Fall
We write Stevens history HOBOKEN, NJ |OCTOBER 4, 2024
VOLUME CXXI No. 5
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How a $10 million gift kickstarts iSTEM 2.0+ JOSEPHINE CHOONG, STAFF WRITER
PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVENS.EDU
Stevens hosts international forum to enhance STEM education between Africa and the U.S. BY EVAN PAPAGEORGE, HEAD COPY EDITOR The second annual Africa-U.S. Presidential Forum, hosted on Castle Point in the University Center Complex’s TechFlex for the first time (the event was last held at Rutgers University) in collaboration with the Nekotech Center of Excellence, brought together leaders from across the African continent, technical experts, and state officials for a day dedicated to advancing educational opportunities in STEM
for African students. The forum, held on September 19, focused on promoting access to advanced degree programs in artificial intelligence and MBA programs tailored to technically minded scholars. This year’s event marks a deepening partnership between Stevens and Nekotech and a broader effort to enhance Africa’s position in the global technology and innovation landscape. The Stute had the opportunity to speak with President Farvardin about the event and learn more. At the heart of the fo-
rum is a shared vision between Stevens and Nekotech: to create a pipeline of highly skilled African students equipped to transform their home countries and industries. Nekotech, co-founded by H.E. Rev. Dr. Princess Asie K. Ocansey of Ghana, has spent years fostering these educational ties, placing students at U.S. universities through a combination of unsecured loans, sponsorships, and prep scholarships. The initiative aims to support 10,000 African students annually, with a recently announced $1 bil-
lion allocation for educational loans over the next five years. Dr. Ocansey, who cochaired the event alongside Stevens President Nariman Farvardin, emphasized the transformative power of education in addressing Africa’s economic needs. “Through this sponsorship, we aim not only to transform the lives of individual students by empowering them with the skills to shape technological progress but also to strengthen the economies of Africa,”
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On September 20, Stevens announced a $10 million gift from Stevens Emeritus Trustee and engineer Emilio A. Fernandez to expand iSTEM. Combined with anticipating matching gifts of $7.5 million, it brings iSTEM’s total external investment to a potential $17.5 million, supporting the launch of more thrilling opportunities. iSTEM was launched in 2019 and aims to encourage talented students who experienced struggles or boredom within a traditional classroom environment but demonstrate exceptional creativity. It was inspired by Fernandez and his similar academic experience. Fernandez states he would have benefited from programs like iSTEM and is proud to support Stevens in nurturing iSTEM students to reach their full potential. He came to understand the importance of education through his father. After Fernandez’s family migrated from Cuba, his father rebuilt their lives through his principles and education, which were the only assets no one could take away. Mukund Iyengar, Founding Director of iSTEM@Stevens, illustrates that the program nurtures a specific kind of talent. It’s for students who want to innovate and
build instead of sitting inside a classroom. Those students have the passion, problem-solving skills, and entrepreneurial drive to configure groundbreaking technologies and businesses. These ideals are reflected within the admission requirements by offering flexibility, allowing students to self-identify and apply. iSTEM provides resources to create pioneering inventions and revolutionary enterprises within the right environment. Since its debut, iSTEM has achieved remarkable success with a 95% retention rate, 15 graduates employed in large corporations or early-stage companies, the creation of at least six new enterprises, and over $5 million in capital raised by student ventures. Within the next three years, the increased funds will evolve from iSTEM 1.0 to iSTEM 2.0+. Iyengar explains it will help student projects take a quantum leap forward. It will aid students in breathing life into their ideas and bringing products devoted to solving difficult human problems using technology. Throughout those years, iSTEM will enhance the recruitment and identification of students and increase the number of students from 12 to 20 per year. To aid the students, they will imple-
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A breakdown of the 2025 The Stevens Gala to recognize a year of innovation ed their communities and BY EVAN U.S. News college rankings PAPAGEORGE professions, reflecting the , commitment to and where Stevens placed HEAD COPY EDITOR institute’s fostering innovation and
2022 RECIPIENTS AND ATTENDEES, PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVENS.EDU
AMANI KARIM, CONTRIBUTOR The ranked lists of American colleges by U.S. News & World Report, likely the most well-known and consequential set of such rankings in the country, was released last month. In line with recent years, Stevens placed 76th overall and placed highly in major categories like Best Undergraduate Teaching, Most Innovative Schools, and Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs. Based on statistics from the U.S. News & World Report, the most prestigious and highly ranked schools have high graduation rates, high starting salaries, and lower median student loan debt burdens upon graduation. To be eligible for consideration, the institution must be located in the United States and have regional accreditation. It must also be designated as a “bachelor degree-granting institution” but not be classified as highly specialized, maintain at least 100 undergraduate students, have a six-year graduation rate for full-time first-years, and be actively accepting applications. A highly specialized school is a trade or technical school or a school that does not NEWS (2-4)
U.S. News 2025 rankings were released Stevens ranks #76 overall and places highly in other categories. FEATURE (5)
Falling for Fall Learn more about why everyone loves Fall so much, its connection to climate change, and The Stute E-board’s fall favorites.
have a baccalaureate degree graduation rate. Each university is generally judged in five main categories: teaching, research environment, research quality, international outlook, and industry engagement. Teaching refers to the overall setting and learning environment in which education takes place. According to the American Association of Colleges and Universities back in 2021, the need for an inclusive campus and “relevant and engaging curricula” is increasing to promote success and assimilation in society. Research environment is the quantity of research output produced by a university. This includes the number of publications, projects, and patents made. Additionally, the finances allocated to research activities from government funding enhances the research environment. This ties into reputation, which is perceived quality of prestige dependent on the universities achievements. Research quality or excellence encompasses how well research is designed, executed, and evaluated. Citation impact, a large in-
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The male mind? New class of shape found? Food pickiness is genetic? 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.
It is the time of year again when Stevens is gearing up for its much-anticipated Awards Gala. This annual event celebrates the remarkable contributions of its alumni and faculty to technology and engineering. Scheduled for October 5, at the picturesque Chelsea Piers in Manhattan, the 2024 gala promises to be a night of inspiration, recognition, and networking. The event honors those who have significantly impact-
leadership. Award nominations are now closed to allow for decisions to be made as we look to alumni and faculty to recognize their peers who exemplify Stevens’s values and spirit. “Stevens is proud to celebrate the achievements of our community members who are pushing boundaries and making meaningful contributions across industries,” said President Nariman Farvardin. “The Awards Gala is an opportu-
nity not just to acknowledge these individuals, but to inspire future generations to follow in their footsteps.” The nomination process is straightforward and
encourages participation from all corners of the Stevens community. Nominees must be alumni, faculty, or
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Nebraska governor halts effort to change Nebraska’s electoral voting from proportional allocation system BY SEAN ANDERSON, STAFF WRITER In about a month, the citizens of the United States will be voting to determine the next president to lead the country. With the little time left before election day, both political parties have been taking action to support their party’s candidate through several means. Specifically, members of the Republican party were driving an effort to alter how electoral voting works in Nebraska, a state that uses a proportional allocation system. For most states, the electoral voting system follows
a winner-take-all format in which all of its electoral votes go to the candidate who wins the popular vote of that state. Only two states have the alternate system: Maine and Nebraska. Nebraska began using their system in the 1992 election, and since then, it has only had an effect twice. Nebraska typically votes Republican, but in the 2008 and 2020 election, Barack Obama and Joe Biden, respectively, received one electoral vote from the 2nd district in the state. The 2nd district’s recent lean towards voting for Democrats sparked this new effort to revert Nebraska’s system to the original win-
ner-take-all system. Earlier in the year, Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen put his support into a GOP-led bill that would make such a change. According to the New York Times, Jim Pillen stated that, “It [the bill] would bring Nebraska in line with 48 of our fellow states, better reflect the founders’ intent, and ensure our state speaks with one unified voice in presidential elections.” However, on September 24, Pillen ended this effort. According to CNN, Pillen stated that he has “no plans to call a special session” in order to continue the effort. He adds,”Unfortunately, we could not persuade 33 state
senators.” With the lack of 33 votes, including that of Republican Senator Mike McDonnell who announced shortly prior that he would not support the last-ditch effort, and with little time before the election, this is likely the end of the effort for now. This is not the first time that there has been an attempt to revert the system. There were efforts back in 1995, 1997, and most recently in 2016. PBS reported in 2016 that “The effort was derailed after supporters failed to overcome a legislative filibuster, just as they were on
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