Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning & Public Policy

Ph.D. Colloquium: End of Semester Listening Session
2024-12-11 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | Bloustein School, Civic Square Building, 33 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, United States

Rutgers Then and Now! Book Launch
2024-12-12 14:00 - 16:30 | Richard Weeks Hall of Engineering, 500 Bartholomew Road, Piscataway, NJ, 08854
Join us as we celebrate the launch of “Rutgers Then and Now,” a compelling new book by Jim Hughes, Richard Edwards, and David Listoken which chronicles Rutgers University’s remarkable journey from a small colonial college to a leading public research institution. Through engaging narratives and vivid illustrations, the authors trace the university’s transformation over the centuries, highlighting key events, milestones, and individuals that have shaped its growth. The book provides a unique perspective by juxtaposing historical moments with current developments, offering an insightful view of how Rutgers has evolved while staying true to its core values. Authors Jim Hughes, Dick Edwards, and David Listoken will be present at the event, alongside faculty, staff, board members, university leadership, and retired faculty.

There will be a presentation and discussion with the authors, followed by a reception and book signing event.

RSVP HERE

Intelligent Informatics @ Bloustein: Emerging AI Ascendancy and Shifts in Health Informatics Careers
2024-12-12 18:30 - 20:00 | Virtual
Rutgers Informatics Forum on Healthcare & Artificial Intelligence
This panel, with eminent experts from industry and academia, will address the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on healthcare and health informatics careers. These experts will present their views on topics of growing importance of AI in healthcare. They will also provide insights into the advanced data science, analytics and AI education and preparation needed for health informatics jobs and careers.

David Artz, MD, MBA Keynote Presenter
Health Administration Fellow, Bloustein School, Rutgers University; Weill Cornell Medicine, and Atlantic Health System
Cory Yemen, PhD ‘23
Director, Data Science & Infrastructure, Growth Market Insights, Labcorp
Soumitra Bhuyan, PhD, MPH
Executive Director, Health Administration Program and Associate Professor, Bloustein School, Rutgers University
Jim Samuel, PhD
Executive Director, Master of Public Informatics and Associate Professor of Practice, Bloustein School, Rutgers University

Hosted by the Public Informatics Student Group and the Master of Public Informatics (MPI) program at Rutgers University
REGISTER AT go.rutgers.edu/informaticsF24
Questions? Email informatics@ejb.rutgers.edu. Join the Intelligent Informatics forum on LinkedIn https://go.rutgers.edu/rutgersinfx

Virtual Career Drop-ins
2024-12-16 11:00 - 13:00 | Virtual
Stop by virtually on Mondays (except for holidays) beginning September 9th through December 16th between 11 am and 1 pm to ask a quick (15 min) career-related question of Bloustein Career Development Specialists Cheryl Egan and Andrea Garrido.
URL: https://go.rutgers.edu/EJBcareerdropin

Rutgers Health Management Perspectives: The Human Margin: Building the Foundations of Trust
2024-12-16 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual
Please join us for the Rutgers Health Management Perspectives Lecture Series at the Bloustein School, created to bring leading voices in health management and policy to engage with our Rutgers community. This event will be presented by Quint Studer, BSE, MSE, Co-Founder of Healthcare Plus Solutions Group and former Healthcare Executive, Author, and Leadership Consultant
Mr. Studer will be discussing his new book, “The Human Margin: Building the Foundations of Trust,” a science-backed leadership book that integrates the latest workplace research with tactics to create high-performance environments where people can flourish.

Quint Studer is a lifelong student of leadership. He has a gift for translating complex strategies into doable behaviors that allow organizations to achieve long-term success. Quint is the author of 15 books, beginning with his first title, BusinessWeek bestseller “Hardwiring Excellence.” While most of his books are geared to those working in healthcare, two of his general business books—”Results That Last” and “The Busy Leader’s Handbook”—became Wall Street Journal bestsellers. In his most recent venture to serve healthcare, he founded Healthcare Plus Solutions Group (HPSG), whose mission is to have a positive impact on those who receive care and those who provide care. HPSG specializes in helping healthcare organizations to diagnose and treat their most urgent pain points in order to achieve and sustain results.
Register at https://go.rutgers.edu/rutgershmplecture

Dissertation Proposal: Municipal Orientations to Large-Scale Warehouse Development
2024-12-17 14:00 - 16:00 | Virtual
presented by Lauren Nolan

Dissertation Proposal: Values, Care and Environment: The Case of Fiber Production in Central NY and the Finger Lakes Region
2024-12-18 14:00 - 16:00 | Virtual
presented by Kristi Wiedemann

Basic Quantitative Methods Placement Exam
2025-01-16 11:00 - 13:00 | Bloustein School, Civic Square Building, 33 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, United States
The placement exam is only for those who wish to waive the BQM requirement because they have a strong statistics background. If you plan to take the BQM course, you do not need to take the placement exam.
To register: Email Shiyu Ma at sm2758 [at] scarletmail.rutgers.edu by 5pm on January 15, 2025.
This closed-book exam is similar to the final exam for the Basic Quantitative Methods course. The exam will cover all chapters of the book listed below. You will need a non-graphing calculator and pen or pencil.
To prepare: Joseph F. Healey. Statistics: A Tool for Social Research. Wadsworth Cengage Learning 10th edition (or subsequent editions) . Please be advised that you need an active Rutgers Box Account to view the above link.
Exam format:

multiple choice and short answer questions that test your understanding of concepts, and
computational problems and interpretation of statistical output from STATA. Familiarity with any statistical software package should be sufficient to interpret the output.

At exam time, you will receive statistical tables (appendices A, B, C, and D from the 10th edition of the textbook) as well as a formula sheet with the formulas from the inside front cover of the textbook.

February Mock Interviewing Clinic - signups through Jan. 30
2025-01-22, 2025-01-23, 2025-01-24, 2025-01-25, 2025-01-26, 2025-01-27, 2025-01-28, 2025-01-29 and 1 more date | Virtual
Sharpen your interviewing skills by practicing one-on-one with one of our alumni, employer partner in the planning/policy/informatics/health administration realm, or Human Resources professional.
After completing the RSVP form, you will receive an email introducing you to the professional you will be paired with for the mock interview. You will be asked to contact the mock interviewer directly to schedule a mutually convenient day/time. Mock interviews should occur during the month of February and last up to 30-minutes where you will be able to practice and get immediate feedback on your interviewing skills.
Sign up no later than Thursday, January 30th to get a mock interview by a Bloustein Alumnus or Employer Partner!
Space is limited. Once maximum capacity is reached, students will be added to a wait list.
RSVP HERE

Lunch and Learn: Paths to AICP Presentation and Q&A
2025-01-23 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual
Are you considering getting your AICP certification and wondering about the process to get there? Get your questions asked by joining us on Thursday, January 23rd at 12 noon to 1 pm EST at our first event of the semester: Lunch and Learn: Paths to AICP on ZOOM. Hear a short live presentation followed by a Q&A from APA Practitioners.
To follow their presentation, you will get to hear from two (2) of our very own Bloustein Alumni about their personal experiences: Prateeksha Sehgal, AICP (MCRP 2023),Transportation Planner at Michael Baker International and Mark Serrano, AICP, PP (MCRP 2020), Principal Planner at North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA) (formerly Assistant Planner at Hudson County Division of Planning).
Whether a first- or second-year student, get ahead of curve and join us live!
RSVP HERE

International Student Resources Information Session and Panel
2025-01-24 11:00 - 13:00 | Virtual
Meet your Bloustein Graduate student services/career team including Courtney Culler, Greg Marrero, Cheryl Egan, and Andrea Garrido. The second hour will be an opportunity to meet the the Bloustein Liaison to our international students, Audrey Nguyen from RU Global, as well as hear from two (2) of our International alumni: 2024 MHA alumni, Dipti Shah, Operations Manager at PT of the City and 2024 MCRP graduate, Akshita Saini, Transportation Planner at TYLin | Sam Schwartz City Solutions.
Register Here

Geography Speaker Series: The Map in the Machine: Charting the Spatial Architecture of Digital Capitalism
2025-01-31 15:00 - 16:30 | Tillett Hall, 50 Joyce Kilmer Ave, Piscataway, 08854, United States
Digital technologies have changed how we shop, work, play, and communicate, reshaping our societies and economies. To understand digital capitalism, we need to grasp how advances in geospatial technologies underpin the construction, operation, and refinement of markets for digital goods and services. In this talk, based on his recent book, The Map in the Machine, Luis F. Alvarez León examines these advances, from MapQuest and Google Maps to the rise of IP geolocation, ridesharing, and a new Earth Observation satellite ecosystem. He develops a geographical theory of digital capitalism centered on the processes of location, valuation, and marketization to provide a new vantage point from which to better understand and intervene in the dominant techno-economic paradigm of our time. By centering the spatiality of digital capitalism, Alvarez León shows how this system is the product not of seemingly intangible information clouds but rather of a vast array of technologies, practices, and infrastructures deeply rooted in place, mediated by geography, and open to contestation and change.
References: Alvarez León, L. F. (2024). The map in the machine: Charting the spatial architecture of digital capitalism. University of California Press. https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520389328/the-map-in-the-machine
Luis Felipe Alvarez León is Associate Professor of Geography at Dartmouth College. In 2016, he completed his PhD in Geography at the University of California, Los Angeles, and was presented with the Best Dissertation Award by the AAG Economic Geography Specialty Group (EGSG). From 2016 to 2018, he was a Postdoctoral Scholar at the Sol Price Center for Social Innovation and in 2018 he was Visiting Assistant Professor of Urban and Economic Geography at Clark University. His work focuses on the political economy of geospatial data, media, and technologies. He is currently working on the geographies of autonomous vehicles, and the changing political economy of remote sensing. He is the author of The Map in the Machine: Charting the Spatial Architecture of Digital Capitalism (University of California Press, 2024).
Co-sponsored by Bloustein School’s Urban Planning and Masters of Public Informatics program and the School of Management and Labor Relations
Contact: Andrea Marston

Virtual Career Drop-ins
2025-02-03 11:00 - 13:00, 2025-02-10 11:00 - 13:00 | Virtual
Stop by virtually on Mondays (except for holidays) beginning February 3 through April 28 between 11 am and 1 pm to ask a quick (15 min) career-related question of Bloustein Career Development Specialists Cheryl Egan and Andrea Garrido.
URL: https://go.rutgers.edu/EJBcareerdropin

Virtual Information Session: Graduate Program in Public Informatics
2025-02-04 09:00 - 10:00 | Virtual
You are cordially invited to join us at one of our upcoming virtual informational sessions for Rutgers-Bloustein School’s spring 2025 virtual information sessions for our Master of Public Informatics (MPI) degree and our Graduate Certificate in Urban and Public Informatics. Learn more about the curriculum for our master’s degree and graduate certificate, how to apply, career services support for students, and scholarship opportunities.

The GRE is WAIVED for all 2025 applications. The final application deadline for fall 2025 admission for international students is April 1st and for domestic students is July 1st.

RSVP is required. The Zoom link for the info sessions will be emailed out to those who have RSVP’d closer to the event.

Please note that all start times listed below are in EST / EDT / New Jersey local time.

We look forward to seeing you at one of our info sessions this semester.

RSVP required at https://go.rutgers.edu/ejbmpiinfo

Rutgers Real Estate Club/Corenet Global Networking Event
2025-02-04 19:30 - 20:30 | Rutgers Business School, 100 Rockafeller Road, Piscataway, 08854, United States
The Rutgers Real Estate Club invites Bloustein School students to attend an exciting networking event on Tuesday, February 4 beginning at 7:30 p.m. at Rutgers Business School.
Executives from Corenet Global will be on campus to speak about architecture, real estate, and more. After the talk, students will have the opportunity to talk to the speakers one-on-one and make industry-level connections.
Dress code: Business Casual
Undergrads and grads are welcome!
Please contact Rutgers Real Estate Club’s Events and Campus Relations Officer Dhyana Patel for further questions at dhyana.patel@rutgers.edu

Innovation vs. Imitation: Can AI Truly Create?
2025-02-05 08:30 - 10:00 | Microsoft, 885 2nd Avenue, 34th Floor, New York, NY 10017, 885 Second Avenue, 34th Floor, New York, NY, 10017, United States
Rutgers experts will lead a discussion on the challenges and potential of AI in the creatives industry. Please join us for alumni networking and a continental breakfast beginning at 8:30 a.m.
Wednesday, February 5, 2025
8:30–10:00 a.m.
Microsoft
885 Second Avenue, 34th Floor
New York, NY 10017
RSVP today. Space is limited.
Register
Speakers:
Atif Akin
Associate Professor, Art & Design
Interim Undergraduate Director
Mason Gross School of the Arts
Jim Samuel, PhD
Associate Professor of Practice
Executive Director, Master of Public Informatics
Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public PolicyGraciously hosted by Microsoft.
Special thanks to Simon Liepold EJB’05.

Federal Resume Workshop and Interview Skills Workshop
2025-02-05 13:00 - 14:00 | Virtual
Hosted by School of Management and Labor Relations (SMLR), hear from representatives with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Newark, NJ office who will provide insights on creating a federal resume and tips on interviewing.
Sign up on HANDSHAKE

Evaluating Job Offers and Salary Negotiation
2025-02-05 16:30 - 17:30 | Virtual
Join Bloustein Career Development Specialists Cheryl Egan and Andrea Garrido for a workshop to learn tips and strategies about salary negotiation skills (which doesn’t only include negotiating for salary) as well as how to evaluate job offers. Hear from recent graduates who were successful in negotiating their salaries!
RSVP HERE

TOD in Your Downtown Forum -- Affordable Housing + TOD: Obligations and Opportunities
2025-02-07 09:30 - 12:00 | Bloustein School, Civic Square Building, 33 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, United States
This event, hosted by NJTOD, Downtown New Jersey, and NJ TRANSIT’s Transit Friendly Planning (TFP) Program will bring together experts from public agencies, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector to share their experiences with affordable housing in downtowns across New Jersey. Affordable housing is not only a legal obligation in New Jersey but also vital contributor to the vibrancy of our Main Streets and the success of equitable transit-oriented development (e-TOD).
With the release of the fourth-round regulations of the Council of Affordable Housing (COAH), many municipalities across the state will need to plan for additional affordable housing units. The panel will discuss their experiences in developing affordable and mixed-income housing, strategies for meeting affordable housing obligations, and approaches to equitably locating affordable housing. Panelists will also highlight best practices for leveraging e-TOD to create new affordable housing in transit-rich neighborhoods.
RSVP HERE
NJTOD, published since 2005, is designed to keep municipal officials, planners, and advocates up-to-date on the potential for development and redevelopment around transit stations. This partnership between NJ TRANSIT and the Bloustein School’s Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center (VTC) at Rutgers University aims to enrich the transit-oriented development (TOD) conversation in New Jersey’s diverse communities by highlighting what is happening in the state and around the country: best practices, model programs, legislation, and local problem-solving experiences.
Downtown New Jersey is a non-profit membership organization of individuals, businesses, developers, government agencies, and local and regional entities that are passionate about downtowns. Downtowns reflect our communities’ unique identities, provide a focal point, a convenient local place of commerce, and offer a sense of place where people can gather and truly be a community. DNJ provides advocacy, education, and technical assistance resources dedicated to ensuring the vitality of our downtowns.
The Transit Friendly Planning Program at NJ TRANSIT is a community-focused planning program at New Jersey’s statewide public transportation agency. It offers decades of experience in assisting municipalities across New Jersey with community engagement, data, education, strategic partnerships, and technical assistance centered around station area planning. The Program strives to promote equitable, economically resilient, and environmentally sustainable development that improves the quality of life for all.

POSTPONED Rutgers University Winter Career and Internship Fair
2025-02-11 | Sonny Werblin Recreation Center, 656 Bartholomew Road, Piscataway, 08854, United States
After careful consideration due to forecasted weather conditions, the Office of Career Exploration and Success (CES) has made the difficult decision to postpone the in-person Winter Career & Internship Mega Fair scheduled for February 11 – 14 at Sonny Werblin Recreation Center. While the weather forecast may change, due to our employer participants’ travel arrangements, and to ensure the safety of those scheduled to attend, we must make this decision in advance.
In place of the in-person fair, we are working to move the event to a virtual format on a future date, allowing students to connect with employers remotely.
Thank you for your understanding and flexibility during this time, and we look forward to sharing more details about the virtual fair. For the most up-to-date information, please visit our website.

Virtual Information Session: Master of City and Regional Planning/Master of City and Regional Studies
2025-02-11 09:00 - 10:00 | Virtual
You are cordially invited to join us at this virtual informational session for the Rutgers-Bloustein School’s Master of City and Regional Planning (MCRP) and Master of City and Regional Studies (MCRS) programs during the Spring 2025 semester. We are excited to share helpful information about the Bloustein School and the MCRP program and answer any questions you may have regarding admissions, applications, career opportunities in the field, and the curriculum. Program faculty and staff will be on hand to answer all your questions. Each session will last approximately 1 hour.

The GRE has been WAIVED for all fall 2025 applications. Work experience is not required of applicants. The application deadline for fall 2025 admission is May 1st.
All sessions will be held virtually via Zoom.

RSVP required at: https://go.rutgers.edu/ejbmcrpinfo
