Center for Data, Mathematical, and Computational Sciences

August 30, 2025Ramapo College Awarded Prestigious NSF S-STEM Grant to Support Next Generation of STEM Leaders

Ramapo College of New Jersey has received a $2M U.S. National Science Foundation S-STEM (Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) grant to launch the Ramapo Opportunities for Advanced Degrees in STEM (ROADS) program. This multi-year award will provide comprehensive scholarship support and specialized academic programming for academically talented students with financial need.

ROADS targets five high-growth disciplines through our Center for Data, Mathematical, and Computational Sciences: Computer Science, Data Science, Cybersecurity, Mathematics, and Bioinformatics. These fields are experiencing unprecedented demand, with job growth projections ranging from 11% to 36% over the next decade – far exceeding the national average.

What makes this program particularly innovative is its integration with Ramapo’s accelerated 4+1 degree pathways. Students can complete both their bachelor’s and master’s degrees in just five years, with significant cost savings. During their senior year, students take three graduate courses covered by undergraduate tuition, saving over $12,000 toward their graduate degree.

The scholarship program addresses both financial and developmental barriers that often prevent talented students from succeeding in STEM fields. Selected students will receive full coverage of their unmet financial need – up to $15,000 annually for undergraduates and $20,000 for graduate students. Beyond financial support, ROADS scholars will participate in a unique four-course research sequence designed to develop their identity as researchers and prepare them for advanced careers or graduate study.

The program’s comprehensive support system includes cohort-based mentorship, one-on-one faculty advising, undergraduate research opportunities, and professional development activities. Students will have access to conference presentations, career fairs, and networking events with industry professionals through our established advisory board.

This award builds on Ramapo’s strong tradition of supporting STEM, including our Upward Bound-Math Science Program and Educational Opportunity Fund initiatives. The ROADS program specifically serves the New York-New Jersey region, which ranks as the number one area nationally for job postings in data and computer science fields.

Applications for the first cohort of ROADS recipients will open soon, with separate application cycles for incoming freshmen and current students. The program aims to support 35 students over five years, with the goal of achieving 95% retention rates and ensuring 90% of graduates enter ROADS-related careers within two years.

This investment in STEM education directly supports national priorities in innovation and economic competitiveness, preparing graduates to contribute to cybersecurity, data analysis, and technological advancement in an increasingly digital world.

More information about application processes and program requirements are available NOW.

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August 26, 2025Thesis Information - Fall 2025 and Spring 2026

If you’re aiming to graduate in Spring 2026, you must register for Thesis Proposal (DATA/CMPS/MATH 745) this Fall semester. This one-credit, pass/fail course guides you through crafting and securing approval of your formal thesis proposal; upon passing, it enables you to enroll in Thesis (750) the following term.

The Thesis (750) is a two-credit, independent research project requiring a written deliverable, presentation, and faculty panel evaluation.

Who should attend the info session?

Any student planning to graduate in Spring 2026 and needing to complete the 745/750 sequence should join. Come right after the DMC Lecture Series talk on September 9th, and join us in ASB 123 around 7:15pm for all the essential details: what to expect from 745, how to prepare, timeline checkpoints, and next steps.

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August 26, 2025Join the ICPC Programming Competition

The ICPC (International Collegiate Programming Contest) Regional Competition will take place during the Fall 2025 semester (likely at the end of October or mid-November). This is a great opportunity to enhance your programming and problem-solving skills while collaborating with students from other schools in New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut.

Each team will consist of three students, who will work together to solve 10 challenging programming problems within 5 hours. Training will be provided during the semester and in preparation for the contest.

If you are interested in joining a team, contact Dr. Ali Juboori – aaljuboo@ramapo.edu. Once your participation is confirmed, additional resources and guidance will be shared to help you prepare.

Learn more about ICPC

ICPC Global

ACM GNYR

GNY ICPC Regional

This is an excellent way to strengthen your programming abilities, critical thinking, and teamwork skills!

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June 26, 2025Ramapo students shine at 2025 NJUMC

Congratulations to Ramapo students for placing in the 2025 annual New Jersey Undergraduate Mathematics Competition NJUMC!

Adrian Zaremba, Afrona Tozluku and Bibhu Bhatta placed 4th in the team competition out of 24 teams. Adrian Zaremba placed 4th in the individual competition, out of 72 students.

Congratulations to all Ramapo College’s representatives at this year’s NJUMC:

Adrian Zaremba (Mathematics major)
Afrona Tozluku (Mathematics major)
Bibhu Bhatta (Computer Science major)
Amir Sela (Mathematics major and Data Science major)
Abdurahim Sanginov (Computer Science major)
Genaro Sanchez Feliz (Data Science)
Justin Haskoor (Computer Science major)
Shane Fleischman (Mathematics Major)

Thank you to Dr. Katarzyna Kowal for assembling and advising Ramapo’s students and leading them at the competition! Dr. Kowal’s student advisee, Justin Haskoor, also presented a research poster at the competition on the Central Limit Theorem. Adrian Zaremba, Bibhu Bhatta, and Justin Haskoor are also members of the Ramapo College Chapter of Pi Mu Epsilon National Mathematics Honor Society. By their participation in the NJUMC competition, they fulfilled one of the activities for the chapter.

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May 2, 2025DMC Masters Thesis Defenses - Spring 2025

Come support our DMC students defending their MS defense, and see the good work they’ve done! Open to Ramapo students, faculty, and the public!

Wednesday April 30th
Kasmi Yussof – MS Data Science
Quantitative Model Tools
11:15am-12:15pm – ASB 423

Tuesday May 6th
Daniel Figueiras – MS Data Science
Using Free-Text Clinical Notes to Improve Model Performance in Healthcare
9am-10am – ASB 220

Tuesday May 6th
Olivia Church – MS Applied Mathematics
Exploring Jane Addams Papers Project Documents Through Topic Modeling and Multilabel Classification
11am-12pm – ASB 220

Wednesday May 7th
Olivia Arva Diana – MS Data Science
Predictive Modeling for Email Marketing Success: Optimizing Campaign Deliverability and Google Postmaster Metrics via Tree-Based Regression
11am-12pm – ASB 525

Wednesday May 7th
Harshitha Dalli Sai – MS Data Science
The Impact Of Natural Disasters On Border Crossings In The US
1pm-2pm – Greenhouse Classroom

Friday May 9th
Maxwell Bilyk – MS Data Science
Analyzing Artificial Intelligence’s Ability to Detect Misinformation
10:30-11:30am – Virtual
Request link from Kathleen Walsh, kwalsh@ramapo.edu

Wednesday May 14th
Anthony Messana – MS Computer Science
An Empirical Comparative Analysis of Skyline Query Algorithms for Incomplete Data
1pm-2pm – Virtual
Request link from Ali Al-Juboori, aaljuboo@ramapo.edu

Wednesday May 14th
Brian DeNichilo – MS Data Science
Building a Collaborative Recommender System for Magic the Gathering
7pm-8pm – Virtual
Request link from Donovan McFeron, dmcferon@ramapo.edu

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March 27, 2025Humanity in the Age of AI & Cybersecurity: An Interdisciplinary Exploration

Please join us for a Presidential Speaker Series fireside chat with President Jebb and Charlie Lewis, McKinsey & Co. Partner, exploring AI and Cybersecurity’s transformative impact. Drawing from military, academic, and corporate expertise, Lewis will unpack critical insights for business, education, government, and humanity. Q&A to follow. All welcome!

April 7th, 1pm

Trustees Pavilion

No registration is required!

March 27, 2025New Cybersecurity Major featured in Ramapo Magazine

DMC’s new Cybersecurity major, created in Fall 2024, is featured in this semester’s Ramapo Magazine. Check out what the College has to say about the program, cybersecurity, and career opportunities in the field!

We are addressing the growing demand for cybersecurity professionals. More than a traditional technical program, this degree integrates technical skills with insights from psychology, ethics, and criminal justice.
Students will gain comprehensive training that prepares them for the complex challenges of cybersecurity, learning not just coding and network protection, but also the critical human and ethical dimensions of digital security. With over 700,000 unfilled cybersecurity jobs in the U.S., this program offers an exciting opportunity for students to enter a dynamic and essential field.

Read the full Ramapo Magazine article

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February 19, 2025Interested in double majoring in Computer Science and Cybersecurity at Ramapo?

If you are wondering if you can double major in Computer Science and Ramapo’s newest tech major – Cybersecurity, the answer is yes! Here’s a guide with the things you need to consider, along with a possible 4-year plan.

Double majors are able to double count up to 9 courses for both their Computer Science and Cybersecurity BS degree. The guide helps you understand which courses are double counted, which cannot be, and how to make sure you stay on track.

View Guide

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February 21, 2024Save the date! 2024 DMC Fair - April 18th

Date/Time: Thursday, 4/18/24, 5-7 pm

Location: Ramapo College, Trustees Pavilion

Join us for the Data, Mathematical, and Computational Sciences (DMC) Fair on April 18th, 2024. This event will feature keynote speaker Dr. Anthony Scriffignano. Anthony Scriffignano is an internationally recognized data scientist with experience spanning over 40 years, in multiple industries and domains. He is a Distinguished Fellow and member of the Loomis Council of The Stimson Center, a nonprofit, nonpartisan Washington, D.C. think tank.

The event will also feature poster presentations from our students’ Senior Capstone projects and Masters Thesis.

Keynote Speaker

Hyperdisruption: How is the datasphere changing? How are we changing with it?

Anthony Scriffignano, PhD

Computer and information sciences are nothing new. Several generations have now been born into a world where computers, databases, information processing and even artificial intelligence exist. However, things are changing lately. Sometimes, when things change and you are part of that change, it can be difficult to notice.

The amount of information available on Earth, sometimes called the Datasphere, is doubling at a rate which arguably can no longer be measured. Much of this information is unstructured, encrypted, or available only with specific access. Other data is created by devices. Even data itself creates data as it moves from one context to another. We are awash in data.

The amount of computing power and processing capability is also at a critical inflection point. Massive computing power and the advent of Generative AI and Quantum computing are challenging the way that computer scientists think about tractability – or how solvable any given problem is.

Against all of this change, the world itself, connected with this massive data and technology is changing. Global disruption such as pandemic, nation-state actions, and social phenomena have created unprecedented challenges. Responding to any one of these challenges might be overwhelming, but the reality is even more sobering, as there isn’t time to completely respond to one disruption before another comes along, producing a sort of disrupted-disruption, or hyper-disruption.

In this session, Dr. Anthony Scriffignano, Distinguished Fellow and Loomis Innovation Council Member at the Stimson Center, a well-respected Washington DC think tank, and CDO Club’s 2018 Chief Data Officer of the Year will explore how the massive availability of data and technology, advances in AI, and response to disruption are creating massive opportunity and ominous risk. This session will cover three main themes: Our Curious World (how the data around us continues to change), The Risks and Our Response (practical examples of using data and AI in the context of disruption to make better decisions), and Future Trends and Recommendations. This talk will challenge our thinking about the skills leaders
need to succeed.

Anthony Scriffignano, Ph.D. is an internationally recognized data scientist with experience spanning over 40 years in multiple industries and enterprise domains. Scriffignano has extensive background in advanced anomaly detection, computational linguistics and advanced inferential methods, leveraging that background as primary inventor on multiple patents worldwide. He also has extensive experience with various boards and advisory groups. Scriffignano was recognized as the U.S. Chief Data Officer of the Year 2018 by the CDO Club, the world’s largest community of C-suite digital and data leaders. He is a Distinguished Fellow with The Stimson Center, a nonprofit, nonpartisan Washington, D.C. think tank that aims to enhance international peace and security through analysis and outreach.. He has served as a member of the OECD Network of Experts on AI working group on implementing Trustworthy AI, focused on benefiting people and planet. He has served as a commissioner for the Atlantic Council, most recently contributing to a Report on the Geopolitical Impacts of New Technologies and Data. He has briefed the US National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee and contributed to three separate reports to the President, on Big Data Analytics, Emerging Technologies Strategic Vision, and Internet and Communications Resilience.

Additionally, Scriffignano provided expert advice on private sector data officers to a group of state Chief Data Officers and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Scriffignano serves on various advisory committees in government, private sector, and academia. Most recently, he has been called upon to provide insight on data science implications in the context of a highly disrupted datasphere and the implications of the global pandemic. He has published, delivered keynote presentations and participated in panel presentations extensively in various settings internationally concerning emerging trends in AI and advanced analytics, the “Big Data” explosion, artificial intelligence applications and implications for business and society, multilingual challenges in business identity and malfeasance in commercial and public-sector contexts.

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October 26, 2023Science in Business: Challenges and Opportunities

Thursday, November 9, 2023, 11:15am – 12pm – Virtual (WebEx)

Please join us for a talk by Dr. Seyma Guven, Senior Applied Scientist at Amazon!

Dr Guven will share her personal journey to realizing how science works in a business setting. The talk will cover perspectives on the challenges and how students can be
better prepared to meet those challenges. This will be an open ended discussion – so bring your questions!

Dr. Guven have a Ph.D. in Operations Research from Georgia Tech, specializing in optimization in supply chain & logistics applications. She has been working for Amazon for 4+ years, in Supply Chain and Optimization Technologies (SCOT) department. She develops mathematical models and methodologies to solve inventory and transportation problems with high uncertainty using operations research and statistics techniques.

WebEx link provided to registrants prior to event

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