated fields of science and engineering,” she said. “Representation matters, and I hope to be a source of encouragement and inspiration to young girls who have STEM-related aspirations.”

This profile, written by Karen McNulty Walsh for the Brookhaven National Laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy, is reprinted with permission in excerpted form.

Pictured: Ogochukwu Enekwizu

Celebrating Commencement

The head of New Jersey’s largest utility urged the Class of 2023 to embrace change and remain positive in the face of challenges ranging from climate change and social inequity to artificial intelligence. NJIT awarded more than 3,500 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees at its 107th commencement across two days of celebration in May.

“Finding solutions will require new faces and perspectives and for us to reject the status quo,” said Kim Hanemann, president and chief operating officer of PSE&G. “I encourage you to stay hopeful and press on even when things seem scary. What the world needs now is creative thinking and for the next generation of leaders — for all of you — to move forward with purpose.”

President Teik C. Lim, speaking at his first undergraduate commencement since joining NJIT last year, encouraged members of the class to stop and savor the moment.

The undergraduate ceremony also recognized scholars who earned a GPA of 4.0; faculty members; the most-senior alumni in attendance (Gerald Stolar ’47, ’49); and students who served in the military. In addition, NJIT bestowed honorary degrees upon Hanemann and alumni Martin Tuchman ’62 and Peter Cistaro ’68 for their achievements and support of the university.

Vincent DeCaprio ’72, ’20 HON, an independent consultant in the management of life sciences businesses, was the keynote speaker at the ceremony for Ph.D. graduates. DeCaprio is a former president and CEO of Vyteris, a drug delivery technology company, and trustee emeritus of NJIT’s Board of Trustees. DeCaprio holds a Ph.D. in bioengineering from New York University and both a bachelor’s in electrical engineering and an honorary degree from NJIT.

25th Annual Salute to Engineering Excellence

Newark College of Engineering (NCE) held its annual gala reception and networking event on April 18. The 25th annual NCE Salute to Engineering Excellence was held at the Westmount Country Club in Woodland Park, N.J.

Every spring, NCE hosts the reception and networking event for more than 150 people who celebrate outstanding members of the NCE family.

The goal of the event is to support students, strengthen academic and research programs, and improve teaching and learning facilities. All proceeds of this event go toward the NCE Board of Visitors Endowed Scholarship and Dean’s Fund. NCE is one of the oldest and largest professional engineering schools in the United States and offers 18 undergraduate degree programs, 20 master’s and 10 doctoral degree programs. NCE has recently introduced five new master’s programs in response to the needs of industry and students. Undergraduate enrollment is more than 4,500 and more than 2,500 are enrolled in graduate studies. The 144-member faculty includes engineers and scholars who are widely recognized in their fields.

Pictured above: Moshe Kam, dean of the Newark College of Engineering, at the 25th Annual Salute to Engineering Excellence.
Pictured right: Peter Dunn ’68, who earned a B.S. in civil engineering with his granddaughter Mikayla Templeton ’23, who graduated in May with a B.S. in Financial Mathematics.