Baruch students continue to earn top honors and prestigious awards, from study-abroad opportunities to influential research grants.
Two Baruch students were named to National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (NSF REU), a program that supports active and meaningful undergraduate participation in new or current NSF research initiatives. Amiyah Young (’23) and Alexandra Acevedo (’23) joined major NSF projects with potentially significant implications for public policy: Young focused on climate justice in New York City, while Acevedo joined a team of researchers studying obesity and nutrition in Costa Rica.
Young’s project focused on learning how climate change research is gathered, analyzed, and communicated for relevant stakeholders and policymakers in the city and beyond. “I believe a huge part in fostering tangible change with issues like climate change is bridging the gap between experts and younger generations who will be responsible for carrying out change themselves,” said Young, who is majoring in public affairs. “It’s important that they meet and partake in dialogue that expands the conversation surrounding climate change. Hopefully it even breeds innovation on how to tackle it, which is the goal.”
Additionally, nine Baruch College undergraduate students were chosen as Gilman scholars and studied abroad this past semester in countries including Spain, France, Denmark, and Japan. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, the Gilman Scholarship Program aims to help American students “gain proficiency in diverse languages and cultures, skills that are critically important to their academic and career development.” Each student receives up to $5,000 in funding.
an international business major, studied abroad in Spain as a Gilman scholar.
Meanwhile, a team of graduate students from Baruch’s Zicklin School of Business won first place in the Pitney Bowes College Data Challenge. Sixty students comprising 11 teams competed, all trying to use machine learning models to predict the likelihood of a mailing meter failing within the next seven days.
“Zicklin graduate students are always eager to learn and succeed,” said Shivayogi Biradar, a Pitney Bowes data scientist and one of the judges. “They continue to deliver better submissions year after year. With their drive, grit, and proven track records, they have always amazed us with their submissions.”
The data challenge is the final event of a yearlong partnership between Pitney Bowes and Baruch’s Paul H. Chook Department of Information Systems and Statistics, in which Pitney Bowes data scientists offer workshops and seminars throughout the year for Zicklin students.
—Sara Karnish