The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Aero Team at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) is an organization which is dedicated in promoting opportunities for students to apply their knowledge to aerospace projects outside of the classroom.  SAE annually hosts an international Aero Design Competition in which students from dozens of universities are given constraints to design, build, and fly a radio controlled airplane. The NJIT Aero Team will participate in the Regular Class Competition in which the craft must carry an optimal ratio of soccer balls and payload plates and minimize wingspan and cargo bay length to maximize points.

• Team Website: http://www.njitflylanders.com
• Donate to the Team: Click Here
• Team Email: aero@njit.edu

We are the Baja SAE Team at New Jersey Institute of Technology. We design, build, and compete our off-road race car at competitions across the country! There are three competitions which we will be present at this year, each with its own set of challenges. At each of these three competitions, 100 universities from around the world will be showcasing their best in engineering and design capabilities. As well as the collegiate teams, many industry sponsors will be present to assist their respective teams.

• Team Website
• Email: baja@njit.edu

It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of our longtime colleague Professor Angelo Perna, who died on July 1, 2020 after a long illness.

Angelo Perna was a Professor of Chemical Engineering, serving as educator, researcher and mentor at NJIT for more than 50 years. Among his recent duties he was Director of the Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program and advisor to the chemical engineering honor society, Omega Chi Epsilon. He served for many years as the advisor to the Student Chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) and taught many courses to undergraduate and graduate students.

Professor Perna was widely recognized in his field.  A Fellow of AIChE, he was highly active in this professional society and was the recipient of its highest service awards. Most recently, he earned the distinction of a Lifetime of Service to AIChE, presented to him in February 2020. Earlier, he was the recipient of the AIChE’s Shining Star Award (2015), recognizing significant contributions and exceptional volunteerism.

Professor Perna joined NJIT in 1967 after graduating with a doctorate from the University of Connecticut. He earned his Master of Science and Bachelor of Science degrees in Chemical Engineering from Clemson University. Among his many contributions to the education of Chemical Engineers at NJIT, Professor Perna was the developer of the NJIT pilot-scale Unit Operations Laboratory, designed and implemented with his long-time collaborator and friend Professor Deran Hanesian. This remarkable facility continues to serve NJIT’s chemical engineering students to this day, providing realistic hands-on experiences and preparing our students to tackle the complex challenges of the industry and the marketplace.

Professor Perna was highly active until his last days at NJIT, involved in all aspects of NJIT life – education, research, retention, recruitment, governance, and long-term planning. He had a large group of followers among NJIT’s alumni, many of whom kept professional ties with him, sometimes many decades after graduation. Alumni often came looking for him at annual reunions, and mentioned him in letters and articles as a key influencer who helped them prepare for professional success. Indeed, Professor Perna’s legacy is the generations of NJIT students who owe him the training and careful preparation that launched their rewarding careers and positioned them to make a mark in a highly competitive environment. Moreover, with his long-time service and dedicated involvement, Angelo Perna often served as our living institutional memory. He carried our collective knowledge and learned experiences, and provided insight and advice from decades of experience and careful observation. His colleagues and students will miss his intelligence, guidance, counsel and friendship.

Provost and Senior Executive Vice President Fadi P. Deek noted, “During his long career at NJIT, Professor Perna was an inspirational and award-winning teacher and mentor to thousands of students at all levels of university education. Most importantly, he touched the lives of many undergraduates through the McNair Scholars Program. Deep sadness for Angie’s loss will be felt among the NJIT community and beyond.”

President Joel S. Bloom added, “Angie Perna will be deeply missed, but his impact upon NJIT and its students will endure because the passion he brought to his work made an indelible impression upon so many.”

We send our heartfelt condolences to Professor Perna’s family and to his many friends and students at NJIT and the community. The university will hold a memorial service at a later date.

Fall 2020 NCE Student Team, Club, and Student Chapter Operating Policies

Due to NJIT COVID-19 related safety policies and procedures, NCE student teams, clubs, and professional society student chapters will have to operate with under increased safety policies and restrictions for the Fall 2020 semester. General guidelines are listed below. Questions regarding these policies should be directed to the team, club, or student chapter faculty advisor or the NCE Director of Experiential Learning.

General Policies for Operation

Meetings:

• Where possible, all team, club, or student chapter meetings should be conducted remotely via an online meeting platform such as WebEx.
• If a remote meeting is not possible, the organization must arrange the use of a meeting room through the host department. The room must be cleaned prior to use and cleaned after use. All team members must adhere to NJIT operating policies, wear a mask, and social distance.]

Team Shops, Prototyping, and Experimentation:

• If using a department shop or lab, all department lab use policies must be followed.
• All students are to wear required PPE at all times:
  • Mask must always be worn
  • Eyewear should be worn if possible and appropriate
  • Gloves should be worn as long as they do not create a safety risk such as when using a rotary tool.
• Social distance must be maintained whenever possible.
  • If the task at hand requires individuals to be in close proximity, this is allowed as long as all other precautions are maintained and social distance is restored as quickly as possible. Ideally, alternate methods should be investigated whenever possible.
• All equipment should be sanitized before and after each use
• All surfaces and touch points should be wiped down with sanitizing wipes before and after each use of the facility
• Shop and room occupancy should be kept below 50% of the fire code capacity (typically 20% of exposed square footage) or at 50% of the typical safe usage capacity, whichever is lower
• A usage log of team shops must be kept:
  • The log must detail who, when, and where the team is working on campus with names, dates, and times

Experiential Learning at NJIT

The Newark College of Engineering offers a broad range of experience based, hands-on, and real-word learning opportunities. NJIT proudly supports and encourages a large number of engineering teams like Baja SAE racing, solar car, and the robotics clubs; we have a wide array internships and cooperative learning opportunities, and we have a State-of-the-Art academic Makerspace that is one of the largest and most well equipped in the world. Read below to discover more about all of our experience based learning programs and activities below.

Internships and Cooperative Learning

NCE’s Cooperative Education Program, or co-op, is a five-year educational program, which provides engineering students with the opportunity to alternate between semesters of full-time work and full-time study in areas related to the student's academic major and career interests. The co-op program is designed to provide experiences that prepare students to connect their academic studies with the professional engineering environment while exploring career interests and their future aspirations.

The NJIT Makerspace

The NJIT Makerspace is a rapid prototyping and collaboration facility where engineers, architects, designers, and scientists can create and test ideas, put theory into practice, and turn ideas into reality. This 21st-century prototyping, manufacturing, and collaborative space allows students, faculty, and industry partners, to build physical systems in a functional and inspirational environment.

Student Teams

The Newark College of Engineering is host to an impressive collection of student run and operated teams that design and build vehicles, aircraft, boats, solar cars, and more. Click here for more information.

The Dean’s Scholars Program is an academic honors program housed within the Newark College of Engineering (NCE). Dean’s Scholars receive a distinctive honors education and opportunities from NCE including:

• Honors courses within the Newark College of Engineering as well as other colleges
• Professional networking with distinguished speakers and industry leaders
• Honors advising through the Newark College of Engineering 
• Priority consideration for admission to the Albert Dorman Honors College through sophomore year. Dean’s Scholars can choose to apply to become a Dorman Scholar after the completion of their first or second year. Seats are limited and the application process is competitive, but applications from Dean’s Scholars will be given priority consideration during their evaluations.
• Automatic admission to Dual BS/MS Degree Program
• Priority enrollment to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) Grand Challenges Scholar Program at NJIT

How to apply?

To be considered, prospective students should apply through the Albert Dorman Honors College application on the Common Application by checking the box, “Are you interested in the Albert Dorman Honors College?”

Program requirements:

In order to fulfill the requirements of the program, Dean’s Scholars will:

• Take at least three honors courses. The courses can be offered by any college.
• Attend at least one ADHC colloquium/guest speaker per semester (NCE Dean’s Scholars are encouraged to attend co-sponsored ADHC-NCE speaker event)
• Maintain a GPA of 3.2 or higher

For questions about the program, please contact the Program Adviser - Dr. Jaskirat Sodhi at jaskirat.sodhi@njit.edu.