NJIT opens doors to NIST for summer research at NJIT, USA

Dr. Sukant K Mohapatra, Chairman of National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 17th June 2019 with Dr. Atam P Dhawan, Senior Vice Provost for Research of New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), University Heights, Newark, New Jersey, United States to hold Summer Research Programs at NJIT for selected students from NIST and its Associate Engineering Colleges. As per this MoU, students will participate in a 6-week long summer research program at NJIT starting mid-June and continuing until early August during each academic year. Students will register at NJIT during the 1st or 2nd Summer Sessions for one independent research course consisting of 3 credits. The program will culminate with the students presenting their research work at NJIT's International Summer Research Symposium held at the end of July each academic year.

The whole program has three key sequential parts: 1st - group orientation session about NJIT, its research facilities, and the surrounding area; 2nd - students' individual research projects; and 3rd - continuous engagement with NJIT faculty mentors. Additionally, during 2nd part, students will attend workshops on non-technical skills needed to perform research, to prepare for the workplace, and to apply to graduate school. Towards the end of the program, each student shall prepare a final technical report and a poster presentation. A final presentation session will be held at the end of the program at NJIT's International Summer Research Symposium. In addition to the program research experiences, students will be exposed to the vast cultural landscape of the United States of America especially, its work culture. NJIT chaperones will accompany the students to visit New York City and other local cultural centers.

Since 1996, NIST has been offering a plethora of engaging academic collaborations with many universities. It aims to provide the best programs in association with top-tier institutes in the country and abroad in order to ensure that its students get the best of right cultural environment, academic, and research exposure. In this realm of education abroad, this MoU brings exciting times for NIST students. It fosters collaboration among the students and provides them with the opportunity for a global experience to enhance skills basis reciprocity and frequent interactions with NJIT mentors and students. It's worthwhile to note that NJIT (www.njit.edu), founded in 1881, is a top-tier public research university in the US offering more than 125 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in six specialized schools instructed by expert faculty, 98% of whom hold the highest degree in their field. NIST (www.nist.edu), established in 1996, has been one of the top engineering colleges in eastern India. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs as approved by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), in engineering, science, and management. The institute has accreditation from the National Board of Accreditation, National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) and has been duly granted autonomous status.