Computer Science and Software Engineering students Omar Ahmed and Andrew Catapano recently received Upsilon Pi Epsilon (UPE) Scholarship Awards. Ahmed and Catapano were two of only 20 students nationwide selected for this award.

Each year, the UPE executive council evaluates scholarship applications from undergraduate and graduate students who complete a comprehensive application including a statement on their long-term plans in the profession, a summary of their contributions to their respective UPE chapters, and related student activities at their college or university.

Ahmed, a senior computer science student with a minor in chemistry, has completed three independent studies in various fields, including performance programing, networking, and developing a data analysis desktop application supporting biophysical chemical research. Ahmed has worked as a software engineering intern at Peraton for the past two years and is actively involved on campus as a peer mentor for the School of Science, a math tutor, and a teaching assistant for Chemistry I and Biology.

Catapano, a graduate computer science student, also won the CSSE department’s Academic Excellence Award last year as an undergraduate. Catapano currently serves as vice president of the eSports Club and is a member of Monmouth’s IEEE/ACM Club, where he assisted in successfully organizing the high school programming competition.

The Upsilon Pi Epsilon Association (UPE) is the only international honor society for the computing and information disciplines. UPE aims to promote the computing and information disciplines and to encourage their contribution to the enhancement of knowledge. UPE now consists of chapters in more than 300 colleges and universities in North America and overseas. The mission of the Kappa Chapter of Upsilon Pi Epsilon at Monmouth University is to recognize academic excellence in the computing and information disciplines at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Monmouth University senior business student Kadeem McKnight was recognized as the 2025 College Program Big Brother of the Year by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Coastal and Northern New Jersey (BBBSCNNJ) at the organization’s Mentor Appreciation Night.

“Working within the program means a lot to me because I get the opportunity to be a guide and navigate the youth through life hardships they may face as well have a long-lasting impact on their lives. It is truly an honor to be recognized for this award,” McKnight said.

As a four-year mentor with the University’s Empowering Young Black Males leadership mentoring program, McKnight has guided local high school students by sharing his experiences, offering support, forming meaningful friendships, providing insight into college life, and emphasizing the value of education while preparing them for future success.

McKnight’s passion for mentorship began in high school, where he worked on a social justice project and gained experience volunteering and interning with organizations advocating for African American and Caribbean families with disabled children. His work, combined with his personal experience growing up in a single-parent home with an older sister, Tatiana—who has special needs—inspired his capstone project on the lack of available resources for Black parents with disabled children.

His commitment has not gone unnoticed, as Robert Mc Caig, Ed.D., vice president for enrollment management and marketing and BBBSCNNJ governance board of trustees member, presented him with the award.

“The students he works with say he is ‘relatable and motivational’; you can tell they see their own promise and potential when they hear Kadeem talk about what it took for him to be successful. Kadeem shows them not just the path to college but the path to character, to leadership, and to self-belief. Kadeem has turned his own journey into a roadmap for others; in my experience, that’s the most impactful kind of mentorship,” Mc Caig said in his introduction of McKnight.

BBBSCNNJ also praised McKnight’s dedication, stating: “Amid the rigors of college life and being a student-athlete, Kadeem has consistently prioritized his role as a mentor with the Empowering Young Black Males program to make an impact with youth. He has been a relatable and motivational figure, especially to the students he has mentored who aspire to play football at the collegiate level. Kadeem has also been an outspoken advocate for how the Empowering Young Black Males Program can continuously improve program delivery in the best interest of matches and youth served.”

Monmouth University Debate won three team and individual speaking awards in a recent collegiate debate tournament hosted by the University of Central Oklahoma. The tournament included debate teams from approximately 15 other colleges, including the University of Iowa, the University of Kansas, Baylor University, University of Texas-San Antonio, Missouri State, and Kansas State. This was Monmouth’s third tournament of the semester.

The current American Debate Association topic is, “Resolved: The United States Federal Government should adopt a clean energy policy for decarbonization in the United States, including a market-based instrument.” The first day of the tournament featured two debate rounds followed by four rounds the next day, with each round lasting two hours. Teams who qualified for the playoff round debated on the third day of the tournament.

Debaters Isabella Liverani and Shannon Bonsignore won a team award for making it into the playoffs before losing a close decision (2-1) in the semi-final round. Monmouth also had two debaters win top five speaking awards at the tournament: Mariah Sower took a third place speaking award and her partner Lillian Pardey received the fourth place speaking award in the novice division.

Additionally, Monmouth had eight debaters compete and win, including Michael Makfinsky and Patrick Carbone in the upper division, as well as Aiden Fornicola and William Hohn, Isabella Liverani and Shannon Bonsignore, and Pardey and Sower.

“A special thanks to our team captains Mariami Ramirez-Tsuladze and Mike Makfinsky who worked hard coaching debaters in preparation for the tournament,” said Joe Patten, Ph.D., professor of in the Department of Political Science and Sociology and advisor to the Debate Team. “And thank you to Monmouth debate alumna Maria Ortega Lopez (who was just accepted into Pace Law School – congratulations Maria!) for helping coach and judge at the tournament.”

For more information about the debate team, contact Patten at jpatten@monmouth.edu.

Monmouth University earned first place at the Student Managed Investment Fund Conference and Competition held in Chicago, IL. Monmouth’s fund, managed by students in the Leon Hess Business School, achieved a 45.2% return last year and is currently valued at over $600,000 in assets. This was Monmouth’s first year competing at the event, which drew over 300 attendees and featured 23 university teams.

Seniors Dom Acerra, studying finance, and Nick Brewer, studying finance and economics, represented Monmouth at the conference alongside John Burke, specialist professor of finance and economics.

“We had a fantastic time exchanging ideas and stories with students and faculty from universities operating student-managed investment funds across the country,” said Burke. “I’m especially proud of our team and all of the students that manage our fund for bringing home the first-place trophy in our first year of competition!”

The two-day conference featured panel discussions led by industry leaders, breakout topic sessions, and keynote speakers.

“I learned a lot more about the different opportunities and paths I could take with my major after graduation,” Brewer said about his experience at the conference. “Finance is a very broad industry, and hearing [speakers’] stories and career choices gave me a chance to think about the road ahead.”

Acerra added that attending the conference was highly rewarding: “Every student there had the opportunity to listen to speakers who shared valuable knowledge about the finance industry and what it takes to succeed in the workplace,” he said. Winning, however, was “the highlight of the event.”

Monmouth’s fund is managed by students in the BF-452 Hawk Capital, Portfolio Management course taught by Burke. Since opening with an initial seed amount of $10,000 in 2010 and receiving investments from the University endowment as well as Peter Cancro, the founder of Jersey Mike’s, the fund’s current balance of over $600,000 is a result of capital appreciation. To achieve this, students in Burke’s class are responsible for tracking the performance and developments of their assigned sectors of the fund. For stock selection, Acerra explains, each student creates valuation models and comprehensive reports covering their company’s background, industry outlook, financial performance, and other relevant factors. Reports are then presented to the class and buy/sell decisions are put to a vote. “This collaborative approach taught me the importance of thorough research, collaboration, and effective communication in investment decisions,” he added.

Raj Devasagayam, dean of the Leon Hess Business School, commended the students’ success in managing their fund and earning first place at the nationwide competition. “This outstanding student accomplishment speaks volumes about the excellence of the Leon Hess Business School faculty and their steadfast commitment to impactful experiential learning. The ability to not only compete but excel among esteemed peers nationwide is a testament to the strength of LHBS academic programs and the talent of our students.”

As seniors, Acerra and Brewer both value their time spent in the Leon Hess Business School and the faculty that prepared them for future careers in the industry.

“I don’t think I could’ve received a better education anywhere else,” said Brewer. “Thanks to professors like Bochen Li and John Burke, I really value what I’ve learned so far and I feel fully able to apply it outside the classroom.”

Acerra concluded, “The LHBS has played a significant role in preparing me for a career in finance. I have had many great teachers in my time here and am very grateful for all that I have learned from them.”

Three undergraduate English students and two alumni recently presented their thesis research at the interdisciplinary Mid-Atlantic Popular and American Culture Association (MAPACA) annual conference in Atlantic City, NJ. For several presenters, MAPACA was their first regional scholarly conference.

Breanna Guinta, English undergraduate student, presented on her departmental honors thesis on Nathaniel Parker’s Willis’s travel essays from France during the 1832 cholera pandemic. The essays were published out of the chronological order in which Willis composed them, but Guinta sequenced them by composition date. Doing so showed that Willis fraudulently visited a Parisian hospital and saw dozens of dying and dead patients, which traumatized him. His subsequent essays show signs of PTSD but also provided him with an early form of writing therapy.

Guinta remarked, “It was an amazing experience to present at a regional conference attended by students, professors, and scholars from other parts of the world.” She said she benefited from how her audience responded to her presentation, adding, “they were engaged and were able to connect the 1832 cholera pandemic to the recent COVID-19 pandemic,” a connection she intends to pursue in future research.

Meghan Reilly, English undergraduate student, presented on a portion of her Honors School thesis on Judith Ortiz Cofer’s book “Silent Dancing,” which describes Cofer’s adolescence in Puerto Rico and Paterson, NJ. Drawing on postcolonial cultural studies, Reilly’s linguistic analysis showed how Cofer uses typographical and rhetorical strategies to normalize Spanish terminology for English-only readers, which builds bridges between cultures and illustrates the author’s hybrid identity.

Reilly said, “This was a great experience to talk in front of listeners outside of the Monmouth community and work on building upon my experience and professional development. The conference also allowed me to speak further on a part of my thesis that I have not yet presented, and to think about its content critically.”

Ashley Zingillioglu, English undergraduate student, presented on her Honors School thesis, an interactive social story to teach interpersonal skills to students with autism. She explained her game’s development process from writing a dialogue script and developing a wireframe outline, to coding with the JavaScript library p5.js and the text-to-image AI service Midjourney, ending by demonstrating her partial prototype.

“Presenting at this interdisciplinary regional conference was a big step for me, as my only prior experience with presenting was in a classroom,” Zingillioglu said. “The conference gave me a first-hand exposure to presenting my ideas in a professional setting. It provided a supportive environment for me to show my project’s early steps to a curious audience of professors and graduate students, They were eager to help me see my vision come to fruition. I felt privileged, honored, even ecstatic!”

A recent alumna, Nicole Mautone ’24, was invited to present her award-winning Honors School thesis on the visual novel “Doki Doki Literature Club!” Her semiotic analysis showed how the early parts of the novel feature three sign systems—Visual, Auditory, and Written Language—that establish expectations of an anime-style dating simulation. These expectations are then subverted in a key moment that creates psychological horror. “I still have so much love for my topic so it is always exciting to be able to talk about it again,” Mautone reflected. “I was able to take my research and work that I did at Monmouth and share it with others. I am always excited to be able to share my work with new audiences.” She is currently pursuing a graduate degree at Montclair State University.

Bill Elwell ’19, adjunct professor in the Department of History and Anthropology, who also shared his research at the conference, added, “It was incredible experiencing what Monmouth students have to offer the academic world, and the breadth and scope of each student’s presentation is testament to the Monmouth community and its support.”

Seinor biology and molecular cell physiology students Sophia Guagliano, Alex Kalina, and Nicole Secondino have been awarded a $1000 research grant to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of endophytic fungi isolated from the skins of avocado (Persea americana) fruits collected from different geographical locations. In addition to learning laboratory research techniques through this project, it may also be possible to ultimately discover new antimicrobial compounds.

This work is being completed in the research laboratory of Jon Polishook, adjunct professor in the Department of Biology, who teaches various molecular cell physiology courses including general biology, developmental biology, and biotechnology. Polishook has been working with undergraduates to conduct independent research since 2020.

The global health issue of antimicrobial resistance to currently approved antibiotics is an ever increasing threat to humans and animals. This necessitates the research of and discovery and development of novel antibacterial and antifungal compounds. 

Monmouth University’s Department of Criminal Justice hosted the Emergency Management Education for Students and Communities event in partnership with FEMA Region 2’s Higher Education Roundtable. The event highlighted new academic programs, courses, and current student projects and focused on the roundtable’s main theme of “Emergency Management Education for Students and Communities.”

Monmouth students Greta Valvo, Sierra Poole, Brandon Benanti, James Gentles, Isabella Garrison, Jacob A. Kallman, Sekou Diabate, and Anthony M. Cristello presented their research, while Thomas J. Carey, Ed.D., specialist professor of Homeland Security, moderated the event.

Valvo, Poole, Benanti, and Gentles showcased their capstone project, “Mental Health for First Responders to Terrorism Events,” from the Seminar in Criminal Justice course. Directed by Meg Forney, Ph.D., assistant professor in the department, the research focused on Operation Inner Armor, a proposed 10-month treatment plan for first responders exposed to psychological strain from traumatic events. The plan addresses anxiety, depression, PTSD, and substance abuse.

Garrison, Kallman, Diabate, and Cristello presented, “Applying the Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA) Model to Ocean Township,” a project from the Emergency Planning course under Carey’s direction. Their research focused on wildfire mitigation in Ocean Township and the use of the THIRA process to help communities assess risks and develop necessary capabilities.

Carey also co-presented with James Kinard, instructor in the department, and Scott Nielson, Monmouth County Office of Emergency Management coordinator, on new experiential learning opportunities for students

Carey represents Monmouth University as a member of the Higher-Ed Collaborative, a regional community of educators, researchers, emergency managers, and private sector entities across New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. He is also he FEMA 2 Liaison for the Department of Criminal Justice and a Certified Emergency Manager (CEM), credentialed by the International Association of Emergency Managers.

The event also welcomed practitioners, including Dan Engelhardt, deputy director of the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security; Kathy Moskel, Sayreville CERT coordinator; and Ryan Lowry-Lee, community preparedness officer for FEMA Region 7. Their discussions covered homeland security, incident management, community resilience, and campus CERT programs.

FEMA Region 2, covering New Jersey, continues to engage academic and other partners through thematic roundtable discussions, fostering collaboration to achieve the agency’s objectives. Regional 2 works with federal agencies, local offices of emergency management, subject matter experts, private sector representatives, and institutions of higher education to discuss the future of emergency management.

The roundtable’s experiential component combines service learning and internship opportunities with Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program, which trains individuals in disaster response. Homeland security and criminal justice can participate in CERT training and activities and internships with the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office.

Since its launch in 2021, Love Blue Monmouth has organized two dozen cleanups at local beaches. The student club’s growth on campus was evident in its final event of the fall, when nearly 200 members of Monmouth University fraternities and sororities participated in a cleanup in Deal. We reached out to Love Blue Monmouth’s president, marine and environmental biology and policy student Katie Marshall, to learn more about its work, recent activities, and what’s next for the club. For details on upcoming cleanups, visit Love Blue Monmouth on Instagram at @lovebluemonmouth.

What is Love Blue Monmouth’s mission?

Our mission is to empower the students that live along the coastal communities near Monmouth University to take action against the pollution crisis along our shorelines. As a student organization, we create opportunities for individuals from diverse backgrounds to unite in the common goal of protecting the environment. We are dedicated to preserving our natural resources and advocating for solutions to combat climate change.

When we last checked in a year ago, Love Blue Monmouth had removed 921 pounds of trash from the beach in 15 events. What’s that count up to today?

Since our last update, Love Blue Monmouth has organized 10 cleanup events, removing a total of 850 pounds of trash from the shorelines with the help of 578 volunteers during the 2024 year.

After recent cleanups, you’ve been sorting the trash to take counts of certain items that were picked up. Can you tell us about the data you’re collecting and what you’ve discovered so far?

We’ve been collecting data on the types and amounts of trash we remove during our cleanups in order to better understand the environmental impact and identify patterns in the waste. By recording specific items, we can also raise awareness about the most common types of pollution along our shorelines. As we analyze this data, we’re noticing that plastics and miscellaneous debris (like broken items or random trash) make up the bulk of what we’re collecting. Everyday items like bottle caps, straws, and cans really highlight the ongoing pollution problem we’re facing. We also come across some unexpected items, like shopping carts and beach chairs, which just shows how unpredictable the types of trash can be on our beaches.

From your conversations with students, what do you think their main takeaways are from participating?

From speaking to students, the main takeaway is that they feel a sense of accomplishment knowing their efforts are having a real impact. They get a better understanding of climate change and why local policies matter when it comes to protecting the environment. We make sure the information we share is accurate and connects to what’s actually going on with the fight against climate change.

What’s next for Love Blue Monmouth? Do you see Love Blue Monmouth holding cleanups that are open to non-students?

My main priority right now is making sure our student volunteers stay safe. We also have limited supplies as a club, so we need to ensure we can properly support the students who are already involved. Moving forward, I would like to establish a consistent, regular schedule for cleanups that encourages widespread student participation. Once this is firmly in place, I hope to expand our efforts and invite more community members to join us in future cleanups.

What are the best ways to support and get involved with your work?

The best way to support Love Blue Monmouth right now is by coming out to our cleanup events and helping us make a real impact. Spreading the word about what we’re doing and raising awareness about the importance of keeping our environment clean is also key. Since we live so close to the beach and use it all the time, it’s really important that we take action now to protect it and make sure it stays healthy for future generations.