Category Archives: awards and recognition

Congratulations to Stephen Mancini Productions

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Beyond the Screen Film Festival has announced its 2024-2025 film winners. The prize for Best Debut Director and Best Historical Film went to the film Fedeltà: Soldati. Prigionieri. Directed by one of RMU’s faculty members, Dr. Stephen Mancini, and assisted by RMU student, majoring in Cinema & Photography, Payton Hostetler, who also shares in the recognition for this great accomplishment.

Produced by Stephen MANCINI Productions and filmed on location in Italy and Pittsburgh, Payton’s contributions to filming and editing have been integral to the film’s success. For anyone interested in discovering more about this award-winning film, including where to watch, please click here: https://stephenmanciniproductions.com/

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Dr. Steve Mancini – Best Podcast Host!

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The CIS department is thrilled to extend our warmest congratulations to our very own Dr. Steve Mancini on his recent achievement! Dr. Mancini has been recognized as the Best Podcast Host in the prestigious 2025 Communicator Awards for his engaging and insightful podcast, The Italian Impact.

This well-deserved win highlights Dr. Mancini’s dedication and passion for fostering connections both within our university and the local community. Through The Italian Impact Podcast, he skillfully brings attention to a diverse range of topics that resonate with students and faculty right here on campus, while also reaching out to the vibrant Italian community in Pittsburgh and beyond.

We encourage everyone to tune in and experience the award-winning podcast for themselves! You can find The Italian Impact Podcast on all your favorite listening platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also learn more and explore past episodes on the official website: https://italianimpactweekly.com/.

To see the details of Dr. Mancini’s award and all of the winners, click HERE

Let’s all celebrate Dr. Mancini’s fantastic accomplishment and continue to support his wonderful work with The Italian Impact Podcast! Congratulations, Dr. Mancini!


Dr. Peter Draus Wins 2024-2025 Teaching Excellence Award

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Congratulations to Dr. Peter Draus on receiving the inaugural College of Business and STEM Teaching Excellence Award! Dr. Draus was honored with the award at the UPMC Events Center on May 13, 2025. The teaching award, presented by Dr. Daria Crawley and Dr. Sushma Mishra, is given to someone who demonstrates a deep commitment to fostering a positive and engaging learning environment.

Dr. Peter Draus, Dr. Sushma Mishra, and Dr. Daria Crawley

Thank you, Dr. Draus, for going above and beyond to guide and empower the students at RMU. Way to go!

Celebrating Excellence: Welcoming Our New UPE Honor Society at RMU

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The air was filled with excitement, a few nerves, and a sense of accomplishment this semester as we held our first-ever induction ceremony for the RMU Chapter of Upsilon Pi Epsilon (UPE), the international honor society for computing and information disciplines. It was a truly inspiring event, celebrating the hard work, dedication, and exceptional talent of our charter members.

The Wheatley Atrium was filled with bright minds – the inductees themselves, their proud families and friends, and esteemed faculty members.

We were also honored to have Dr. Ioan Raicu, our guest speaker, deliver a brief welcome. Dr. Raicu is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at Illinois Institute of Technology and is a National Council Member of UPE. We are thankful for his being able to join us and help guide us through our first UPE induction ceremony.

The heart of the event, of course, was the formal induction of our members. One by one, their names were called, and as they stepped forward, you could feel the collective pride in the room. Each inductee has demonstrated outstanding scholastic achievement and a passion for the computing sciences, making them truly deserving of this recognition. It was a powerful moment, symbolizing the passing of knowledge and the welcoming of these bright individuals into the UPE family. Three CIS faculty members were inducted as charter members of the chapter as well: Dr. Karen Paullet, Dr. Sushma Mishra, and Dr. Jamie Pinchot. Dr. Paullet will serve as the Faculty Advisor for our UPE chapter.  In addition, student officers are: Kate Shannon (President), Kelson Bowman (Vice President), Sean Miller (Secretary), and Jesse Marks (Treasurer).

Pictured, left to right, Dr. Sushma Mishra, Dr. Jamie Pinchot, Kate Shannon (president), Kelson Bowman (vice president), Sean Miller (secretary), and Jesse Marks (treasurer), Dr. Karen Paullet, and Dr. Ioan Raicu.

A huge congratulations to all our newly inducted members of UPE! We are incredibly proud of your achievements and look forward to seeing the great things you will accomplish.

Spring into Success

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RMU’s Career Center hosted an internship showcase on April 23, 2025 called Spring into Success: A Professional Experience Celebration in the UPMC Events Center.  A number of students in the department participated to highlight their amazing internship experiences.

Nana Akua Osei-Sarfo, Applied Mathematics, Data Analytics (M.S.), Capital One

Kendall Battles, Criminal Justice, Organizational Leadership (M.S.), Defender Association of Philadelphia

Peyton Lutchkus, Cybersecurity, Cyber Security (M.S.), University of Maryland (ARLIS)

Connor Gitzen, Criminal Justice, Zimmer Kunz PLLC

Nasia Edwards, Criminal Justice, Fiffik Law Group

Aaron Picon, Criminal Justice, Cyber Investigations & Intelligence (M.S.), Allegheny County Youth and Family Services

Payton Hostetler, Cinema and Photography, Stephen Mancini Productions

Emma Cantwell, Criminal Justice, Charleston, SC Police Department

Sean Miller, Cybersecurity, Cyber Investigations &  Intelligence (M.S.), Calgon Carbon Corporation

Robert Pava, Cybersecurity & Digital Forensics, Cybersecurity (M.S.), 38th Engineering Squadron

Sai Naga Mallikharjun Yerra, Data Analytics (M.S.),  Body by AIM360

Let’s give a huge round of applause to our incredible students who’ve just wrapped up some truly valuable professional experiences and internships! We’re so proud of the skills they’ve gained and the hard work they’ve put in. A massive thank you also goes out to the amazing employers, dedicated staff, and supportive faculty whose guidance and mentorship are absolutely essential in shaping these future professionals. Keep shining!

Dr. Ping Wang Renewed as ABET Expert

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Congratulations to Dr. Ping Wang who recently got renewed as an ABET Expert.

ABET accreditation provides assurance that a college or university program meets the quality standards of the profession for which that program prepares graduates. ABET accreditation assures confidence that a collegiate program has met standards essential to prepare graduates to enter critical STEM fields in the global workforce. Graduates from an ABET-accredited program have a solid educational foundation and are capable of leading the way in innovation, emerging technologies, and in anticipating the welfare and safety needs of the public.

Make sure to congratulate Dr. Ping Wang next time you see him!

NSF SFS Student James Bonacci Presentation at NCEC

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James Bonacci, an NSF SFS student scholar in RMU’s accelerated BS/MS Cybersecurity program, was invited and funded by the national Information Security Research Education (INSuRE) program to present at the 2024 National Cybersecurity Education Colloquium (NCEC) in St. Louis, Missouri during October 7-10, 2024. The presentation was based on a guided team research project on AI/neural network models for security completed in the spring semester by 4 RMU NSF SFS student scholars (James Bonacci, Peyton Lutchkus, Reese Martin, and Rob Pava). Dr. Bradford Kline from the National Security Agency (NSA) served as the government mentor, and Dr. Ping Wang was the RMU faculty supervisor for the team. Thanks to RMU Provost Dr. Joseph Zimmer for his attendance at NCEC in support of RMU cybersecurity programs and students!

(Pictured above James Bonacci and Dr. Ping Wang)

CIS Students Medal in National Cyber League

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Several CIS students achieved medals in the National Cyber League (NCL) Spring 2024 season based on their individual and team performance.

Rob Pava, Diamond Medalist
Steven Zalenski and Reese Martin, Platinum Medalists
James Bonacci, Gold Medalist
Peyton Lutchkus, Jerry Cook and Darren Gray, Silver Medalists

Congratulations to all!

Dr. Ping Wang Receives ITNG 2024 Award

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Congratulations to Dr. Ping Wang, who is the recipient of the Distinguished Service in Research and Mentorship Award from the 21st International Conference on Information Technology: New Generations (ITNG 2024).

Dr. Wang also served on the program committee for ITNG 2024 and organized the Cybersecurity track for the conference.