To submit news items, please contact Christy Jenkins or Joe Chung. Also see our student blog.
CSSE Announces Opening of Monmouth Cybersecurity Research Center
Located in Howard Hall, this cutting-edge facility is dedicated to advancing research, education, and innovation in quantum computing and cybersecurity. This center will serve as a collaborative space for students, faculty, and industry partners to tackle today’s most pressing cybersecurity challenges, enhance workforce readiness, and drive forward-thinking solutions in digital defense.
In addition to research in cybersecurity and quantum computing, this space also houses the Monmouth Cyber Hawks, CSSE’s very own Capture-the-Flag (CTF) competition team. The Cyber Hawks will play in CTF tournaments and vie national and international ranking through the National Cyber League (NCL), where participants engage in solving real-world cybersecurity challenges.
Quantum computing is poised to revolutionize a huge variety of fields including cybersecurity, medicine, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), and finance. Quantum practitioners stand at the forefront of what is possible for knowledge development. At Monmouth, all students beginning freshman year can do real-world hands-on research with this exciting new technology that has global excitement.
CSSE Hosts Cyber and Quantum Seminar
On September 22, Specialist Professor Brian Callahan hosted “Cybersecurity in the Age of Quantum,” a seminar to introduce cybersecurity and quantum computing research at Monmouth University. The CSSE Department is proud to announce opportunities in quantum computing, which is an entirely new class of computing that allows researchers to solve some of today’s biggest problems. Quantum computing is at the cutting edge of research in the areas of healthcare and cybersecurity, among others. Callahan was joined by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Shoshana Sugerman (’26) to discuss how opportunities in this research shaped her academic career. In addition, Callahan also announced the formation of Monmouth University Cybersecurity Research Center, hosting a student research group and Capture-the-Flag (CTF) competition team.
The Monmouth University Cybersecurity Research Center, part of the CSSE Department, is open to interested students from all majors. Under the Center, a student research group would explore quantum security, while a CTF team, the Monmouth Cyber Hawks, would compete for National and International ranking. CTF security competitions would be hosted through the National Cyber League (NCL). The NCL prepares students for careers in cybersecurity by testing their skills in real-world cybersecurity challenges such as identifying hackers from forensic data, pentesting, and recovery from ransom-are attacks.
For more information on our Cybersecurity offerings, or the Monmouth Cybersecurity Research Center, contact Dr. Callahan: bcallaha@monmouth.edu
Welcome Brian Callahan, Ph.D.
Sept. 10, 2025
We are excited for the start of another successful academic semester. To better support some of our new course offerings, the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering is excited to welcome Brian Callahan, Ph.D., ’14M, to our faculty. Callahan joins us from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), where he served as the graduate program director for and senior lecturer in the Information Technology and Web Science program (ITWS), and the director of the Rensselaer Cybersecurity Collaboratory (RCC), and was widely recognized for his innovative work at the intersection of cybersecurity, quantum computing, and generative AI. Callahan brings with him a deep commitment to student mentorship, hands-on learning, and inclusive pedagogy. His research spans topics such as reverse engineering, digital forensics, security education, and the use of BSD Unix systems in computer science instruction; areas in which he has published extensively and continues to contribute actively.
Recently, Callahan lead a team of undergraduates in quantum cybersecurity research, winning the Best Presentation Award special prize at the 28th Colloquium for Information Systems Security Education (CISSE). At RPI, he also spearheaded efforts to integrate real-world, low-level systems work into the curriculum, helping students become more effective, security-conscious engineers. Callahan is a featured speaker at ISC2’s Security Congress in Nashville this October. Most recently, his work on Quantum Kernels for Network Intrusion has been accepted for publication at the First AAAI Symposium on Quantum Information & Machine Learning (QIML).
An advocate for FOSS (Free and Open Source Software), Callahan’s unique blend of academic rigor and applied practice makes him an outstanding addition to our department. We are excited for the energy, expertise, and collaborative spirit he brings to Monmouth University. Please join us in welcoming Callahan to our community!
Introducing Two New Minors
Sept. 10, 2025
The Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering proudly announces two new minors, starting Fall 2025: data science, and cybersecurity. While new course offerings compliment these in-demand minors, the data science minor is designed to attract students across programs. For more information, please contact Office Coordinator Christy Jenkins.
Data Science
The data science minor program will focus on harnessing the power of data, providing a foundation in data science techniques, along with hands-on experience. This minor exposes students from all majors to the growing field of data science, analytics, and artificial intelligence. Students will learn and develop applications across various domains, while fostering a comprehensive understanding of data analytics, machine learning, and ethics, as well as exploring cutting-edge topics and tools.
Cybersecurity
The cybersecurity minor program will introduce students to information and network security and their related issues. By learning the fundamental principles of securing software systems and networks, through the introduction of cryptography, as well as the techniques of hacking and secure cloud computing, students will be able to design secure applications and systems, understand threat assessment using different detection techniques, and countermeasure security threats.
Data and Computer Science Students Present at the SRP Symposium
Aug. 7, 2025
Undergraduates and graduate students had the opportunity to participate in Monmouth’s School of Science Summer Research Program (SRP). This program is a 10-week paid research experience for students to work on collaborative research projects under the supervision of School of Science faculty, culminating in student presentations at the Summer Research Program Symposium on Aug. 7. In addition to the opportunity to present their work to faculty and professional contacts of the School of Science, students gained invaluable research experience that looks attractive to future employers and to graduate and professional school programs.
Professor Wang Earns MU Distinguished Scholar Award
June 4, 2025
The newly implemented Monmouth University Distinguished Scholar award celebrates and encourages sustained excellence in scholarship and research. This year, Dr, Jay Wang was named as one of three co-recipients who are each exemplary in their scholarship achievements.
Dr. Wang’s scholarly interests include artificial intelligence, software engineering, formal methods, discrete event systems, and service computing. In particular, Dr. Wang’s outstanding contributions to the field of artificial intelligence (AI) research has played a pivotal role in advancing AI applications to address real-world challenges, particularly in healthcare and emergency management. His success in grant writing, and securing multiple IEEE grants for his AI research, are commendable.
CS Students MARCO App Featured in Asbury Park Press
May 29, 2025
Aquatic information? Monmouth University created Marco, an app for that
Karl Vilacoba, communications director, explains the uses of ocean data portal software created through the Urban Coast Institute at Monmouth University and its collaborators. The portal shows fishing grounds, marine life habitats, local boat ramps, “water trails” and other interesting aquatic information. The Mid-Atlantic Ocean Portal Data platform accumulates thousands of pieces of information from various sources and makes it available to the public.
CS Students Publish Mid-Atlantic Ocean Data Portal Mobile App
April 10, 2025
The team of Ava Taylor (CS ’23) and Anjali Narang (CS ’25) has created a mobile app version of the Mid-Atlantic Ocean Data Portal which gives access to coastal and ocean maps. The app is available on the Google Play and Apple App stores. The data portal (portal.midatlanticocean.org) is a publicly accessible GIS site containing over 6,000 interactive maps showing vessel traffic patterns, marine life distributions, commercial fishing grounds, recreation hot spots, offshore infrastructure locations, and more. It is maintained by the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean (MARCO), which also provided grant funding for the completion of the mobile app. Dr. Lakshmanan directed the project, with Taylor leading the iOS version’s development and Narang the Android product. The mobile app contains unique mobile functionality such as GPS location indicator and the ability to choose “favorite” or “active” layers.
Monmouth Students Publish Mid-Atlantic Ocean Data Portal App for iOS, Android (UCI Blog)
Computer Science and Software Engineering Department Hosts Annual Hawk Hack
March 10, 2025
Fifty students from ten high schools across New Jersey came to Monmouth’s campus to participate in the annual High School Hawk Hack this February. Students from each school comprised teams of two or three members who competed in a 90 minute coding competition. The top three teams won prizes ranging from robots to drones to STEAM gift cards.
The annual event, run by the student-led club of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers/ Association for Computing Machinery, (IEEE/ACM) works with everything from computer science and software engineering (CSSE) to Information Technology (IT). According to Vincent Tuberion, President of IEEE/ACM, the annual Hawk Hack is the club’s biggest event.
Tuberion also addressed concerns surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) use, “One of the big things that I’ve been working on for this year is trying to be very clear with the rules, requirements, and having definite stipulations as far as preventing the use of any AI or large language models. We want to make sure the students aren’t depending on AI. It should be used more as a tool to assist rather than doing it for you, because otherwise you’re not learning anything.”
Professor Rolf Kamp, IEEE/ ACM Club Advisor since January of 2022, said “There are two prongs to our mission: number one of course being selfish, promoting Monmouth University’s Computer Science and Software Engineering department by showing off our resources, and of course, enhancing and promoting STEM awareness.” Kamp touched on how Covid impacted attendance of the event, “I’d say we are back to where we should have been [pre-Covid], largely due to our partnership with Admissions. We are very fortunate to have a good partner with the Admissions department.”
Dr. Ling Zheng , Department Chair of Computer Science and Software Engineering Department, said “It’s a great chance to showcase our department to all participating high school students and their teachers. It’s a way to let high school students know that this kind of journey, starting from this competition, can lead to many amazing results.” Zheng added “I hope that we can have an even bigger event, or a series of such kinds of events so that more students can participate in this kind of contest.”
Joe Coyle, Interim Dean of the School of Science, added, “One of the things a university should be seen as, from the school’s perspective, is as a resource in the area.
New schools also joined this year including Lodi High School, Saddle River High School, and John P. Stevens High School. In the end, John P. Stevens won first, Saddle River second, and Freehold High School got third.
Saddle River Coding Club, the second-place team noted that this was not their first “Hackathon.” Sri Sheroy, Junior said, “We went to this one Hackathon in NYC but it was really bad, this one was much better. The premise of the game was a lot more interesting and collaborative.”
Nicole Halpin , John P. Stevens Supervisor of Career and Technical Education for grades 6-12, concluded, “I love when kids can see outside of the world of Edison, or outside of their own little community. A lot of times, high schoolers don’t know what else goes on around them, so to meet other like-minded kids is always good. For our kids, especially at a high achieving high school, to see that there are other high achieving kids out there, that they’re going to meet in the real world outside.”
CSSE Students Ahmed and Catapano Earn Upsilon Pi Epsilon Scholarships
Feb. 4, 2025
CSSE students Omar Ahmed and Andrew Catapano were recently awarded the 2024 Upsilon Pi Epsilon (UPE) Scholarship Award. They were two of only 20 students selected nationwide for this award. Omar is a senior CS student actively involved on campus, serving as a peer mentor for the School of Science, a Mathematics tutor, and a teaching assistant for Chemistry and Biology courses. Andrew is a graduate CS student who won the undergraduate Academic Excellence Award from the CSSE department last year and serves as the Vice President of the eSports Club and is a member of Monmouth’s IEEE/ACM Club.
Prof. Qu Awarded NSF Grant for Advanced Program Analysis Research
Jan. 24, 2025
Dr. Weihao Qu was awarded a $174,999 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to fund his research project titled “Precise Formal Verification of General Relational Quantitative Properties with Mutable Arrays.” His research focuses on enhancing the security, efficiency, and reliability of software systems through advanced program analysis techniques. By addressing critical gaps in how mutable arrays are analyzed, his work will lead to tools that can ensure software correctness, protect sensitive data, and optimize program performance. The NSF funding will also support student training and research in the area of formal verification. Research findings will also be integrated into Dr. Qu’s courses.
“Prof. Qu Awarded NSF Grant for Computing Research”
Monmouth Faculty and Students Collaborate on Innovative Apps, Paving the Way for Patents
Dec. 14, 2024
Led by Dr. Raman Lakshmanan, students from the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering (CSSE) and the Department of Communication recently collaborated to develop two applications that are leading to patents. The first application is FLUDZ, a crowd-sourced flood data distribution service. The service originated from Ava Taylor’s (CS ’23) honors thesis research on the lack of flood data at the local level and the need for a cost-effective way to report and track flooding. The second application is ParkShark, an innovative combination of IoT (Internet of Things) GPS hardware and software to assist commuting students to find available parking spots. Commuters can input their class schedules, arrival times on campus, preferred lots into the ParkShark system, and the geofenced service would notify users of lot occupancy and available spots in the ParkShark app. Davian Albarran (SE ’24) and current SE student Andrew McGovern have worked on ParkShark alongside other CSSE students.
“Clutch” Meeting Ends Semester of Monmouth Gamers United Club
Dec. 4, 2024
On December 4th, Monmouth Gamers United, Monmouth’s very own digital and traditional gaming club, celebrated the end of the Fall semester with a gathering that featured student-owned systems, board games, card and role-playing games. In addition, several prizes were raffled off to lucky student winners. While the President, Mar Elbanna, is a Computer Science major, the club is open to all students. This club meets weekly in Edison Hall. For more information, or Spring semester meeting dates, please contact Mar Elbanna at s1328626@monmouth.edu or join the club discord: https://discord.gg/HydBsE64
Computer Science Senior Presents at IEEE Conference in Malaysia
Nov. 14, 2024
Computer Science Senior, Therese “Ez” Racancoj, traveled with Prof. Jay Wang to Kuching, Malaysia to attend the 2024 IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics from October 6th-9th. During the conference, Therese presented her research work on an IEEE funded project titled “Comprehensive Humanoid Robot Control Project Design and Development”.
The goal of her research is to design and develop a set of reasonably challenging experimental projects that would allow students to fully explore the functions of humanoid robots and practice embedded software design skills for real-time robot control. The deliverables of this project can be used by scholars of the SMC society in their robotics related classes; they can also be used by industrial practitioners to learn about robot programming techniques.
“The opportunity to attend the international IEEE conference in Malaysia, especially while still an undergraduate, was an amazing experience of which I am extremely grateful to Professor Wang for. It was great being able to talk to people currently working in the tech field, not only to gain insight into what I have to look forward to in a future job but also because I was able to get to know some of the people who are dedicated to improving the field and making it that much more enjoyable.”
November Industry Speaker Event: David Libesman, AI & Data Thought Leader
Nov. 7, 2024
Computer Science and Software Engineering held an exclusive event On November 6th featuring David Libesman, AI and Data Analytics Thought Leader and SVP & GM, AI & Data Analytics at WorkWave. David has revolutionized how businesses leverage AI for optimizing profits, operational efficiency and customer engagement. David Libesman has a proven track record in creating disruptive Analytics & AI-driven solutions, driving industry transformations through intelligent automated workflows, self-service customer interactions, and predictive service delivery models, ensuring that AI improves profits, efficiency, enhances customer satisfaction, and anticipates future needs.
SE Graduate in Summer 2024 School of Science Graduate Spotlight
May 20, 2024
Read more of the graduate spotlight
IEEE/ACM Clubs Hosts Annual High School Hawk Hack
March 14, 2024
In February, the IEEE/ACM Club hosted the annual High School Hawk Hack. In only its second year post-pandemic, this event grew significantly to include over 50 students from 12 schools across the state. More than a dozen IEEE/ACM club members organized, instructed and proctored the competition that has students compete in teams to solve a series of programming challenges. The results are then tallied by HackerRank, a platform with Computer Science problems, used by many employers to assess the coding skills of potential candidates.
The 2024 High School Hawk Hack winners:
First place – Middlesex High School
Second Place – Dwight-Englewood School
Third Place – Lakeland High School
The IEEE/ACM club and the Computer Science & Software Engineering department hope that this event continues to grow for high school students pursuing a career in technology.
“IEEE/ASM Club and CSEE Department Host Hawk Hack” (The Outlook)
Dr. Jay Wang recently elected as voting member of the Board of Governors (BoG) of the IEEE Systems, Man, and Cybernetics Society (SMCS)
Jan. 3, 2024
Dr. Jay Wang has been recently elected as a voting member of the Board of Governors (BoG) of the IEEE Systems, Man, and Cybernetics Society (SMCS). Dr. Wang has been involved in this society for about two decades, in various roles such as conference organizer, journal editor, Secretary of the Organizing and Planning Committee, Associate Vice President for Finance, and more. He was a non-voting BoG member for the last three years, and he will have the voting right from Jan. 1, 2024.
Dr. Wang is a Senior Member of IEEE since 2000. He has written four books and published over 200 papers on topics such as machine learning, software engineering, formal methods, discrete event systems, and service computing. Currently he serves as Associate Editor for several reputable international journals.
BSCS Senior Receives Upsilon Pi Epsilon (UPE) Scholarship
Nov. 17, 2023
“Senior Joe Furmanowski Earns UPE Scholarship” (Monmouth Now)