M A K I N G G R E AT S T R I D E S
COMMUNITY
NJIT-Stryker Alumni Club Helped to Kick Off FIRST Robotics Season
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he NJIT-Stryker Alumni Club helped local high schools kick off the new season of FIRST Robotics in January 2020. FIRST Robotics is a national organization that creates the requirements for robotic
designs for high school teams, used to build a robot and compete against other regional high schools. Stryker Corporation, an orthopedic implant design and manufacturer located in Mahwah, N.J., is a Mid-Atlantic FIRST Robotics regional sponsor, and funded and mentored two New Jersey high school teams this year: International High School in Paterson and Science Park High School in Newark. The NJIT-Stryker Alumni Club led the effort.
“As alumni and as business professionals in the State of New Jersey, we want to give back,” said Robert Cohen ’83, M.S. ’84, M.S. ’87, president, Digital, Robotics, and Enabling Technologies at Stryker, and chair of NJIT’s board of trustees. “FIRST Robotics high school teams design and make robots where they put their knowledge to the test. Many of these students will contribute to future innovations and we are proud to be part of their journey.” n
NJIT partners with industry and the community to boost opportunities for students and improve quality of life. Facilities Projects Enhance Campus and Community
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JIT has acquired two properties adjacent to its campus that have great potential for positive impact on both the university and the community. These properties include the former Mueller’s Wholesale Flower Distribution building and the former Warren Street School. While NJIT’s vision for these properties was a catalyst for its decision to acquire them, the university also recognized and is acting upon the reality that these properties have posed a danger. The Mueller’s flower shop building was an antiquated wooden structure in severe disrepair and was a significant fire risk. Therefore, NJIT has razed this structure in order to mitigate the fire hazard it presents to the community. The location will be converted into an attractive green space on a temporary basis. NJIT believes that adding a small park at the corner of its open campus will be of great benefit and serve as a passive recreation and aesthetically 10 2020 President’s Report
pleasing resource for the campus and local communities. In 2019, NJIT purchased the Warren Street School, which had been vacant and was severely damaged by a fire. After purchasing this property, NJIT went through an RFP process and has reached an agreement with a private partner to develop the property into housing for NJIT students. The university anticipates opening the new housing complex as soon as fall 2022 and has been successful in securing commitments from the developer to keep costs at affordable market rates and to incorporate the history of the Warren Street School into certain design elements of the new structure. n Left: NJIT intends to transform the antiquated Mueller’s flower shop building into an attractive welcoming green space for both the university campus and local community.
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