NJIT Distinguished Research Professor of Physics Louis J. Lanzerotti and NJIT Professor of Electrical Engineering Nirwan Ansari were honored by the NJ Inventors Hall of Fame for cutting edge work. Feted too were NJIT doctoral student Yan Zhang, and alumnus Ricky John. Twenty-five awards were presented to individuals, research teams and corporations.
Lanzerotti http://www.njit.edu/news/experts/lanzerotti.php, who received an "Innovators Award," has spent four and one-half decades contributing to research that includes studies of space plasmas and geophysics, and engineering problems related to the impact of atmospheric and space processes on terrestrial technologies, and those in space. Prior to joining NJIT in 2003, Lanzerotti spent more than three decades at Bell Laboratories-Lucent Technologies, Murray Hill.
Lanzerotti was selected as the 2011 William Bowie Medalist, the highest honor of the American Geophysical Union (AGU). U.S. President George W. Bush nominated Lanzerotti in 2004 to a six-year term on the National Science Board, the 24-member governing body of the National Science Foundation. Lanzerotti has served as the chair of many committees for the National Academies, including the blue-ribbon panel to study whether to prolong the mission of the Hubble Space Telescope, the committee on the safety and security of spent nuclear fuel, the Space Studies Board, and the committee on electronic vehicle controls and unattended acceleration. He was a member of the National Science Foundation 2011-2012 Blue Ribbon Panel examining logistical effectiveness in Antarctica. He currently serves as the chair of the Governing Board of the American Institute of Physics.
Ansari http://www.njit.edu/news/experts/ansari.php received an Inventor of the Year Award for developing patented technologies related to a wide range of achievements in broadband networks and multi-media communications. The National Science Foundation (NSF) has recently supported several of his research projects which include providing services to a growing set of traffic classes in next- generation networks. NSF also supports his work to develop green communications and networking. Among his most notable current projects is the "Renewable Energy Powered Wireless Networks," which aims to provide energy-efficient communication through wireless networks powered by renewable energy. Another NSF project focuses on making the communications infrastructure more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly. Ansari, who teaches in the department of electrical and computer engineering in NJIT's Newark College of Engineering (NCE), has also led an NSF international collaboration between Japan and the U.S. to find advanced security technologies for next-generation ubiquitous networks.
The New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame, established in 1987, promotes and fosters creativity, invention and innovation, which contributes to economic growth and improvement of the quality of life in New Jersey and around the globe. The organization, unique to the State of New Jersey, honors inventors, innovators, and others who have created and developed their inventions in the State of New Jersey, "The Invention State".
NJIT, New Jersey's science and technology university, enrolls more than 9,558 students pursuing bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in 120 programs. The university consists of six colleges: Newark College of Engineering, College of Architecture and Design, College of Science and Liberal Arts, School of Management, College of Computing Sciences and Albert Dorman Honors College. U.S. News & World Report's 2011 Annual Guide to America's Best Colleges ranked NJIT in the top tier of national research universities. NJIT is internationally recognized for being at the edge in knowledge in architecture, applied mathematics, wireless communications and networking, solar physics, advanced engineered particulate materials, nanotechnology, neural engineering and e-learning. Many courses and certificate programs, as well as graduate degrees, are available online through the Division of Continuing Professional Education.