Happy New Year! Welcome back from break!
We write Stevens history HOBOKEN, NJ | JANUARY 31, 2025
VOLUME CXXI No. 15
The student newspaper of Stevens Institute of Technology, and creator of Attila the Duck. www.thestute.com TikTok @thestute Instagram @thestute facebook.com/stevensthestute NEW STUTE EVERY FRIDAY • EST. 1904
Stevens hosts Week of Service to Honor Martin Luther King
Hoboken’s beloved Giovanni’s closes its doors, but leaves a lasting legacy
BY EVAN PAPAGEORGE, HEAD COPY EDITOR
SEE GIOS PAGE 2
BY EVAN PAPAGEORGE, HEAD COPY EDITOR Stevens is celebrating two of its faculty members, Dr. Victor Lawrence and Dr. Nicholaus Parziale, who received two of the nation’s highest honors for their remarkable contributions to science and technology. Former President Biden awarded Dr. Lawrence, a Senior Research Scientist in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, with the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. Mr. Biden
On January 16, a group of Stevens’s very own first and second years, Dominic Souza, Christian Osowski, Adrien Susino, Noah Golan, Mauricio Sanchez, and Jared Surajalli, were announced as finalists in the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s College Challenge, a robot design competition. Having successfully advanced through the preliminary phases, which included research and initial design, they will compete with a group from the New York Institute of Technology to determine which team’s robot will become a fixture of the Lincoln Tunnel. The Lincoln Tunnel features maintenance catwalks that run alongside its main roadway. They used to accommodate small electric catwalk cars for employees to use for performing regular maintenance, accident, and fire hazard checks. This practice was discontinued about eleven years ago when the Port Authority determined the use of the vehicles was not a sustainable option. In response,
the Port Authority hosted a competition back in 2023 that invited eighteen high schools to design a robot that would replace the outdated vehicles. Sanchez, a current finalist, actually competed in the 2023 competition and earned second place. The Port Authority decided to redo this competition in September and open eligibility to various universities. In a conversation with The Stute, Golan and Susino mentioned receiving an email about the competition sent to the entire Mechanical Engineering Department. They quickly assembled a group and began designing their catwalk robot. It was after beginning their design that they were informed that the project was meant to be a senior design initiative. After speaking with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), it was decided that they would be allowed to compete separately from any seniors who also decided to take the project on. By a stroke of good fortune for the team, it happened that no senior design team picked up the challenge, and the group of underclassmen became the
NEWS (2-3)
SCIENCE (6)
Two professors recieve national honors from President Biden Learn about Dr. Victor Lawerence and Dr. Nicholas Parziale’s contributions to technology and science FEATURE (4-5)
Happy New Year! Learn about ways to fulfill your new year’s resolution!
SEE BIDEN PAGE 2
SEE KING PAGE 2
Two professors receive national honors from President Biden for innovative research awarded Dr. Parziale, a professor of mechanical engineering, with the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). These prestigious awards highlight their groundbreaking work, shaping the future of global connectivity and hypersonic transportation. Dr. Lawrence’s career includes innovations that revolutionized how the world communicates and connects. At Bell Labs, the storied research and development company, his work was instrumental in the global transition from
Stevens students reach finals in Port Authority robot challenge BY JIYA JAISINGHANI, LAYOUT EDITOR
moonshot speech during Lawrence’s youth in Ghana, continues to resonate as he reflects on the power of technology to transform lives. Lawrence’s prolific career includes over 50 U.S. and international patents and numerous accolades, including induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame and membership in the National Academy of Engineering. The White House ceremony honoring him celebrated his transformative impact on digital
PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVENS.EDU
BY SERENA PANUCCI, CONTRIBUTOR
After 23 years of serving the Hoboken community, the beloved H&S Giovanni’s Pizzeria, located at 603 Washington Street, has announced its permanent closure on its Instagram account, writing: “It is with a heavy heart that we announce our permanent closure on Wednesday, December 25th, as we were unable to agree to terms on a new lease.” In their announcement, Giovanni’s specifically thanked our community at Stevens for being great neighbors and for continuing to support their business. “Thank you to the students, staff, coaches, and administration that not only supported us as customers, but as great friends throughout our time here,” they said. Giovanni’s, popularly referred to as Gio’s, was a student favorite and one of the most recognizable restaurants on Washington
In a profound tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s enduring legacy, Stevens Institute of Technology is hosting its fourth annual MLK Week of Service from January 27 to 31, 2025. This year’s observance, themed “A Week On, Not a Day Off,” marks the university’s most extensive community service initiative. It features over 35 events and service projects designed to foster reflection, learning, and active engagement within the community. The week’s activities commenced on Monday, January 27, with volunteers participating in various service projects across Hoboken. One notable initiative was the Lunch Time Ministry at St. Matthew’s Trinity Lutheran Church, where participants prepared and served meals to community members in need. Concurrently, students facilitated STEM lessons at the Hoboken Charter School, inspiring young minds through interactive science and technology activities. A highlight of the week
Mental health and wildfires? Red dye No. 3 ban? New skeletal tissue? Read about what’s going on in the world of science. PULSE (10)
Read answers from the Stevens community to our weekly Roving Reporter, plus solve our weekly puzzle and sudoku.
only team to represent Stevens in the competition. The primary objective for the round was to create an initial design, a presentation, and an eight-page report. With the help of its advisor, Professor Anthony Shupenko, the team got to work. Osowski took the lead on emergency detection, ensuring that the robot would identify fires and leaks, and focused on ideal integration between the sensors and system logic. Sanchez specialized in the artificial intelligence and programming aspects, developing algorithms necessary for the robot to track its location throughout the tunnel. Golan, responsible for the robot’s sensors, guaranteed that the robot could navigate the catwalk safely and avoid any obstacles. Golan also worked on the design, frame, and assembly alongside Susino. In response to the Port Authority’s requirement for a communication system, Souza designed the microphone system, microphone array, and speaker system to enable communication between maintenance personnel and centrally lo-
SEE PORT PAGE 3
analog to digital communications, laying the technological foundations for today’s internet, mobile devices, and high-definition television. He also led teams at Bell Labs in developing early digital video and high-definition television technologies. Among his most impactful achievements is his role in developing subsea fiber-optic cable systems, which connected African nations to the global internet, addressing a critical gap in worldwide connectivity. This vision, inspired by President John F. Kennedy’s iconic
Title IX reverts to 2020 regulations after 2024 expansion enjoined BY CHARLES BEALL B.S. ‘23 & PHD STUDENT On January 9, a federal judge struck down the entirety of the outgoing President Biden administration’s Title IX regulations, finalized in the summer of last year. In the wake of a wave of legal challenges accusing Biden’s Education Depart-
ment of overstepping their authority and promises by then President-Elect Donald Trump to end the new regulations “on day one,” the country reverted back to the regulations set in 2020 by the first Trump administration after the judge’s ruling. Title IX is a federal law originally passed in 1972, forbidding discrimination
on the basis of sex in education. Presidential administrations have used this law to enforce rules for universities to follow regarding instances of sexual assault and harassment, stalking, and other instances of sexbased discrimination. With the 2024 regulations, the Biden adminis-
SEE TITLE PAGE 3
Stevens hosts the 2nd annual New Jersey Higher Education Mental Health Summit BY RIYANA PHADKE SCIENCE EDITOR Over winter break, the 2nd Annual New Jersey Higher Education Mental Health Summit brought together leaders, faculty, and practitioners from universities and colleges across the state for a day of collaboration and learning. Focused on sharing best practices and exploring innovative strategies, the summit emphasized the urgent need to address the mental health challenges faced by students. The 2023 Healthy Minds Survey showed that
nearly half of college students reported symptoms of depression, over a third experienced anxiety, and 15% considered suicide, highlighting the demand for a collective response. The event served as a platform to connect mental health leaders with higher education communities, supplementing statewide efforts to better support student well-being. Stevens hosted around 500 participants who represented 54 colleges and universities statewide. With representation from mental health organizations and
thought leaders nationwide, the summit served as a collaborative platform to address the growing mental health challenges faced by college students. The event began with opening remarks from Stevens’ Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Summit Co-Chair Dr. Takeem Dean, who emphasized the importance of collective action in tackling this critical issue. New Jersey Secretary of Higher Education Dr. Brian Bridges rein-
SEE SUMMIT PAGE 3