Royal Society of Canada appoints CEE Professor to Assess the Impact of Oil Spills on Northern Waters 

 

The Department Welcomes Two New Staff Members

 

We are pleased to announce that two new staff members have joined CEE. Talina Knox comes to us with 20 years of experience at NJIT managing recruitment and retention programs for underrepresented groups in STEM. Talina will be leading the efforts to recognize the outstanding work being done by CEE students, faculty, staff and alumni. This issue of the CEE digital newsletter is the result of her work. As the new Academic Support Coordinator, she invites everyone to participate in this effort by sharing any news you may have, including news tips, story ideas, awards, announcements, upcoming events, photos, and press releases for inclusion in future issues of the newsletter. You can contact her directly at [email protected] or stop by her office at 241 Colton Hall if you'd prefer to discuss items in person. Knox says, "Thank you to everyone who contributed to this issue of the newsletter."

 

 

Nakul Ramanna Sanjeevaiah

With a masters degree in structural engineering from Visvesvaraya Technology University in Belgaum, India and a Ph.D. in civil engineering from Old Dominion University in Virginia, Nakul Ramanna Sanjeevaiah is the department's new Assistant to the Chair for Labs. Among various other projects, Nakul's main focus will be to support the department's laboratory research needs, the modernization of the labs and the training/guiding of faculty, staff and students on how to safely operate laboratory equipment. Most recently, Nakul worked as a research associate and co-lab manager at the University of Delaware.   Please join us in welcoming both Talina and Nakul to CEE.

Aerial Data Collection Device

Ground Control

 

 

Established at NJIT in 2013 through the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT), the Intelligent Transportation Systems Resource Center (ITSRC) is the primary research and technology resource for the NJDOT's Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS ) Engineering bureau.  Directed by Professors Lazar Spasovic and Steven Chien, the primary mission of ITSRC is to assist NJDOT in enhancing the performance and efficiency of New Jersey's surface transportation systems. There are several  ITS projects that have been subcontracted to industry  partners and university centers such as Cambridge Systematics,  Parsons Brinckerhoff, Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, AECOM Technical Services, CH2M Hill, CoVal Systems, Math Factory Corp, Maser Consulting, P.A. and the Rutgers University Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation (CAIT). 

 

 

Marah Angelica Magpile, Christina Nelson, and Julissa La Madrid

The NJIT Undergraduate Research and Innovation Seed Grant (URISG) Program provides up to $500 to student teams to purchase project supplies to demonstrate the proof of concept of their research proposal and the development of a prototype of their project. The moment Dr. Wen Zhang received the Call for Proposals inviting undergraduate students to participate in the spring 2015 URISG program; he immediately invited students from his Introduction to Environmental Engineering (EnE 262) class to participate. He knows all too well from his personal experience of the great opportunity being offered to them. Three students in his class volunteered immediately and the three-person, all female team of CEE sophomore students Marah Angelica Magpile, Christina Nelson and Julissa LaMadrid was formed. "I decided to sign up for this project because I wanted a hands-on experience in my field and felt it was a good opportunity to start with interesting research. This has really benefited me a lot because it has opened a lot of doors, thanks to Professor Zhang, to other opportunities in the environmental engineering field. It's a really good starting experience and I learned a lot" says team member Marah Angelica. The topic of the team's research proposal is based on some of Dr. Zhang's ongoing research work creating innovative reactive membrane for algal separation and pretreatment for bio fuel production. (Read more)

The New CE 494/495 Capstone Class

 

 

Special congratulations and thanks are extended to CEE alumni Nicholas DiNichilo, Ted Cassera, Joseph Fleming and Frank Perrone in recognition of their many accomplishments and sustained service to CEE.

Nicholas DiNichilo

Distinguished Alumni Receive ASCE Lifetime Achievement Award

 

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) this year bestowed one of its highest honors, the Outstanding Projects And Leaders (OPAL) Lifetime Achievement award, on Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) alumnus Nicholas DeNichilo '73 '78 and Mechanical Engineering (ME) alumnus Edward Schmeltz '71.  NJIT alumni, DeNichilo and Schmeltz, have made substantial and lasting contributions to the field of engineering. The awards, given annually, recognize engineering leaders who have made a significant difference in one of five key areas, including construction, design, education, government, and management.

 

Nicholas DeNichilo, the president and CEO of Hatch Mott MacDonald, received the 2015 OPAL award for management for his dynamic leadership of one of the country's largest and most influential engineering firms. Edward Schmeltz, senior vice president and director of maritime and special projects for AECOM Technology Corp., won the 2015 OPAL award for design for his marine engineering work around the globe. (Read more) 

Long-time CEE Industrial Advisory Board Chair & 2015 NCE Outstanding Alumnus is Honored    

In recognition of his career achievements, commitment to NJIT and many years of service to CEE as chair of its Industrial Advisory Board, Ted Cassera, PE, PP '72, an engineer with Omland Engineering Associates who also had a long, distinguished career with Schoor DePalma, received a plaque of appreciation from CEE Chair Taha Marhaba. Cassera was also named an NCE Outstanding Alumnus and was honored at the NCE Excellence program on March 30th. 

 

During his 38-year career, Cassera, of Fairfield, has deservedly become known as one of the top engineers in New Jersey. He spent 35 years with Schoor DePalma, where he was responsible for the design and management of major site-development projects including sports arenas, two state prisons and numerous corporate headquarters. He joined Omland Engineering Associates Inc., based in Cedar Knolls, in 2010. He has twice been appointed a member of the New Jersey State Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors. A member of the NCE Board of Visitors and past chairman of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering's Industrial Advisory Board, Cassera received a B.S. in civil engineering from NCE in 1972. Cassera will join the ranks of accomplished alumni who have been honored by NCE for their achievements.  

 

 

Joseph Fleming

2014 CEE Distinguished Alumni Award

 

The CEE Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes NJIT alumni for their exceptional achievements in career, public service and volunteer activities that bring honor to the CEE department. Joseph Fleming was honored with this award at the 2014 CEE end of semester awards program. 

Born in Newark, Fleming commuted to campus either on his bike or on the bus. He was the first in his family to graduate from college, earning a civil engineering degree from NCE in 1976. Over the course of his life, his strong work ethic, combined with his NCE education, helped him carve out a successful career.

Frank Perrone

2014 CEE Distinguished Young Alumni Award

 

Tunnel Engineer with the New York office of Hatch Mott MacDonald, Frank Perrone, PE '04, '06 is the recipient of the 2014 CEE Young Alumni Award. This award was presented to Frank by CEE professor Walter Konon, who taught Perrone. During the presentation, Konon shared many fond memories of Perrone's time as an undergraduate student. "I remember Frank being an outstanding student who demonstrated great leadership skills, particularly as the Captain of the 2004 Steel Bridge Team" recalls Konon. "The 2004 Steel Bridge competition was held at NJIT. At that time, NJIT was not the Steel Bridge powerhouse it is today and several of the bridges had already been disqualified. When we assembled our bridge and it came to load testing, there was some sort of problem the judges discovered, disqualification looked like a possibility. Frank immediately assessed the situation, communicated with the judges, and his calm and cool response under the pressure of managing a difficult situation while all eyes were on him, made a lasting impression on me as to the type of person that Frank was" shared Konon.