Mary Tedeschi, professor at Pace University’s Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems, spent much of 2025 doing what she does best: teaching her students and guiding them through research to such a level that they presented their papers at two prestigious international virtual education conferences: INTED 2025 based in Valencia, Spain and EDULEARN 2025 in Palma, Spain.

Working alongside both undergraduate and graduate Pace students, and in collaboration with peers from NYU and City Tech CUNY, Professor Tedeschi's research bridged technical innovation, pedagogical advancement, and human-centered design. These projects, which explore everything from artificial intelligence in student advising to foundational programming patterns, demonstrate the real-world impact of student-faculty research partnerships that is so central to the Pace experience.

It’s a pleasure to work with eager, motivated students!

INTED 2025: From Code to Classroom Impact

At INTED (International Technology, Education and Development Conference) 2025, an annual conference spotlighting innovation and technology in education, Professor Tedeschi and her team of students from Pace and City Tech CUNY presented two projects.

The first paper, Teaching the Iterator Pattern in Introductory Programming Courses, tackled the issue of introductory programming courses often struggling to bridge theory and practice. In response, this study focused on introducing the iterator pattern (a behavioral design pattern) early in the curriculum to build students' foundational programming skills in languages like Python and Java.

The research leveraged a combination of visual tools, hands-on-practice, pair programming, alternative teaching approaches, and peer collaboration, all reinforced through assessments and reflective writing. Results showed improvement in student comprehension, with the students expressing appreciation for the hands-on approach and finding it a more engaging learning environment.

The project also gave graduate students a unique opportunity to deepen their own understanding by contributing to the curriculum used to teach undergraduates at different institutions, further bridging theory and practice for the researching students as well.

For their second INTED presentation, AI-Powered Customer Support for Academic Counseling and Career Guidance, Professor Tedeschi and her students explored how AI tools are reshaping academic and career advising. The study assessed how systems like IBM Watson Education and AI-powered chatbots can provide scalable, personalized, ethical, and around-the-clock guidance to students, which would be especially helpful in large educational institutions where counselor-to-student ratios are imbalanced (they can be as high as 1 counselor per 500 students in some cases).

Using natural language processing (NLP) and predictive analytics, these tools can help students track progress, receive course recommendations, and prepare for internships and careers. However, the research also outlined key ethical challenges: mitigating algorithmic bias, ensuring data privacy, and balancing AI efficiency with human empathy.

The team concluded that hybrid models in which human advisors use AI to their benefit may be the most ethical and effective path forward.

EDULEARN 2025: Simplifying Data, Amplifying Access

At EDULEARN (International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies) 2025, Professor Tedeschi and her students unveiled a technical, future-facing project: the development of an AI-driven database system designed to make data management accessible to non-technical users.

The paper, An Advanced AI-Driven Database System, outlined a platform that uses large language models (LLMs) like GPT-4 and reinforcement learning to automate core database functions, ranging from schema generation to natural language querying and backend optimization.

The team, a collaboration of students from both Pace and NYU, built a modular architecture that supports multiple database types (e.g., SQL, NoSQL, vector, graph) and employs AI to automatically detect data types, translate user queries, and adjust performance. In testing, the system responded to user questions in plain language, improved speed and accuracy, and adapted automatically to changing needs. The project illustrates how AI can simplify complex data tasks while also raising important conversations about ethics, particularly around accuracy, transparency, and data privacy.

Collaboration and Global Exposure

From building smarter database tools to reimagining student support systems, the work of Professor Tedeschi and her team highlights how deeply involved Pace students are at every stage of their research projects. “They did an outstanding job and even completed extra work,” she said. “Students are already asking me to be a part of future research and conference experiences.” With faculty mentorship and collaboration across New York City institutions, our students gain real-world experience as they shape research, guide implementation, and present their findings on the global stage.

The Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University is pleased to announce that Sara Gonzalez-Rothi will join its faculty as a Visiting Associate Professor of Environmental Law. Prior to joining the Haub Law faculty in 2025, Professor Gonzalez-Rothi served in a variety of roles within the United States Senate and the Executive Office of the President. Most recently, she served as the Senior Director for Water at the White House Council on Environmental Quality. During her time at Pace Haub Law, Professor Gonzalez-Rothi will be teaching Administrative Law and Water Law.

"At this critical moment for the rule of law and the right of every person to clean air, clean water, and a safe and healthy environment, I am humbled and excited to join the exceptional team of faculty and students at Pace Haub Law," said Professor Gonzalez-Rothi. "Brave and skilled lawyers of tomorrow hold the keys to unlock a more just future, and we are fortunate to participate in their development."

From 2021–2025, Professor Gonzalez-Rothi served as the Senior Director for Water at the White House Council on Environmental Quality. She was in this role for the entire duration of the Biden-Harris Administration and was responsible for coordination and harmonization of federal interagency activities related to marine, freshwater, and drinking water policy. Prior to this, she served as Senior Counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, where she advised all democratic members of the Committee on issues related to the ocean and atmosphere. Professor Gonzalez-Rothi also held other positions, including as a Senior Policy Specialist with the National Wildlife Federation and as Legislative Counsel to a U.S. Senator, where she advised on issues related to environment, energy, agriculture, and animal welfare.

“Professor Gonzalez-Rothi comes to the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University with over sixteen years of experience related to complex environmental policy matters,” said Achinthi Vithanage, Executive Director of the Environmental Law Program and a Professor of Law for Designated Service in Environmental Law at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University. “She has dedicated her career to public service and advancing commonsense solutions to bettering the environment. The entire Pace Haub Law community will benefit from the unique perspective that Professor Gonzalez-Rothi will bring to our environmental law program and larger campus community.”

During her time working in the White House Council on Environmental Quality, Professor Gonzalez-Rothi had several impressive accomplishments. She established and co-led the Ocean Policy Committee, which was co-chaired by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Under this leadership, the Ocean Policy Committee developed the first ever United States Ocean Climate Action Plan (PDF), Ocean Justice Strategy (PDF), and National Strategy for a Sustainable Ocean Economy (PDF). She also helped establish and run the first ever Interagency Policy Committee on Poly- and Per-Fluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS). Additionally, she created the America the Beautiful Freshwater Challenge Initiative, launching the Wetland and Water Resource Protection Guide, and hosting the White House Freshwater Summit. Notably, she also helped to forge two historic agreements to pause longstanding litigation against the federal government by Tribal Nations, states, and environmental organizations regarding the degradation of salmon and other native fish in the Columbia River Basin. While working in the United States Senate, she played a large role in negotiating and successfully shepherding the RESTORE Act through Senate passage with overwhelming bipartisan support and ultimately to a final enactment.

Professor Gonzalez-Rothi is a frequently sought after independent consultant and has conducted legal and policy research and writing, briefed congressional staff, provided strategic counsel, served as a guest lecturer, and more on high-impact environmental and science policy matters. Her research interests and scholarship include climate change, water law, pragmatic environmentalism, and more. Her most recent publication includes Cultivating Fair Winds and a Following Sea: Considerations for Offshore Wind Proponents in New York, published in The New York Environmental Lawyer. Professor Gonzalez-Rothi is a Board Member with the Coastal States Stewardship Foundation and previously served as an Advisory Board Member with the Women’s Aquatic Network and an Appointed Member with the Maryland State Parks Advisory Commission. She graduated with a BA from the University of Florida and a JD (cum laude) from the University of Miami School of Law.

The Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University is proud to announce that the 2025 Elisabeth Haub Award for Environmental Law and Diplomacy will be jointly awarded to Professor John H. Knox and Dr. David R. Boyd for their groundbreaking efforts as successive United Nations Special Rapporteurs on the human right to a healthy environment. The award will be presented during a ceremony at Pace University in New York City on October 23, 2025.

Together, Professors Knox and Boyd have profoundly shaped the field of international environmental law by laying the foundation for the recognition of the human right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment. Their work as Special Rapporteurs—Knox from 2012 to 2018 and Boyd from 2018 to 2024—has been instrumental in inspiring legislative, diplomatic, and judicial support for environmental rights around the globe. Their achievements were bolstered by the recent landmark ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which affirmed the right to a healthy environment as a binding norm of international law.

For decades, the right to a healthy environment was absent from foundational human rights documents, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which was adopted in 1948. Despite growing awareness following the environmental movements of the 1970s, efforts to enshrine environmental rights at the United Nations met repeated resistance, even as over 150 countries adopted such protections domestically or regionally. It wasn’t until 2012 that real momentum began, when the UN Human Rights Council appointed Professor John Knox as the first Independent Expert on human rights and the environment. Knox spent six years building the legal foundation for environmental human rights, culminating in the Framework Principles on Human Rights and the Environment, a landmark set of guidelines that clarify how existing human rights obligations relate to the protection of the environment. His successor, Dr. David Boyd, expanded on that legacy, leading a global coalition of governments, UN agencies, and over 1,300 civil society organizations to champion recognition. Together, Knox and Boyd steered a decades-stalled conversation toward success, culminating in the landmark resolutions of the UN Human Rights Council (2021) and UN General Assembly (2022) recognizing the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. Their shared journey—rooted in scholarship, diplomacy, and advocacy—transformed a long-ignored principle into a universal standard for environmental justice.

John Knox and David Boyd are visionary leaders who laid the legal and moral groundwork for one of the most consequential developments in international environmental law: global recognition of the human right to a healthy environment.

“John Knox and David Boyd are visionary leaders who laid the legal and moral groundwork for one of the most consequential developments in international environmental law: global recognition of the human right to a healthy environment,” said Horace E. Anderson Jr., Dean of the Elisabeth Haub School of Law and President of the Haub Award Jury. “Their scholarly rigor, institutional leadership, and global advocacy have advanced a transformative agenda that now defines the next chapter of environmental justice.”

John H. Knox, the Henry C. Lauerman Professor of International Law at Wake Forest University, served as the first UN Independent Expert—and later the first Special Rapporteur—on human rights and the environment. His mandate focused on clarifying the human rights obligations of States in relation to environmental protection. Professor Knox consulted with hundreds of stakeholders worldwide, visited more than 25 countries, and authored over 30 reports. In 2018, he presented the Framework Principles. Professor Knox has long urged the integration of human rights principles into climate protection and biodiversity conservation and has been a leading voice on the promotion and protection of the rights of environmental defenders and Indigenous Peoples.

Dr. David R. Boyd, professor at the University of British Columbia, succeeded Knox as UN Special Rapporteur. In his role, Boyd worked with governments, courts, and communities to operationalize the right to a healthy environment. He submitted amicus briefs in 15 landmark legal proceedings, delivered over 500 speeches globally, and produced more than 30 UN reports that further defined the legal contours of environmental rights. His efforts have been cited by the International Court of Justice, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, and the European Court of Human Rights. Beyond his UN work, Dr. Boyd is the author of ten books and over 100 publications on environmental topics and has advised governments across the globe on environmental and constitutional law.

The lifelong commitment of Knox and Boyd to advancing environmental law and human rights has had lasting impacts at every level—from international legal frameworks to community-level empowerment. The ICJ’s recent opinion reaffirms and elevates this right as a cornerstone of international human rights law.

“Professors Knox and Boyd exemplify the values of courage, advocacy, and collaboration that the Haub Award seeks to honor,” said Liliane Haub, environmental advocate, Pace University Trustee, and member of the Haub Award Jury. “Their tireless efforts have not only expanded the frontiers of environmental law but also safeguarded dignity and justice for present and future generations.”

The Elisabeth Haub Award for Environmental Law and Diplomacy is the world’s most prestigious award in the field of environmental law. The Award has a distinguished history since 1979 shaped by progress in the field of environmental law and policy, and through collaborations with the Université libre de Bruxelles and the International Council of Environmental Law. In 2016, the family of Elisabeth Haub and the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University established the award as it is known today to honor Elisabeth Haub (1899–1977), a noted philanthropist and advocate for strong laws for the conservation of nature. Chosen annually by an esteemed jury, the Award recognizes the innovation, skill, and accomplishments of lawyers, diplomats, international civil servants and other advocates who work to create the world environmental order. In 2024, the Haub Award was presented to Singapore Ambassador Rena Lee and Kristina Maria Gjerde in recognition of their landmark achievements to protect biodiversity in the high seas through the United Nations Agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ).

The ceremony for the 2025 Elisabeth Haub Award for Environmental Law and Diplomacy honoring Professor John Knox and Dr. David Boyd and will take place on Thursday, October 23 at 5:00 p.m. EST in New York City and be broadcast virtually.

Register to attend