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ePoly Briefs |
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HEADLINES
STRATEGIC PLAN 2004-07 MOVES FORWARD On January 29, the Polytechnic Board of Trustees adopted a three-year strategic plan—titled Securing the Future—to strengthen the University's long-term future. A strategic plan defines an institution's goals and provides the basis for systematic and continuous improvement. This plan resulted from an intensive, 13-month planning process, involving over 50 trustees, faculty, staff, alumni and students, as well as input from the general University community at various stages. "The plan is not grand or sweeping," says VP Richard Thorsen, who spearheaded the plan's development. "Rather, it is focused on those essential objectives that will position Poly to take its next great steps." The plan focuses on five key areas—recruitment, retention, research, resources and culture—with approximately 70 actions within these areas to be executed over the next three years. Highlights of the plan include goals to:
The full document, detailing strategies and action plans, can be found on My Poly, under Polytechnic Community, in the Documents folder.
POLY WINS $1.46M GRANT TO SEND STUDENTS BACK TO HIGH SCHOOL Polytechnic has received a $1.46 million NSF grant to send its students back to high school—this time as teachers. The grant will enable graduate and undergraduate students to work with teachers from three NYC high schools to create science and engineering experiments for students. "Our goal is to inspire inner-city students to pursue challenging academic work, meet high academic standards and acquire a passion for science and engineering that will take them on to college and rewarding careers in the sciences," says Vikram Kapila, associate professor of mechanical engineering and the project's principal investigator. Co-principal investigators are Magued Iskander, associate professor of civil engineering, and Noel N. Kriftcher, executive director of the Packard Center. The three-year project—called Revitalizing Achievement by using Instrumentation in Science Education (RAISE)—will launch in September at Seward Park High School in Manhattan and Paul Robeson High School and George Westinghouse High School in Brooklyn. Over 900 students at the three schools will take part in the program. Teacher training will take place at Polytechnic in August. For more information, visit the RAISE website.
BLUE JAYS BRING HOME THE CHAMPIONSHIP
On February 22, the Blue Jays, under the leadership of Coach Laddy Baldwin, defeated the SUNY Purchase Panthers 95-82, giving Polytechnic back-to-back championships in men's basketball. Dale Smiley led with 24 points. Eric DeSplinter had 21 points, six rebounds and four assists, and Lindon Ivezaj finished with 17 points and five rebounds. Perry Seale had a career high of 15 points, and Christopher Jean finished with nine points and season high of 10 assists. Smiley, DeSplinter and Abou Bamba were named to the HVMAC All-Conference Team. The Lady Blue Jays, under the direction of Coach James Barrett, followed the men's team to victory, defeating Bard College 59-35 in the Hudson Valley's inaugural basketball invitational, held on Polytechnic's home turf. Leading the win was Tournament MVP Nil Simsek with 18 points, 15 rebounds, eight steals and five assists; Marcy DeSio with 14 points and four steals; Deanna Brown with 12 points and five rebounds; and Nicole Scipione with 10 points and four assists. Simsek was also named to the HVWAC All-Conference Team. The Poly Men's Basketball Team finished 13-13 overall and 8-2 in the conference, winning its final three games and reaching its first .500 since 1996 when it finished 13-12. The Women's Basketball Team finished 11-15 overall and 5-4 in the conference.
POLY SPORTS PROGRAM JOINS REORGANIZED REGIONAL CONFERENCE In February, Polytechnic joined 11 other NCAA Division III colleges from three states to form a new-look North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC). The expanded NEAC will offer a full slate of championships in 12 sports and will be split into two, six-team divisions to reduce travel time and costs. The NEAC will be eligible for automatic Division III tournament qualifier status in 2006-07. In addition to Polytechnic, members of the NEAC are Villa Julie College in Maryland; Bard College, SUNY Purchase, Keuka College, Cazenovia College and D'Youville College, all in New York; and Keystone College, Baptist Bible College, Chestnut Hill College, Penn State University at Berks and Philadelphia Biblical University, all in Pennsylvania Polytechnic currently offers 17 intercollegiate programs: men's baseball and judo, women's softball and men's and women's soccer, volleyball, basketball, tennis, cross country and indoor and outdoor track.
NYC SCHOOLS CHANCELLOR ATTENDS SCIENCE FAIR AT POLYTECHNIC NYC Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein opened the 2004 New York City Science, Mathematics & Technology Regional Fair, held March 17, in Poly's gymnasium.
The students, from 32 area high schools, spent the day at Poly discussing their projects with judges. At stake were top prizes of cash awards and scholarships and a chance to represent New York City at the 55th Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in May in Portland, Ore. Finalists are also eligible for $40,000 in scholarships if they are accepted and enroll at Polytechnic. Projects ranged from the dangers of teenagers tanning to the effect of premature birth on an adolescent's behavior and mapping a gene-influencing B cell percentages in blood and spleen cells. The fair was sponsored by Poly's YES Center, the NYC Department of Education and the New York Academy of Sciences. Click here to see a list of the fair's finalists.
PROFESSOR EMERITUS KREILING DIES Professor Emeritus Frederick C. Kreiling, who taught at Polytechnic for more than 40 years, died February 29, in Brooklyn, N.Y. He was 81.
He is survived by his wife, Jean, a former secretary at Poly; a brother, two daughters and two grandchildren.
NSBE CHAPTER RECEIVES NYC PROCLAMATION
Among its many campus and outreach initiatives, the Poly NSBE chapter—now in its 25th year—runs several tutoring and mentoring programs for high and middle school students, and its members volunteer in the annual FIRST Robotics competitions and the KISS Institute's Botball Robotics tournaments. The chapter also hosts alumni mixers and dinners, co-sponsors the University's biannual Career Fair and sponsors weekend sessions of Math Mania to tutor Poly students before major math exams. Stewart named NSBE national regional chairman
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR DISTINGUISHED TEACHER AWARD It's time to nominate a faculty member for Polytechnic’s Distinguished Teacher Award, which will be presented at the 2004 Commencement on May 27. The award winner will receive a $10,000 Jacobs Teaching Innovation Award. Previous award recipients include Vikram Kapila (2003), Magued G. Iskander (2002), Walter P. Zurawsky (2001) and Bruce Garetz (2000). Send your nomination to Magued Iskander at RH 524B. He can be reached at ext. 3016 or iskander@poly.edu.
NEW LOCATION, EXTENSION FOR COUNSELING CENTER The Counseling Center is now located in JB 358, and its new extension is 3456. More information about the center can be found on its website.
BOOKING ROOMS MADE EASY ON MY POLY Employees can now use My Poly to book a room for special events. Rooms that can be reserved on the new electronic booking system are LC 400, LC 433, Dibner Auditorium (and foyer) and Silleck Lounge. Follow these seven steps to reserve a room:
Your reservation will be posted in the system as soon as possible, and within 24 hours. You can confirm your reservation by checking the calendar. The new booking system is operated by Venecia Clark, assisted by Jonathan Rogers, in the Dibner Library. For more information on the system, click on FAQ on the menu bar on top.
FITNESS CENTER NOW OPEN EARLIER FOR EMPLOYEES Don't want to fight the crowd while working out? Polytechnic employees now have the use of the Fitness Center, located in the basement of JAB, from 8 a.m. until it opens to students and MetroTech community members at 11 a.m. Those who wish to use the facility before 11 a.m. must sign in and get the key from front security…and bring a buddy to help spot you. Are you stressed from dealing with new-year frenzy? Get energized through aerobics, or calm restless thoughts through yoga. Aerobics, taught by certified fitness instructor Lloyd Primus, is held from 12 to 1 p.m. every Tuesday and Friday in the gymnasium. Kripalu Hatha Yoga—yoga for beginners—is taught by certified yoga instructor Jane Tainow Feder from 3 to 4 p.m. every Thursday in RH 203. For the aerobics class, wear comfortable clothes and sneakers, and bring an exercise mat, towel and light weights. For the yoga class, do not eat for two hours before class, wear loose-fitting clothes and bring an exercise mat.
The corporate boardroom is far removed from Westcott’s first career as a registered nurse. After graduating from Staten Island Community College with an associate's degree in nursing, she worked in the critical care unit at Peninsula Hospital Center in Far Rockaway and in the cardiothoracic intensive care unit at Mount Sinai. It wasn’t until she went back to school and received a bachelor's in hospital administration from Lehman College that she moved into the business financial world, first working as a productivity improvement consultant before joining Empire Blue Cross. She later earned an MBA from Columbia. Nursing, however, remains a passion. "I loved being a nurse," she says. "I still update my registration. "Education and health care are similar in the relationships you have with the various constituents,” she adds, “whether they are the students, faculty and staff in education, or the patients, doctors and nurses and administrative staff in health care. It’s the same balancing of tensions." She was attracted to Poly for its large financial position, and the school’s current rocky financial status didn’t sway her. "I'm accustomed to rocky," she says. "I'm pleased to be here." Among her goals are to place Poly on firmer financial footing, to review different financial models for the University, to promote open internal communications and to develop the management skills of her employees. An active leader in her local Girl Scouts troop, Westcott lives in Howard Beach, in the same house she grew up in, with her husband, Bob, a technical writer, and their 14-year-old daughter, Nora. She can be reached at ext. 3770 or westcott@poly.edu, and is located in JB 555. Her assistant is Dianne Padro.
Mijovic's plans for the department are three fold: to promote new programs, increase enrollment and hire more outstanding faculty. Two programs especially are stirring his enthusiasm—Biomolecular Sciences and Chemical and Biological Engineering. "These are hot subjects now, much like computer and information science was 10 years ago," he says. "They reflect the emergence of biology as the enabling science for the 21st century and the need to interface it with other sciences and engineering." Mijovic was born in Serbia, where he received his undergraduate degree at the University of Belgrade. He earned his master's and doctorate in chemical engineering from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. In addition to his duties at Polytechnic, Mijovic is an adjunct professor in the Department of Engineering and Production of Materials at the University of Naples in Italy and has served as visiting professor at several universities in Europe, including the University of the Basque Country in San Sebastian. A Poly faculty member since 1978, Mijovic has been recognized for both his teaching and research. In 1999, the University acknowledged him with a Distinguished Teacher Award. His research—focusing on complex macromolecules, natural and biological, and the correlations between their structure, dynamics and properties—has been supported by National Science Foundation for the past 20 years and other such agencies as NASA, Office of Naval Research, Air Force Office for Scientific Research and the National Academy of Sciences and Industry. He has published over 150 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals and delivered over 100 invited lectures worldwide. In his free time, Mijovic is an avid tennis player. He and his wife, Cecilia, and 15-year-old daughter, Lisa, live in Forest Hills. He can be reached at ext. 3097 and jmijovic@poly.edu; his new office is in RH 730.
The Polymer Research Institute was founded in 1946 by the late Dr. Herman F. Mark, internationally known as the "father of polymer science" and a longtime Poly professor It was the first such academic facility in the nation devoted to the study and teaching of polymer science. Gross' extension, e-mail and location remain ext. 3024, rgross@poly.edu and RH 627.
Levon, an expert in the electrical applications of polymers, joined the Poly faculty in 1989. He served as head of the Department of Chemical Engineering, Chemistry and Materials Science from 1996 to 2001, and director of the Polymer Research Institute from 1998 to 2004. The Urban Security Initiative (USI) was created in 2002 to develop public/private partnerships dedicated to finding solutions to urban security issues through science, technology and engineering. Levon is now located in RH 321E. His extension and e-mail remain 3339 and klevon@poly.edu. Other new hires Emma Crawford came on board March 10 as art director in University Relations, replacing Cenon Advincula. Emma most recently was art director of the New York Hall of Science. She had her own graphic design firm for 20 years. She can be reached at ext. 3334 and ecrawfor@poly.edu, and is located in JB 551E. Calvin Merritt joined Poly on February 23 as assistant director of student accounts, replacing Anthea Jeffries. Merritt was recently in client services at Thompson Financial. He can be reached at ext. 3728 and cmerritt@poly.edu, and is located in JB 256. Robert Swantek became residence hall coordinator on December 1, 2003. A junior studying computer science, Swantek was a senior residence assistant last year. He can be reached at ext. 4163 and rswantek@poly.edu, and is located in ORH 103. Sherly J. Thomas was hired January 12 as grant administrative secretary in Academic Affairs. She reports to Kalle Levon, associate dean of research and intellectual property. Previously, she worked for the New York City Law Department. She can be reached at ext. 3115 and sthomas@poly.edu, and is located in RH 321F. Promotions Yolanda Codrington was promoted from operations manager to office manager in Academic Affairs, reporting to Kalle Levon, associate dean of research and intellectual property. She can still be reached at ext. 3581 and ycodring@poly.edu; her new office is in RH 321F. Stuart Klein was promoted from project manager to associate director of the Urban Security Initiative. His extension, e-mail and location remain ext. 3104, sklein@poly.edu and RH 551F. Veronica Vanderpool was promoted from purchasing agent in Financial Operations to operations manager in Academic Affairs. Her new extension is 3667, and her office is in RH 321J. Her e-mail address remains vvanderp@poly.edu. Moves Sybie Billups, formerly of Human Resources, is now the conference registrar for Engineering Conferences International. She can be reached ext. 3743 and sybie@eci.poly.edu, and is located in JB 255. Greys Jessurum, formerly of Facilities Management, is now an administrative assistant in Career Services. She can be reached at ext. 3650, and is located in JB 359. Her e-mail remains gjessuru@poly.edu. Chemistry lecturer Charles Martucci has added safety officer to his job responsibility. He now oversees safety issues, including approving chemicals. He can be reached at ext. 3613 and martucci@poly.edu, and is located in RH 316G. Mary Woods, formerly of Registrar, is now an administrative assistant in Facilities Management. She can be reached at ext. 3020, and is located in JB 152. Her e-mail remains mwoods@poly.edu.
George Bugliarello, president emeritus, has been appointed to the Advisory Committee on Research Ethics of the Sigma Xi. H. Jonathan Chao, professor of electrical and computer engineering, received (with Jin-Soo Park) a U.S. patent for "Methods and Apparatus for Arbitrating Output Port Contention in a Switch Having Virtual Output Queuing." Patent No. US 6,667,984 B1 (December 23, 2003)
Spencer P. Kuo, professor of electrical and computer engineering, was elected as an IEEE Fellow for his "contributions to the understanding of electromagnetic wave propagation in plasmas." Menachem Lewin, research professor of polymer science and engineering, received two honors last fall. The Ninth European Polymer Conference on Flame Retardancy—held September 15-19, 2003, in Lille, France—was dedicated in Lewin's honor "for carrying the technology of flame retarding polymers to a scientific subject." On October 14, 2003, Lewin received the Ernest Kaswell Founders' Award from the Fiber Society, "in recognition of his exceptional contributions to the advancement of science, technology and engineering of fibers and fiber-based products, and the promotion of such activities in the academe and the industry." The award was presented at the society's annual conference in Raleigh, N.C. Jawaria Zareen a freshman, received a 2003-04 Project Seed College Scholarship from the American Chemical Society. The scholarship is awarded to students who have "shown strong potential for success in chemistry based on summer research projects and high school academics." Under the supervision of Dr. Maja Nowakowski of SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Zareen researched "Boswellic Acids: Plant Derived Inhibitors of Leukocyte Inflammatory."
Polytechnic's executive program in Management of Technology (MOT) received mention in an article in InformationWeek (March 22), "Programmers Look to Video Games." The article, about universities offering courses in game programming, noted that universities are also offering programs that "speak to the ways that technology intersects with other fields. For instance, [Poly's MOT program includes] tracks for helping managers develop their skills in specific knowledge-intensive industries, such as the burgeoning biopharma sector. … Says Mel Horwitch, professor of management at Polytechnic University: 'The courses deal with the managerial overview of a sector, the management of innovation, and new innovation technologies and trends.'" The research of Richard A. Gross, the Herman F. Mark Professor of Polymer Science, was highlighted in a Chemical and Engineering News magazine (February 9) article, "Biocatalysis in Polymer Science." The Honors College received attention in three print outlets: It was the focus for an Investor's Business Daily (February 10) article, "Program Pulls Geeks Away From Computers," which described the program's mission to develop students' skills and interests outside their tech specialties. "This includes trips to art museums, Broadway shows and other activities in the New York area," the paper reported. "If it works, the program might provide a blueprint for other schools trying to turn out more worldly and versatile tech grads." The Honors College program was also featured in Education Update (February 2004) in an article penned by Othmer Institute Director Mel Horwitch, "New Honors College at Polytechnic University Offers 21st Century Undergrad Technology Education"; and it was the basis of a Daily News (January 22) article, "Poly on an Honors Roll," which reported that, based on the program's initial success, Poly administrators hope to double its enrollment next year. The NYC Science, Mathematics & Technology Regional Fair, held at Poly, received a photo spread in the Daily News (March 18), "Young Minds Battle to be the Best." Click here to read more on the fair.
PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING Kalle M. Levon, workshop instructor, Trends in Nanoscale Diagnostic Technologies, Nano/Bio Convergence 2004, Cambridge, Mass. (March 28, 2004) Eli M. Pearce, invited speaker, "A Chemist's Journey: From Brooklyn, To Brooklyn," 19th H. Martin Friedman Lecture, Department of Chemistry, Brooklyn College (November 5, 2003) Abraham Ulman, paper,
"Revolutionary Way of Making Ultraflat Gold Surfaces, Angewandte Chemie (publication date to come) COMPUTER AND INFORMATION SCIENCE / COUNSELING CENTER HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES Jean Gallagher, poems, Commonweal, The Notre Dame Review, Barrow Street, Rhino, The Journal and Margie: The American Journal of Poetry (2004) Sylvia Kasey Marks, scholarly monograph, Writing for the Rising Generation: British Fiction for Young People, 1672-1839, English Literary Studies/University of Victoria, Canada (2003) Lowell Scheiner, presentation, "Societal Impact of Telecommunications Technology," International Conference on Politics and Information Systems: Technology and Applications, Orlando, Fla. (July 21-25, 2004) Jonathan Soffer, presentation, "Participatory Democracy: The Village Independent Democrats and the Deweyan Tradition,” Gotham Center for New York City History Seminar (September 24, 2003) INTRODUCTORY
DESIGN AND SCIENCE Vladimir Tsifrinovich (with G.P. Berman, V.N. Gorshkov, D. Rugar),
article, "Spin Relaxation Caused by Thermal Excitations of High-frequency Modes of Cantilever Vibrations," Physical Review B (Vol. 68, Pg. 094402, 2003) PACKARD CENTER MANAGEMENT URBAN SECURITY INITIATIVE
Vikram Kapila, Magued G. Iskander, Noel N. Kriftcher, Track1, GK-12: Revitalizing Achievement by using Instrumentation in Science Education (RAISE), $1,474,762 (three years), National Science Foundation (click here for article on grant) Eli M. Pearce, Menachem Lewin, Kalle M. Levon, High Temperature and Flammability Behavior of Nanocomposites and Polymer Blends, $426,000 (three years), National Science Foundation Jordanka S. Zlatanova, Single Chromatin Fiber Dynamics Studied via Magnetic Tweezers, $561,685 (six years), National Science Foundation
The following positions are currently open:
Complete job descriptions are available on the Human Resources website. Polytechnic's job listings are updated weekly. You may apply in person, by mail, by e-mail or by fax for jobs for which you are qualified. Please note open positions are posted internally for five business days on the Human Resources bulletin board located opposite the mailboxes in Jacobs Administrative Building. Polytechnic University is an equal opportunity educational institution/equal opportunity employer.
President Kennedy signs executive order establishing the Peace Corps (March 1, 1961) Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León sights Florida on Easter Sunday, naming it in honor of the day, Pascua de Flores (1513) ePoly Briefs is published each month by the Office of Communications and Media Relations Editor: Therese E. Tillett, 718/260-3165, JB 551A  |
APRIL 3:30 p.m. Poly vs. John Jay Men's baseball Floyd Bennett Field 6 p.m. Review course Fundamentals of Engineering/ Engineer-In-Training Exam RH 707 Friday 2 10 a.m. 11 a.m.-12 p.m. 1:30-2:30 p.m. Saturday 3 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. 12 p.m. Sunday 4 12 p.m. Monday 5 Passover Tuesday 6 Wednesday 7 Thursday 8 4 p.m. 6 p.m. Friday 9 SCHOOL CLOSED Saturday 10 Sunday 11 Wednesday 14 Thursday 15 4:07-4:52 p.m. Friday 16 Saturday 17 12 p.m. Monday 19 Tuesday
20 Wednesday 21 Thursday 22 YES Center Science Fair Awards Ceremony Dibner Auditorium 4:07-4:52 p.m. Friday 23 10:45 a.m. 7:30-11:30 p.m. Saturday 24 Sunday 25 Monday 26 Tuesday 27 Wednesday 28 3 p.m. 4:07-4:52 p.m. Thursday 29 TIAA-CREF Individual Counseling Sessions LC 433 Friday 30 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. |
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Polytechnic
men's and women's basketball teams are the champions—winning the Hudson
Valley Men's Athletic Conference Championship and the Hudson Valley
Women's Athletic Conference Invitational, respectively.
Speaking
to the 250 high school seniors who were competing for best research
project, Klein told them, "You are all winners today. Science is critical
to the future of the United States." He recalled his favorite physics
teacher at Bryant High School in Astoria, saying, "He changed my life...science
and physics drove me in high school."
Kreiling's
career at Polytechnic spanned six decades—from 1948, when he was
hired as a German instructor, to his retirement in 1992 as a professor
of history of science. He joined the University shortly after serving
in World War II, where he was a German translator for
POWs in several campaigns, including the Battle of the Bulge. His
main body of research was on Gottfried W. Leibniz, an 18th-century
German philosopher, mathematician and logician. Music was also a passion;
Kreiling taught a course at Poly on the history of jazz and was an
accomplished bass player, performing professionally with many of the
jazz greats, including Roy Eldridge, Coleman Hawkins and John Lewis
and the Modern Jazz Quartet.
The
New York City Council has honored Polytechnic's student chapter of
the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) with a proclamation.
The council recognized the chapter's work launching a National Engineer's
Week Tour, during which chapter members visited high schools to expose
students to the world of engineering. The Poly chapter "has proven
itself a tremendous educational benefactor and has enriched us with
its contributions," read the proclamation.
Theresa
C. (T.C.) Westcott joined Polytechnic on January 5 as vice president
for finance and administration, replacing Lowell Robinson. She is
responsible for Human Resources, Facilities Management, Student Accounts,
Financial Aid, Financial Operations, Print Shop and Mailroom. Previously,
she was vice president for corporate support services at Empire Blue
Cross and Blue Shield and, most recent, senior vice president and
CFO at Planned Parenthood of New York City.
A
25-year educator at Polytechnic, Chemical Engineering Professor Jovan
Mijovic has been named head of the Othmer Department of Chemical
and Biological Sciences and Engineering. He replaces Professor Christos
Georgakis, who has joined the faculty at Tufts.
Richard
A. Gross, the Herman F. Mark Professor of Polymer Science, has
been appointed director of the Polymer Research Institute. He replaced
Kalle M. Levon, who was named associate dean of research and intellectual
property last year after six years as the institute's director.
Kalle
M. Levon, professor of chemistry and associate dean of research
and intellectual property, has been named director of the Urban Security
Initiative, replacing George Bugliarello, who is currently on sabbatical.
F.H. (Bud) Griffis
And
so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—Ask
what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world:
Ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do
for the freedom of man.