Category Archives: events

SteelHacks XII Hackathon

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Unleash Your Inner Innovator at Steelhacks XII!

Get ready to dive into a world of innovation, problem-solving, and collaboration at Steelhacks XII, happening on September 20-21, 2025, at the University of Pittsburgh.

Steelhacks is more than just a coding competition; it’s an opportunity to challenge yourself, learn new skills, and connect with like-minded individuals.

  • 24 hours of coding, creativity, and collaboration
  • Speed Friending with various companies (networking opportunities) and Guest Speakers
  • Prizes for several different tracks
  • Free food and fun activities to keep the energy high

Mark your calendars and get ready to turn your ideas into reality.

Register now: at the Steelhacks website for registration and updates on all the exciting activities and more details as the event approaches!

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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!

RMU Datafest 2025

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The RMU Analytics Club had a spectacular time at the fifth annual ASA DataFest™!

Imagine a weekend fueled by caffeine, collaboration, and the exhilarating challenge of unlocking hidden stories within a massive trove of data. That’s the essence of the American Statistical Association (ASA) DataFest™! This isn’t your typical classroom exercise; it’s a dynamic event where teams of 2 to 5 students plunge into a large, intricate, and fascinating dataset, embarking on a quest to extract meaningful insights and share their discoveries. Think of it as a data scavenger hunt, a statistical hackathon, and an opportunity to flex your analytical muscles in a supportive and exciting environment.

Congratulations to Tula Sah, MS Data Science (pictured right), Bernard Dondo, MS Data Analytics (far left), and Prithvi Raju Mekala, MS Healthcare Analytics (center). Their team won the Best Overall Analysis Award at RMU DataFest 2025! This is a significant achievement and a testament to their hard work and analytical skills.

FBI Recruitment Presentation

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The Criminal Justice Program and Computer Information Systems Department are welcoming the FBI on April 17th to make a recruiting presentation.  The event will take place at 12:30 in the Atrium of Wheatley.

The FBI actively recruits individuals with many disciplines, majors and practical experience in order to have the most diversified workforce to respond to the changing threat landscape we face today. All majors are welcome to attend because there is a place for you in Today’s FBI. The FBI recruits students with degrees such as Accounting, Cyber Security/Investigations/Forensics, Engineering, Law, Foreign Language, Sciences, Healthcare, and many others. Under the the various hiring programs for employment your field of study can be a useful discipline for a path towards being an FBI agent, intelligence analyst, IT specialist, evidence technician and many other positions.

Please plan to meet FBI personnel recruiters to hear how you can be part of the FBI and serve your nation with the knowledge and skills gained at RMU and with your practical experience learned abroad.

Please plan on being at The Wheatley Atrium on April 17th to hear the many ways you can serve! 

Reach out to Dr Rob Ambrosini at Ambrosini@rmu.edu with any question. 

  • Event: FBI Recruitment Presentation
  • When: Thursday, April 17th
  • Time: 12:30 pm
  • Where: Wheatley Atrium

Data Jam 2025

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Robert Morris University Sport Analytics Club is hosting their second annual Data Jam, a week-long virtual competition from March 28th to April 4th. Teams of 2-5 students are encouraged to compete, and students from outside RMU are welcome to participate.

The competition features two tracks. In the Data Science track, participants are encouraged to use programming languages such as R, Python, or other statistical programming tools. In the Data Analytics track, participants may utilize analytical tools like Excel, SPSS, or other statistical software. Contestants from both tracks will create a 7-minute virtual presentation summarizing their processes and conclusions. This is a fantastic opportunity to get hands-on experience with sports data!

Contact Liam Jennings (ljjst239@mail.rmu.edu) with any questions.

Reminder: NSF SFS Program Information Session

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The Women in Cybersecurity Club will host a student-run information session on our NSF Cybercorps SFS program. Come learn more about this scholarship from the students in the program!

Wednesday, March 5th @ 4:30pm in Wheatley 114

Interested students can find more information on the web: https://www.rmu.edu/academics/sihss/nsf-cybercorps-sfs-program