The one and only edition of Stevens Review, Fall 2009, which has since been replaced by ... nothing.

1. THE MAGAZINE OF STEVENS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY | FALL 2009
STEVENS NEWS | DEAN KAMEN
CLASS OF 2009 EXCELS
STEVENS ACROSS THE GLOBE
CIESE | STEP PROGRAM
CLASS OF ’59 RAISES THE BAR
Technogenesis
Scholars Research
Program
Technogenesis Scholar
Stephen Jack Stafford ’10

2. Welcome
Welcome to the premiere issue of Stevens Review, the
magazine reporting the latest news from the Innovation
University, Stevens Institute of Technology.
T
he purpose of this new publication is to inform the broader Stevens
community about the critical courses, programs and campus events —
and the thinking behind them — that shape our progress as a leader
in technological education and entrepreneurship.
As future challenges beckon in education, in science and technology, at the
frontiers of engineering and systems thinking, and in various other emerging
Fred Regan fields, the Review will put names and faces on the people and programs
Vice President for
Advancement
behind these compelling stories.
In this issue, we consider the impact of Stevens’ education and research
programs, and that of the Technogenesis® environment, on the people most
affected by them: our students.
For nearly a century and a half, Stevens has nurtured and inspired leaders in
invention, entrepreneurship and industry. Furthering innovation by engaging
our diverse campus community in the search for ingenious solutions to
critical technological needs remains our fundamental mission.
We invite your active interest and participation in the life of the university.
Sincerely,
Fred Regan
Vice President for Advancement
THE MAGAZINE OF STEVENS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY | FALL 2009
Office of Advancement University Media Assistant: Stevens Review is published by Stevens Institute of Technology’s Office of
Communications Meagen Henning-Hinds Communications. All content, images and related information is the property of
Vice President and Chief the Stevens News Service, Office of Advancement and Office of Communications
Advancement Officer: Director: Photographer: at Stevens Institute of Technology. Any unauthorized use or replication is strictly
Fred Regan Patrick A. Berzinski Jim Cummins prohibited. Copyright 2009 Stevens Institute of Technology. All rights reserved.
Associate Vice President: Editor & Assistant Internet & Media Send correspondence and magazine related inquiries to Stephanie Mannino, Editor, Castle Point on Hudson
John Walker Director: Consultant: Office of Communications, Castle Point on Hudson, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Contact Hoboken, NJ 07030
Stephanie Mannino Randolph Hoppe Information: telephone (201) 216-5116 or email: smannino@stevens.edu.
Editorial Writer: Art Direction & Design: Send name and address changes to Office of Advancement, Castle Point on Hudson,
Tracey Regan Christian Drury Hoboken, NJ 07030 or call toll free: (888) 748-5228.

3. Contents
FeaTures
8 Technogenesis Scholars
Research Program
Undergraduates scholars conduct research in biomedi-
cine, nanotechnology, alternative energy and more. ON THE COVER:
Technogenesis Scholar
12
Stephen Jack Stafford ’10
CIESE Helps Educate Photo by Jim Cummins
Tomorrow’s Engineers
New Jersey teachers participate in programs
emphasizing science, technology and engineering
in the classroom.
14 Stevens Across the Globe
Stevens’ international programs prepare students to DeparTmenTs
thrive in a global marketplace.
4 Stevens News Stevens sensors installed on
16 The Stevens Technical
Enrichment Program
Clearwater; Inventor Dean Kamen receives the Stevens Honor
Award; Quantitative Finance program debuts;
Vaccari published in Scientific American; Polemis elected to
STEP bridges the gap from high school Board of Trustees.
to freshman year.
18 Focus on Giving Class of 1959 raises the bar;
17
Volunteer telethon callers build on banner year.
Class of 2009 Excels in the
Job Market 22 Stevens Events Alumni and friends gather at events
around the country.
Despite one of the bleakest job markets
in decades, the class of 2009 fared exceptionally Check out more news on our website:
well in their search for work. http://www.stevens.edu/press/
www.stevens.edu Stevens Review | fall 2009 3

4. Stevens News
Stevens Sensors
Installed on
Clearwater
The famous sloop Clearwater sailing
on the Hudson River.
Photo: Tom Staudter/Clearwater.
Center for Maritime Systems’ sensors will collect real- vation and Prediction System web site (www.
stevens.edu/maritimeforecast). The center’s
time data in New York Harbor and Hudson River. computer models display not only current con-
ditions, but projected changes as well, such as
T
here are fewer and fewer regions in waterway, serving as the main conduit to the shifts in the speed and direction of currents.
the complex underwater world of upper and lower Hudson and so it’s vital to “These conditions have a big impact on
New York Harbor and its connecting understand what’s happening along it,” said ships coming into the harbor and pilots want
waterways that escape the watchful eye of Alan Blumberg, the George Meade Bond to know this,” Blumberg said.
the Stevens Center for Maritime Systems, the Professor of Ocean Engineering and Director Blumberg and his research team have
nerve center of a growing network of marine of the Center for Maritime Systems. recently expanded the site’s capabilities with
sensors and computer-generated forecasts. Commercial shipping companies, recre- Google Earth, an interactive graphics pro-
The center’s Urban Ocean Observatory ational boaters and government transporta- gram that permits viewers to zoom in on a
provides real-time information critical to the tion and safety agencies rely on the center’s given section of the harbor to explore con-
river’s commercial vitality and environmen- information to guide vessels safely through ditions more closely. In the future, this new
tal stability, including data on water levels, the harbor, which Blumberg describes as feature will automatically generate naviga-
temperature and salinity, concentrations of extraordinarily complex from a meteorologi- tion routes for ships to guide them through
dissolved oxygen and organic matter, winds cal and oceanographic standpoint. the harbor’s entrance and interior waters.
and currents. Researchers at the Center for The harbor is subject to massive tidal The importance of real-time data
Maritime Systems use computer models to currents, for example, through its two became dramatically clear in the min-
forecast conditions, including storm surges entrances to the ocean, at Sandy Hook at utes following the unprecedented mid-
and floods, for up to 48 hours. the southern end and at the East River to afternoon crash landing last January of
This summer, Stevens expanded its range the east. The island of Manhattan exerts an US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson
substantially by installing a sensor on the unusual sheltering effect on wind conditions River, part of one of the busiest sections of
sloop Clearwater – the mobile centerpiece of in the river. Man-made factors complicating the harbor. Blumberg and his colleague
musician and activist Pete Seeger’s 40-year-old conditions include crisscrossing wakes from Nickitas Georgas were able to provide res-
environmental advocacy organization – which the heavy volume of high-speed passenger cue teams a detailed summary of water
travels from New York Harbor to the northern and cargo ferries and the impact on waves conditions surrounding the crash site,
reaches of the Hudson River near Albany. and currents from the many piers and including the direction of currents, as well
The new sensor fills a gap in the network seawalls throughout the harbor. as a forecast of conditions for the 48 hours
in the upper Hudson River, where there are The data collected from the Clearwater following the accident.
few monitoring stations. and scores of other marine sensors, deployed The emergency response team heeded the
“This is a very large stretch of the river – throughout the region by Stevens and its part- center’s suggestions, for example, to deploy
about 250 miles – and there are not a lot of ners, are recorded, processed and displayed ambulances and apparatus downstream of
universities or people along it, particularly at in a format that pilots and others can use the crash site, as the currents were carrying
the northern end. But it’s a very important through the center’s New York Harbor Obser- the airplane downstream at that time, and to
4 Stevens Review | fall 2009 stevens institute of technology

5. Stevens News
guide the plane eastward to the Battery area
for salvage operations, since that section of
the harbor has some of the weakest currents. The importance of real-time data
More recently, the center aided the National
Transportation Safety Board in the search for
became dramatically clear in the
debris following the deadly mid-air collision minutes following the emergency
of a helicopter and private airplane over the
Hudson River in early August.
landing of US Airways Flight 1549
“We worked closely for two weeks with in the Hudson River, part of one of
the recovery team, helping to locate airplane
and helicopter parts that are critical evidence the busiest sections of the harbor.
in the crash,” Blumberg said.
The current monitoring system includes Alan Blumberg, the George Meade Bond Professor of
about 200 fixed and mobile sensors in the Ocean Engineering and Director of the Center for Maritime
waters of New York and New Jersey – in the Systems, holds one of the center’s sensors.
Hudson River, the East River, the New York/
New Jersey estuary, Raritan Bay, Long Island the ability, for example, to track pollution While the center’s primary mission is
Sound and the coastal waters of New Jersey plumes should a sewage treatment plant, navigation safety, it also plays an important
– and got its start a decade ago. Stevens has overcome by coastal flooding, regurgitate its role as an environmental monitor by tracking
15 sensors of its own and continually looks untreated waste into the river. water quality. The levels of dissolved solids
for ways to enhance the system. “Unmanned underwater vehicles are the and oxygen levels it measures are critical to
Five years ago, for example, the center future of ocean observation. They are the the maintenance of marine life in the Hudson
installed a mobile sensor on the Pioneer, a ocean’s weather balloons,” Blumberg said. River ecosystem.
schooner owned by the South Street Seaport Stevens will be deploying sensors on more Environmental groups such as the
Museum, that travels the lower harbor. mobile platforms, including Circle Line Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Inc., which
Researchers had tried placing sensors on water boats, and on buoys in deep waters of the operates the Clearwater, keep track of these
taxis, but found that sailboats proved a better harbor, as it creates an enhanced navigation conditions as they urge state and federal
host than the fast-moving vessels, whose safety system over the next two years for the lawmakers to adopt policies that protect the
engines interfered with readings, said Don New Jersey Department of Transportation. river’s ecosystem.
Chesley, a Research Engineer at the center. The new system, NAVSAFE, will provide The 106-foot-tall Clearwater—a replica
The maritime center has recently added advanced, harbor-wide profiles with of the sloops that sailed the Hudson in the
unmanned underwater vehicles to its fleet sophisticated sensors, including devices that 18th and 19th centuries, was among the
of sensors, devices which have advanced use echolocation to measure currents from first vessels in the US to conduct science-
capabilities, such as the ability to hover and water surface to bottom. based environmental education aboard a
sit on the river bottom. “The use of the urban ocean is increasing sailing ship at a time when data was not
“In the future, these vehicles will be markedly and we need to understand that readily available.
able to follow an event as it happens,” said marine environment and make it safer and “The exposure to the environmental and
Georgas, a Research Engineer at the center. more useful,” Blumberg said, noting, “There educational community through this new
He noted that the mobile sensors would have are so many competing uses, from sailboats connection is tremendous,” Blumberg said
and kayaks to cargo vessels and cruise ships.” of Stevens’ new alliance with the ship.
David Vaccari Published in Scientific American Vaccari is a specialist in biological waste-
water treatment and in modeling the effects
David Vaccari, Associ- Meanwhile nearly 40 percent of global reserves of pollution in rivers and streams. He is a
ate Professor and Director are in a single country, Morocco, sometimes member of the Water Environment Federation
of the Department of Civil, referred to as the ‘Saudi Arabia of phosphorus.’ (Technical Practice Committees for Wastewa-
Environmental and Ocean Although Morocco is a stable, friendly nation, ter Biology Manual of Practice and for Instru-
Engineering, had his paper, the imbalance makes phosphorus a geostrate- mentation and Control); American Institute
“Phosphorus: A Looming gic ticking time bomb.” of Chemical Engineers;
Crisis,” published in Scien- Furthermore, adds Vaccari, global American Society of
David Vaccari tific American. supplies of high-grade resources may Civil Engineers (Clari-
Associate Professor fier Research Technical
In the magazine’s June last less than a century.
2009 issue, Vaccari raised “The world has enough potassium to Committee); Associa-
the alarm about the depletion in US and global last several centuries. But phosphorus tion of Environmental
high-grade phosphorus resources. He writes: is a different story. Readily available Engineering Professors;
“The US is the world’s largest producer and global supplies may start running out and International Asso-
exporter of phosphorus, at 23 percent of the by the end of this century. By then our ciation of Water Qual-
total, but 80 percent of that amount comes population may have reached a peak ity (Specialist Group on
from a single source: pit mines near Tampa, Fla. that some say is beyond what the planet Computing).
which may not last more than a few decades. can sustainably feed,” he writes.
www.stevens.edu Stevens Review | fall 2009 5

6. Stevens News
Inventor and Entrepreneur Dean Kamen Receives
the Stevens Honor Award
D
ean Kamen, a prolific inventor In 2000, he received the National Medal grams in high school and elementary schools.
whose groundbreaking ideas have of Technology from President Bill Clinton The flagship program, the FIRST Robotics
transformed the way people take for his life-enhancing inventions as well as Competition, joins professionals with stu-
their medications, move about in daily life, for his efforts to promote student interest dents to solve an engineering design prob-
and hope to one day produce energy and in science and technology. Six years later, lem. This year, the program will reach 42,000
clean water, was this year’s recipient of the he was awarded the Global Humanitarian high school students on close to 1,700 teams.
Stevens Honor Award. Action Award by the United Nations Just over a decade ago, he created the FIRST
Kamen, who holds more than 440 US Association of the USA. In his remarks at the LEGO League for younger children.
and foreign patents, is best known for awards ceremony, then Secretary General Kamen said it is up to programs like FIRST
creating the Segway Human Transporter, Kofi Annan noted in particular Kamen’s to fire the imaginations of students who
an emissions-free transportation device that ongoing efforts to bring cheap power and would otherwise have little contact with the
balances on two wheels, travels up to 12.5 clean water to the poor. realm of science and technology and few
miles an hour and is controlled by shifting chances to savor the joys of invention.
body weight. “I think it’s a cultural problem,
His powered wheelchair, the not an educational one. Kids
iBOT Mobility System, similarly need to have passion and focus to
uses sensors and gyroscopes decide to be smart, to study math
to move and balance as it goes and science. But they are smoth-
up and down staircases and ered by MTV and Hollywood and
navigates difficult terrain, while grow up celebrating nonsense,”
boosting its occupant to eye level he noted. “We need a cultural
with the ambulatory world. change agent.”
Kamen first made his name in Ed Eichhorn, ’69, presi-
the medical device arena. While dent of the Stevens Alumni
still in college, he invented an Association, said his reasons
automatic, ambulatory pump for recommending Kamen for the
that delivers precise doses of award were twofold.
medication to patients with a “I felt he should be honored
variety of medical conditions. He for his many contributions as
later designed the first wearable Dean Kamen an inventor, but also for the
insulin pump for diabetics. programs he started to stimulate
After selling his first company, Photo: Adriana M. Groisman, courtesy of FIRST. student interest in science and
AutoSyringe, Inc., to Baxter technology in schools,” Eichhorn
International Corporation, Kamen and the Kamen has produced a modern version of said, adding, “The younger alumni were
team at his new company, DEKA Research & the Stirling engine, a device first conceived in very excited about his nomination. They
Development Corp., continued to produce the early 1800s that can use almost any fuel really admire him, and many said that Dean
life-changing devices such as the portable to produce electrical power and clean heat. Kamen and his programs were the reason
dialysis machine. “We’re still working on it to make it they became interested in careers in science
While his inventions span industry sectors, simpler, cheaper and more reliable. When and engineering.”
he said they all address a basic question: we have made it simpler, cheaper and more Kamen received the award on November
“Will this improve peoples’ lives?” reliable, we hope the big guys will spend 6 at the annual Edwin A. Stevens Society
“I work on important problems that money to put it into production,” he said. Gala, held at the Liberty Science Center.
require a high degree of technical advance- He has also been developing water Earlier that day, he addressed students
ment in order to meet important human purification technology that would make and faculty on campus as part of the Heath
needs,” he noted. nearly all source water safe to drink. Lecture Series. His speech focused on FIRST
Kamen said half of DEKA’s projects come Kamen has inspired many Stevens and, as he put it, “the power of technology
from partners in research and industry students—from Technogenesis scholars and what it can and should do.”
looking for conceptual and technical advice already working on their first inventions First bestowed in 1945, the award was
on ventures they are undertaking. to those just entering the field of designed to honor “notable achievement in
He added, “The other half come from engineering—in the hopes of emulating his any field of endeavor.” Kamen joins a long
looking at the world and wondering why success in finding ingenious and practical and diverse list of distinguished recipients,
this or that is such a vexing problem. You solutions to everyday problems. including artist Alexander Calder, ’19,
ask yourself why, for example, millions of He directly influenced some of these stu- futurist and inventor R. Buckminster
kids are dying because they have no access dents to enter the field through his two- Fuller and Charles Stewart Mott, 1897, the
to clean water.” decade-old FIRST (For Inspiration and industrialist and philanthropist.
Recognition of Science and Technology) pro-
6 Stevens Review | fall 2009 stevens institute of technology

7. Stevens News
Spyros M. Polemis elected to As head of the ICS, Polemis works with
shipping associations and governmental
Board of Trustees agencies, most notably the International
Maritime Organization (IMO), the United
Nations agency with responsibility for safety
s
pyros M. Polemis, a widely who stands as an illus- at sea and the protection of the marine
respected international busi- trious figure in global environment. Another associated government
ness leader who has spent maritime commerce, agency is the US Coast Guard.
more than 45 years as a prominent shipping, and yacht- As a Stevens student, Polemis served as
figure in the global shipping indus- building, as well as in president of Pi Lambda Phi and belonged
try, has been elected to serve on the world of competi- to the Interfraternity Council and the Yacht
the Stevens Institute of Technol- tive sailing, in the grand Club. After college, he did his National
ogy Board of Trustees. Polemis was tradition of the Stevens Service with the Greek Coast Guard as an
named to the board during its spring family who founded our Officer/Ships’ Inspector. Thereafter, he
meeting, May 20-21, 2009. He is a institution.” worked for the family business until 1970,
class of 1961 graduate of Stevens. Polemis also serves when he formed his own company.
Polemis’ family has roots in ship- as chairman of the Polemis established a Stevens family
ping that date back several centuries. International Chamber legacy, as his son Leonidas S. ’90, and
He is chairman and managing direc- Spyros M. Polemis ’61 of Shipping (ICS), the nephew, Peter L.G. Louloudis ’85, are
tor of Seacrest Shipping Co. Ltd., international trade Stevens graduates, as was his late son,
the London representative of a large group association for merchant ship owners Michael S. Polemis ’84, M.Eng. ’85. He has
of shipping interests in the business for more concerned with all regulatory, operational two daughters, Anna and Katerina. He and
than 200 years. His company helps to operate and legal issues. He is also president of his wife, Anastasia, live in London.
the ships of the world, from “tween-deckers” its sister organization, the International The Stevens Alumni Association presented
to tankers, and manages building and repair Shipping Federation, the international to Polemis the Stevens Honor Award in 2007.
projects in shipyards around the globe. employer’s organization for the industry that In addition to Polemis, two young alumni
“We are very pleased that an alumnus of deals with labor affairs and training issues. named to the board include Katherine
such prominence will be working with us These organizations – the leading shipping Freed ’08 and Frank Sorrentino ’08. Freed
to advance the ascent of Stevens Institute organizations in the world – represent holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree in
of Technology among the world’s leading the collective interests of ship-owner Biomedical Engineering and a Bachelor
technological universities,” said Stevens associations from 40 countries, including of Arts degree in History from Stevens.
President Harold J. Raveché. “As a historical the US, most of Europe, Japan and Australia. She is currently attending Seton Hall Law
leader in maritime architecture, design and ICS membership consists of national ship- School and is a member of its class of 2011.
security, Stevens will benefit greatly from owners’ associations representing more than Sorrentino holds a Bachelor of Science
the outstanding expertise of Mr. Polemis, 70 percent of the world’s merchant fleet. degree in Business and Technology.
Stevens Launches First Undergraduate Quantitative
Finance Program in the Region
In September 2009, Stevens launched the finance experts will statistics, but will also teach students of the
first undergraduate program in Quantitative come up with ways to underlying economic substance of financial
Finance in the region. out think the market.” decision making, said Calhoun.
This fast-growing, multi-disciplinary field Quantitative finance “This is a program where being smart gives
is based on applying modern science, math- is at the heart of all you an advantage. This is where the employ-
ematical and engineering methods, and modern financial strat- ment growth is going to be,” said Calhoun.
advanced technology to model and execute egies and operations, “Risk is going to be the name of the game
decisions in the financial domain. Quantita- from managing pen- for the next 20 years,” said Calhoun, “and
tive Finance applications extend from clas- George M. Calhoun sion funds and insur- Quantitative Finance will be key.”
sical investment portfolio management and Executive-in-Residence ance companies to Dr. Germán Creamer and Dr. Jonathan
the design of sophisticated hedging strate- controlling operational Kaufman have been jointly employed by the
gies to mitigate business risks. risks at manufacturing companies and mod- Howe School of Technology Management,
“Quantitative Finance is becoming essen- eling the behavior of financial markets. where they will teach in the Quantitative
tial in the business world,” said George M. Offered through Stevens’ Howe School Finance Program, and the School of Systems
Calhoun, Executive-in-Residence at Ste- of Technology Management, the four- and Enterprises, teaching in the graduate
vens. “It is not simply enough to stand on year Bachelor of Science undergraduate Financial Engineering Program.
the trading floor. The next generation of program has a heavy emphasis on math and
www.stevens.edu Stevens Review | fall 2009 7

8. Junior Tenzin Bista ’12, a Biomedical
Engineering major, worked with advisor
Professor Xiaoguang Meng on the
removal of phosphate in wastewater using
agricultural waste biosorbant.

9. TECHNO
GENESIS
SC H OL A R S RE SE ARC H P ROGRAM
Undergraduate scholars conduct research in biomedicine,
nanotechnology, alternative energy and more.
O
n an early weekday morning in July, two students in a basement lab in the
McLean building are engaged in animated discussion as they float back
and forth between a spiky object that resembles a robotic sea urchin and
diagrams of electrical circuits on their computer screens.
The peculiar-looking structure is a prototype of a cancer imaging device they hope will
some day provide better and safer breast tumor images than are now available through
standard x-ray mammography. Studded with electrodes, it assesses the density and
contours of objects by measuring their impedance, or resistance, to low amplitude
electrical currents pulsed through them.
The students, juniors Lauren Griggs ’11 and Paige
Armstrong ’11, are both Biomedical Engineering
students. They are demonstrating real progress on
a promising device devised three years ago by a
team of Stevens Biomedical Engineering seniors,
led by Kate Freed, in their Senior Design class.
continued on page 10
Juniors Lauren Griggs ’11 and Paige Armstrong ’11,
Biomedical Engineering majors, with cancer imaging prototype.
www.stevens.edu Stevens Review | fall 2009 9

10. They are among 31 undergraduates Antonio Valdevit, a Senior Lecturer in up on the market, that there is a rationale
across diverse disciplines to secure the Biomedical Engineering department. behind them,” Valdevit said. “This is real-
coveted spots in Stevens’ Technogenesis Also begun as a Senior Design project, it world experience.”
Summer Scholars Research Program. is a spinal cage that will take the place of
Twice that many students applied to damaged vertebrae, while providing sup- David Peacock, Director of Intellectual
the annual program, which offers the port and stability to the spinal column. It Property Management in the Office of
chance to work closely with professors, in improves on existing models by adding Academic Entrepreneurship, said the
addition to a stipend and free housing. a locking rotational insert that gives sur- Summer Scholars program is designed
geons more flexibility in expanding the to reinforce the links between research,
“The proposal process was intense. I did cage to a desired final height and angle. technology and commerce promoted by
several revisions,” Griggs said, adding, “I the university’s Technogenesis program.
was so happy to have the opportunity to Hazelwood and Valdevit were both
do research.” instructors in the Senior Design class. “The emphasis over the past several
They mentored the seniors through years has been to take research and to
She and her partner spent the first two the invention process and served as overlay aspects of entrepreneurship and
weeks of the summer getting up to speed co-inventors as well. commercial value, rather than simply
on their predecessors’ research and doing ‘off the shelf’ projects,” he said.
teaching themselves about breast cancer Griggs’ and Armstrong’s work on the
and electrical circuits. They then tested spinal cage tapped an entirely different The projects chosen each year by a
the device on objects such as metal balls, skill set, although one critically important Technogenesis committee reflect the
while varying the number of electrodes in the arena of scientific entrepreneurship diverse research on campus, from
they used to measure the response. and to the Technogenesis program. They nanotechnology, to materials science, to
conducted market research on cages systems engineering, to biomedicine, to
Stevens has filed a patent for the device. that perform a similar function and put alternative energy.
In the meantime, researchers at Stevens, together a test budget to determine how
from faculty to graduate students to Aaron Lembo ’10, a senior Civil Engineer-
much it will cost to get the Stevens device
undergraduates, “are evaluating the ing major, worked in a very different sort
through Food and Drug Administration
prototype in more depth by rebuilding of lab – among surfers, fishermen and
regulatory reviews. Stevens had planned
it and gathering more data,” said faculty beachcombers in the city of Long Branch
to apply for a patent on the technology by
advisor Vikki Hazelwood, a Professor of on the New Jersey shore. He and a team
the end of summer.
Biomedical Engineering. of researchers monitored erosion and
“Lauren and Paige were able to see sand redistribution along a stretch of
Griggs and Armstrong worked on a sec- the business aspect of a device – to the coast where the Army Corps of Engi-
ond project this summer with advisor understand that devices don’t just show neers recently deposited tons of fill. They
10 Stevens Review | fall 2009 stevens institute of technology

11. Technogenesis Scholars in Action
(left to right, starting opposite page)
1 Alex Pollara ’12 (Physical Model Tests to Evaluate
Hydrodynamic Characteristics of Amphibious Assault
Vehicles, advisors: Dr. Raju Datla and Michael Morabito).
2 Amanda DiGuilio ’11 (Optimization of Lysis
Conditions for Investigation of Newly Developed
Nucleoporin Antibodies; advisor: Dr. Joseph S. Glavy).
3 Kristina Wilson ’11 (Drug Resistance for Cancer
Treatments; advisor: Professor Jiahua Xu).
4 Aaron Lembo ’10 (Improving Methods of
Bathymetric Surveying of Coast; advisors: Dr. Thomas
Herrington and Dr. Jon Miller).
5 Krishna Amin ’11 (Effects of Blood Substitutes on
Cells; advisors: Dr. Nuran Kumbaraci and Dr. Xiaogun Yu).
6 Stephen Jack Stafford ’10 (Quantum Cryptography
using Single Photon Sources; advisor: Dr. Stefan Strauf).
surveyed dry beach and points offshore initial legal document for what may even- “A lot of our students want to have a leg
using stationary and roving GPS systems tually become a patented technology. up in their search for jobs or admission
and importing the data into a computer to graduate school, and research jobs
software program to analyze changes “This program has real teeth. It’s got certainly help,” said Arthur Ritter,
over time. success stories,” Peacock said. Associate Director of the Biomedical
Engineering department, who also
Lembo worked on the data sets the Some notable examples of undergraduate
supervised Griggs and Armstrong.
surveys generated back at Stevens, ingenuity are SPOC, Inc., a Stevens spin-
“They’re also able to get very good
while undertaking more practical tasks at off company whose core technology
references. They have showed that they
the beach. is a hand-held biomedical device that
can work with minimal supervision.”
“One of my jobs was to come up with a way
to do the survey more efficiently, using jet
skis and ATVs,” he said. “I was looking, for Since 2005, undergraduates in the Technogenesis
example, at better ways to attach the GPS
to these moving vehicles.”
program have filed 27 invention disclosures with
the university documenting a discovery that they
Since the program’s debut in 2001, more
than 600 undergraduates have applied believe to be unique.
for summer research positions, while just
over 250 students have secured them.
pinpoints the precise location of muscle A primary source of funding for the
Following last year’s program, about 75
pain, and Attila Technologies, a wireless annual Technogenesis Summer Scholars
percent of the projects moved on to the
communications device. Research Program comes from a
next stage of research, such as a senior
design team project or through contin- bequest to Stevens Institute of
While most students don’t get to
ued funding by the university or other Technology from Allen and Marcelle
see their research converted into a
sources, Peacock said. Since 2005, under- G. Kadell. The funds were earmarked
successful startup company before they
graduates in the Technogenesis program, for undergraduate entrepreneurial and
graduate, they describe the experience
including Summer Scholars and senior research opportunities.
as an unparalleled opportunity to take up
design students, have filed 27 invention intellectual and professional challenges,
disclosures with the university docu- while boosting their chances of achieving
menting a discovery that they believe to the next step along the career path.
be unique. These disclosures serve as the
www.stevens.edu Stevens Review | fall 2009 11

12. Josephine DiGennaro teaching her
fourth grade engineers at Connors
Primary School in Hoboken.
CIese helps eDuCaTe
Tomorrow’s engIneers
New Jersey teachers participate in programs emphasizing science, technology
and engineering in the classroom.
a
fter the earthquake struck withstand the simulated quake. They to Stevens for two weeks in the summer
Josephine DiGennaro’s fourth- eagerly rebuilt the ones that fell to better over three years to improve their
grade classroom at Connors stabilize them. understanding of science, technology and
Primary School in Hoboken, her student- engineering design and to teach them
“In some cases, we had to do go back
architects rushed to examine their problem-based methods for conveying
and do some re-engineering,” DiGennaro
recently constructed buildings. Many these subjects to students.
recalled.
found devastation.
CIESE instructors follow up with the
DiGennaro is one of 50 teachers from
It came as little surprise that several had teachers at additional workshops
northern New Jersey elementary
tumbled down when hit with a violent during the school year, and by visiting
schools to learn innovative, hands-on
jolt: they were made out of toothpicks their classrooms to coach them as they
teaching strategies from the Center for
and marshmallows on foundations of implement the lessons they’ve learned.
Innovation in Engineering and Science
jello. The students were encouraged to They also observe the students and assess
Education’s (CIESE) at Stevens. The
experiment with a wide range of designs their progress.
center’s Partnership to Improve Student
to determine what constructions could
Achievement program brings teachers
12 Stevens Review | fall 2009 stevens institute of technology

13. Carving out a role for Stevens in
strengthening math and science education
in schools was a top priority for President
“There’s a recognition among
Hal Raveché when he joined Stevens in industry, government and
1988 and founded CIESE to expand the
pool and capabilities of students who universities that the US must do
pursue science and engineering degrees. more to produce homegrown
Since then, CIESE has received more than engineering talent that is
$30 million in funding from the state and
federal government, public agencies such representative of the US population.”
as the National Science Foundation and
from corporate and private foundations. Beth McGrath — Beth McGrath, CIESE’s Director
The center has worked with more than
25,000 teachers in New Jersey and
across the US on science, technology, “The people who come to speak here, from “The students who participate are
engineering and mathematics initiatives Stevens and from our community, are not incredibly diverse. They’re from every
at every grade level. just people wearing lab coats. They are background, race and creed,” he said.
More recently, CIESE has begun offering all kinds of people. We go from 23-year- “They’re very open to new ideas – simple,
programs that bring students to campus. olds in jeans to a 65-year-old mechanical complicated, even crazy ideas.”
engineer who builds remotely controlled
Sponsored by the National Science Attracting a diverse pool of students to
planes,” she said. “This impacts the girls
Foundation, a program called Build engineering is a central concern of the
greatly. They understand that there are
IT challenges middle and high school program’s many funders, who believe it is
engineers in many fields.”
students to construct submersible robots important to the industry’s future vitality
from LEGO and other parts that can Her school district has responded that it draw from all demographic groups.
perform complex underwater tasks. More enthusiastically to the program. The high
“There’s a recognition among industry,
than 2,000 students from 36 schools school now offers electives in engineering,
government and universities that the US
throughout New Jersey and New York including a course next year that requires
must do more to produce homegrown
City have participated in the program, her science class as a prerequisite.
engineering talent that is representative
which grew out of research at Stevens’ CIESE evaluates the success of its pro- of the US population,” McGrath said.
Davidson laboratory. grams through several methods, includ-
CIESE also invites students to campus for
Each spring, they bring their vessels to ing testing teachers and students before
a chance to see the next stage in a possible
campus to compete. and after they use a new curriculum, and
career in technology and engineering.
by reviewing their work.
Dee Guarino, an eighth-grade science A recent Student Innovation Day in
teacher at the Linwood Middle School in Beth McGrath, CIESE’s Director, said that June brought 60 middle school children
North Brunswick, is one of the more than in two programs in particular, teachers and from northern New Jersey to Stevens
70 teachers to embrace the program as a students showed very significant learning to meet with young entrepreneurs who
way of supplementing textbook science. gains over comparison classrooms when had designed patented technologies and
tested on the science and engineering secured funding from venture capitalists.
“We’re looking at real-world applications, concepts they had learned through
using scientific tools,” she said of the “This was a first exposure to a university
hands-on projects. The evaluations also
program, in which student submersibles environment for many of these young men
showed substantial increases in interest
are tested on their ability to speed across and women and gave them a chance to
and motivation, particularly among girls
a pool, maneuver around obstacles and visit a lab and interact with researchers,”
and disadvantaged students.
pick up objects. “The students love it, McGrath said. “This program, which was
because it’s hands-on. They can go off on Enticing a more diverse group of students sponsored by Honeywell, also provided
their own creative tangents.” to enter these fields is one of CIESE’s students with real-life examples of young
primary aims. entrepreneurs, recent Stevens graduates,
She added, however, that courses such who are just a few years older than they
as Build IT emphasize the importance “We’re teaching basic engineering tech-
are and who – because of their Stevens
of scientific and engineering discipline. niques and concepts to students who
education – have designed a technology
“We test nothing without documentation, might not get it in their schools,” said
that addresses a market need and has
either written or in a diagram.” Pietro Vardro, a senior at Stevens majoring
potentially great economic value.”
in biomedical engineering, who worked
Guarino said it is not just the programs, for two years with the Build IT program.
but the engineers her students meet who
make an impact on their view of the field.
www.stevens.edu Stevens Review | fall 2009 13

14. STEVENS
ACROSS THE
GLOBE
Stevens’ international programs prepare
students to thrive in a global marketplace.
J
unior Dana Barrasso spent three Only about five percent places where English is not spoken,” he
weeks this summer immersed in sus- of engineering students added, noting that students preparing
tainable energy studies with Ronald at Stevens now study for a stint abroad have free access to the
Besser, a Chemical Engineering professor abroad before earning foreign language program Rosetta Stone
and expert in alternative fuel production. their degrees, said Keith for one year.
By the end of the course, she had designed Sheppard, Associate Stevens is working toward that goal on
a model house powered entirely by a hydro- Dean for Engineering several fronts, expanding the number and
gen fuel cell. and Science. Their reluc- types of programs that both send students
Keith Sheppard
What distinguished the course from the Associate Dean tance is explained in abroad and bring foreign students to the
typical Stevens summer program was that for Engineering and part, he said, by logistical Hoboken campus.
Science challenges such as fitting
it took place in Guayaquil, Ecuador. One approach is to build on existing
in the many core courses the major requires
Besser, accompanied by five undergraduate and the difficulty in transferring credits. relationships at schools where Stevens has
engineers from Stevens, took his course programs in place.
to Escuela Superior Politecnica del Litoral “We have set a goal of substantially increas-
ing that number,” he noted, in order to Stevens has established a graduate program
(ESPOL), a technical university in the hills with Nanyang Technological University in
above Guayaquil, the country’s commercial prepare students to thrive in increasingly
global industries. Singapore, for example, and both schools
hub. His students shared classes and have expressed an interest in an exchange
designed their model systems with “Project design is often done in the US, of undergraduate students.
mechanical engineering students at ESPOL, working with design teams around the
communicating in a spirited mix of English world. But prototype development and Stevens undergraduate Stefan PremDas
and Spanish. supply chains are spread all over the world. recently completed a four-week course
As an engineer, you have to be comfortable on the conservation and sustainable
“Spending three weeks in another country development of natural resources in
will do a lot for your language skills. You working in that environment,” he said.
“You also need to understand that culture tropical Malaysia at Universiti Kebangsaan
can compare it to several months in a Malaysia (UKM) in Kuala Lumpur. He
classroom,” Barrasso said. has a huge impact on the way people
work together in terms of developing and spent two weeks in class and two weeks
This intensive course is part of a concerted delivering products in a globally networked visiting rainforest, mountain, coastal and
push by Stevens to expand international industry. It has an impact as well on how indigenous regions. UKM is currently
educational offerings for students, par- products and services are marketed in sponsoring two recent Stevens alumni from
ticularly for engineering undergraduates different countries.” Malaysia, who have been offered UKM
who historically have been among the least faculty positions, to remain on campus
likely to embrace them. “We would like our students to get a true to pursue doctorates and recently hosted
global perspective by seeing cultures that Athula Attygalle, a Stevens Chemistry
are quite different from theirs, including professor, as a guest lecturer.
14 Stevens Review | fall 2009 stevens institute of technology

15. Stevens has longstanding undergraduate
exchanges with the University of Dundee
in Scotland and with the naval engineering
program at University College London.
These programs expose students to “a very
different culture and a different approach
to teaching. They open students’ eyes to
the world,” said Erol Cesmebasi, Associate
Dean for Undergraduate Academics.
Cesmebasi noted that Stevens also works
closely with students to facilitate their
individual study abroad arrangements,
mostly through Stevens’ academic
consortiums with overseas universities.
Over the past 10 years, numerous Stevens
students have studied in Sydney, London,
Madrid and Hong Kong, only a few places
among many.
“A number of students have studied art in
Florence, for example,” he said. “We had a
mechanical engineer who graduated with a
B.S. in Engineering and B.A. in Art. We’ve
also sent students to the Netherlands to do
medical research.” He noted that Stevens is
working with students and foreign partners
“You also need to understand that culture has to set up internships for students who want
a huge impact on the way people work to combine study abroad with work.
Stevens must approve all foreign courses in
together in terms of developing and delivering advance, he said.
products in a globally networked industry.” “Before signing off, we make sure students
— Keith Sheppard are in good academic standing and that
Associate Dean for Engineering and Science they are mature and flexible. We deal with
each student one-on-one.”
“We are looking to offer more overseas “Not only do these exchanges add to the Sheppard, who chairs a task force on global
summer research experiences at universities diversity of our campus, but they become education, said the institute is trying to
where our faculty are involved in research a catalyst for broader relationships,” said help students fit foreign study into their
collaborations,” Sheppard said. Edwina Fleming, Director of International undergraduate schedules. He pointed
Another route is to send students abroad Graduate Admissions. She noted that two to recent changes in the engineering
with Stevens faculty. Stevens’ Business Malaysian students who just graduated curriculum that allow students to earn up
and Technology program arranges these from Stevens served as Blicharz’s teaching to six general education credits, equal to
sorts of trips, such as a faculty-led global assistants this summer. two courses, in relevant studies overseas
management seminar over spring break Stevens is building on an existing that would not otherwise be transferable.
that includes visits to foreign companies. relationship with Beijing Institute of “In 2007, for example, we started a program
Stevens is also expanding its global Technology by adding an undergraduate in Norway in which students spent three
ties by bringing foreign students to the exchange program. The first group of five weeks in academic programs related to
Hoboken campus. students arrived this fall. systems engineering. They got credit for it,”
International students, who for the most he said. The changes have also generated
The university has a longstanding relation- interest in Malaysian universities.
ship with Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) part must pay their own way to attend
in Malaysia which sends top-performing, Stevens, come for courses they can’t find at Sheppard said the task force is considering
government-sponsored undergraduate stu- their home universities, such as engineering adding a global component to the
dents to Stevens every year. Twenty students classes in design, and for the exposure to curriculum as a required educational
from UiTM graduated this spring, nearly all American culture, Fleming said. “outcome” for Stevens graduates. It could
with honors or high honors, mostly in engi- “These students leave with very warm take several forms, he said, including
neering. Edward Blicharz, a Stevens profes- feelings about the US and this is a wonderful international study or courses at Stevens
sor, taught two engineering design classes at by-product of the program,” she noted. “Many that place subjects such as engineering
UiTM this summer and 11 of the students in are going to be leaders in their countries.” within a global context.
his courses transferred to Stevens this fall.
www.stevens.edu Stevens Review | fall 2009 15

16. STeVens success. The peer tutoring in particular was
extremely helpful. It’s a very comfortable
TeChnICal
way to get help.”
Some of that support was informal,
growing naturally out of the social network
students developed over the six-week Bridge
EnrIChmenT session, Farmer said.
“There were students with different levels
of preparation and people started partnering
Program
up and helping each other,” he recalled.
“Some schools like to create an atmosphere
of competition, but I found Stevens to be
more cooperative.”
STEP students end up doing well. Their
graduation rate, at 76 percent, is slightly
higher than that of the population as a whole.
STEP bridges the gap from high school to freshman year. While STEP students are mostly from
New York and New Jersey, the population
a
fter playing tutor, coach, big brother time studying, never had to work that hard, is increasingly diverse geographically and
– and, occasionally, nag – to a dorm and never been pushed that hard. ethnically. This year’s class, for example,
full of incoming freshmen this “But I had a great experience and wanted includes students from as far away as
summer, sophomore Tony Dominguez, an to share it. I felt I went in not knowing Arizona, North Carolina and Virginia,
Electrical Engineering major, was rubbing anything, but then I came out of it very Dominguez noted.
his eyes with exhaustion. But his fatigue was confident,” he said, noting in particular “The program is not so much about ethnicity,
distinctly laced with pride. his difficult, but ultimately successful first but about the many different experiences
The students were taking their last exam encounter with calculus. these students bring to campus,” said Berkley,
after an eye-opening, six-week immersion He said it was clear that many STEP adding, “They are involved in every aspect
in college-level courses such as calculus students had never faced an academic of campus life, from student government to
and computer programming, and he was challenge that truly athletics.”
confident in their skills, despite the last- taxed their abilities, For Farmer, the con-
minute jitters. He still clearly recalled his and he wanted to share nection continued long
own pre-exam nerves the summer before – strategies for coping. after he graduated and
and the happy conclusion. “Students at Stevens took his first job at Col-
Now a self-assured veteran, Dominguez are very hard workers. gate Palmolive.
signed on this summer as a resident tutor for They seek help when He ended up rooming
the Stevens Technical Enrichment Program they need it. One of the with Dorian Tisdale, his
(STEP). Founded in 1968, it is one of the reasons I did this pro- roommate at the Bridge
oldest continuous programs in Stevens’ gram was to reach out session, and later asked
history and one of its most important. to the new kids who Tony Dominguez ’12 Deborah Berkley him to be a groomsman
STEP Director
Responding to the pressing need to expand weren’t used to asking at his wedding.
the country’s base of scientists and engineers, for help. In high school, He also kept in touch
STEP identifies talent in communities that they never needed it,” he said. with Berkley.
are historically underrepresented in these STEP’s support does not end after the “There is a great resource center for help
fields, including students from minority, summer session. Throughout the year, STEP on resumes and Deborah would put all of
immigrant and low-income families. students are offered a host of services, from these red lines through mine. I used her as a
Each year, STEP’s Bridge program brings progress reviews, to tutoring, to personal and sounding board even after I left.”
about 50 students to campus for six weeks academic counseling, to advice on resume Farmer is now the director of
in June and July to familiarize them with the writing, career workshops, professional manufacturing for luxury skincare products
rigors and pace of a freshman-year course contacts and social events. for L’Oreal, responsible for the Lancome,
load and introduce them to campus life. They Deborah Berkley, STEP Director, invites Ralph Lauren and Kiehl’s brands.
take courses throughout the week, meet key program alumni back to campus to present He had initially intended to major in
administrators and professors, and in their workshops and seminars on a variety robotics but focused on manufacturing
time off, start identifying recreational outlets of topics. Some alumni conduct mock instead. STEP played a role in this transition
and building a network of friends. interviews for students preparing to hit the as well, by helping him secure an internship
“I thought of it as a mini fall semester. job market, either for internships or post- at Polaroid.
It was stressful at times, but it gave me a graduation positions. “I love what I do. I see the entire
preview of what was to come as a college “I always knew there was a family on the process – from the raw materials to the
student, particularly about time management 10th floor for me,” said Christopher Farmer finished consumer product – and then get
– something I hadn’t learned in high school,” ’99, of the STEP office, located in the Howe to see the impact.”
said Dominguez, who grew up in Hudson Center. “I felt like I always had a resource –
County. “I had never spent that amount of that this was a place set up to secure peoples’
16 Stevens Review | fall 2009 stevens institute of technology

17. Class oF 2009 exCels In many, evaluating the strength of materi-
als used in the company’s motorcycles and
Formula 1 team race cars, including during
The Job markeT crash tests.
“My project is specifically on the energy
Despite one of the bleakest job markets in decades, the class absorption of carbon fiber-reinforced
polymers, which will hopefully give some
of 2009 fared exceptionally well in their search for work. empirical results for more applications of
the material,” said DeSchryver, a mechanical
D
efying national trends in one of the “ExxonMobil has had an ongoing pres- engineer. “I definitely think it will be useful
bleakest job markets in decades, ence recruiting at Stevens for many years moving forward, because not only am I
Stevens graduating seniors in the because the institute has always provided a learning so much technically, but I’m also
Class of 2009 fared exceptionally well this solid engineering education to its students,” broadening my horizons by learning the
year in launching their careers. said Frank Roberto, energy planning advi- difference between the American and
The vast majority of graduates, about sor for ExxonMobil Chemical Company. German workplaces. I hope to take the best
80 percent, either accepted full-time jobs The average starting salary for the class lessons from both and incorporate them
or opted to pursue graduate degrees at of 2009 is $62,400, as compared with the into my work habits.”
universities such as Harvard, Yale, Columbia national average of $57,751, according to She credits the Cooperative Education
and Stevens. Indeed, nearly 60 percent of NACE, which also reported that engineers program with “giving me a clearer idea of
seniors who accepted job offers received entering the job force commanded the what I’m looking for, what jobs interest me,
more than one. highest starting salaries.
By contrast, the National Association of Stevens students boosted
Colleges and Employers (NACE) recently their job prospects by aggres- ACCEPTED SALARY OFFERS
reported that just less than 20 percent of sively pursuing work experience Stevens National
Major Average Average
college seniors nationally who applied for while earning their degrees.
jobs had secured them before graduating. About 90 percent of undergrad- Biomedical Engineering $58,900 $55,679***
“Even in the midst of a downturn, uates incorporated work experi- Business and Technology $61,200 $47,552*
companies still need engineers, software ence into their time at Stevens,
Chemical Engineering $66,900 $65,403
developers, engineering managers and, through summer internships,
in general, analytical thinkers,” said cooperative education assign- Civil/Environmental Engineering $59,150 $51,793
Pamela Cohen, Assistant Director of Career ments and faculty-mentored Computer Engineering $62,300 $61,017
Development. “When companies have to research, Cohen said. Computer Science $68,200 $57,693
do more with less, that’s when Stevens Almost half of engineering
students are in even higher demand.” students take part, for example, Electrical Engineering $63,500 $57,600
Stevens graduates found jobs across in the institute’s five-year Coop- Engineering Management $63,100 $58,581**
industry sectors, at Johnson & Johnson, erative Education program, Mechanical Engineering $61,050 $58,749
the consumer products giant, at Hamilton which alternates semesters of *** $57,751***
Total Survey $62,400
Sundstrand, the aerospace company, and full-time paid work with study
at JPMorgan Chase, the global financial on campus. * The average for Business majors is used for comparative purposes.
** The average for Industrial Engineering majors is used for comparative purposes.
services firm. Five graduating seniors went “In a weak job market, this *** This number is a weighted average.
to work for ExxonMobil Corp. sets them apart from other stu- National Average data reprinted from the Spring 2009 Salary Survey, with the
permission of the National Association of Colleges and Employers, copyright holder.
dents,” said Catherine Rooney,
INDUSTRY BREAKDOWN Director, Cooperative Educa-
Below are the industries in which 2009 Stevens tion. “Experience has become
graduates entered the workforce: almost a necessity today for any competi- my skill set and strengths, and how I can
tive entry-level position.” make a positive impact on projects.
Employers nationally concur. When “I feel that taking the extra year of
Business 2%
Energy 3
asked about job candidates in NACE’s college and getting acquainted with the
Con
Manufacturing/ Job Outlook 2009 Survey, they reported industry that I will be working in has been
s tru
%
Pharmaceutical a strong preference for college graduates one of the best decisions I’ve made in my
ctio
n8
20% with relevant work experience. academic career.”
%
Technology/
Telecom “More than three-quarters of employers Stevens emphasizes career planning.
12% say they would prefer to hire new college Every student at Stevens is assigned a
graduates who have relevant work career counselor freshman year.
Aerospace/
Engineering Defense experience. For college students, that “One of the strengths of this office is the
Services 17% experience is most typically gained through one-on-one attention we give to students,”
12% an internship or co-op assignment,” says Cohen noted. “We work closely with
Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director. students so we know what they are looking
Government Financial
Cassidy DeSchryver ’11, a junior Mechan- for. And when an employer calls, I know
13% 13%
ical Engineering major in the Cooperative exactly which students are looking for jobs
Education program, spent the past several in that area. I can have several resumes out
months at BMW outside of Munich, Ger- before I even hang up the phone.”
www.stevens.edu Stevens Review | fall 2009 17