Spring 2014 – Page 3 – Seidenberg School News

5 Career Fair Hacks

By Suhail Bhandari

A couple of weeks ago, I attended Uncubed, NYC. For those of you who haven’t been – it’s a swift kickstart in the pants to get your career going. You can expect to find promising startups from just about any industry, coding & marketing jobs, free beer, and an umpteen number of networking opportunities. I spent the whole day there, going from one booth to another – occasionally stopping by GrubHub to pick up some freshly baked chocolate chip cookies – and here’s what I learned.

1. Call Ahead and Make a Reservation

At the Meetup booth, I was mid-way through a riveting ‘30-second-pitch’ when my interviewer suddenly lost all interest. “Hi Julie!” he screamed to the girl who’d just walked in. “I’ve been looking through your work, and it’s great to finally meet you in person. Let’s talk about spending your summer, interning with us.” What? How?

I bumped into Julie later that day – she’s goes to Pace University as well – and asked her what that was about.

Turns out, in order to distinguish herself from the rest of the crowd (me!), Julie had begun working this job fair a month ago. Via a series of e-mails and phone calls, she’d already managed to build a relationship with the guys at Meetup. So, by the time Uncubed came around, they knew who she was, taken a look at her portfolio, and were ready to offer her an internship. All she needed to do was show up that day.

2. Is Your Resume SEO Friendly?

It was at the SoftNice Consultancy booth that I got one of the most helpful tips of the day. “Your resume will not get you hired, like this. Bullet points, figures & crisp sentences are not as important as keywords.” Think of your resume as a business card. It simply announces you. When a company receives a resume, before they read it, they scan it for keywords. These words depend upon the job profile you are applying for. In order to even qualify for consideration, you need to have at least a 70% match — only then will they begin to find out more about you.

3. Google Before You Greet

Now, this one’s just common sense. Some of the best startups have the vaguest names. So, if you’re planning on working the entire fair, odds are you’re not going to know what every company does just by their name. Oscar? Trulia? All fantastic companies… once you know what they do. Don’t wing it! That’s just insulting. Instead, find a quiet corner and Google them. Then, mentally jot down a few talk points.

4. What do First-year International Students Do at a Job Fair?

By law, an international student cannot work off-campus (paid or unpaid) for the first 365 days of their program. All the more reason I suggest you walk in like a boss! Without the onus of a job opportunity hanging over your head, you’re free to mingle, seek advice, collect a few visiting cards, and have companies tell you exactly what they want you to do for the next few months so that they can hire you.

A silver lining on a silver platter!

5. A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words

Salute to Seniors on May 8th

On May 8th, at the Westchester County Center, there will be a Biz Expo for Seniors and Caregivers, hosted by Westchester County departments of: Senior Programs and Services; Parks, Recreation, and Conservation; and Public Works and Transportation. The co-sponsors of the event is the Westchester Public/Private Partnership for Aging Services.

This Health and Wellness fair is to celebrate the launch of the Telehealth Intervention Programs for Seniors (TIPS). At the event, there will be interactive exhibits for attendees; you can have you vital signs checked and entered into a computer for immediate results and a ‘TIPS Sheet’ that will explain the findings.

The event will also supply information on the other programs offered by the Department of Senior Programs and Services, such as Caregiver Coaching, Care Circles of Westchester, and the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program. Social workers will also be present to offer the details about other benefits out there and whether or not you could be entitled to receive.

Vital Care Services, a healthcare management solution that is big on telehealth, has been introducing TIPS around Westchester. Seidenberg’s Dr. David Sachs is also Vital Care’s project manager for TIPS. Vital Care describes TIPS as “a group of adults, who live in congregate or community dwelling arrangements, who have their vital signs checked two to three times each week. At each location, two telehealth technicians support kiosks that contain health care equipment that enables up to 50 individuals to check their weight, blood pressure, pulse, and oxygen levels, as well as permitting the individuals to answer other questions about their health and health benefits. All information is transmitted wirelessly using Bluetooth to an Android Tablet. That tablet transmits the information to HIPAA compliant servers where telehealth nurses analyze it and provide feedback to the patients and/or their primary care physicians. Participants at each telehealth location receive full needs assessments, benefits information and counseling, care planning and educational services to support health improvements.”

The program has had a successful impact in Westchester so far, and everyone involved is looking to expanding to improve the lives of the growing community of seniors and to make up for a lack in clinical resources.

Dr. Scharff Brings Mobile Education to Senegal and Beyond Through Fulbright Project

ziguinchorpic — Dr. Scharff with undergrad and grad students from the University of Ziguinchor, 2013

Since 2008, Seidenberg — through the dedicated work of Dr. Christelle Scharff — has been involved in research in mobile for development and in capacity-building in mobile technology in Senegal, Africa. While most of the ground-breaking mobile initiatives at that time emerged in English-speaking countries in Africa, Dr. Scharff decided to work in French-speaking countries, leveraging her first language, and became a pioneer of mobile technology in Senegal. In 2012 her efforts were rewarded by a prestigious Fulbright scholarship.

In order to receive a scholarship from Fulbright, one must prepare for a grueling application process with many stages. Dr. Scharff waited patiently during the process that would and did finally grant her the scholarship to get the ball rolling on her project and research in Senegal. The award letter was followed by letters from Crongresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney and Senator Charles E. Schumer.

Dr. Scharff founded the MobileSenegal project (MobileSenegal.org) for capacity building in mobile technology in Africa in 2008. It was first geared towards university students, but evolved into a mobile revolution for middle and high school students, developers and professionals of the IT industry. MobileSenegal, since its beginning, has become a program that organizes boot camps, courses, competitions, training for faculty and dedicated field projects.

Africa is booming in mobile investments, attracting the attention of larger corporations, including Google, Microsoft, and IBM. Of these, Google and IBM both sponsored MobileSenegal, as did Blackberry. NGOs have also caught on to the importance of mobile technology, even the most basic phones, in education and health for countries that may not have the same kind of access to technology that many of us take for granted. Students from Pace and Senegal worked on the development of a mobile application for reading, math, and geography for first grade students in Senegal. The application was piloted in a primary school. The experience generated enthusiasm amongst pupils and teachers and was a great learning experience in software engineering and social development for Pace and Senegalese students.

Dr. Scharff also founded the SenMobile startup to provide innovative mobile solutions in education, health, and financial awareness. She has more than 10 mobile apps published on Google Play, Nokia Store and BlackBerry App World. One of the Nokia apps gathered more than 17,000 downloads.

Dr. Scharff will continue to promote her ideas around the world to spread the initiative and her research. She has presented the project at diverse conferences including the mEducation Alliance Symposium in Washington D.C, the Mobile Learning Week at UNESCO in Paris, and this past month, she shared her work at the conference on Social Entrepreneurship at Harvard.

The Fulbright U.S. Student competition for 2015-2016 opened on May 1st and Dr. Scharff would be thrilled to talk with Pace students who are considering embarking in this life changing experience.

Most Doors in Life Seem Closed…

…So, If You Want Them to Open, You Need a Cool Knock.
By Suhail Bhandari

As an international student at Pace University, I’m always amazed by what can be achieved by simply knocking on someone’s door. I recently tried the theme from Mission Impossible, and by the time I was done knocking, I’d made friends with the CEO of a very successful startup, a Google developer, and two very famous Glass explorers. All this whilst at my very own Google Glass workshop.

It all began in my third week at school, when I met two very important people.

The first, was a gentleman named Freddy. It was as though Waldo had come alive and was every bit as interesting and worldly-wise as you’d hoped he’d be, with all his travels! (See if you can spot him in the picture below.)

We’d often delve into interesting discussions regarding the future of wearable-tech or how to build digital communities. Sometimes we’d even debate the hard stuff like, ‘why is everyone obsessed with Candy Crush?’ or ‘what the heck do I do with all my NikeFuel points?!’ It was fantastic to have someone on campus who I could go to whenever I needed meaningful advice, or just wanted to share an idea… So, you can imagine my shock when I found out, a month later, that my friend “Freddy” was actually Professor Wilfredo Pena, who taught an Information Systems class! Yet, and as odd as it sounds, we’re still best buds and it was his little push that gave me the confidence to organize my own Google Glass Workshop – “Instead of just talking about them all day, go to Dr. Scharff, ask her if you can borrow her glasses for a day and invite a few students over!”

Was it just that simple?

Students who tried on Glass at the event. Click-through for full-sized images

Then I met Dr. Christelle Scharff, Chair for the Computer Science department at Pace University’s Seidenberg School of Computer Science. I would imagine during my first visit to her office I looked every bit as thrilled as Charlie did, when he first walked into Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. She had Google Glasses, access to 3-D printers, a Raspberry Pi and the latest active gear smart watch! There was even an oompa loompa in the corner – “This Android bot is a trophy for my students, if they do well in today’s class.” She gave me a patient listen, even though I was all over the place with my ideas, and within minutes she offered to not only to speak at the workshop but she would allow any student who wanted to try on the $1,500 Glass a chance to do so.

The next day, far more confident about my idea, and egged on by Freddy and Dr. Scharff, I sat down with Glass, and dictated an e-mail. “Ok Glass, send this out to…” I reached out to a popular agency that had been working with Glass for a few months now. 48 hours later, they replied, “It’s high time kids started doing more stuff like this! See you there!” Time to go bigger! A few days later – and what are the odds of this happening – I bumped into Steve Motino, a Pace Student/Google developer/Glass Explorer at a Pace University job fair! 15 minutes later, he was onboard as well and even offered to talk about a few apps he was working on. Even bigger! We reached out to city event guides and Explorer clubs! And finally, with some deft social media management by a fellow student, we reached out to everyone at Pace!

Walter White Harry Potter Jonathan Hill Pace News — We not only had the Seidenberg’s associate dean don a promotional pair, but Harry Potter and Walter White too!

That evening, my small workshop idea transformed into an entire 3 hour event with over 50 attendees! We had students from Pace as well as other universities, developers, working professionals, 5 guest speakers and 7 Google Glass Explorers!…And it all began with a cool knock.

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More pictures from the event can be found on Seidenberg’s Facebook. If you tried on a pair of Glasses at the event, find your picture and tag yourself!

Seidenberg PhD Student Ranks First in International Biometric Competition

Photo from Westchester Magazine — Photo credit: Westchester Magazine

Seidenberg student Vinnie Monaco (Ph.D. Computer Science ’16) recently participated in this Spring’s Eye Movements and Verification and Identification Competition (EMVIC 2014). The competition is one of five supported by the IEEE International Joint Conference on Biometrics (IJCB 2014). The key objective of biometric competitions is to introduce the benchmarking of state-of-the-art algorithms relating to biometric identification while using transparent evaluation protocols.

The EMVIC 2014 aimed to determine how people may be identified based on their eye movement characteristics. The eye is not only one of the most complicated human organs, but also the analysis of its movements may reveal information about the human being, which makes the analysis of eye movement a suitable approach for biometric identification.

The competition had participants analyze a dataset of eye movement recordings, then design classification models. The results were calculated as the number of correctly classified samples to the number of test samples taken into account. Vinnie came up with the most successful classification model.

As the competition winner, Vinnie has not only been awarded with an SMI RED-m eye tracker by SensoMotoric Instruments, but he has also been invited to take part in the preparation of a monograph about eye movement biometrics along with the other authors of the best algorithms. Furthermore, test results and description of methodologies will be presented at the IJCB 2014 this September in Florida. The conference has been a reputable one to which Seidenberg faculty and students have been submitting papers for publication.

Seidenberg professor Charles Tappert, Ph.D. has been leading a biometrics research group at Pace for the past ten years, producing work that has received recognition nationally and internationally. Dr. Tappert works with undergraduate and graduate students to address identification and authentication problems by analyzing behavioral biometrics on keyboard and mouse-dynamics. These are relatively new directions in biometric research, and the Seidenberg faculty and students are directly contributing to advancing knowledge in this field.

Interested in biometrics? To learn more about IJCB 2014 and the biometric competitions it supports, visit http://www.emvic.org.

Don’t Pass on Google Glass

“Ok Glass, write this down for me…”
By: Suhail Bhandari

Not since 1997, when Harry Potter first came out of his cupboard, have I heard such a rumpus over a pair of glasses! But this time, we’re talking actual magic. The kind of medical magic, where doctors don’t have to waste time sifting through tons of records in order to diagnose a symptom — or the murder-mystery kind, which drastically increases the chances of a detective tracking down a serial killer — or, for that matter, even the miraculous kind, which makes a blind man see.

Yet sadly, when it comes down to it, this is what 7 out of 10 people think of Google Glass.

An End to Privacy
Really? Really?? How many of us continue to use Gmail, knowing full-well that each e-mail we send or receive is being read, scanned, and then offered back to us via an eerie personalized ad? Or how many of us continue to upload pictures of ourselves to Facebook and Instagram, adding to a massive facial-recognition database that we have no control over. Or how many of us continue to walk down a street, pinging our exact location to every server within a 10 mile radius, simply because it’s “it’s too much effort to turn off Wi-Fi detect.”

The answer is, most of us. But the truth is, all of us. That privacy-ship set sail a long time ago.

And no, Glass isn’t on all the time, and doesn’t record everything you say or do. (But if you’re still paranoid, look out for a bright red light located above the camera.)

It Looks Ugly
Sure they’re ‘bulky,’ ‘plasticky,’ and quite ‘constrained’ when it comes to color – but despite it all, people seem to love their Warby Parkers!

In its current, early version, Google Glass may have been referred to as ‘the scarlet letter of technology.’ But quick to change that, and in true Google ‘dominate-the-market’ fashion, their partnership with Luxottica might very well be the “biggest step yet into the emerging smart-eyewear market.” According to reports, the first smart glasses by Luxottica for Google Glass will go on sale in 2015 and be offered with brands like Ray-Ban and Oakley.

What Does It Do?
We’ve all seen the videos. “Ok glass, take a picture;” “now, e-mail it to John Smith;” “oh, remind me to call him this evening at 6pm,” and then some about videos, maps, and messaging.

But again, it’s more about the potential.

Google Glass is a first of its kind product, with a major company to back it. Quite like when the first iPhone launched in 2007, with its pre-installed apps and novel touchscreen. It had the same ‘worth it or just hype?’ question surrounding it. Owning Google Glass is like owning the first TV on the block. No one has seen it in person before and everyone wants to come over and try it out. Though, still more fun than functional right now, it has the promise of becoming the next big thing.

How Do I Get One?
So, according to Mashable and Scotty Kowall, Google is planning on opening up a store right here in NYC, within purposeful proximity to the Apple Store in SoHo. With any luck, it’ll be across the street from Warby Parker, making it rather convenient for Google Glass buyers with prescriptions!

For the time being, the glasses are “BUY invite only.” Pretty much like when you first signed up for Gmail. The only difference being this time there’s a $1,500 acceptance fee! So, if you’ve been paying attention to anything I’ve just said and have the money to spare, their next guest list will be out April 15th, and you can sign up right here – Google Glass Registration.

So stop thinking of it as a fashion faux pas, or having to give up your privacy, and start thinking of it as the future, right there, sitting on your very nose.

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P.S. If you want to try on Google Glass for free, stop by the Seidenberg School at 163 William Street on April 16th at 6:30pm. They’re having a small workshop that will teach you how to use them, let you play around with a few apps, and even introduce you to some of the guys that helped make Glass possible. See you there!