At Monmouth University’s High School Hawk Hack, over 50 students from a dozen high schools across the state participated in a coding competition, highlighting their technical, teamwork, and problem-solving skills. The Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering co-host this exciting initiative highlighting the talent of young people in New Jersey and shining a light on the importance of STEM education. What makes this event unique is the interaction between current Monmouth students and the participants, many of whom have never visited a university campus. Monmouth’s IEEE/ACM Club welcomes, mentor, and proctor this competition, making a real connection with younger students interested in the STEM fields.

Over the course of 90 minutes, teams used Java to correctly solve as many coding problems as possible, as quickly as possible. IEEE/ACM Club members and faculty were impressed with this years’ contestant’s knowledge and analytical skill. The top three teams are awarded prizes in recognition of their outstanding performance.

The IEEE/ACM students, led by junior Kiumbura N. Githinji (CS.BS), organized the day’s events, starting with a video presentation along with speakers including Admissions, alumni Andrew McGovern ’25 (CS.BS), founder of ParkShark, and senior and Honors School student Zaccery Tarver (CS.BS) who spoke about his ExEd opportunity. From there, the IEEE/ACM students lead competitors through the Hawk Hack procedures and instructions, demonstrating the coding problems they would face. In addition to organizing the event, the IEEE/ACM students, advised by Specialist Professor Rolf Kamp, created the challenge questions, proctored, and scored the competition. “The enthusiasm exhibited by the IEEE club members energized everyone in the event,” Kamp said. “After many months of planning and preparation, this year’s Hawk Hack was very well organized and executed. All participants enjoyed the day!”

Thank you to Tsanangurayi Tongesayi, Ph.D., associate dean of the School of Science, and Ling Zheng, Ph. D., associate professor and chair of the CSSE department, whose opening and closing remarks made the visiting students feel welcome. The pride and commitment by CSSE students and faculty was evident in the level of engagement demonstrated by the participants and chaperones throughout this event.

This Year’s Top Three Finishers

Wai Kong (Johnny) Pang, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Mathematics, and Ryan Sonn ’25M, data science graduate student, recently co-published an article in the International Journal of Business and Management (Vol. 20, No. 8, 2025). Their study, “The Intricacies of College and University Closures: A Generalized Linear Model Perspective,” uses statistical analysis to examine the patterns behind college and university closures.

Pang and Sonn’s research leverages publicly accessible variables through a Generalized Linear Model (GLM) analysis to identify key determinants of closures, which include institutional endowment, tuition, and percentage of in-state students. The authors’ goal of equipping individuals with a method of understanding an institution’s financial health is accomplished through a predictive Z-score model and ranges.

Through their calculations, Pang and Sonn conclude that public institutions with higher endowment and tuition values will experience a positive effect on their final predictor score. Conversely, a higher percentage of in-state students will have an adverse effect, as out-of-state tuition is significantly higher than in-state tuition, thereby negatively impacting an institution’s financial health indicator.

International Journal of Business and Management (IJBM) is an international, double-blind peer-reviewed, open-access journal dedicated to publishing high-quality research in the field of business and management. IJBM is committed to disseminating impactful and innovative research to a global audience of scholars, practitioners, and policymakers.

Read Pang and Sonn’s full study.

Miriam Abecasis, junior mathematics and software engineering honors student, recently won the Outstanding Poster Award at the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) MathFest in Sacramento, CA. Her poster, “Harmonic Content of String Networks: A Physical Application of Quantum Graphs,” was presented at the Research in Motion Poster Session of the convention on Aug. 8.

Abecasis’ poster was based on her undergraduate research project in the field of quantum graphs, which she developed under the guidance of Torrey Gallagher, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Mathematics. Her work was supported by a competitive grant from the Independent Colleges and Universities of New Jersey (ICUNJ), which she received as part of the ICUNJ Undergraduate Research Symposium.

As part of her project, Abecasis constructed and tested a physical apparatus to explore how the harmonic spectrum of connected string networks compares to predictions from a theoretical quantum graph model. This hands-on approach allowed her to connect abstract mathematical theory with real-world physical systems.

Abecasis presented her findings at the ICUNJ Undergraduate Research Symposium, held at Bell Works on April 1. Later in the summer, her research gained national recognition when she presented her poster at the MAA MathFest. She is currently working with Gallagher to prepare a manuscript for submission to a physics journal.

The Mathematical Association of America is the world’s largest community of mathematicians, students, and enthusiasts. The mission of the MAA is to advance the understanding of mathematics and its impact on our world. Every summer, MAA MathFest presents the latest in mathematical research and education to diverse audiences worldwide.