Students – School of Computing

Following Her Own Code: A Journey in Computer Science

wiesea — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 17:33:42 +0000

The visit, organized as part of an opportunity for Computer Science Students at �鶹��ý��, allowed her to see firsthand how computer science operates at the core of the financial system. As she walked across the NYSE floor, she quickly realized it would not function without software engineers.

The exchange wouldn’t work without them. Losing time means losing money.

What surprised her most was learning that software engineers in finance are not constantly building flashy new programs. Instead, much of their responsibility involves maintaining and improving existing systems. They must understand multiple programming languages and ensure that critical infrastructure runs efficiently and without interruption. For Paola, this shifted her perspective entirely.

You don’t always need to create new things. Sometimes you restore old things and make them more efficient.

Before this experience, she had never seriously considered the finance side of technology. Though she admits feeling nervous about stepping into a new space, the trip expanded her career aspirations. She was especially interested in the engineers’ daily routines, what languages they use, what problems they solve, and how their roles sustain such a high-stakes environment.

The experience also reinforced a notion she strongly believes, networking matters. “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know,” she says, emphasizing the importance of building relationships with classmates, professors, and professionals who share similar interests.

That openness to opportunity reflects Paola’s broader academic journey. As she prepares to graduate with her bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from �鶹��ý��, she looks back on a path defined by persistence, courage, and a fundamental belief that knowledge is power.

She also emphasizes something she believes is critical in technical fields, “Definitely ask for help,” she says. “Even if people don’t look like you.” In a field where women are still underrepresented, she is acutely aware of the disparity, and motivated by it.

I would like to be the change-maker. I hope to be a trailblazer.

Her courage stems from her upbringing. Paola’s family came to the United States from Colombia, and built their life from the ground up. She understands the feelings of not belonging, but instead of shrinking in those moments, she leaned in,

Anything I’ve wanted to do, I’ve done

For Paola, the message is clear: Stay curious, build connections, keep trying, and above all, remember that knowledge is power.

The NYSE Trading Floor

Information Technology Student Earns 2nd Place in Paper Competition at IEEE Region 1 & 2 SAC 2026

wiesea — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 16:10:45 +0000

Elijah Abban Baidoo, a student in the School of Computing, earned second place in the paper competition at the . The conference brought together approximately 300 students and faculty from more than 35 universities across IEEE Regions 1 and 2.

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 �鶹��ý�� 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. �鶹��ý�� Students are eligible for membership fee reimbursement via the IEEE North Jersey Section and IEEE AP Society.

Process for Membership and Compensation

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

School of Computing Students Place at ISC2 Capture the Flag for Novices Hackathon

wiesea — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 16:57:16 +0000

On March 21, 2026, students from the School of Computing at �鶹��ý�� participated in the , hosted at in Jersey City, NJ. The event brought together approximately 200 participants from over 20 colleges, universities, and organizations across the state for a full day of interactive learning and challenges in cryptography, web exploitation, digital forensics, and network defense. The hackathon emphasized problem-solving, teamwork, and practical cybersecurity skills.

�鶹��ý�� 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
��
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.

Graduate Students Team Win Best Paper Award at the IEEE UEMCON 2025 Conference

wiesea — Mon, 02 Mar 2026 16:37:16 +0000

The was held at the IBM Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. Center for Learning in New York City in 2025. The student team presented their paper, Extending GANterpolate: Multi-Variable Synthetic Data Generation for Climate Modeling which introduces an advanced AI-driven framework that reconstructs critical atmospheric variables (including temperature, pressure, wind speed, and precipitation) using Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) combined with interpolation techniques.

The proposed hybrid model demonstrated lower reconstruction errors and stronger preservation of inter-variable relationships compared to traditional methods, significantly enhancing the quality of climate simulations and forecasting applications.

�鶹��ý�� Organized the 2025 IEEE International Workshop on Intelligent Systems and Interdisciplinary Applications

wiesea — Fri, 31 Oct 2025 17:17:09 +0000

On October 10, 2025, �鶹��ý�� organized the , bringing together scientists, engineers, educators, practitioners, and industry experts to explore the cutting-edge advancements in intelligent systems and their applications across multiple domains. This workshop aims to foster a collaborative platform where participants can exchange knowledge, discuss emerging challenges, and identify innovative solutions that bridge disciplinary boundaries. By integrating insights from science, engineering, and domain-specific expertise, the workshop facilitates holistic approaches and solutions for designing, deploying, and optimizing intelligent systems for real-world interdisciplinary impact.

ISIA 2025 features international invited talks, panel sessions, IEEE student poster competitions, networking with industry leaders, and IEEE student branch activities and celebrations. This full-day workshop engaged about 120 participants, including IEEE Life Fellows, IEEE Fellows, IEEE staff, IEEE professional members, IEEE student members, �鶹��ý�� faculty and students, �鶹��ý�� alumni, industry professionals, and faculty and students from neighboring institutions.

After a brief program overview by the organizing chair Dr. Weitian Wang, ISIA 2025 commenced with keynote welcome remarks from Dr. Lora Billings, Dean of the College of Science and Mathematics. Dr. Billings extended a warm welcome to all guests and participants and highlighted �鶹��ý�� robotics, AI, and intelligent systems research and education in recent years. Followed by speeches from IEEE leaders, including IEEE Region 1 Director Bala Prasanna, IEEE North Jersey Section Chair Dr. Emad Farag, and IEEE AP-S Global CAC Chair Dr. Ajay Poddar. Director Prasanna commended �鶹��ý��’s strong engagement, leadership, and contributions to IEEE.

Keynote welcome remarks from Dean Billings

The morning continued with the celebration of the inauguration of IEEE �鶹��ý�� AP-S Student Branch Chapter, led by Chair Stephania Ivanov and Vice Chair Alex Chornyak, marking a significant milestone in student engagement and professional development at �鶹��ý��. It also highlights �鶹��ý�� students’ growing leadership and involvement in the IEEE community.

Student organization celebration and speech by IEEE leaders

Following the inauguration, the workshop featured international invited talks from leading experts in intelligent systems and interdisciplinary applications, including Dr. Branislav Notaros, Dr. CJ Reddy, Dr. Naresh Chand, The Honorable Judge Sohail Mohammed, and Dr. Ulrich Rohde. The “Learning Through Engagement” panel session brought together an impressive lineup of international experts and IEEE leaders, who shared their experiences and insights into how to foster student engagement, promote professional development, and advance interdisciplinary collaboration with participants.

Invited speakers and experts across universities and industries

During the afternoon session, attendees took part in a networking lunch that brought together participants from academia, industry, government, and non-profit organizations to foster future research collaborations and support student career development opportunities. The session also featured a student poster competition showcasing innovative research projects led by �鶹��ý��’s undergraduate and graduate students. The posters covered a broad range of interdisciplinary topics, including artificial intelligence, robotics, human-robot interaction, data science, cybersecurity, environmental science, machine learning, and intelligent systems applications. Three Best Student Poster Awards were selected by a panel of judges from various disciplines, based on the posters’ visual design and organization, content novelty, content quality, and clarity of presentation.

Student poster competition and networking lunch

Best student poster awards

The 2025 IEEE International Workshop on Intelligent Systems and Interdisciplinary Applications successfully fostered meaningful exchanges among students, faculty, and industry professionals by highlighting innovative research, promoting interdisciplinary collaboration, and recognizing student achievements. Led by �鶹��ý�� College of Science And Mathematics and the School of Computing, this workshop was co-supported by the IEEE North Jersey Section, IEEE AP-S CAC, SIGHT, COPE, IEEE NJS AP/MTT Jt. Chapter, �鶹��ý�� AI Hub, National Science Foundation, IEEE NJS SMC Chapter, IEEE �鶹��ý�� AP-S Student Branch Chapter, and IEEE �鶹��ý�� Student Branch.

School of Computing Students Among Top Teams at Capture the Flag Hackathon

wiesea — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 16:34:48 +0000

On October 19, 2025, students from the School of Computing at �鶹��ý�� proudly participated in the , hosted at in Jersey City, NJ. The event gathered students, professionals, and cybersecurity enthusiasts from across the state for a full day of interactive learning and challenges in cryptography, web exploitation, digital forensics, and network defense. The hackathon emphasized problem-solving, teamwork, and practical cybersecurity skills. The �鶹��ý�� team showcased impressive technical ability and collaboration, earning the 4th place among many competing teams. Their success reflects the university’s growing strength in hands-on cybersecurity education and experiential learning.

Team Members

Darryl Carpenter
Anower Zihad
Vinod Gurram
Mohd Abdul Subhan
Harika Koduri

The team was guided and supported by Ramy Othman, Assistant Director of Technology and Infrastructure in the College of Science and Mathematics. Ramy, an alumni of helped the students with the competition and strengthened their cybersecurity problem-solving skills.

Students Visit NYSE

wiesea — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 19:57:27 +0000

The School of Computing, in collaboration with the Career Services Office, recently organized a student trip to the to explore the role of computing technologies in the finance industry. The visit was an eye-opening experience for our 40 undergraduate and graduate students, offering valuable insights into real-world applications of computing in financial systems.

Watch the Recap

Computer Science Student Received NJM Insurance Group Sustainability Award

keanejo — Fri, 15 Aug 2025 17:52:28 +0000

The School of Computing’s student, Yousef Ghaly, received the NJM Insurance Group
Sustainability Award. Ghaly is a Computer Science major focusing on robotics research and
how robotics can improve everyday life and the world around us. He is passionate about using
technologies to develop innovative solutions that drive long-term ecosystem change and impact.

Supported by the PSEG Institute for Sustainability Studies, the NJM Insurance Group, and the
Collaborative Robotics and Smart Systems Laboratory, in partnership with the Foodshed
Alliance, Ghaly will work on the development of smart robotics and multimodal sensor systems
to help farmers manage soil health more effectively, advance technology-driven farming
practices, and contribute to the advancement of smart agriculture. This project is supported in
part by the National Science Foundation under Grant CNS-2117308.

Innovation on Display

wiesea — Tue, 22 Jul 2025 15:54:40 +0000

The School of Computing (SoC) at the College of Science and Mathematics (CSAM) proudly celebrated the achievements of its graduate students at the Spring 2025 Capstone Showcase, an inspiring event that highlighted the power of innovation, collaboration, and applied learning.

What set this year’s showcase apart was the real-world impact of each project. Every team partnered with an external sponsor—ranging from tech startups to nonprofit organizations and industry leaders—to develop practical solutions to real challenges. From early idealization and prototyping to full-scale development and testing, students demonstrated both technical rigor and creative problem-solving.

Held this spring, the showcase featured 14 graduate student teams, each presenting the culmination of a year-long capstone project. These projects spanned a wide range of focus areas, including software development, computer science education, and data science, reflecting the breadth and depth of expertise within the SoC graduate programs. The graduate teams were enrolled on the and course sequence taught by Dr. Vaibhav Anu.

Research Team Win Best Paper at IEMTRONICS 2025

wiesea — Tue, 06 May 2025 14:15:20 +0000

The research group won a best paper award at the (Imperial College, London), based on Reviewer’s Choice. The project was titled and was in the Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning category. The paper presentation was conducted in the hybrid mode at this conference.