Seidenberg Associate Professor and recipient of numerous grants for his research of technologies in the medical field, Dr. Zhan Zhang, has just received a new grant from the National Institute of Health (NIH).

The new grant is a three-year project with $420,000 in funding, and will focus on developing AI-empowered decision support systems for emergency care services. This grant can support up to four undergraduate students doing research every year.

Dr. Zhang’s newest accomplishment continues his previous successes in research and grant acquisitions in the field of healthcare technology. His work primarily focuses on developing innovative solutions for emergency care personnel, including wearable devices for paramedics and collection of real-time patient data, UX design, and human-computer interactions. Dr. Zhang has previously been awarded multiple grants by the National Science Foundation (NSF), including a prestigious $500,000 award to develop touchless smart glasses for emergency care professionals. He also made history at Pace University with a previous NIH-funded project (research of care coordination and communication between medical teams using smart glasses and advanced interaction mechanisms like augmented reality), by becoming the first professor at Pace to receive grants from both the NSF and NIH.

When talking about his newest NIH grant, Dr. Zhang said that it is “a continuation of my prior work on digitizing EMS work through novel technology. The ultimate goal is to support informed decision-making and reduce medical errors in pre-hospital care.” The aim of the project is to design and develop an evidence-based cognitive aid that can effectively support prehospital providers in treating pediatric patients while considering their dynamic workflow.

The interdisciplinary team will consist of experts in pediatric emergency care, human-computer interaction, natural language processing (NLP), and artificial intelligence (AI). They will focus on three main goals: to characterize medical errors in prehospital pediatric care through a “human-in-the-loop” computational approach, to design and develop user-friendly cognitive aids for prehospital providers, and to implement and evaluate the proposed technology solution in simulated environments. The students who will be recruited to conduct research on the project will also come from various backgrounds to foster collaboration and a diverse learning environment. They will be trained and mentored to develop both technical (e.g., medical informatics, NLP, user-centered design) and non-technical (e.g., communication, teamwork, and critical thinking) skills.

A Pomeranian dog and an octopus, respectively, bark at the edge of or tread water in giant holes in the earth and ice. They seem curious, distressed, or simply oblivious. Next, ruptures on the earth, signals of climate change and collapse, appear as sinkholes, the result of melting permafrost releasing volumes of trapped gas in an explosive crater-forming event.

A glimpse at the Manhattan Bridge, accompanied by loud traffic, provides an actual sense of location.

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It is DUMBO (an acronym for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass), Brooklyn, across the river from Pace University's New York City campus, and, as part of an outdoor group exhibition in March and April 2024 entitled The DUMBO Projection Project, Volume 3, Professor of Art Jillian McDonald's work, Animals on the Verge, was being projected onto the neighborhood's iconic infrastructure.

McDonald's installment is unique in that it juxtaposes Google's ready-made 3D animals, considered as the "perfect quarantine activity," with both drawings of holes on paper and the use of Augmented Reality (AR). (In fact, McDonald’s hole drawings of animal burrows and entrances to tunnels were inspired by the COVID pandemic, when she often imagined escape routes). 

On how this project came together, she said, "I had one of my hole drawings on a table, and while positioning a bear [with the use of AR], had an aha moment: the situation seemed real, as if the bear was sitting on the edge of a deep hole. I always love making videos that slip in and out of fictional film space, when something is convincing one minute and then the illusion slips."

Experiential learning meets the arts

On this, she collaborated with Ben Pfeifer '26, Film and Screen Studies, supported by the Amelia A. Gould Undergraduate Research Assistantship offered by the Provost Office Center for Undergraduate Research Experiences (CURE) Summer Undergraduate Research. It represents an exciting opportunity at Pace that funds projects in the creative arts, pairing faculty who are working professionals in their fields with an undergraduate student.

Through her video animation and video courses, McDonald discovered Pfeifer to be a great match for a creative collaboration. He was driven and serious, enjoyed working on his projects, was communicative, and had a sense of humor, something McDonald appreciates in the making of film and art. They worked mostly independently, as video editing is mainly a solitary activity, occasionally meeting in her studio in Bushwick, Brooklyn, where her fragile drawings were located, and otherwise in the Art Department or on Zoom. 

Animals on the Verge, although already shot and edited in 2022, with a past exhibition at Undercurrent Gallery, required the addition of more animal scenes and the creation of a condensed version of the video for the DUMBO project, and that's where Ben stepped in. He filmed the new animal scenes, interspersed them in the original video, and edited a ten-minute version.

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Of his experiences, Pfeifer said, "Professor McDonald's mentorship was truly valuable. She provided very insightful instructions while also allowing me to explore and discover things on my own. Seeing the project projected on the Manhattan Bridge was surreal and a true expression of hard work paying off."

McDonald and Pfeifer also worked on other projects supported by the Amelia A. Gould Assistantship. In Sweet Spot and Soft Spot, a pair of videos featuring McDonald's hand caressing numerous mosses and mushrooms in various landscapes across Scotland, Ontario, New Mexico, New Hampshire, and New York, Pfeifer worked on color correction, sound matching, and adding new scenes while McDonald shot them.

Pfeifer also completed a re-edit of a video McDonald made in the forest as part of a residency at Stony Brook University that she repurposed for a music video of the song, “In the Woods,” by the folk Americana, Winnipeg-based band, Leaf Rapids. In addition, they are working together on Chandeliers!, a project McDonald started years ago but that Pfeifer helped bring to fruition, which features scenes of crashing chandeliers from horror films mixed with tourist videos of calving glaciers from YouTube. Finally, he made a ten-minute version of her newest work, Tunnel and Radio Skies, funded by The Canada Council for the Arts and Pace.

This plethora of projects is welcomed by Pfeifer, who chose Pace as a perfect place to explore countless possibilities, a place where a person with many interests would not be confined to any one box. He said, "I have a real interest in visual pleasure and experience, and I hope to continue working on projects that are meaningful to myself and the audience. I hope to never stop creating."

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On the importance of funding artists

Art is where McDonald's energy naturally goes, and so, she is appreciative of support she has received throughout the years during her prolific career, whether in the form of grant funding, such as the Amelia A. Gould Assistantship, or residencies, both crucial resources for an artist who self-describes as someone who doesn't necessarily make art she can sell, therefore operating differently in the art world.

Creation is key. "Everything has potential to be made into art, and making it is a way to communicate and make sense or senselessness of the world."

Cianna Bar

Class of 2025

Currently Studying: MS in Social Media and Mobile Marketing

Current Internship: Digital Transformation Intern, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) North America

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Lubin graduate student Cianna Bar '25 is sharpening her analytical skills at her internship at Jaguar Land Rover, a brand with a great work culture and reputation for innovation and excellence.

How has the Lubin School of Business helped you prepare for your current internship?

The support from my professors and Career Services has been invaluable. They have offered guidance and resources that helped me navigate the competitive internship landscape.

What attracted you to this internship?

Jaguar Land Rover has a great work culture and the brand has a reputation for innovation and excellence. I am honored to get this opportunity to work with a global leader and be part of a team that drives industry advancements.

Describe what a typical day looks like as an intern at Jaguar Land Rover?

A typical day as a digital transformation intern at Jaguar Land Rover starts with a team meeting where we discuss ongoing projects and set priorities for the day. Collaboration is a key part of the role, so I frequently work with colleagues on various projects, contributing ideas and solutions. The environment is fast-paced, and there's always something new to learn, whether it's about the latest automotive technologies or emerging market trends.

What has been the highlight or most enjoyable aspect of your internship so far?

The highlight of my internship, so far, has been the opportunity to work on a project that directly impacts the company's strategy. The supportive and collaborative culture at Jaguar Land Rover has also made the experience enjoyable, as I've been able to learn from and be inspired by some of the best professionals in the industry. Here's a shoutout to my amazing managers Liz Willard and Rem Dinio!

How has this experience shaped or impacted your career goals?

My experience working as an analyst on various projects has profoundly shaped my career goals by deepening my understanding of managing projects and the critical role technology plays in reshaping business operations and marketing strategies. As a marketing student, I've seen how digital transformation enhances data-driven insights. This has significantly sharpened my analytical skills and exposed me to industry best practices, broadening my horizons and inspiring me towards pursuing roles promoting innovation and technology.

How will this experience impact your next semester at Lubin?

I feel more confident because this hands-on experience has helped me highlight marketing areas where I can further specialize, which has encouraged me to enroll in elective courses related to this area of expertise.

My advice to other Lubin students is to start early and leverage all the resources available to you. Career Services at Pace University is a fantastic asset, so make sure to utilize their workshops, resume review sessions, and networking events. Be proactive in seeking opportunities, and don't be afraid to reach out to professionals in your desired industry.

Do you have any advice for other Lubin students who would like to pursue an internship in the future?

My advice to other Lubin students is to start early and leverage all the resources available to you. Career Services at Pace University is a fantastic asset, so make sure to utilize their workshops, resume review sessions, and networking events. Be proactive in seeking opportunities, and don't be afraid to reach out to professionals in your desired industry. Lastly, stay open-minded and be ready to learn—internships are as much about discovering what you enjoy, as they are about gaining work experience.

Connect with Cianna:

• Connect with Cianna Bar on LinkedIn
• Follow Cianna Bar on Instagram

The rise of accessible generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools is quickly transforming  fields as users find innovative use cases. During his last year at Pace Mike Derasmo ’24, who just graduated with his BBA in Global Marketing Management, decided to explore this new technology and incorporate it into class projects by creating custom chat bots. 

OpenAI’s Chat GPT platform has been a frontrunner in the AI conversation, breaking the record for the fastest online platform to reach one million users, achieving the benchmark in under five days. (Compare this to X, which took two years to reach one million!) 

Many, like Mike, saw the immense potential of Chat GPT and jumped at the opportunity to explore its capabilities.  "Once Chat GPT came out, and I saw how people were using it, I realized this was something that can solve anything, if you set it up correctly,” Mike said. “I immediately saw the opportunities for businesses. I knew that it could help me start my own business and set me apart from others in the job market if I got an early advantage.”

Once Chat GPT came out, and I saw how people were using it, I realized this was something that can solve anything, if you set it up correctly.

Mike first used Chat GPT to help with Pace’s Animal Advocacy Clinic, an experiential course where students directly lobby on issues of animal and wildlife welfare. Mike created a bot that could assist in the research to support these arguments, serving as a fast-paced database for the students as they prepared their lobbying efforts. He used it in particular when the class appealed to New York State Senator Pete Harckham about Senate Bill S9069, which would restrict anticoagulant pesticide in New York, using the bot to review their research and other data to better advocate for the bill.

During the process of building the bot, Mike realized he could find other uses for the bot. He got the chance to test this out in his Digital Marketing class in the spring, when the class had acted as marketing consultants for local small businesses. Mike’s team worked with Twenty Sided Store, a board game store and event space, offering new strategies for their social media presence and website. 

 I knew that it could help me start my own business and set me apart from others in the job market if I got an early advantage.

Twenty Sided Helper, another custom bot, was Mike’s solution to bolster their marketing. Not only could his team use the bot to get deeper insights into the business for the project, but the tool could potentially even be used by the company going forward. He demonstrated for the class and the business owners how his bot could quickly identify customer engagement across social media platforms, discover product trends based on sales, and more. “You could even have it look at competitors and see what they’re doing and use it to help develop a plan on how to do the same things while retaining your own identity,” explains Mike.

As an early adopter of generative AI, Mike’s advice to other students interested in learning more is to just start using the tools. “Get into it and hit roadblocks,” he says. “Once you solve how to get past those roadblocks, you’ll be ahead of a lot of people in your industry.”

I can apply all the work I’m doing now into the professional world.

Post-graduation, Mike is looking forward to taking these practical applications of AI into his future career. “I want to own my own business one day. I can apply all the work I’m doing now into the professional world,” he says. “I think modern AI programs are amongst the coolest innovations of all time, as they can solve just about anything if you ask it properly.”

Why not earn credits for your degree while exploring the world? At Pace, you can take in-depth courses or save open electives for amazing international experiences. Did you know a semester abroad can cost the same—or even less—than a semester at Pace?

Earn Credits and Have Fun Abroad!

Why not earn credits for your degree while exploring the world? At Pace, you can dive deep into courses in your discipline or save your open electives for an amazing international experience by taking Areas of Knowledge (AOKs) abroad. Whether you're studying abroad for a semester or a whole year, Pace requires a full course load.

Big Savings

Believe it or not, a semester abroad can cost the same—or even less—than a semester at Pace! When you study abroad, you’ll pay Pace tuition and fees, plus housing to an overseas institution (which often costs less than housing at Pace!). All your federal and state financial aid applies, and for some programs, up to 100% of your Pace scholarships and grants apply. Plus, there are plenty of additional scholarships available.

Boost Your Job Prospects

Students who study abroad are more attractive to employers. It enhances intercultural awareness, critical thinking, self-confidence, academic performance, language skills, and professional development. You’ll learn to problem-solve, train for international careers, develop a global outlook, and collaborate with diverse backgrounds—skills that are crucial for today’s graduates. Talk about a resume booster!

Graduate on Time, or Even Earlier

Most Pace students who study abroad graduate on time or even earlier. Nationally, study abroad participants also have higher graduation rates. Plus, students who go abroad tend to have higher GPAs than those who don’t. 

Don’t Fear FOMO

Sure, you might miss a few events back home, but you’ll be gaining a world of new adventures. New interests, experiences, and friends from all over the world await you. You’ll grow in ways you never imagined and gain a clearer sense of self. Many college graduates who didn't study abroad say their biggest regret is not going.

Ready to think about studying abroad as a Pace Student? Check out the Study Abroad website and save the dates for upcoming study abroad fairs on both the NYC and Pleasantville campuses. 

Heera Sojan

Class of 2024

Currently Studying: MS in Accounting Data Analytics and Technologies

Current Internship: Audit Intern, Office of the New York City Comptroller

Pronouns: She/Her

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Heera Sojan '24 is climbing the ladder of success as an audit intern at her summer internship with the Office of the New York City Comptroller. She is a graduate student pursuing her MS in Accounting Data Analytics and Technologies.

Her internship has helped her understand different bureaus such as audit, public affairs, budget, etc., and how they serve the public.

How has the Lubin School of Business helped you prepare for your current internship?

The amazing Career Services office helped in tailoring my resume and allowing me to network with potential employers. Also, learning about governmental audit at Lubin and being able to apply it at work is a huge opportunity.

As an international student in the US, I was inquisitive to know how the government audits different agencies. Getting to work for the government sounded like a great opportunity to learn this.

What attracted you to this internship?

As an international student in the US, I was inquisitive to know how the government audits different agencies. Getting to work for the government sounded like a great opportunity to learn this.

Describe what a typical day looks like as an intern at the Office of the New York City Comptroller.

I work Mondays-Thursdays, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., in-person. A typical day includes reporting to my supervisor in the morning, discussing my assignments and working on them, and going to a workshop/speaker series from 2:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m.

What has been the highlight or most enjoyable aspect of your internship so far?

The Office of the New York City Comptroller organized a "Meet the Leadership" series, where all the interns meet and pose questions to leaders of different bureaus such as audit, public affairs, budget, etc., to understand how they serve the public. They also talk about the career path they followed.

How has this experience shaped or impacted your career goals?

I am considering working for the government so that I can serve the public.

How will this experience impact your next semester at Lubin?

This experience has helped me gain professional experience, connect with professionals who work in this field, and develop skills that will impact my next semester.

Do you have any advice for other Lubin students who would like to pursue an internship in the future?

Keep applying to every internship/job you can—you never know what incredible opportunity you may land.

Connect with Heera:

• Connect with Heera Sojan on LinkedIn
• Follow Heera Sojan on Instagram

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An avid reader and world traveler, Steffen Pedersen has worked his entire legal career as a maritime lawyer in international law firms. Currently, he is working as a maritime arbitrator with a keen interest in deep sea mining. He is also a frequently published author and panelist on the topic of international arbitration and mediation, with a focus on East and South-East Asia. Steffen decided to pursue his LLM in Comparative Law at Haub Law to open the door to more opportunities in the United States in his career as an international arbitrator.

What brought you to the United States, can you tell us about your background?

I am Danish, I was born in Denmark, but grew up internationally, in London and Hong Kong. So, ironically, I am qualified as a Hong Kong and English lawyer, but not a Danish lawyer. Thus far, I have worked my entire legal career as a maritime lawyer in international law firms in East Asia in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore. I studied Mandarin specifically with the intention of working in East Asia as at that time it was obvious that this was the growth area in the world and local language skills would become more and more important. Life always has other plans. My wife is Korean, but she grew up in the United States and that brought us here. We have adorable, but crazy children, who are 11 and 5. We have lived in the United States since January 2022.

What drove you to pursue an LLM at Haub Law?

I did not know a lot about graduate schools when I initially started applying, but as I did my research, a number of factors attracted me to Haub Law. The entire application process was seamless, the campus is very conveniently located for me, and it is the number one ranked law school in environmental law, which gave me the chance to learn about new areas while making myself more marketable.

Once you entered the program, how did you find the LLM experience at Haub Law?

Haub Law is a flexible, easy-going school and I really enjoyed studying there. It was a different experience as an almost 50 year old, whereas many students are younger – the juxtaposition between our thinking was interesting. I absolutely loved my International Environmental Law class with Professor Smita Narula. It was a great experience and she is a masterful teacher. I also enjoyed Constitutional Law immensely; this was a completely new area for me and I found it really intriguing.

Would you encourage others who are thinking about it to pursue an LLM?

Absolutely, just do it. You only live once. Regret the things you've done, not the ones you haven't. I am confident that my LLM will bolster my career and pave the way for me to remain marketable to employers moving forward. To have studied at a top tier institution such as Haub Law that has a premiere reputation in environmental law is invaluable especially with the discernible change in global consciousness on the importance of environmental issues.

I am confident that my LLM will bolster my career and pave the way for me to remain marketable to employers moving forward.

What are you currently pursuing career wise?

I am working as a maritime arbitrator. I have a keen interest in deep sea mining in particular, it is a very unique and niche area. I am planning to take the NY Bar Exam as soon as possible, which for me will likely be February 2025, as I have hearings in London in June and July of 2024 which prevent me studying for the July exam. From there, I hope to start pursuing arbitration appointments in the United States. I also signed up to take the Marshall Islands bar exam before COVID struck. I am still waiting to do that and hope to find the time soon.

Dr. Miguel Mosteiro, Associate Professor at the Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems, successfully presented two of his experimental research papers at the 2024 NETYS (The International Conference on Networked Systems) conference.

This selective and high-level conference aims to bring together researchers and engineers from the theory and practice of distributed and networked systems. The program committee includes many scholars who are ranked top of the field in distributed computing worldwide.

When talking about his presentations at the conference, Dr. Mosteiro said that he was “particularly proud because both papers are coauthored by some of my students, and the topic of both papers is exciting for different reasons, which is reflected in the interest shown by the reviewers. Both works triggered interest and were followed up by great questions that leave room for further development of the projects.”

The first paper, titled "Distributed Station Assignment through Learning", was co-written by Dr. Mosteiro, Lu Dong, and Michelle Wang, both of whom are Pace PhD students. Their work is an experimental study of a scheduling problem called Station Assignment, where mobile users of a wireless network need to upload data to static base stations, while minimizing energy consumption in various aspects. This was done by applying machine learning approaches developed by OpenAI, which are at the forefront of AI research.

"Privacy Preserving Vehicular Adhoc Network Computations: A NYC Taxi Trips Evaluation", the second paper presented at the NETYS conference, is an experimental study of algebraic computations in vehicular networks which was carried out on data extracted from a huge public database of New York City taxi trips. This work was co-authored by Dr. Mosteiro, Austin Powlette (undergraduate Seidenberg student), and Dariusz R. Kowalski (external colleague from Augusta University).

Congratulations to Dr. Mosteiro, as well as his students and collaborators, on this fantastic achievement!