Hundreds of students gathered at last week's Student Research Colloquium to display and discuss the research they led this summer. While a long-standing tradition at Stevens, the fall student research exhibit this year was a special highlight as the Colloquium kicked off a long weekend of exciting events celebrating the inauguration of Dr. Nariman Farvardin as the seventh president of Stevens Institute of Technology.
Among the packed crowd of students, faculty, and outside audience members attending the Colloquium, was the President himself, who expressed being inspired by the open forum.
“I am overly excited about what I see. I am amazed that some of these students have started their research in their first summer at Stevens and are only in their second year now. For them to do so much already is very impressive. These students are so bright, and I can see the spark in their eyes.” Dr. Farvardin added, “These are the leaders of the future.”
Access to research for Stevens undergraduates is one of the great advantages of being a student at Stevens and is an educational approach that is deeply rooted in Stevens' legacy. It's no surprise the Student Research Colloquium played an important role in the presidential inauguration this year.
The research projects presented evolved from summer research in various disciplines, including chemical engineering, technology management, ocean engineering, music and technology, and many more. Students had access to hands-on research in collaboration with faculty mentors through two elite programs for especially high-achieving undergraduate students: the Stevens Scholars and Technogenesis Summer Research programs.
Through their research activities, Stevens and Technogenesis Scholars acquire experience in advanced research, design, and business development projects and develop skills which, among many benefits, give them a leg up in the job market and/or disctinction as prospective graduate students of competitive graduate programs around the world.
In addition to leading the inauguration weekend, the research exhibit was also distinct this year in the scope, diversity, and multidisciplinary characteristics of the students' work. "This year was a watermark in the history of our undergraduate research programs," said Shane Topping, Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Stevens. "The number of students, from across all the disciplines, as well as the broad range of projects they led are all very impressive indications of the limitless opportunities for hands-on, real-world, collaborative exploration and problem-solving here at Stevens."
Victoria Baldwin, class of 2013, completed her project on photovoltaic efficiency through nonporous anti-reflective thin films. “As renewable energy continues to grow in significance each and every day, so does its compatible power sources, particularly in the photovoltaic field,” said Baldwin. “The question is whether photovoltaic efficiency can be significantly increased in order to make this field a more reliable and effective source of power for consumers.” Chemical engineering and materials science professor and chair Ronald Besser served as the faculty advisor for Baldwin's work.
Nicholas Catania presented his project, "Research and Development of an Interactive Learning Display for the Liberty Science Center," advised by music & technology professor David Musial. Catania is majoring in engineering physics and music & technology.
Robert Moakler, a double major in physics and service oriented computing, created a project based on the human psyche. His research is based on the concept that groups of users can successfully lie on the Internet using services like Twitter and Facebook. Moakler named the project “Anatomy of a Lie.” Professor Jeff Nickerson of the Howe School of Technology Management served as advisor.
Joseph Huyett and Angela LoPiccolo, both sophomore mechanical engineering majors, partnered to research vibration energy harvesting. Mechanical engineering and nanotechnology professor Frank Fisher served as advisor. The goal of their project was to autonomously tune piezoelectric beams to ambient vibrations. Magnets were utilized in order to change the stiffness and resonant frequency of the beams. During the course of the experiment, the prototype was redesigned to reduce the play in the system. A linear potentiometer was added to transmit data about the position of the beams to a microcontroller.
“It was a great experience. There was no one babysitting us during the research, so it really taught us how to be our own boss," said Huyett. "I now know the value of time management, and, overall, I feel like we accomplished a milestone that I am truly proud of.”
Associate Provost of the Office for Academic Entrepreneurship at Stevens, Christos Christodoulatos, took an opportunity to praise the research programs. “I think this is a tremendous success for our students and advisors,” he said. “Students are gaining experience through their projects, which emphasize innovation and entrepreneurship and teach our students the value and impact they have on society. They are given both the soft skills and business skills needed to compete in the real world.”
Flashing lights, sounds, and a ricocheting ball. It's not a game on a New Jersey boardwalk, but a toy with a positive purpose. Kevin Heaney, Rowena Lee, and Stephanie Miller, three Mechanical Engineering students at Stevens Institute of Technology, are using their Senior Design project to create a toy for children with autism that will aid in children's development through play therapy.
The team collaborated with teachers at Academy Learning Center, a Monroe Township school that provides specialized, classroom based instruction, based on the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis for students with autism or autistic-like behavior. Their design won over both the instructors and the children attending the school.
"I was very impressed with the team's ability to observe the interaction of the kids with autism with toys," says Dr. Erik Solberg, Principal of Academy Learning Center. "What they made was quite popular, incorporating light, movement, and sound. It was attractive and interesting for children with autism, and it was unique."
"It really raised the level of interaction," Stephanie explains. "Children that normally didn't talk were talking and taking turns. Even though the toy did not promote talking directly, it did have a positive effect on the children."
"It was very rewarding to see the kids playing and responding to this toy," Kevin adds.
The umbrella term autism denotes a spectrum of developmental brain disorders affecting about 1 in 110 children in the United States, according to a 2006 report by the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Symptoms include heightened sensitivity to sensory information, difficulty communicating or interacting socially, unusual attachment to objects, and repetitive body movement. The exact cause of autism is unknown, but treatment such as play therapy has been shown effective. Knowing this, the Stevens senior design team set out to create an interactive toy that would appeal to and benefit children with autism.
The toy takes the form of a "plinko" game, in which a child drops or shoots a ball into a box filled with protruding pegs. These pegs light up as the ball bounces off of them. When the ball exits out the bottom, the toy makes a sound. The design seeks to avoid "stimming," the term given to the repetitive movements of self-stimulation, or stereotypy, of people with autism. The game had to be cohesive, with interwoven sensations and movement. "Sometimes a child with autism will focus on a single sensation," Kevin says. "A child might only touch a button for the sensation of the button, not because of the toy's response."
"We didn't want children to stim off of individual components," adds Rowena. "The lights and sounds ensured that the entire toy would be interactive. This way the child will experience the entire toy, rather than just a part of it."
The team worked with Academy Learning Center teachers to create a feasible, effective design based on cause and effect. "The teachers recognized that some designs would pose a difficulty for some of the children and warned us," Rowena says. "Our toy could not require any fine motor skills." The final design offers two levels of difficulty in order to engage children with different abilities. In the first, a child picks up the ball and drops it in from the top. In the second, a child brings the ball to the top with a scoop.
"Throughout the entire design process, from the initial brainstorming and research stages through the prototype building and multiple rounds of user-testing, I was extremely impressed," says Professor Frank Fisher, the team's faculty advisor and Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering. "I've learned quite a bit by following the group as they progress in their project, and seeing how each element of their design specifically addresses the needs of children with autism."
The design comes from intensive research into autism, its treatments, and toy design. Rowena gave the team an advantage with the design, having worked through Stevens co-op program at Fisher Price in toy research and development, meeting the needs and design specifications of both the offices in Hong Kong and New York City. The product adheres to ASTM standards and is designed so that it could be mass produced with an injection molding process.
In addition to graduating with a solid product with demonstrated effectiveness, all three team members will enter a job after graduation: Rowena at L'Oreal, Kevin at PSEG, and Stephanie at Exxon Mobil. All three team members will graduate with both a Bachelor's of Engineering Degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master's of Engineering degree in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on Design and Production.
For this senior design project, the engineering was as important as the societal impact. Students identified a critical need, researched problems and potential solutions, and arrived at a design that was effective and changes the world for the better. "We are bridging the gap between technical and social," Stephanie says. "It's great to have the children respond to the toy."
Since 2004, mechanical engineering graduate Dominique Gonzalez (B.E. `04, M.E. `10) has been a product engineer for Fisher-Price/Mattel in New York City. True to the company’s mission of “Creating the Future of Play”, she is specifically responsible for the production of some of the most popular, innovative toys on the market. For the average consumer, it’s hard to imagine all the work behind creating the fun children have with the latest toys, but listening to Dominique describe her role in getting the company’s products on the shelf – through the various stages of concept and design to manufacturing, packaging and distribution – cultivates a keen sense of appreciation for her job as well as the education she received at Stevens.
As product engineer, Dominique is charged with considering, first, if the toy design is manufacture-able, and if so, ensuring that it is developed through the production cycle, including debugging and safety inspections, ultimately making sure the product meets expectations in every way. As highly sophisticated and complex as it is, Dominique describes her job as a fun place to be. Considering some of her favorite products – Handy Manny Toolbox, Elmo Live, and the Sesame Street Cars– that’s not surprising. “In a job like mine, it’s actually ‘ok’ to watch cartoons and get excited about toys,” she said. “It’s fulfilling to see my products in the stores, to see parents buy them. Really, I get to make things that make kids happy!”
Dominique’s success at work and in life, she says, is linked to several factors. Recalling her days as a student at Verona High School in New Jersey, Dominique pointed to her mother’s high expectations and how that ultimately led to her applying and getting accepted to Stevens. “I was always pushed to do well in school,” she said. “A’s were expected, and if I was struggling with getting those, I was encouraged to find help and support. There were no exceptions.” Her uncle being a mechanical engineer was also an influence. “A few things he told me about the field that inspired me: one, that mechanical engineers are versatile and two, engineers, generally, are taught to be good at problem-solving,” Dominique said. “At Stevens, that all held to be true. I learned to handle people and projects, how to organize them into an efficient whole. Product engineer for Fisher-Price/Mattel, which was first a temporary position, was my first job in the field. I adapted to a complex process of product design and project management very quickly. I did a great job, and they kept me on as a regular full time product engineer. That really is a testament to my Stevens education and the support I received through the Career Development Office.”
Dominique is equally appreciative of the solidarity she had at Stevens, which she gained through several activities: varsity women’s volleyball, the Black Student Union (BSU), Latin American Association (LAA), National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), the Stevens Technical Enrichment Program (STEP), and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE). “At Stevens, everyone is willing to help,” she said. “It’s challenging, for sure, but very supportive.”
The highlight of her experience at Stevens? Senior design, she said. And this is what she feels incoming students need to know if they’re weighing several colleges. “Senior design is the most important hands-on dive into your major. It’s amazing,” Dominique said. “Beyond the books, you seriously learn here by doing – like building mock ups, outputting information to the model shop, designing and running simulations. By the time you leave Stevens, you understand and are confident because of this experience. It makes you distinct out there in the industry.”
Dominique’s senior design project won top prize at the New Jersey Chapter meeting of the International Society of Pharmaceutical Engineers (ISPE). The “Remotely-Operated Stitching Device,” was an exercise in pharmaceutical engineering. Her team’s primary goal was to provide an innovative way to reduce, if not eliminate, invasive surgery. More specifically, the aim was to develop a method for securing an endovascular stent-graft in place from within the aorta using spiral Nitinol clips. In addition to winning first place in the ISPE Poster Competition, the project won Stevens’ Technogenesis Award in 2004, and the team filed a U.S. patent for the device. They also earned a National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Association grant. “I learned a lot during the senior design experience,” Dominique said. “And the highlights of the project were a big deal. We got to present in San Jose at a professional conference. Most memorable for me, though, is having worked with Professor Zhengi Zhu, our senior design advisor. He is really incredible. Working with faculty like him – very much known out there for his expertise, his research, and yet so available to students – is what you get at Stevens, and that makes all the difference.”
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.
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."
Stevens has placed third in the top tier of universities generating research-related income, beating out Stanford with a return on investment that was nearly twice as high. In 2006, Stevens generated $4.5 million in research-related income, while investing $28 million on faculty and university research, producing a yield of 16%.
Stevens’ pioneering education process entitled "Technogenesis" encourages students, faculty and industry sponsors to jointly nurture research concepts to commercialization, producing critical technology breakthroughs and outstanding entrepreneurial results.
The school expects to generate more than $50 million in royalty revenue by next year. Forbes magazine recently published the top 15 universities based on the results of a 2006 survey of 189 schools by the Association of University Technology Managers, which tracks university-born patents and licensing revenues.
Stevens Institute of Technology was awarded the responsibility of leading research and education in port security.
This honor was the result of the impressive strength of Stevens and its
university and industry partners, which include MIT, Rutgers
University, the University of Miami, the University of Puerto Rico, the
U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Monmouth University, and Lockheed Martin
Corporation. The focus areas of the center's research include maritime
domain awareness; space-based wide area surveillance; vessel detection,
tracking, and monitoring; High Frequency Frequency radar for multiple
applications; search and rescue; environmental monitoring; human and
organizational factors influencing Marine Transportation System (MTS)
security and coastal safety; resiliency; and MTS recovery and
continuity of operations.
Michael Trapani, a recent graduate of Stevens Institute of Technology,
was one of the winners at the 2008 International Society of
Pharmaceutical Engineering's (ISPE) New Jersey chapter student poster
competition. He was selected for his poster, "Back Up: Expandable
Intervertebral Cage with Rotational Insert." Trapani was a Biomedical
Engineering major and a member of Stevens' class of 2008.
