Elijah is a Information Technology major focused on artificial intelligence. His research explores how AI can support small businesses through automated customer service on Instagram, improving response times and reducing the burden on staff.

Under the guidance of Professor Debapriya Hazra, Elijah developed an AI-powered framework for 24/7 text-based customer engagement. Built using n8n software, the Meta Graph API, and Gemini, the system demonstrates how small businesses can provide always-available support without the waiting times of traditional customer service. His work draws on advances in Natural Language Processing, enabling conversational agents to handle multiple customer inquiries simultaneously.

The IEEE R1 & R2 Student Activities Conference (SAC) is an annual event organized by the IEEE Regions 1 and 2. This conference provides students with the opportunity to participate in hands-on workshops, compete in various technical and professional competitions, and network with fellow students, industry professionals, and IEEE leaders.

In recent years, the IEEE Â鶹´«Ã½ÔÚÏß Student Organization has organized numerous academic events, including seminars, hands-on workshops, and showcases in intelligent systems, robotics, AI, and computer science, helping students develop practical technical skills, explore emerging technologies, and engage with the broader engineering community.

Joining IEEE will help to enhance students’ professional records and gain recognition for their future career development. Learn more about  and the benefits. Â鶹´«Ã½ÔÚÏß Students are eligible for membership fee reimbursement via the IEEE North Jersey Section and IEEE AP Society.

Process for Membership and Compensation

1. Visit the website
2. Click Join as a student
3. Download your receipt after completing the registration for both IEEE and IEEE AP Society
4. Email the receipt to Dr. Weitian Wang (IEEE MSU Student Branch Advisor) at wangw@montclair.edu

Â鶹´«Ã½ÔÚÏß student teams demonstrated strong technical ability and collaboration, earning first place and third place among dozens of competing teams. This marks a significant improvement from the University’s fourth place finish at the same event in 2025, reflecting the continued growth of the university’s hands on cybersecurity education and experiential learning programs. The teams competed across challenges in network defense, forensic analysis, and web exploitation areas identified as critical skill gaps in the national cybersecurity workforce.

Student Teams and Placements

The Hawkers – First Place

• Samuel Reyes
• Edwin Benitez
• James Barrera
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• Temi Salami

CyberHawks – Third Place

• Dina Mansour
• Fernanda Castro
• Krishita Vaghani
• Tushar Moradiya
• Benita Prince

Multiple teams of students were organized, trained, and mentored by Ramy Othman, Assistant Director of Technology and Infrastructure in the College of Science and Mathematics. Othman prepared the students through hands-on workshops in applied cybersecurity techniques, including network traffic analysis, vulnerability assessment, and forensic investigation leveraging the university’s dedicated Cybersecurity and AI research labs, which he built and manages. These labs provide students with enterprise-grade computing and give them direct experience with the tools used in industry and government cybersecurity operations.

The university’s participation was coordinated in collaboration with the ISC2 New Jersey Chapter, with Darryl Carpenter helping facilitate the team’s engagement with the event.

These cybersecurity professionals are responsible for identifying, mapping and securing all external digital assets an organization owns or is connected to. This includes servers, domains, cloud assets and any other digital points that could be exploited by cyber criminals. Their role involves continuously monitoring these assets for vulnerabilities, misconfigurations or other potential security risks and implementing measures to mitigate these risks. They also work to  by eliminating unnecessary access points and ensuring that all remaining ones are properly secured.

In this exclusive and informative Q&A, spoke with , lead technologist, attack surface management for . Lipala is an accomplished cybersecurity professional with over five years of experience in the manufacturing and consulting industries, with a focus on vulnerability management, patch management and comprehensive attack surface management.

For the 2023 rankings edition, U.S. News evaluated schools on five general categories. Here is a look at each category and its weight in the current rankings formula.

Engagement (25%)

Quality online information technology programs promote participation in courses, allowing students opportunities to readily interact with their instructors and classmates, as is possible in a campus-based setting. In turn, instructors are not only accessible and responsive, but they are also tasked with helping create an experience rewarding enough that students stay enrolled and complete their degrees in a reasonable amount of time.

Faculty Credentials and Training (25%)

Strong online programs employ instructors with academic credentials that mirror those of instructors for campus-based programs, and they have the resources to train these instructors to teach distance learners.

Peer Assessment (25%)

A survey of high-ranking academic officials in information technology helps account for intangible factors affecting program quality that statistics do not capture. Also, employers may hold in high regard degrees from programs that academics respect.

Services and Technologies (12.5%)

Programs that incorporate diverse online learning technologies allow greater flexibility for students to take classes and labs from a distance. Outside of classes, strong support structures provide learning assistance, career guidance and financial aid resources commensurate with quality campus-based programs.

Student Excellence (12.5%)

Student bodies entering with proven aptitudes, ambitions and accomplishments can handle the demands of rigorous coursework. Furthermore, online degrees that schools award judiciously can have greater legitimacy in the job market.

Â鶹´«Ã½ÔÚÏß’s program ranked best in Faculty Credentials and Training, coming in 30th and Services and Technologies at 18th. View more about our assessment on the !

• U.S. News Ranking
• Niche Student Reviews
• Cost
• Alumni Salary

Â鶹´«Ã½ÔÚÏß stands apart from other programs with a well-rounded approach to information technology. The program recognizes that students may take on a role as a video game designer, a computer programmer, an analyst, or a variety of other jobs in technology. By giving students a well-rounded education as it relates to information technology and the skills associated with technological tools, the program helps students clarify their personal plans and work toward a career that fits their needs.

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