Category Archives: campus news

Fall 2025 Case Competition: Trusted AI for Banking

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Sponsored by PNC Bank and hosted by Carnegie Mellon University, Corporate Startup Lab is proud to announce its Fall 2025 Case Competition! 

The theme for the Competition is Trusted AI for Banking.  You will attempt to provide a solution through transformative innovation ideas, products, or services.  

Registration closes September 20th: Registration Link for CSL Case Competition

Registered teams will receive the full prompt on September 21st, with the first round of submissions due on October 4th at 11:59PM. 

Finalists will be announced on October 9th, with Final Presentations given on CMU’s campus on October 23rd. 

Following a celebratory lunch and a brief ceremony, the top three teams will be publicly recognized and will receive cash prizes totaling $20,000, including $12,000 for the first-place team.

The competition is open to all Graduate and PhD students at any U.S. based college or university. You must have a team consisting of 3-4 students to enter.

For more

AI in Action Hack-a-Thon

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The Massey Center is launching the  AI in Action Hackathon: Solutions for Small Business Success! Students from RMU and other universities will team up with local businesses and industry leaders to build real-world, AI-powered solutions. the deadline is September 22!

Friday, September 26th – Virtual Launch Day

Saturday, October 18th – Pitch Day at Field Day Co-working space in Lawrenceville

This initiative invites students of all academic backgrounds and schools to develop AI-enabled solutions for 4 founders in the region.  Adopting a human-centered approach, teams meet with founders and mentors during the innovation process. The Grand Prize is $1000 for the winning team,  with additional recognition categories.

Special thanks to visionary, Data Science Major William Fullerton, in partnership with Duquesne student, Benjamin Irwin,  and Faculty Champion and Massey Center Advisory Board Member, Dr. Albena Ivanova, for your energy and big thinking! 

Content provided by The Massey Center.

To register, visit: https://apicspgh.starchapter.com/meetinginfo.php?id=76&ts=1757623402

Department of Defense Scholarship Winners

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Larry Luther and Jesse Marks are the latest RMU cybersecurity students who received a generous scholarship as part of a competitive grant award to RMU from the US Department of Defense Cyber Service Academy (DoD CSA) program. Dr. Ping Wang is the Faculty PI (Principal Investigator) of the grant. The DoD CSA scholarship provides full tuition, a stipend, book and laptop allowances, travel support, and future DoD employment for selected students to complete a cybersecurity-related degree at designated National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (NCAE-C) institutions like RMU.

Larry and Jesse are among only 50 DoD CSA Scholars selected nationally this year. They both attended this year’s DoD CSA boot camp with PI Dr. Wang in Washington, DC, in July, participating in a realistic multi-challenge cyber competition.

Congratulations, Larry and Jesse! We are very proud of your amazing accomplishment!

Jesse (left) and Larry (right), with PI Dr. Wang (center), attended this year’s DoD CSA boot camp in Washington DC

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!

The FBI Honors Internship Program

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The FBI Honors Internship Program will be opening Summer 2026 applications starting soon.  This program is ideal for undergraduate students between their junior and senior years, as well as graduate students pursuing a Master’s degree, JD, or Ph.D. This paid internship can be a direct pipeline to full-time employment after college.

The program is highly competitive. You can set up a job alert on the website to be notified when postings open. The link to the website can be found here.

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!