Novemeber 2022

Research @ Pace
A newsletter highlighting faculty research & scholarship

Faculty Spotlight

Juan Shan, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Computer Science Department (NYC, Seidenberg School of CSIS). Her research interests include medical image analysis, machine learning, and computer-aided diagnosis. Professor Shan and her students have been applying machine learning models to study different types of diseases and develop automatic diagnosis systems, such as breast cancer detection using ultrasound images, knee and hand osteoarthritis classification using X-ray and MRI images, human embryo cell stage prediction for IVF procedures, and microaneurysm detection in fundus images.



Professor Shan has 46 publications in peer-reviewed journals and conferences and her work has been cited 1770 times as shown on Google Scholar. Her research work was funded by National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Security Agency (NSA). Her recent publications include “Knee Osteoarthritis Classification Using 3D CNN and MRI” in Applied Sciences (11.1, 2021); “Fully Automatic Knee Bone Detection and Segmentation on Three-Dimensional MRI” in Diagnostics (12.2, 2022); “Automated Joint Space Width Measurement for Hand Osteoarthritis: A Deep Learning Approach” in American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Convergence (2022); and “Automated Hand Osteoarthritis Classification Using Convolutional Neural Networks” in IEEE 20th International Conference on Machine Learning and Applications (ICMLA 2021). Professor Shan has involved and supervised both graduate and undergraduate students in her group, and all her research publications are co-authored with her students. She has graduated two PhD students, two master students, and supervised several undergraduate students for Faculty and Student Research program.    

Luke Cantarella, MFA (NYC, Dyson School of Arts and Sciences) is the incoming Chair of the Film and Screen Studies Department and his scholarship focuses on design in its many forms. Professor Cantarella’s creative practice includes designs for theater and opera, working in film and television as well as research projects that utilize design as an ethnographic methodology.

 

Recent theater projects include Fun Home for TheaterWorks Hartford where his designs were featured in the Hartford Courant and the world premiere of a new opera A Thousand Acres, based on the Pulitzer-prize winning novel by Jane Smiley for Des Moines Metro Opera. He returns to Des Moines in 2023 where he will be designing Bartok’s Bluebeard’s Castle with renowned video artist Oyoram. Additionally, Prof. Cantarella is leading a team of designers selected to create the U.S. National Exhibit for the 2023 Prague Quadrennial for Performance Space and Design.

 

Prof. Cantarella’s recent film and television projects include work for major studios such as Netflix, HBO and Amazon. He designed sets for the critically acclaimed HBO limited series The Plot Against America. He also designed sets for the 2022 release Call Jane, a dramatic retelling of the history of the Janes, a women-led underground collective that performed safe and free abortions in pre-Roe Chicago.

 

Prof. Cantarella’s recent publications include Ethnography-by-Design: Scenographic Interventions in Field Work (Routledge), a co-authored monograph that describe his collaborative projects using design-thinking as a social science research method. Recently he joined Seidenberg professor Andreea Cotoranu, PhD (Information Technology, NY) in taking students to CERN in Geneva, Switzerland as part of the NYC Design Factory’s Challenge-Based Innovation program.

Faculty News

Lee Evans, MA, EdD (Performing Arts, NYC, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences) published “Rhythmic Diminution and Rhythmic Augmentation” in Piano Guild Notes (Fall 2022) and a beginner lever piano music book, Razzle Dazzle U.S.A. (SuperScore Music App, November 2022). Professor Evans' most recent publications include Timeless Songs of Stephen Foster, Harmonized Anew; Grieg-Gliere/Off The Beaten Path Musical Gems - Edited/Arranged for Piano Solo by Lee Evans; Enchanting Piano Music of Anatoly Lyadov - With A Touch Of Jazz; Rachmaninoff Art Songs Arranged for Solo Piano; Jazz Baroque: Vivaldi/Bach; Essential Folk Songs, Spirituals and Blues - With A Touch Of Jazz; Beautiful Art Songs for Solo Piano; and More Incredibly Beautiful Art Songs For Solo Piano. Professor Evans' original compositions Two Waltzes for Piano Soloand his piano solo transcription of Gustav Mahler's Adagietto are available through Harbridge Publishing House (Canada). Professor Evans’ website is available here.

Darren Hayes, PhD (Information Technology, NYC, Seidenberg School of CSIS) co-authored (with Robyn Abernathy) CISSP Cert Guide, 4th Edition, Pearson IT Certification, Oct., 2022. The book is a comprehensive exam study guide which helps test takers to master the latest CISSP exam topics; access their knowledge and review key concepts with exam preparation tasks; practice with realistic exam questions; and get practical guidance for test taking strategies.




Anthony Mancini, PhD (Psychology, PLV, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences) has been invited to give a talk in Berlin, Germany. The symposium--Suffering and Flourishing During the COVID-19 Pandemic—will be held on December 1st and 2nd, and is sponsored by the Max Planck Institute. In his talk, titled “Heterogeneous Outcomes, Psychosocial Gains from Adversity, and Resilience in Response to COVID-19,” Professor Mancini presents data on three primary issues in relation to the mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.  First, he provides evidence that impact of the pandemic has varied substantially across people, situations, and cultures. Second, he examines the key role of social factors in illuminating this variation. Third, he proposes that the pandemic had the potential to benefit well-being when it stimulated increased social behavior.


The symposium can be accessed online. The program is available here

Sethu Karthikeyan, PhD (Communication Sciences and Disorders, NYC, College of Health Professions) gave a talk “Bits, Bytes, and the (D)evolution of Human Speech: An Evolutionary Mismatch Perspective” in the Evolutionary Studies Club (EvoS club) at SUNY New Paltz. The talk explored the potential mismatch between ancestral and modern environments with respect to the use of speech in communication. It covered how the affordances of digital communication may interact with the evolved functions of speech and language in different contexts. Professor Karthikeyan has had a long-standing interest in the explanatory power of evolutionary theory, which let her to the Evolutionary Psychology lab at SUNY, New Paltz, where she has been a visiting scholar since Spring 2020. She hopes to use the experience to launch a similarly interdisciplinary program at Pace.

Elmer Rico E. Mojica, PhD (Chemistry and Physical Sciences, NYC, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences) co-authored a paper titled “Geographical and entomological differentiation of Philippine honey by multivariate analysis of FTIR spectra” published in the Journal of Food Composition and Analysis. The paper demonstrated the discrimination of Philippine honey samples in terms of their geographical and entomological origins using FTIR spectroscopy and chemometrics. 

Noa Ben-Asher, JSD (Elisabeth Haub School of Law) delivered the James D. Hopkins Professor of Law lecture on "Gender Identity, the New Legal Sex." The lecture recording is available here. Dean Horace Anderson appointed Professor Ben-Asher as the James D. Hopkins Professor of Law for the 2021-2023 term. During the holder's term, the James D. Hopkins Professor delivers a lecture that is open to the entire law school community and members of the public. The title of James D. Hopkins Professor of Law is awarded to a member of the faculty for a two-year term in recognition of outstanding scholarship and teaching. The designation is among the Law School’s most significant faculty honors.




Kyomi Gregory, PhD (Communications Sciences and Disorders, NYC, College of Health Professions), along with other members of ASHA’s SIG 1 (Language Learning and Education) coordinating committee , recently met with Members of Congress, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Representatives Mondaire Jones (D-NY) and Seth Moulton (D-MA), to discuss the importance of funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, creation of a technical assistance center at the Department of Education to better support educational audiologists and school-based speech-language pathologists, and permanent Medicare telepractice authority for members of the professions. To learn more about these issues, visit the ASHA’s take action page.

 

Melvin L. Williams, PhD (Communication Studies, NYC, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences) was quoted in a USA Today  article entitled, "Kit Connor and the Dangers of Queerbaiting Accusations," and was interviewed for NBC LX News Now November 16, 2022 evening news segment on celebrity culture and queerbaiting. 

Millie Hepburn-Smith, PhD. (Undergraduate Nursing, PLV, College of Health Professions) served as an invited panelist for a national webinar at Loyala University to discuss Racial Justice in Academic Leadership. The panel discussion, Racial Justice Leadership in Nursing discussed how nursing faculty and administrators in Schools of Nursing and nurses in clinical settings can be leaders in their organizations in service of racial justice and equitable health outcomes. 


Graduate students Nino Mazanashvili (faculty advisor, Nurys LeBron, MS), Sydney Moraitis (faculty advisor, Gina Scutelnicu-Todoran, PhD), and Khalid Nixon (faculty advisor, Prof. Gina Scutelnicu-Todoran PhD), presented at the Northeast Conference on Public Administration (NECoPA). Nino’s presentation was titled “Explaining the State of Youth homelessness in NYC,” Sydney’s presentation was titled “Digital Access among K-12 Students in a Post-Pandemic World: Perceptions of Parents in a New York County,” and Khalid presented “Determining Statistically Significant Relationships between COVID-19 Vaccination Rates, Access to Healthcare, Healthcare Facilities, and Other Socioeconomic Indicators Analyzing Variables by Brooklyn Zip Codes.” The event program is available here

Center for Undergraduate Research Experiences (CURE)

Congratulations to the

Provost’s Student-Faculty Research Award Recipients!


Designed for undergraduate students, this university-wide grant program supports research and artistic projects that have evolved from coursework and research/artistic settings and will benefit from further in-depth development through sustained student work and faculty mentoring.

Provost's Summer 2022 Student-Faculty Undergraduate Research Program Awardees


Faculty Mentor:

Thomas T. Nguyen, MFA, Art, NYC, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences

Mentee and Project Title:

Joseph A. Boumoussa, "Catalyst"


Faculty Mentor:

Daniel Barber, PhD, Philosophy & Religious Studies, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences

Mentee and Project Title:

Julian W. Clark, "Religious Affinities of the Present"


Faculty Mentor:

Kristen K. Di Gennaro, PhD, English, NYC, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences

Mentee and Project Title:

Felicity Flores-Drew, "Simplifying an Identity"


Faculty Mentor:

Christelle Scharff, PhD, Computer Science, NYC, Seidenberg School of CSIS

Mentees and Project Titles:

Betsy Gorelik, "Generating African Wax Textile Patterns using Deep Convolutional Generative Adversarial Networks (DCGANs)"

Ronald D. Kroening, "Utilizing Natural Language Processing to Retrieve Legal Information"


Faculty Mentor:

Claire Panetta, PhD, Sociology and Anthropology, NYC, Dyson College of Art and Sciences

Mentee and Project Title:

Faith M. Gregory, "Stratification of Success: Do Assigned Readings Benefit or Hinder First-Generation College Students?"


Faculty Mentor:

Elmer-Rico E. Mojica, PhD, Chemistry & Physical Sciences, NYC, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences

Mentee and Project Title:

Ethan F. Grimes, "Determination of Caffeine Content in Pre-Workout Supplements"


Faculty Mentor:

James P. Lawler, PhD, Information Technology, NYC Seidenberg School of CSIS

Mentee and Project Title:

Leah C. Kassis, "Designing Diversity in Fashion for Greater Inclusion of LGBTQIA Needs"


Faculty Mentor:

Courtney L. Gosnell, PhD, Psychology, PLV Dyson College of Arts and Sciences

Mentee and Project Title:

James C. Kennedy, “Politics, Relationships, & Well-Being”

 

Faculty Mentor:

Mark L.Weinstock,CBE, Economics, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences

Mentees and Project Titles:

Silouani Kostits-Pasiali, “The Impact of the COVID Pandemic and Police Department Budget Funding on Crime”

Peter R. Sanders, “Subsidized Mass Transit for College Students: A Cost Benefit Analysis”

 

Faculty Mentor:

Sid Ray, PhD, English, NYC, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences

Mentee and Project Title:

Kailey G. Liddell, "He is Our Bard as Well as Yours”: Recovering the Lost Black Involvement in Early American Theatre”


Faculty Mentor:

Francis Parisi, PhD, Computer Science, NYC, Seidenberg School of CSIS

Mentee and Project Title:

Kylie A. LoPiccolo, “Modeling the Potential Impact of Regulation on Cryptocurrency Prices”


Faculty Mentor:

Luke V. Cantarella, MFA, Film and Screen Studies, NYC, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences

Mentee and Project Title:

Alexis S. Tierney, “Feminist Film Theory: The Bechdel Test and Its Relevancy”


Faculty Mentor:

Catalina Florina Florescu, PhD, English, NYC, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences

Mentee and Project Title:

Julia Tretyakov, “6,000 Miles Away from Home: Mapping out My Ukraine”

Provost's 2022-2023 Academic Year Student-Faculty Undergraduate Research Program Awardees


Faculty Mentor:

Rita K. Upmacis, PhD, Chemistry and Physical Sciences, NYC, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences

Mentee and Project Title:

Kristen M. Benes, "A Metabolomic Study of Biological Samples"


Faculty Mentor:

Nigel Yarlett, PhD, Chemistry and Physical Sciences, NYC, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences

Mentee and Project Title:

Dillon J. Crace, "Role of Cryspovirus in Pediatric Diarrhea"


Faculty Mentor:

Kristen Di Gennaro, EdD, English, NYC, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences

Mentee and Project Title:

Felicity Flores-Drew, "Simplifying an Identity"


Faculty Mentor:

Grant Crawford, MA, English, NYC, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences

Mentee and Project Title:

Michael H. Goh, "Reading for a Brighter Future"


Faculty Mentor:

Melvin Williams, PhD, Communication and Media Studies, NYC, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences

Mentee and Project Title:

Michael I. Huertas, "Hip Hop’s White House Guest: Jack Harlow and White Rap Authenticating Strategies"


Faculty Mentor:

Joseph Tse-Hei Lee, PhD, History/Global Asia Studies, NYC, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences

Mentee and Project Title:

Siren Lawtum, "Understanding Thai Horror Cinema"


Faculty Mentor:

Mary Kaltenberg, PhD, Economics, NYC, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences

Mentee and Project Title:

Hanyu Li, "The Role of Risk Preferences in Fertility Decisions"


Faculty Mentor:

Francis Parisi, PhD, Computer Science, NYC, Seidenberg School of CSIS

Mentee and Project Title:

Kylie A. LoPiccolo, "What Security Requirements Need to be Created in order for Cryptocurrencies to Comply with Regulation?"


Faculty Mentor:

Judith Pajo, PhD, Sociology/Anthropology, NYC,Dyson College of Arts and Sciences

Mentees and Project Titles:

Charlotte E. MacNeal, "Intergenerational Trauma: The Hidden Epidemic"

Andrew J. Villardi, " Nuyoricanismo – Understanding the History and Culture of New York City’s Puerto Rican Community"


Faculty Mentor:

Courtney L. Gosnell, PhD, Psychology, PLV, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences

Mentee and Project Title:

Tinuade F. Mcclish, "Political Media and Interpersonal Relationships"


Faculty Mentor:

Meghana V. Nayak, PhD, Women's and Gender Studies, NYC, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences

Mentee and Project Title:

Mikayla E. Meachem, "Centering Black Feminists in a Post Roe America"


Faculty Mentor:

Sid Ray, PhD, English, NYC, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences

Mentee and Project Title:

Jack A. Niemczyk, "A Gay Old Time: A Look Into the Beginnings of the Inherent Relationship Between the Queer Community and Nightlife"


Faculty Mentor:

Miguel A. Mosteiro, PhD, Computer Science, NYC, Seidenberg School of CSIS

Mentee and Project Title:

Austin B. Parris-Powlette, "Privacy-preserving Vehicular Adhoc Networks Computations"


Faculty Mentor:

Erica L. Gollub, DrPH., Health Sciences, PLV, College of Health Professions

Mentee and Project Title:

Lauren T. Pizzella, "Connections Between Social Media Use, Vaccination Attitudes and Mental Health Among Pace Undergraduates During the COVID Pandemic"


Faculty Mentor:

Roger Salerno, PhD, Sociology/Anthropology, NYC, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences

Mentee and Project Title:

Emily L. Wernick, "Transcending Binaries (WIP)"

Fall 2022 Undergraduate Research Showcase


Save the date: Tuesday, December 13, 2022, NYC Campus


Additional details are forthcoming here.

Fall 2022 Student Undergraduate Research Webinar Series



Wednesday common hour – 12:10 p.m.-1:10 p.m.

Thursday common hour – 3:25 p.m. - 4:25 p.m.


How to apply for a National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (NSF REUs), 12/14/22 and 12/15/22


Register in advance for Wednesday’s meeting.

Register in advance for Thursday’s meeting.

 Fall 2022 Faculty Undergraduate Research Webinar Series



Common-hour meeting – 12:10 p.m.-1:10 p.m.



How to apply for National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (NSF REUs)


12/12/22 -- Register in advance for this meeting.

If you have questions about Undergraduate Research contact Maria Iacullo-Bird, PhD, Assistant Provost for Research at miacullobird@pace.edu.

Fellowship Opportunities for Students


There are a number of fellowships for students which provide entry-level positions along with opportunities for mentoring and other professional development.


The New York City Urban Fellows program places fellows in New York City agencies giving them direct experience with policy-making and other aspects of municipal government. Many go on to permanent positions with New York City. Application deadline: January 13


The FAO Schwarz Fellowship provides two-year placements for college seniors in nonprofit organizations working for social change. Fellows combine direct service with policy work and are part of a cohort which receives professional development and mentoring. This year, placements are available in New York, Boston and Philadelphia. Application deadline: February 10


Please encourage interested students to attend an information session on these and other opportunities by registering here. The session, which will be held on December 9,

12:10 p.m. via zoom , will focus on helping students explore career interests and discuss graduate school opportunities.


For any questions and further information, please contact Moira Egan, PhD, Director of Prestigious Fellowships and Awards at megan@pace.edu.

Share your research news here.

Questions? email Elina Bloch at ebloch@pace.edu


Stay connected: visit us at www.pace.edu/office-of-research