Norwich University Engineering Student Honored

The New England University Transportation Center (NEUTC) has recently announced the winners of the Student of the Year awards from the member institutions including Majd Khalaf ’25. As a multidisciplinary consortium of eight institutions throughout New England, NEUTC consists of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Norwich University, University of Connecticut, University of Massachusetts Amherst, University of New Hampshire, University of Maine, Bunker Hill Community College, and Holyoke Community College. The collective mission of NEUTC is to facilitate groundbreaking research, advanced education, and effective technology transfer in order to combat the pressing issue of traffic safety during a period where roadway fatalities remain alarmingly high. 

Khalaf, an undergraduate research assistant in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, worked closely over the past year analyzing BEV testing data, and in addition to data analysis, worked on multiple presentations of the department’s work. He presented the project at the MassDOT Innovation Conference in the Spring of 2024. Khalaf, a staple on the President’s List, is pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering with minors in Mathematics and Computer Science. His capstone project is Smart Navigation: AI for Visually Impaired Users.

Khalaf’s academic journey at Norwich epitomizes excellence, as evidenced not only by his multiple accolades, but also in leadership positions, serving as the vice president of the engineering honor society, Tau Beta Pi, and president of the electrical engineering honor society, Eta Kappa Nu. As a freshman, Khalaf was awarded the Norwich Engineer Society freshman award for his academic potential, which certainly proved to be correct. During his junior year, he was again honored, this time as the recipient of the Professor Stevens Memorial Award in computer and electrical engineering. The senior is an Electrical and Computer Engineering major while minoring in both Mathematics and Computer Science. 

He has expertly managed to balance his personal educational aspirations with leadership roles in numerous campus clubs. In addition to these responsibilities, he positively impacts the learning journey of fellow students in his role as a peer tutor for engineering students. The captain of the Norwich Esports team has also held the position of past president of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) and the IEEE Computer Society at Norwich. The IEEE provides educational opportunities to advance the theory, practice and application of computer and information process science and technology.