FDU Student Scholarship Initiatives: STEM Education and Humanitarian Project Activities

Covid-19 pandemic restricted in-person meetings and events, for the first time in over two years, more than 100 scholarship recipients and donors gathered to enjoy a meal together at Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Scholarship Luncheon, which was held on March 24 in Lenfell Hall on the University’s Florham Campus. The goal of the event is to bring together the University’s generous alumni and friends who make gifts to support student scholarships and the ambitious and determined students who benefit from that support. [scholarship luncheon story (fdu.edu)](https://support.fdu.edu/home-page-stories/scholarship-luncheon-story)

Dr. Ajay Poddar, Chair of the IEEE North Jersey Section, interacted with the donors, FDU faculty staff, and students, and share the importance of IEEE membership for professional networking and career growth. Dr. Poddar discussed the IEEE STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) initiative, IEEE SIGHT (Special Interest Group on Humanitarian Technology), and IEEE AP-S COPE (Committee on Promoting Equality) project for the benefit of the underserved communities worldwide to support the IEEE Mission-“Advancing Technology for Humanity”.

Recently Student Project was submitted on the topic ” EARLY DETECTION OF MELANOMA SKIN CANCER” for the consideration of approval from IEEE AP-S and IEEE North Jersey Section. Skin cancer is a significant problem for public health, and it can affect anyone, regardless of skin color, gender, and age. Further, it is a leading cause of death worldwide. In the USA, it has been reported that there are more than 100,000 new patients in 2020. The deadliest and most severe form of skin cancer is called Melanoma. Most melanoma cases are due to skin exposure to natural and artificial UV light. Its radiation destroys the DNA of skin cells. Furthermore, melanoma skin cancer is one of the leading health problems throughout the world, and the vast majority of skin cancer deaths are from Melanoma. Melanoma is curable up to 99 percent if it is early detected and treated – before it spreads to the lymph node.

To support the mission – advancing technology for the benefit of humanity – and the vision of IEEE, the FDU’s IEEE Student Branch Chapter jointly collaborated with IEEE North Jersey Section AP/MTT Joint Chapter, IEEE North Jersey Section SIGHT, IEEE AP-S COPE, and IEEE AP-S SIGHT. The project proposals address the DEI (Diversity Equity and Inclusion), engagement of local high School Students in the training, STEM initiatives in an underserved community, scaling, and sharing with other IEEE chapters worldwide. The outcome of this project will satisfy the AP-S COPE mission, specifically, training the undergrad students and preparing them as an ambassador for giving training to next-generation high school students, this will create a long-term impact and motivate the local students in serving members and community we live in. Finally, it leverages the possibility of challenging and fair service opportunities for better health care and medical technology by using Antenna and other engineering technology for low-cost medical solutions.

Students are encouraged to apply for the “Divyansh Atman Poddar Student Scholarship/Project Award” for pursuing their careers in STEM and Engineering Education for contributing to society. Donors are encouraged to support the scholarship project for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Education for addressing the IEEE Mission “Advancing the technology for Humanity”.

[Divyansh Atman Poddar scholarship (fdu.edu)](https://support.fdu.edu/our-stories/poddar-scholarship)

[Leveraging Technology for Sustainable Development – IEEE SIGHT](https://sight.ieee.org/)

[Committee On Promoting Equality (COPE) (aps-cope.org)](http://aps-cope.org/)

Co-sponsored by: IEEE North Jersey Section

Speaker(s): Dr. Ajay Poddar, Chief Scientist, Christopher S. Groff

Bldg: Hennessy Hall, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Florham Campus, 175 Park Avenue, Florham Park, New Jersey, United States, 07932