Newsletter Final Fall 2006 - Albert Dorman Honors College

FALL 2006 VOLUME 6: ISSUE 1DORMANIANS VISIT WASHINGTION D.C.By Samin NawazA number of students and faculty from the AlbertDorman Honors College went on the third annual honors tripto Washington DC this summer, from May 16 th to May 17 th .The purpose of the trip was to elucidate the federalpolicymaking processes while probing into the variousprofessional fields in thegovernment. The itinerary for thetrip included visits to variousmuseums, tours of the monumentsand memorials, attending hearingsof the Senate and the House ofRepresentatives and, of course,meetings with politicians. Some ofthese included the senator of NewJersey, Bob Menendez, the Chief ofStaff, Ms. Elise Aronson, and theProfessional Staff, Ms. Zahra Buck,from the House Committee onHomeland Security.Sophomore Fatima Elgammalrecalls that “The trip was really nice, especially because thedriver of our bus knew the ins and outs of Washington DC.During our free time he took us to see the JeffersonMemorial, the Washington Monument, the VietnamMemorial, WWII Memorial and theodd yet captivating sculpture – ‘TheAwakening’.”The informative andenjoyable visit to Washington DCwas greatly enhanced by theambience of the city. “DC is such aclean, peaceful and inviting place,”says Elgammal, “that I urgeeveryone to go there and get a feelfor it for yourself.” Graduate GarySteen, a future law student, alsoremembers the city itself and all ofits sites as being very inspiring.As part of the goal of the trip,students were exposed to the various opportunities for acareer in the capital. They went to the Federal AviationAdministration where they learned that there was a highdemand for engineers. Such valuable insight into thedemands of the workforce gives one an advantage when itStudents with Senator Menendez.Students at the group meeting.comes to “job-hunting”.Because the trip was geared towards educating thestudents about the federal processes outside the standardsetting of a classroom in Tiernan or Kupfrian, students foundit to be quite a memorable experience. “Overall it was agreat opportunity to learn andbecome better acquainted withfellow classmates as well asmembers of the NJIT administrationand faculty,” commented Steen.Junior Unum Rahmat also reflects,“It was fun to do something outsidethe classroom since you were able tolearn a lot. It was a nice experience –definitely worth repeating!” It is notsurprising that students would reflectin this manner since the federalprocesses of lawmaking, forinstance, are more complex andtime-consuming in reality than they appearto be on the 30-second news bytes on TV.The highlight of the DC trip was the meeting withthe senator of NJ. Steen remarks that “probably the mostmemorable part was an impromptu meet-and-greet withSenator Menendez in his privateoffice.” Elgammal remembers theHart Senate Office Building asbeing more or less like a “maze”since there were so many assistantsand secretaries that one had to passin order to reach the huge office ofthe senator.The trip was a successbecause everyone enjoyed theserene atmosphere, the informativetours, the insightful meetings withpoliticians, and, of course, the food.After all, what is an enjoyable tripwithout the complement of deliciousfood? Everyone left Washington DC content and informed.On a side note, there seems to have been an apparentconfusion, still unresolved, amongst the students who wenton the trip about having seen a motorcade withPresident George W. Bush Jr. waving at students from NJIT.Five

FALL 2006 VOLUME 6: ISSUE 1THE LIFE OF AN HONORS ATHLETEBy Austin DeRogatisThe college experience alone teaches individualsmany important life responsibilities; however, the studentathlete is forced to learn and master the art of timemanagement.I am currently a twenty-one year old seniormastering in civil engineering and simultaneously an activemember of the NJIT baseball team. As a freshman thefreedom and separation from any parental figures along witha demanding course load forces any person to maturequickly and prioritize his or her lifestyle. When I firststarted in the honors college at NJIT, I feared that therewould not be enough time in a day to take care of all classassignments while attending every baseball practice andgame. Therefore, I forced myself to capitalize on every freemoment I had in order to complete all of my assignments ontime.Eventually I realized that not only was I excelling atschool, but I was also playing a game that I have loved sinceI was a child. It taught me that, if you are passionate aboutanything, you can accomplish it with proper planning andhard work. Since then, I have been able to juggle ademanding athletic and academic schedule, along withspending quality time enjoying my youth with myteammates. Overall, the experience in the acceleratedengineering program the honors college provides, along withthe opportunity to play baseball, has allowed me totransform from an immature adolescent to a man ready toenter the real world.Among the many life responsibilities I was able toattain from being a student athlete, I was also able to makemany life-long friends who are also influential in completingmy college experience. My fellow baseball players and Ialways make time to escape all the difficulties and pressuresof school and go out to enjoy ourselves from time to time.They are always there for me both on and off the field andfor this I am very thankful to be part of such an organization.Overall, I have had a full schedule with limited freetime since I was a freshman. Despite all of the lessons anddifficulties I have encountered throughout my career, Iwould not trade being a student-athlete for the world.I consider myself a more qualified and stronger person, whois exceptionally well prepared for all of the obstacles I willface in the future.Seven

FALL 2006 VOLUME 6: ISSUE 1COLLOQUIA HIGHLIGHTSBy Eman RashedThe first Colloquium of the semester was given byProfessor Jeremy Black, a military historian, who is theeditor of The Oxford Illustrated History of Modern War and theauthor of many books like Seventy Great Battles in History andMaps and History: Constructing Images of the Past. He iscurrently Professor of History at the University of Exeter,United Kingdom. The title of the Colloquium wasThe Iraq War in the Context of U.S. MilitaryHistory. It provided an enlightening and – whatmany of the students attending mentioned mostpositively – unbiased view of the US’s currentinvolvement in Iraq. He illustrated admirably,with many enlightening examples from recenthistory, how the conventional definition ofwarfare was being called into question: twomilitary forces attempting to “beat” the other sideand using maximum force, the whole engagementthen generally ending in a negotiated peace.Another major point he made was that the highlyadvanced weaponry and fire power of the USmilitary, so effective as a deterrent during theCold War, bring no advantage against urbaninsurgents who emerge to attack and can then just disappearinto their hideouts in the towns, where the superior weaponryand firepower cannot be employed. War has always beenunpredictable but never so much as today.The second Colloquium was equally thoughtprovoking.It was titled Ethics and Leadership and was givenby the Honorable Jeannine LaRue,currently Deputy Chief of Staff in theOffice of Governor Corzine of NewJersey. Ms. LaRue was formerly vicepresident of the Office of GovernmentalAffairs at Saint Barnabas Health CareSystem and the founding executivedirector of 10,000 Mentors, Inc., anon-profit organization that matchedmentors with Newark elementarystudents. She also served on the CasinoControl Commission from 1991 to 1996.Her discussion centered around the keyissue of the unity of Skill and Policy, anidea that was obviously very dear to her heart – as was evidentfrom her vivid description of scenes from her own life to backup what she was advocating. She spoke of her journey fromcollege to being a high-school English teacher, and howthrough her recognition of her desire to make a change in theworld – a desire she saw mirrored in her pupils – she ran forEightProfessor Jeremy Blackand was elected to office. Ms. LaRue discovered through theexperiences she made on the job that a desire to achieve adifference is crucial, and even more effective still when pairedwith the necessary skill to bring about the desired change.Through her experience she came to realize that those whoengaged in public policy often lacked the desired skills, whilethose who possessed the skills lacked theknowledge of public policy. She repeated timeand again, however, that a balance between skilland policy was absolutely crucial. In her speechshe urged NJIT students, who are well educated intechnology, engineering and architecture, to seek arole in public policy, for she firmly believes that itis within such individuals that such a balancecould exist. She is convinced that, by bringinginto public life people from universities like NJITwith their different set of skills, it will be possibleto increase the quality of people who will besitting at the table in the future and deciding ourpublic policies. As aptly stated by one of thestudents after the Colloquium: “… Ms. LaRuemade me feel better about my own situation and myfears for the future. Change is possible and she has herselfchanged so much.”FALL 2006 COLLOQUIUM SERIESBy Diya AbdeljabbarCollaborative Innovation: a NewLever in Information TechnologyDevelopment and GlobalizationDr. Seshadri Sabbanna, Director,Technology and Solution Assessments,Strategic Alliances/CTQ, T. J. WatsonResearch Center, IBMWednesday, October 4 from 2:30AM– 4PMUnfortunately the original speaker,Dr. Bernard Meyerson, was preventedfrom giving the Colloquium;Dr. Sabbanna took his place andDr. Black answering student’s questions. presented the themes of the Colloquiumto the general acclaim of the student attendees. The talk wasespecially aimed at clarifying the direction the semiconductorindustry is heading in, which involves what Dr. Subbanna aptlydubbed “free competitive cooperation”, when IBM conductsresearch with other large corporations in the field, which areotherwise competing for the same customers in the same marketplace.

FALL 2006 VOLUME 6: ISSUE 1ALBERT DORMAN 2006 HONORS COUNCILCompiled By Stephanie MonteiroSwetha BasaniPresidentBiologyJuniorsb87@njit.eduKris BudhuVice PresidentComputer ScienceJuniorkvb2@njit.eduTom ZarebczanTreasurerComputer EngineeringSophomoretz27@njit.eduOm ChainaniSecretaryBiomedical EngineeringSophomoreogc2@njit.eduJared KruzekSenior Class RepElectrical EngineeringSeniorjk56@njit.eduMaxwell ManyangeJunior Class RepChemical EngineeringJuniormmm28@njit.eduJoel TanisSophomore Class RepComputer ScienceSophomorejwt9@njit.eduKetan GujarathiFreshman Class RepBiomedical EngineeringFreshmankmg9@njit.eduJosh ProlSchool of Architecture RepArchitectureFourth Yearjdp6@njit.eduKirti JosephSocial Committee ChairEngineering ScienceJuniorkmj3@njit.eduStephanie MonteiroNewsletter Committee ChairChemical EngineeringJuniorscm3@njit.eduRonald MinaStudent Center ChairManagementJuniorrdm7@njit.eduTen

FALL 2006 VOLUME 6: ISSUE 1ALBERT DORMAN 2006 HONORS COUNCILCompiled By Stephanie MonteiroLauren ThompsonStudent Center Co-ChairCivil EngineeringJuniorlt28@njit.eduAndrew PskowskiCommunity Service ChairBiomedical EngineeringJuniorajp23@njit.eduJohn CuaWebsite Committee ChairElectrical EngineeringJuniorjc242@njit.eduKhadija AndrewsRecruitment CommitteeBiologySophomorekka4@njit.eduMark PanczykComputer LabChemical EngineeringSophomoremmp34@njit.eduNaphtaly EhrenbergTechnology ObserverBiomedical EngineeringSophomorenle2@njit.eduProfessor Paul DineAdvisorAssistant Dean ofStudent Programspjdine@njit.eduALBERT DORMANHONORS COLLEGEHONORS COUNCIL2006-2007“...coming together ......to shape the honors community”Eleven

FALL 2006 VOLUME 6: ISSUE 12006 TECH GAMESBy Cliff LauOn the weekend of September 8 th to 10 th , the NJITTech Games took place. It consisted of a Karaoke conteston the 8 th ; an Egg Toss and Bowling Tournament on the 9 th ;and a Volleyball match-up on the 10 th . The games werereserved specifically for the freshmen of NJIT, so as toencourage interaction and promote social activity amongnew students at the school. Teams were organizedaccording to floors, and points were allocated depending oneach floor’s standings at the end of each match. The winnerof this year’s Tech games was 6 th floor Redwood, alsoknown as the Honors floor.Christopher Dowd and Felix Mbuga, the RA’s of 6 thFloor Redwood were quite pleased and excited with theachievement. Although the Tech Games are not the onlything they feel the 6 th floor has accomplished. The studentsof the Honors floor have formed a close community amongthemselves; relative to most floors, theirs is perhaps onewhere the students are well acquainted and familiar with oneanother. Christopher has pointed out that they go out todinner and partake in activities together. “They’re doing thework for me—I’m glad,” he said. This will provide apositive image for the Honors College; a close community iswhat they had intended since last year throughadvocating more social programs for the Honors Floor.Left to Right: Back Row: David Holl, Amber Morrisey, Brian Rak &JP Polewcz. Middle Row: Jeremy Peters, Lev Zadvinskiy,Amir Fakhrzadeh, Peter Wong, Ketan Gujarathi, Kenneth Franklin,DJ Anderson, Gregory Manning, Julian Raymar. Front Row:Chris Dowd (RA), Felix Mbuga (RA), Shyam PatelAside from that, the 6 th Floor has received another gain: 500dollars for winning the Tech Games.ADHC NEWSLETTER COMMITTEEEditor-in-Chief:Stephanie MonteiroLayout Team:Fatima ElgammalStephanie MonteiroAngie ZakiWriters:Diya AbdeljabbarBrian D’AlessandroAustin DeRogatisFatima ElgammalCliff LauDavid NareSamin NawazCindy OsorioEman RashedTwelveEditors:Shivang AdhyaruCatherine ChenAnisha GulrajaniSwathi KondapalliRussell MokeAngie ZakiPhotographers:Charles LeppoMichael MudrykSpecial thanks to Dr. Paul Dine forhis assistance.Please e-mail Stephanie Monteiro atscm3@njit.edu to contact thenewsletter committee.