College life extends beyond the classroom and the quotidian schedule is often punctuated with activities and events – some unusual or occurring just once, others which occur on a regular (frequently annual) schedule. These moments provide both professional and social opportunities that are an integral part of the undergraduate experience in the School of Art + Design.

CoAD GALLERY SHOWS

Curated by artist and NJIT graduate Matt Gosser, the College of Architecture and Design Gallery hosts two major art exhibits every year in which regional, national, and international artists exhibit innovative, interesting, and compelling work. Like most galleries, new exhibits open with a public celebration of the show.

GLOBAL GAME JAM

The last weekend in January finds NJIT Digital Design and Information Technology students and collaborators (ranging from musicians, composers, and artists to computer programmers) spending an intense 48-hours in a continuous, non-stop collective race to produce working games. Participating in a world-wide event that involves more than 200 sites in almost 50 countries, individuals come together at NJIT to be part of the experience that, in 2012, drew more than 10,000 registered participants across the globe. Past sponsors have included Autodesk, IGDA, Intel, Microsoft, Scirra, and others.

AUTODESK INSTRUCTIONAL SEMINARS

Building on NJIT’s legacy of pioneering computer graphics integration in the processes and products of the design of buildings and spaces, AEC Education Solution Specialists from Autodesk (the producers of industry-standard design and graphics software) periodically visit the School of Art + Design to offer seminars and advanced instruction to Interior Design students. Furthermore, NJIT’s School of Art + Design is the first school in the United States to have Autodesk Student Experts from the fields of Industrial Design and Interior Design trained by Autodesk at their California headquarters.

NEW YORK CITY EARTH DAY EDUCATION FAIR

Sponsored by Tishman Construction, students with sustainable product designs or design of spaces and places with unique sustainable characteristics may be invited to exhibit their projects at the Annual Earth Day Education Fair in Lower Manhattan in New York City.

COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN SHOWCASE

The Showcase is an annual affair in April that combines continuing education lectures, vendor exhibits, exhibit of selected student and alumni professional work, and reception in a fundraising event to support the programs and students of the College of Architecture and Design.

INTERNATIONAL CONTEMPORARY FURNITURE FAIR (ICFF)

Industrial and Interior Design students exhibit original work at the annual International Contemporary Furniture Fair at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City during a design festival and conference that regularly hosts more than 25,000 attendees in May.

INDUSTRY SPEAK SEMINAR SERIES

A variety of diverse design professionals that range from heads of design firms to young aspirational digital entrepreneurs speak with small groups of students from the School of Art + Design about latest trends in industry, educational and employment opportunities, innovative practices, and more throughout the academic year. Examples of topics and recent speakers includes Dan Lane of goodeye video who discussed doing work for non-profit organizations and educational communities; Fernando Music of The Rooster Design Group who spoke about branding and marketing in the context of interactive environmental design and social media; Bradley Chun of Butterkiss who spoke about digital entrepreneurship and crowd-source funding; and Scott Sindorf, principal and Co-Founder of uvphactory who spoke about the idiosyncratic nature of the digital design business as practiced in New York City as he showed the music videos and computer graphics special effects his firm created for television and the music industry.

COLLEGE GUEST LECTURE SERIES

A college-wide lecture series open to the general public that features a broad array of established and award winning architects, artists, and designers. The long-running series has included award-winning architects like Daniel Libeskind, Pritzker Prize winner Thom Mayne, and the designer of the New Jersey 9/11 Memorial Frederic Schwarz; as well as artist Ken Huff (Savannah College of Art and Design), inventor Chuck Hoberman (Hoberman Associates), digital pioneer Donald P. Greenberg (Cornell University), and product designer Zoë Coombes (Cmmnwlth Designs).

COMMUNITY SERVICE ACTIVITIES

NJIT students have a history of community involvement and opportunities for volunteer efforts are virtually limitless. Interior Design students, through their student chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), are particularly active with involvement in both Dream Room Makeover (a volunteer effort to help single-parent families with children suffering from debilitating or life-threatening illnesses) and Mansion in May (designer showhouse to benefit the Women’s Association of the Morristown Medical Center).

OFF-CAMPUS TRAVEL AND RESOURCES

Whether it’s using a building on the National Register of Historic Places (810 Broad Street in Newark) as a site for an interior design project; or participating in hands-on “discovery” exercises at the Philips Lighting Lab in Somerset, NJ; or meeting with designers and industry representatives at the Herman Miller Showroom; or visiting the A&D Building in New York City to see products used in spaces they will design;, Interior Design students make full use of the central location of NJIT that gives them easy access to both New York City and manufacturers’ and corporate headquarters in northern New Jersey. Industrial Design students have direct access to a variety of urban and suburban areas to study street furniture prior to designing their own projects. Freshmen use buildings in Newark both on and off-campus as subjects for traditional media drawing. Students travel further with Digital Design students applying for, and being accepted to, the competitive SIGGRAPH Student Volunteer Program that has taken them to conferences in New Orleans, Los Angeles, and Vancouver, British Columbia. Interior Design students attended NeoCON East in Baltimore, Maryland. And the School of Art + Design has a liberal policy towards summer abroad courses for non-studio design elective courses that encourages foreign travel.

Not all students participate in all events and many of these activities are opportunities for enrichment rather than fulfillment of any degree requirement(s). Participation in some of the events is by invitation based on a competitive/merit selection process.