New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) is launching a new, $10+ million initiative that will significantly advance the university’s strength in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) and position NJIT to become a leader in both AI research and application in higher education. This augments already significant existing academic and research activity in AI and related programs. In 2023 alone, NJIT research related to AI totaled nearly $60 million.

The 2024 academic year kicked off with a Convocation that had a different spin. With the participation of DJ Ricky Bonds, NJIT’s Jazz Band ‘Elementals,’ Highland Dancers and bagpipers and even a special edition of Family Feud NJIT-style, the university’s incoming class received an upbeat welcome.

The legacy of Kelly O’Connor, who was an active alumna of New Jersey Institute of Technology for 30 years, endures with two new scholarships that will serve female students who are interested in STEM.

Associate Professor Hai Phan in Ying Wu College of Computing’s Department of Data Science, and a pioneer in Trustworthy AI, has recently co-authored a handbook that will guide anyone from expert to beginner who seeks to venture into the realms of trustworthy federated learning.

An international collaboration seeks to innovate the future of how a mechanical man’s best friend interacts with its owner, using a combination of AI and edge computing called edge intelligence.

The project is sponsored through a one-year seed grant from the Institute for Future Technologies (IFT), a partnership between New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU). 

Andrew Truong ’06, M.S. ’24, first came to NJIT as an undergraduate computer science major but soon changed his program to civil engineering, completing his degree in the subject and working in that field for two years before obtaining a teaching certification in math. During that time, in addition to honing his skills in pre-calculus, he also delved back into learning the finer points of C++, Java and JavaScript.

In data analysis, it’s the outlier information that is usually the most interesting, yet sometimes that information goes unrecognized by the most common evaluation methods because they make inaccurate assumptions.

But now Michael Houle, a senior university lecturer at New Jersey Institute of Technology’s Ying Wu College of Computing, along with collaborators in Australia, Denmark and Serbia have become outliers themselves for developing the math to prove that breaking those assumptions can work better than conventional methods.

Preaching patience, courage and resilience, MGM Construction Co. President and CEO Marjorie Perry urged the Class of 2024 at New Jersey Institute of Technology to become lifelong learners as they apply their imagination to real-world challenges.

Perry, an NJIT alumna who serves on its Foundation Board of Directors, called on the undergraduates earning bachelor’s degrees to be “agents of change in our communities” and build a future “that we can all be proud of.”

Neel Patil, a new graduate in computer science and applied mathematics, is following his Pi Kappa Phi fraternity brothers like All-Star baseball outfielder Jim Edmonds and broadcaster Rich Eisen into the sports business.

Patil will be a software engineer at FanDuel starting in July. It’s a perfect fit for the diehard basketball fan, who said he’s never made money from betting on his favorite NBA team, the Boston Celtics, because he always picks the over — he can’t stand to admit that they might not dominate, even when it’s a fiscally irrational decision.

A bourgeoning interest in AI that began in high school created a serendipitous fast track to success for Vaisnavi Nemala '24, who came to NJIT as a student in the Ying Wu College of Computing and the Albert Dorman Honors College just in time to join the newly launched B.S. in Data Science in fall 2021.