NJIT grad students display work at 7th annual Research Day on Nov. 9

If you want to get a jump on the latest news in science and technology, consider a visit to NJIT's seventh annual Graduate Student Research Day set for Nov. 9, 2011. The event, sponsored by the NJIT Graduate Student Association, is an opportunity for the best and brightest graduate students to display their research on clearly illustrated and annotated display posters. Students from Stevens Institute of Technology, Rutgers University -- Newark and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey were invited to submit presentations.

In total, 50 poster presentations will be on view from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. NJIT Interim President Joel Bloom will give the keynote address at 11 a.m. At 3 p.m. a panel of NJIT professors will vote for the best posters. Prizes for winners include certificates and gift cards.

Posters include a variety of research topics. One graduate master's degree student majoring in civil and environmental engineering entered a model to evaluate bridge scouring – how a bridge's foundation erodes over time.

Another electrical engineering doctoral candidate developed algorithms to reduce portfolio risk for financial investors. The algorithms are intended to evaluate complex financial information and provide risk management strategies to aid investors.

A computer science doctoral student is submitting automatic face recognition software that uses eye detection methods to identify a person's face. The software is especially helpful in identifying a face in a crowd or in a complicated background. The project is tied into work of NJIT Associate Professor Chengjun Liu, whose research in this same area has received support from the Department of Defense and the National Institute of Justice.

NJIT Associate Provost for Graduate Studies Marino Xanthos, who is overseeing the competition, notes that events of this nature develop research skills, sharpen writing and presentation abilities. For the winners, the competition provides a real-life jolt of encouragement.

Provided by New Jersey Institute of Technology