Gov. McGreevey, Dr. Raveche, officials in Northern Ireland join together.

Today (July 17, 2002), Dr. Harold J. Raveche, President of Stevens Institute of Technology; the Hon. James E. McGreevey, Governor of New Jersey; and officials from Northern Ireland's government and top universities announced a major collaborative agreement. The agreement, announced at noon today at the Stormont Parliament Building, Belfast, Northern Ireland, is designed to strengthen academic, business and cultural interactions between New Jersey and Northern Ireland.

On hand for the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding were: Stevens' President Raveche; Gov. McGreevey; Mr. Michael McGimpsey, Northern Ireland's Minster of Culture, Art and Leisure; Dr. Trevor Newsom, Director of Research and Regional Sciences at Queens University; and Dr. Hilary Robinson, who was recently named Head of the School of Art and Design, The University of Ulster.

"This agreement encompasses three primary areas of mutual interest to New Jersey, Northern Ireland and the academic, business and cultural life we share," said Dr. Raveche. "These three areas include Frontier Technologies, our term for a variety of joint research and development commercialization initiatives; Business and Economic Development; and Faculty and Student Programs."

In the area of Frontier Technologies, Stevens Institute of Technology will collaborate and partner with Queens University and The University of Ulster in six major areas: nano technology (solid state devices and nano biology), environmental remediation (water management and purification), software engineering (information security, pattern recognition and surveillance), maritime systems (port security and preservation), micro chemical engineering (miniature power and chemical plants), and multimedia technology (performing arts and computer technologies). Stevens excels in these areas of expertise and will share its knowledge.

To enhance business and economic development, the partners will create a Center for Industrial and Creative Development. This center will link corporations and industries to technology-based opportunities in Northern Ireland and New Jersey. There will be locations in Belfast, N. Ireland, and Hoboken, N.J.

In addition, the collaborative partnership allows for doctoral research educational programs in multimedia technology, environmental engineering and wireless security. It also paves the way for collaborative master's degree programs using distance learning and the Internet. Faculty exchange programs in teaching and research will be established, and scholarships for undergraduate students will be identified.

Stevens also has collaborative agreements and educational partnerships in other parts of the world, including at Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) in Shanghai, People's Republic of China; and at the Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management (IIITM), located in Gwalior, India, among others.

About Stevens Institute of Technology

Founded in 1870 and celebrating 140 Years of Innovation, Stevens Institute of Technology, The Innovation University TM , lives at the intersection of industry, academics and research.  The University's students, faculty and partners leverage their collective real-world experience and culture of innovation, research and entrepreneurship to confront global challenges in engineering, science, systems and technology management.

Based in Hoboken, N.J. and with a location in Washington, D.C., Stevens offers baccalaureate, master’s, certificates and doctoral degrees in engineering, the sciences and management, in addition to baccalaureate degrees in business and liberal arts.  Stevens has been recognized by both the US Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security as a National Center of Excellence in the areas of systems engineering and port security research. The University has a total enrollment of more than 2,200 undergraduate and 3,700 graduate students with almost 450 faculty. Stevens’ graduate programs have attracted international participation from China, India, Southeast Asia, Europe and Latin America as well as strategic partnerships with industry leaders, governments and other universities around the world.  Additional information may be obtained at www.stevens.edu and www.stevens.edu/press.