Serving the Greater Good
“The professors I had at CCM were amazing. They created an environment that fostered creativity, success and passion, and I always felt like they were on my team.”
Major: Mechanical Engineering Technology
Class: 2019
Vivian Rosenberg with Brian Seligson in the lab at County College of Morris where as students they developed prosthetic hands to donate to children around the world.
While studying at County College of Morris (CCM), Vivian Rosenberg ’19 led a student team that helped create prosthetic hands for children who had lost theirs to amputations.
Rosenberg’s team used 3-D printers to create the prosthetics for about $50 dollars each. Regular prosthetics can cost as much as $50,000. The team donated the hands to a nonprofit group that distributed them to children in South America, India and Africa.
Rosenberg, who earned her associate degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology (MET) at CCM, is now studying at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT). But her project continues at CCM, where students still work on the 3-D prosthetic hands.
“Since Vivian graduated, our students have continued to build and donate hands to various countries and refugee camps,” says Eric Pedersen, an adjunct professor who coordinates the MET & Physics Lab, where the project is based. Pedersen characterizes Rosenberg as “a student and person who makes teaching a joy” and credits her dedication for helping to make the project a success.
Rosenberg’s dedication is helping her to excel at NJIT, where she is majoring in Mechanical Engineering Technology with a 4.0 GPA. She’s also a member of the Society of Women Engineers, the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and the Tau Sigma Honor Society.
She is also interning at New Jersey Precision Technologies, a manufacturing company based in Mountainside.
“The internship is super interesting,” she says. “I’m learning so much on a daily basis, and it’s cool to see how high-quality parts are manufactured.”
Rosenberg is grateful for the strong foundation in engineering CCM provided. Her classes at CCM were small, so she was able to work closely with her professors.
“My professors were amazing,” says Rosenberg. “They created an environment that fostered creativity, success and passion, and I always felt like they were on my team.”
Another fantastic thing about CCM, Rosenberg says, is the financial aid. She received three named scholarships: the Gene Haas Foundation Scholarship, the Anne E. Clarke Scholarship, and the NDIA Rodney Frelinghuysen Scholarship – awards that allowed her to graduate from CCM without any debt.
Rosenberg isn’t sure what she will do after she graduates from NJIT. But she’s certain of one thing: She’ll dedicate her life to humanitarian engineering. The prosthetic hands taught her the value of serving others, especially vulnerable children.
“I’ve seen photos of children with amputations receiving our prosthetic hands,” says Rosenberg, “and it was so rewarding to see the smiles on their faces. I’m not an emotional person, but tears began streaming down my face. So after I graduate, I want an engineering job that will not only help me, but also allow me to help the greater good.”