*"Harvesting the Toxic Blooms of Summer" is part of NJIT's 2023 Research Magazine*

Amid summer’s cornucopia, there is one proliferation that is universally dreaded: the toxic algae blooms that float on lakes and streams, killing fish, gobbling oxygen from the water and chasing away swimmers. Composed of tiny organisms such as single-cell phytoplankton, macroalgae and cyanobacteria, the phosphorescent blue-green clusters are impossible to miss, but difficult to capture.

NJIT’s McNair Scholars have been igniting their research efforts in campus labs this summer, and many are starting to see their career aspirations take shape in the process.

Mohammad Mostafa Al Mahfuz is a Ph.D. candidate at the Helen and John C. Hartmann Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT). He is currently working in the Nanoelectronic Materials and Devices Lab (NMD) under the supervision of Professor Dong-Kyun Ko. His research focuses on colloidal quantum dots for infrared detectors and vertical thin film transistors.

A team of researchers has developed a new method for controlling lower limb exoskeletons using deep reinforcement learning. The method, described in a study published in Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation, enables more robust and natural walking control for users of lower limb exoskeletons. 

Increased computational power has dramatically improved climate modeling over the past several years, allowing scientists to better forecast long term climate evolution. Despite computers becoming faster and more efficient, cloud modeling was still a hazy prospect until a recent algorithmic improvement.

Andrew Christ, senior vice president for real estate development and capital operations at New Jersey Institute of Technology, has been elected to the National Academy of Construction.

The academy recognizes exceptional leaders from across the construction industry — including construction managers, contractors, designers, educators and financial managers — who advance the industry through innovation and lasting improvements.

Anjali Khushalani worked in her native India as a project manager and process manager before arriving at New Jersey Institute of Technology last fall to pursue a master’s in engineering management.

Public artificial intelligence programs such as ChatGPT are being embraced by faculty across New Jersey Institute of Technology as the latest classroom tool, just like the introductions of videoconferencing, laptops, computer-aided drafting and pocket calculators that came before.

The head of New Jersey’s largest utility urged the Class of 2023 at New Jersey Institute of Technology to embrace change and remain positive in the face of challenges ranging from climate change and social inequity to artificial intelligence.

Ever since Jason Ogbebor set foot in a chemistry classroom in high school, he knew he was destined to conduct high-level, impactful research. Looking to science legends — Mendeleev, Bohr, Einstein — Ogbebor is realizing his dreams and is on his way to pursue a Ph.D. at MIT.