TV Innovator Honors Mahwah Students, Teachers

An electrical engineering professor and television technology innovator who graduated from Mahwah High School in 1968 is now giving back to his alma mater, in the forms of recognition for impactful teachers and scholarships for high-achieving students.

According to a release from Mahwah High School Director of Guidance Dominick Gliatta, Dr. Jae S. Lim contacted the school last year with the idea of setting up an annual recognition of Mahwah's top-performing students in math and science, in the names of two teacher who inspired him to pursue the fields.

“Dr. Lim is a professor of Electrical Engineering at MIT who holds over 30 United States patents in the areas of advanced television systems and signal compression - including the technology that made it possible for High Definition Television,” Gliatta said in his release.

In 1997, MIT picked up an Emmy award for its “contribution to the digital television standard. Jae S. Lim represented MIT in [its] participation in the digital television standardization process and accepted the Emmy award on behalf of MIT,” Gliatta said.

Lim asked the school to establish scholarships in the names of two teachers who impacted his education. Monday night, the high school hosted an awards ceremony honoring the teachers, and current students who are carrying on a tradition of studying science and math.

The first scholarship, $1,000 from the Jae S. Lim Foundation, was named for Kurt Kuehn, an MHS math teacher from 1963-1990. He also served as District Supervisor of Mathematics and Computers.

“Dr. Lim cited that the time he spent in Mr. Kuehn’s classroom opened his world to the previously unforeseen possibilities in mathematics,” Gliatta said in the release.

The second scholarship, another $1,000 funded by Lim’s foundation, is named for Mitchell Modisett, a science teacher and department supervisor in Mahwah from 1960-1988.

“Dr. Lim said that Dr. Modisett went beyond the curriculum to lay the foundation for a true understanding of science,” Gliatta said.

For the inaugural awards presentation Monday, Kuehn, his wife, son, daughter-in-law and three grandchildren traveled to the high school from Florida. Modisett could not travel to the township for the ceremony, but his son and grandson attended the ceremony on his behalf.

Two current MHS seniors received the scholarships and recognition Monday. Annika Patel won the inaugural Kurt Kuehn Mathematics Prize as the top performing student in Mathematics at Mahwah High School. Aditya Bikram Singh was awarded the Mitchell Modisett Science Prize as the top performing student in Science at the school.

Gliatta said he was “very proud” to have the opportunity to honor past teachers and current students.

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