Stevens Institute of Technology: Admissions Blog

Welcome Stevens Class of 2015

First Days on Campus: Sunny with a Chance of Fun... Despite Irene!

Stevens is excited to welcome its largest group of incoming freshmen ever, as members of the Class of 2015 officially begin classes this week.  

New students had much to see and do in their first days as Ducks. Undergraduate Orientation kicked off Wednesday, August 24, and those who participated in Pre-Orientation activities arrived the previous weekend for exciting activities included in the Outdoor Adventure, City Life, Sports and Fitness, and Performing Arts experiences that Stevens offers.

Orientation included a jam-packed schedule of events - the family BBQ and information fair, President's dinner, Freshmen Summer Games, and Stevens Luau were highlights among an exciting lineup of celebrations.     

 Hurricane Irene proved a slight challenge, but, on the flip side, the storm created a unique opportunity for new students to get a more immediate sense of the welcoming and socially conscious culture at Stevens. 

In the early morning of Saturday, August 27, the day of the storm's expected arrival - and four days into Student Orientation - over two dozen freshmen and their orientation leaders chipped in to help the mayor of Hoboken, Dawn Zimmer, and Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) members distribute critical information about evacuation and preparedness to city residents.

"We initially expected to be making calls from City Hall, but, instead, we set out on foot. We were given fliers in English and Spanish of the precautions everyone in Hoboken was to take during the storm," said Juliet Turalski, Stevens student and Orientation Leader.  "Those living in the basement of an apartment building had a mandatory evacuation notice, and all others who chose to stay in Hoboken during the storm had to be notified about how severe the storm was going to be and what they needed to do to prepare. It was tiring, and every volunteer stayed in it - doing the job without complaint. In my eyes, that showed a lot of integrity. It was a community service not many would do in such a critical time. I know Stevens students made a difference in Hoboken that day."

Originally designed as a park, waterfront, and community center painting and cleanup event (a new community service component of Student Orientation), Saturday morning's activity was modified to provide critical assistance to the city during the crisis. "The experience showed me how Hoboken, despite being a major city, is still a close-knit community where people look out for each other," said Robert Hale, incoming civil engineering student and one of the community service volunteers. "I don't feel like an interloper. I feel like a Hoboken resident."

Robert is one of 620 incoming students selected from more than 4,000 applicants this spring. These exceptional students not only make up the largest class, they enter Stevens as the most competitive and selective class in the University's history.  They will all soon learn that collaboration and benevolence are simply part of the mix here at Stevens.  

As always, Stevens' returning students played a significant role in welcoming the incoming class with open arms, cheers, and an outpouring of guidance and support. "Everyone here has been nice, and I've felt very welcome," said Terrance White, a freshman from Scotch Plains, New Jersey. "It's so comfortable and peaceful, which is especially remarkable with New York City only steps away."

Designing the Future

When presented with a real-world problem, Stevens Institute of Technology students kick into gear, and not just because they're required to do so.  The Senior Projects Expo last week exemplified the reality that Stevens students not only develop the skills and knowledge to design solutions to challenging problems but that they enjoy the process!  

It was a beautiful day as faculty, staff, students, alumni, community members and friends gathered for Stevens’ annual event, a showcase of the senior year design projects of the graduating students from the Charles V. Schaefer, Jr. School of Engineering and Science, the Howe School of Technology Management, and the School of Systems and Enterprises.

The Expo is the culmination of the undergraduate education experience at Stevens. It allows students to apply the knowledge they have learned over four years to address a significant challenge in the areas of engineering, science, computer science, engineering management, and technology marketing and management. More than 100 groups were present at this year’s event – with outdoor exhibition space set up for the first time ever to accommodate the overflowing arena. 

"Every year, it is exciting to see the progress, teamwork, and execution of these concepts as ideas become reality," says Dr. Keith Sheppard, Associate Dean of Engineering and Science. "A number of these projects will go on in competitions, while others will make positive changes as industry applications. These students look forward to an incredible future."

The projects on display ran the gamut from alternative energy solutions to biomedical applications to innovative and efficient new vehicles. 

Team Five Guys was among the senior design teams displaying their projects in the Canavan Arena. Nyle Hammond, Edgar Barrios, Kyle Hanas, Elliot MacMillan, and Peter Yurkowski designed an interactive ordering solution for casual eating establishments, a project sponsored by Johnny Rockets, "The Original Hamburger," establishment in Hoboken, NJ. Their solution to inefficiency between front-end service and back-end management functions at restaurants that capitalize on maximizing table turnover? They designed a system that includes utilizing Apple iPads with the "Easy Pay Touch" hardware, docking stations, iOS mboile operating system software that integrates with the restaurant's POS system, and an administrative Web page. 

Essentially, they put touch-screen devices in the hands of customers, allowing them to choose and submit their orders directly to a ticketing system, generate and manage their bills, request server assistance, and split bills easily - decreasing time and error that would otherwise impede flow of service and, essentially, profits for the restaurant.

One of the groups, TEACHINS-U, worked to develop a therapeutic device for autistic children. Designed in two phases, a training phase then a hands-on phase, the acronym stands for Training and Educating Autistic Children to Help Improve Necessary Skills Unit. The Mechanical Engineering team has been receiving very positive and enthusiastic feedback to the device, according to group member Jeff Pass.

 

An Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) group created The Digital Wall Calendar, a device which will utilize a calendar-based operating system for organizing plans, meetings, and other scheduled events. They also intend for it to incorporate a custom photo feature to replicate the novelty of a traditional wall calendar.

 

The team members report that the project development was a lot smoother than they originally thought. They were able to utilize their time throughout the entire Senior Design process, completing the research early on, which made putting the final product together even easier. The team also published a QR code on their poster, drawing smart phone users to a website explaining their project. 

 

CADeyes, a Stevens Start-up company, is an advanced mobile mapping system designed to create dimensionalized site and contour maps, and as-built drawings of both the exterior and interior of building structures. The company tasked a Mechanical Engineering group with developing a mobile indoor-scanning platform for 3-dimensional mapping and visualization.

 

“We are really pleased with the way the CADeyes IntelliScan turned out,” said Ravi Javia. “The device is exactly what we expected it to be. CADeyes didn’t have a system for indoor scanning yet, so this is just what they wanted. Our group created something that delivered to their exact specifications.”

 

An Engineering Management group stayed close to Stevens for their project, working with the Athletics department on their website. They developed a highlights video package for Athletics events that would create a more interactive website experience.

 

Their display was a colorful, interactive board, complete with streaming video. Gene Kang stated that the board replicated exactly what they intend the website to look like beginning next year. Attila the Duck, Stevens’ mascot, hung out with the group at the Expo.

 

“We’re getting a lot of attention today,” said Kang. “But I think that’s because of Attila!”

 

Margaret Przeszlo, an ECE major, and her partner Kevin Fuhrman, worked on a project entitled Facemask. At the Expo, she stated: “Everything worked out so well! Last week our system crashed and we were afraid we wouldn’t have anything to show but we were able to work the glitches out. I guess that’s what Senior Design is all about, right? Real-life, real-working challenges – and finding solutions.”

 

That sentiment is definitely a recurring theme among the students.

 

"The hands-on Senior Design process is very helpful," says Biomedical Engineering student Dalia Shendi, whose "Heat Wave" Senior Design team created a portable device to re-warm patients suffering from hypothermia, with applications for both the U.S. Army and New Jersey Physicians. "Before Stevens, I had little real experience, and now I know I can research a problem, look at the market for a product, and build and test a successful prototype."

 

Chasing a Sailing Goal

Stevens Graduate Works to Compete in 2012 Olympics

Efe Kuyumcu was seven years old the first time he went sailing. Neighbors at a vacation village where he was with family offered to take the youngster out for an afternoon on the water. When he returned to shore the boy was hooked but it would be another five years before he sailed again.

“I thought about it a lot,” said Kuyumcu, a native of Turkey and recent Stevens graduate. “But the sailing club by us closed down and we soon moved to a different area.”

Fueled by determination and desire when Kuyumcu turned twelve he was able to return to the water. He was named to the Turkish junior national sailing team and competed heavily between 1998 and 2003, winning several prestigious competitions.

Things were moving along smoothly for Kuyumcu until he was grounded with an injury at the age of 18. It was at that time Kuyumcu began thinking about his future. Not only in the sport of sailing, but academically.

That is how he wound up in Hoboken, N.J. along the banks of the Hudson River at Stevens Institute of Technology. He decided to turn his passion for the water into a full-fledged career.

In 2006 he enrolled in the Naval Engineering program at Stevens and graduated this past December with a Bachelor of Science degree. Kuyumcu kept his thoughts in sailing and began a strict exercise regimen to heal his injuries and strengthen himself.

“In the morning I would do endurance exercises like running, cycling, and rowing,” he said. “During the day I would go to class and then have another work out.”

One thing he did not do, however, was sail.  Not only was it going to be difficult to find an Olympic Class Heavyweight sailboat that he could use on a regular basis while living in New Jersey, but also the swift currents of the Hudson River were not conducive for effective training.

So he focused on the exercise and also learned new things about sailing from his courses. Armed with the new information, when Kuyumcu finally got back on the water, he was a stronger, smarter sailor.

“It is now easier for me to understand the water, and make me a bit faster when sailing,” he said of his Naval Engineering knowledge. “Now I can factor in the elements from what I learned at Stevens.”

His hard work paid off and late last year Kuyumcu was re-elected to the Turkish Olympic Sailing Team of 2011. Over the next year and a half Kuyumcu and another athlete will compete and eventually, one will be selected to compete in the 2012 Olympics to be held in London.

While focused on those games, he is also setting his sights on the 2016 Olympics and a chance to represent his country – and Stevens – in Rio de Janeiro

When asked how his life has changed since his recent graduation, Kuyumcu says that he has maintained his exercise schedule only now he uses the time spent in class on the water.

It is when he is out there, alone on the water, that he is most focused these days. “It’s instinct, but it feels right. It’s why I keep going back to it,” he said. “It just feels right.”

The Interview, an Important Step in the Admissions Process

If you’ve done your research or begun your formal application to Stevens Institute of Technology, you may be wondering, “Why does Stevens require an interview for all applicants?”

At Stevens, we believe a personal interview is a critical step in the application process because it gives us an opportunity to get to know you and learn more than what is on your application. Through the interview, we hope to understand more about your interests in and out of the classroom. We also feel that the interview is a great way for you to learn more about Stevens, and we encourage you to come prepared with questions for us.

The interview is a one-on-one meeting between a prospective student (either applied or planning to apply) and a member of the Undergraduate Admissions staff.  For students living within 250 miles of our campus in Hoboken, NJ, this is done in person.  Students outside that radius may visit campus for an interview or conduct one over the phone.  The interview takes anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes, and time is reserved afterwards for family members to join the meeting and ask questions about the admissions process and Stevens. Tours of campus are also available either before or after the interview, and we suggest you budget an additional hour for this experience.

Don’t quite imagine yourself on the other side of the application and admission process yet? Take a look at our student blogs.  Our bloggers update frequently, so you can also subscribe to all or any of the blog feeds to get real-time, ongoing reflections and advice from those who know Stevens best and want to tell you about it throughout the year.  Photos, videos, comments about school and social life, it’s all here! We look forward to interacting with you.

Summer Research for Stevens Scholars

This past summer, nearly 80 students conducted research at Stevens and abroad as part of the Stevens Scholars Program, and each had a chance to showcase and discuss their work on Wednesday, October 13, in the Babbio Center at a poster exhibit and reception to celebrate their accomplishments. 

Scholars Program summer research projects are diverse in topic and scope. Commonly, though, all the projects allow students to apply their engineering and scientific training to design and research, an attractive challenge to students eager for experience beyond the classroom.  Sophomores Jackson Kelly and Chris Federici were among the scholars presenting their work at the exhibit.  Their study, "Investigation of Secure Human Identification Protocols with Random Noise," was conducted under the guidance of Dr. Antonio Nicolosi and, in layman's terms, involves designing the code and interface for a more secure way of utilizing usernames and passwords - while still maintaining ease of use for consumers.  Both Chris and Jackson are pursuing degrees in Computer Science and Mathematics and said they appreciate the opportunity to conduct hands-on, cutting edge research.  "The coursework is one thing," Jackson said. "But it's this kind of research opportunitiy that allows us to explore new territories - to take part in real-world problem solving."

Incoming freshmen were invited to attend the showcase, which, for them, is a chance to be inspired by and consider participation in such student-driven research as quantum cryptography, bone regeneration, neural tissue engineering, a novel approach to overcome the drug resistance of cancer cells, understanding social networks psychology of movement in video games, indoor geolocation technology, passive solar house technology, applications of energy harvesting for micro/nano robotics, and more. 

"The Stevens Scholars Program provides our best students the opportunity to conduct research within a wide range of topics during the summer," said Dr. Edward Whittaker, professor of physics and engineering physics in the Charles V. Schaefer, Jr School of Engineering & Science and director of the Stevens Scholars Program. "Students work closely with a faculty member and present their research not only at annual poster sessions but also in leading research journals."

Stevens Scholars are typically high-acieving students with strong interest in and dedication to their areas of study.  Strong candidates are invited by faculty to apply for the program. And once admitted, student scholars must maintain a minimum 3.2 GPA at Stevens. In addition to summer research - or additional summer coursework - Stevens scholars can earn a combined B.E/M.E, B.E./M.S., or B.S./M.S. degree in just four years and accelerate their programs of study to earn B.A., B.E. or B.S. degrees in three years. Over a dozen students from the Class of 2010 graduated with dual degrees earned through participation in the Scholars Program, Dr. Whittaker said.

Stevens Students Power Their Futures at Career Day

Over 600 graduating seniors and graduate students at Stevens took advantage of the Class of 2011 Career Day last week, reporting to the Schaefer Athletic and Recreation Center to meet the nearly 100 employers who attended.  Marked by the students’ confidence and knowledge, their own resolution to succeed and their already impressive résumés, the Career Day also exemplified the comprehensive guidance students are given by the Office of Career Development at Stevens. 

Opportunity was knocking on both sides of the door at the event – for students, the chance to connect and discuss post-graduate employment; for the representatives of top companies wanting knowledgeable, highly-skilled, goal-oriented graduates, the occasion to recruit top candidates to meet their greatest business challenges. The conditions were right, as they overwhelmingly are at Stevens. And the result is success. For example, of last year's graduating class, 80 percent accepted offers of employment or enrollment in graduate or professional school programs - and 38% chose from more than one job offer.

For Roque Rios, senior computer engineering major, the Career Day was an opportunity to further enhance the connections he'd made during his IT internship at Colgate. "The face-to-face really helps," he said. "I'm doing what you need to do to make sure your resume gets on the 'good' pile for the jobs you're interested in." His advice to incoming students is to connect with the Office of Career Development early on, well before the various career fairs, and to attend the ongoing career placement workshops and other sessions offered to students. "Because of all the support here, there's really no reason to be lost about job placement at graduation," he said.

L’Oréal Human Resources Manager Terri Dedinski was one of several representatives from the company eager to speak to the Career Day participants. She noted that of the five Stevens students who were chosen for their Operations Internship Program last summer, three were offered permenant positions at the company after graduation. "The partnership with Stevens for internship and career placement has been very successful," she said. "There is a tremendous opportunity for growth for students. Whether during their internships or new employment with the company, their contributions are significant and become part of our ongoing product or process development. And they distinguish themselves on a leadership track that propels them to upper management."

The Career Day also included a luncheon at which employers were recognized for their ongoing support of Stevens students. The Employer of the Year Award was presented to The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ and accepted by Toshiya Morita, CIO, Systems Office for the Americas, Yawer Fadoo (M.S.`07), Vice President and Manager, Systems Office for the Americas, and Ann Stenson, V.P. of Human Resources. 

Reckitt Benckiser, a consumer products company that hired four Stevens students into research-based summer internships, received the Internship Employer of the Year Award. The students engaged in a variety of projects, from developing new products for the European market to testing antibacterial agents for bar soap. Accepting the award was Will Lenzetti, Global R&D Category Manager.

The Externship Award was given to THE Partnership: NJ Transit and The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, for providing an outstanding learning experience to Stevens engineering students by coordinating site visits to one of the most exciting construction projects in the area.

The MIT Lincoln Laboratory Scholarship Awards were presented to Phillippe Pierre-Paul and Richard Sanchez.  Phillippe is a junior electrical engineering major pursuing a dual master’s degree in technology management and a minor in pre-law policy.  Richard is a computer engineering major and cooperative education student. The MIT Lincoln Laboratory scholarship was created three years ago and is awarded to two students each year. The director of the Laboratory, in recognition of the nation's critical need to develop more engineers provided scholarship funding to Stevens for these awards.  The recipients are selected on the basis of merit by Dean Deborah Berkley, who directs the Stevens Technical Enrichment Program (STEP).  "It's important to note that these students are not only outstanding students academically, but they are also leaders on campus, and very involved in helping their peers," she said.  

Lynn Insley, Director of the Office of Career Development, expressed how fortunate Stevens is to have longstanding employer relationships that facilitate students' professional development and lead to impressive career outcomes.  "Our students build their success early through internships, cooperative education assignments and research opportunities," she said.  "By the time Stevens students enter their senior year, they are well prepared to engage with recruiting professionals and secure employment opportunities that lead to rewarding careers."

 

Aiming High at Stevens

Last week the Babbio Center had more than sun and a stunning view of Manhattan illuminating its beautiful atrium.  Undergraduate students in the Technogenesis™ Summer Scholars Research Program held their season-concluding poster exhibition there – an event that showcased 42 student researchers in a well-deserved, collective spotlight.

The scholars were recognized for the research they did over the 10-week span of the program this summer. They also had the opportunity to discuss their projects with many observers who were curious about their work – if not in complete awe.  For those who missed the opportunity that afternoon to observe the new technologies and innovations produced and in active development by these students, this video is a great way to learn something new about the culture of technology and entrepreneurship at Stevens.  Or, it may simply validate what you already know!

Taking advantage of ample opportunities to work closely with faculty on cutting-edge research, as well as directly in industry even before graduation, is nothing new or unusual for many Stevens students.  However, programs like the Technogenesis™ Summer Scholars Research Program distinguish especially high-achieving studentsamong their peers.    

Mechanical Engineering major Christina Alecci’s project, “Design of an Introcular Pressure (IOP) Sensor” was facilitated in Stevens’ MicroDevice Laboratory under the advisement of professor E.H. Yang.

Another student, Ben Choe, advanced research in Social Networking in Urban Healthcare. "I wanted to participate in this student reasearch program because I'm interested in learning by doing," Ben said.  "I am intrigued by the particular research I did and its application in a specific industry that needs it.  But thinking ahead, I'm also interested in exploring how the research and process can be applied for other purposes."

In its 10th year of existence, the Summers Scholars Research Program admitted its largest class of students, and from its largest pool of applicants, said David Peacock, Director of Intellectual Property Management at Stevens.  Peacock addressed the students at a certificate and recognition ceremony after the exhibition.  Joining Christos Christodoulatos, Associate Provost for Academic Entrepreneurship, and Malcolm Kahn, Vice President of Enterprise Development and Licensing, he reminded the scholars of their distinct place in what he calls a family of students who've gone through the program. 

Boken Begins Today [Photos]

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