The First-Year Engineering Design Showcase is a prestigious event that highlights the innovative projects of NJIT's top first-year engineering students. Professors nominate students based on the quality and creativity of their work, providing an excellent opportunity for students to showcase their potential.

Why Being Selected Matters

Earning a spot in the showcase is more than an honor—it’s a chance to:

• Demonstrate your abilities in a competitive, professional environment.
• Earn recognition from faculty, researchers, and peers for your hard work.
• Develop key skills in public speaking, professional presentation, and teamwork.
• Expand your network by connecting with NJIT faculty and students from across disciplines.
• Compete for awards and prizes that recognize outstanding contributions.

How to Participate

Selection is by nomination only. Speak with your professor about how your project could qualify for this event. If you’ve been chosen, seize the opportunity—it’s an invaluable step in your engineering journey.

For additional information, contact:
Dr. Miosotis Hernandez
Assistant Director for First-Year Engineering Programs, Office of the Dean - NCE
Email: miosotis.hernandez@njit.edu
Phone: 973-596-5373
Office: Room 280, 2nd Floor, Fenster Hall

For Participants

If you missed this year's information session, access First Year Engineering Design Showcase Overview Presentation. This includes key details to help you prepare for the showcase.

This is your chance to stand out as a first-year student and set the foundation for your success at NJIT!

Click the photo to see past showcases and imagine your own project on display.

Newark College of Engineering has recently launched Grand Challenges Scholars Program based on the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) – Fourteen Grand Challenges for Engineering (http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/challenges.aspx). The NAE Grand Challenges for Engineering, created in 2008, presented an aspirational vision of what engineering needs to deliver to all people on the planet in the 21st century. In just 15 words, the vision it calls for is:

The NCE Grand Challenges Scholars Program (GCSP) offers NJIT students a unique opportunity to contribute towards meeting one or more of the fourteen grand challenges for engineering while meeting program competencies – multidisciplinary, talent (research/creative), business/entrepreneurship, and global dimension (multicultural and social consciousness). Students will pick from one of the four themes outlined for NJIT and tie it in their work towards meeting the competencies. NJIT picked Sustainability, Health, Security, and the Joy of Living as the four themes from which students can pick one. The program competencies and themes are central to NJIT’s core values, namely, Excellence, Integrity, Civility, Social Responsibility, Diversity, and Communication. Although the program serves primarily students of engineering and science, it has additional impact on community beneficiaries outside of NJIT.

Among the activities organized by the program are student projects within NJIT and the school’s external environment (especially the neighborhoods of Newark, New Jersey). These projects are meant to achieve the following goals:  

1. Improve understanding of engineering and the engineering design process by all constituents 

2. Articulate the societal impact of engineering and exemplify it by activities that benefit the NJIT environment and the public in general 

3. Develop understanding and field experience with elements of management, business, budgeting and entrepreneurship associated with engineering projects

4. Provide participants with a window toward activities in disciplines other than their own

5. Strengthen the bonds between NJIT and its neighboring communities using engineering projects as a vehicle.

This is a major undertaking at NCE. Several new courses and opportunities have been developed for GCSP students to benefit from and more will be added as needed. In addition, students will have the opportunity to engage with NCE research faculty whose research areas overlap with one or more of the fourteen grand challenges of engineering. The program was launched in spring 2020 with an inaugural cohort of 12 students and 17 additional students joined in Spring 2021.

Fourteen Grand Challenges for Engineering in the 21st Century

Program Themes

• Sustainability
• Health
• Security
• Joy of Living 

Program Competencies

• Talent (Research/Creative)
• Multidisciplinary
• Viable business/entrepreneurship
• Global Dimension
  • Multicultural understanding
  • Social consciousness

Program Benefits

• Recognition on the NAE website.
• GC Scholar status will be identified on the official NJIT transcript (through the Engineering Grand Challenges Minor).
• Certificate of completion and a graduation medal will be awarded annually.
• Each participating class will work together with the Grand Challenges Scholars Club to design and 3-D print a special memento in the NJIT makerspace, to be given to the students on the successful completion of the program. 

Engineering Grand Challenges Minor at NJIT

GCSP Requirements and Application Process

Nominated and eligible students are invited to an information session during fall semester. Students will learn about the program and the application process.

• Students must submit a letter of interest stating why they are interested in the program. Additionally, a letter of support is needed from the student’s FED 101 instructor (or from the instructor of equivalent first year course in the student’s major). 

• A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.75 (In some special cases, students with a GPA >2.5 will also be considered) must be maintained. 

• Selected students must register for ENGR290: Perspectives of the Grand Challenges and receive the satisfactory grade.

• Make satisfactory progress towards completing the GCSP including completion of all required elements and successfully complete all GCSP courses (D or better grade in each course).

• The GCSP steering committee will evaluate all applications on the basis of students meeting the program requirements, quality of the letter of interest as well as the support letter(s). 

• The GCSP director will identify reviewers from among the committee based on applicants major and the grand challenge(s) they are interested in. FED101 instructors will recommend students for the program and these students will be invited to an information session and will be encouraged to submit an application. 

Steering Committee

The steering committee established in Spring 2020 has the following members:

Contact Information

• Basic physics of flight and electronics instruction.
• Detailed assembly instructions.
• Flight simulation (software and hardware in-the-loop)
• Drone and controller calibration.
• Controller tuning.

Competition Highlights:

• Open to undergraduate & graduate students
• Students from NCE, CSLA and WYCC 
• Over $4,000 in prizes 
• 10 award winning teams

Workshops & Makerspace

Obstacle Course and Drones

2018-2019 Winning Teams

NJIT Student Team Budget Requests to the NCE Dean's Office

NJIT student teams can submit funding requests to the NCE Office of the Dean for the purpose of operating the student team, fabricating prototypes and competition materials, and attending competitions, including travel. Budget requests must be submitted electronically to the NCE Director of Experiential Learning by October 1st each academic year and must adhere to the format specified below.

• Electronic PDF
• 8.5" x 11" Document

Contain the following sections:

1. Cover Page
2. Table of Contents
3. Executive Summary (1 Page)
4. Detailed Budget Request
   • Purpose for the Request (Detail why you need the funds, what competitions / events you will attend, etc...)
   • Budget Breakdown (Provide a complete budget breakdown which includes allocations for the categories detailed below (include justifications and line item estimates for each category in Appendix A))
     • Operational costs: website, software maintenance, etc...
     • One Time Capital Costs: Purchase of new tools, furniture, software, supples, etc...
     • Replenishment and Maintenance costs including: repair and maintenance of tools, repair of workshop, and other incidentals
     • Build expenses: including spare parts, outsourced parts, and other incidentals expenses relating to the build
     • Competition expenses including: Registration fees, travel fees, gas, tolls, vehicle rental fees, daily food, incidentals, etc...
     • Other costs: Marketing, event costs, team shirts, flyers, etc...
     • Fundraising Income: detail how much the team plans to fundraise
   • Total budget
     • Summarize your total budget including how much funding you are requesting from the NCE Deans Office. Include a detailed breakdown of how the budget was calculated.
5. Other Funding Sources
   1. Identify other funding sources at the university and externally via sponsors and fundraising
   2. Set reasonable fundraising goals for each source
6. Team Summary
   • Organizational Structure
     • Provide an organizational chart detailing who is in each position of the team
     • Briefly describe the roles of each position on the team
     • Provide email and cell phone numbers for all of the team leaders, captains, sub team leader, and positions.
   • Team History and Performance
     • Briefly detail the history of the team and present results, analysis, and pictures of the team 
7. Schedule
   • List major deadlines, milestones, and competitions
   • Provide a complete Gantt chart for the design, construction, and testing the teams project
     • Provide electronically in Microsoft Project format or similar format
     • Chart should be Complete and Detailed!
     • Should detail every step from concept to completion of the project including major tasks and sub-tasks for design, testing, and manufacturing of each assembly and sub-system on the aircraft
     • Should have task dependencies and list the critical path that the project needs to follow in order to succeed on time
     • Should also include tasks for non build related item, such as website design or updating, competition registration, etc... 
8. Sponsorship, Industry Involvement, and Fundraising
   • Provide a description of how the team will seek industry sponsorships and involve local industry
   • Describe how the team will fundraise to supplement it's budget and set reasonable fundraising goals
9. Summary
10. Appendix A: Line Item Breakdown of Budget Categories

Information for Student Teams

• Operating Policies
• Deans Office Student Team Budget Requests
• Travel Requests 

The NJIT Robotics Club is the only Student-run robotics-oriented organization at NJIT, and the hub of all things robotics on campus! First organized in 2010, we've been focused on allowing all NJIT students the opportunity to gain real-world engineering experience by building their own robotics-related projects for a decade! We also host competitive robotics teams that participate in various international competitions, with a current focus on Vex Robotics. We are plan on expanding to participate in MicroMouse in a joint venture with NJIT's IEEE Chapter. We provide funding for students to design and build almost anything, using both our own tools and NJIT's state-of-the-art Makerspace! With over 70 members, we are constantly expanding what we provide to budding robot aficionados at NJIT! Any NJIT student can join!

Team Website: http://roboticsclub.njit.edu
Team Email: roboticsclub@njit.edu

The American Society of Civil Engineers​ (ASCE) National Concrete Canoe Competition (NCCC) provides students with a practical application of the engineering principles they learn in the classroom, along with important team and project management skills they will need in their careers. The event challenges the students' knowledge, creativity and stamina, while showcasing the versatility and durability of concrete as a building material.

The Concrete Canoe Competition is designed to provide civil engineering students with an opportunity to gain hands-on, practical experience and leadership skills by working with concrete mix designs and project management. Organizers, sponsors and participants are dedicated to building awareness of concrete technology and application, as well as the versatility and durability of concrete as a construction material, among civil engineering students, educators, practitioners, the concrete industry and the general public. They also strive to increase awareness among industry leaders, opinion makers and the general public of civil engineering as a dynamic and innovative profession essential to society. In its history, the National Concrete Canoe Competition has challenged the knowledge, creativity and stamina of more than 400 teams and 5000 students.

Team Website: http://canoe.njit.edu
Team Email: canoe@njit.edu

The American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) steel bridge competition is a student contest that tests the knowledge and practicality of teams of university students in the field of structural engineering. Ideally, the design and fabrication of the bridge is conceived and completed entirely by the students and the participation of the students in the process is highly encouraged. The bridges must follow specifications explained in the rule book. The rules of the competition are changed annually to further enhance the quality of the competition and to prevent the submission of an already existing bridge. During competition, each team’s bridge will be judged and ranked based on several different categories.

• Team Website: njitsteelbridge
• Donate to the Team: Click Here
• Team Email: steel-bridge@njit.edu

The NJIT Solar Car Team is a student-run organization formed in the spring of 2017. The team is an interdisciplinary, project-based learning community which seeks to provide undergraduate and graduate students of all majors in all departments with real-world experience in systems engineering. 

In order to prepare our students to be the innovators of tomorrow, our team emphasizes sustainable energy, taking initiative, providing experience for future career preparation, and the development of technical and soft skills in engineering, research, design, and business. 

The NJIT Solar Car Team showcased their car at the 2019 New York International Auto Show and made an appearance at the 2019 Formula Sun Grand Prix in Austin, Texas. In 2020 we will continue to compete against other top-ranked universities across the world in the FSGP and American Solar Challenge.

• Team Website: http://solarcar.njit.edu
• Donate to the Team: Click Here
• Team Email: solarcar@njit.edu