“We don’t know what’s in that glass before we drink,” Professor John Cronin, director of Seidenberg School’s Blue CoLab says. “I have a right to know what’s in my water.” And he would know. Cronin is known internationally for his 17 years as Hudson Riverkeeper and was named a Time magazine Hero for the Planet for his work fighting river pollution. At Pace, Cronin has been pioneering experiential learning for more than 20 years. He’s no stranger to inspiring student advocacy, as co-instructor for the Environmental Policy and Animal Advocacy clinics, coordinator of the annual Mock Legislative Hearing Competition, and even having co-founded Haub Law’s Environmental Litigation Clinic.

That’s the foundation of Blue CoLab, a project providing hands-on experiences in technological monitoring of water quality. With a strong commitment to the principle that there’s a human right to clean water, which requires the right-to-know that the water is clean, the program involves training, innovation, and research in real-time water monitoring technology.

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More than two billion people will be threatened by unsafe water this year, which can lead to waterborne illnesses and other negative health outcomes. While many Americans see unclean water as an issue only in underdeveloped countries, the impact is local as well. This is demonstrated by the long-lasting impact to Parkersburg, West Virginia, caused by chemical dumping by Dupont and the lead contamination of drinking water in Flint, Michigan. In addition, 19.5 million illnesses are caused by pathogens in water in the US annually.

Cronin, Professor Leanne Keeley (who is Blue CoLab’s technical operations director), and a team of dedicated students work on the Pleasantville Campus tracking the health of Choate Pond, which eventually drains to the Hudson River. Meryl Mizell ’25, computer science major and Right-to-Know H20 team coordinator, explains the process, “In our pond, we have water quality sensors that monitor the water quality. We’re able to use that tech to pull data from the pond to allow people to see what the pond water quality is in real-time.”

The solar-powered water quality monitoring stations, lovingly named Ada and Alan (after 19th century mathematician Ada Lovelace, and British computer scientist Alan Turing, who broke the Nazi Enigma code) take measurements every fifteen minutes and send that data to a Seidenberg server. The team then uses that data to evaluate the water quality, create apps, products, and presentations that help deepen the public understanding of water. The pond serves as Blue CoLab’s “living laboratory,” complementing its data lab in Goldstein Academic Center and its tech lab off-campus.

“So overall, we do focus on the campus using the pond, but we want to implement it on a global scale,” says journalism major Lilah McCormack ’25. “The forefront of our idea is having the right to know what’s in the water we drink in real time. We do get water quality updates from local government agencies, but they only come after a year after you’ve used that water, so they’re not very useful in making healthy decisions.”

We have a really unique opportunity here at Pace, and I think that comes from our mentorship. What we’re doing here is really special.

Students work closely with Professor Cronin, who has been working on environmental issues for over 50 years. Lilah attributes the success of the Blue CoLab program and experience she is gaining to the mentorship and knowledge shared by Professor Cronin. “We have a really unique opportunity here at Pace, and I think that comes from our mentorship. What we’re doing here is really special. Sure, there’s a lot of initiatives towards ending the global water crisis, but nobody’s thinking about the technological advances that can make it possible.”

Recently, the six students who work on Blue CoLab’s Right-to-Know H20 project were accepted into the 2023 class of the United Nations Academic Impact and Millennium Campus Network Fellowship Program. The semester-long program gives students the opportunity to lead projects that advance the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. The students working as part of the Right-to-Know H20 team are not merely advocates in civic engagement, but an active force striving to fulfill the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal, recognizing water as fundamental to all aspects of life. To aid the mission, the Right-to-Know H2O Team has petitioned the United Nations Secretary General António Guterres requesting the UN to declare the right-to-know water quality a fundamental human right.

The ability for these students from across the University to engage with experiential learning that revolves around critical scientific work helps to shape their college experiences, what they hope to do in their careers, and the way the world interacts with water.

“The work that we're doing here at Pace University is just the beginning of what’s possible,” concludes Sasha Palmer ’25.

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How have you seen your commitment to wellness make a difference in your personal and/or professional life?

My commitment to wellness has created a healthy community for me at work wherein my co-workers and I encourage each other to join in the fitness challenges and go for walks during the walking challenges. During the walks we can relax and catch up as well as discuss work items. This has made me more productive at work and enlarged my network at Pace.

Do you have any advice for someone beginning their exercise and/or wellness journey?

Have a partner or group at work and at home who will keep you motivated. Instead of meeting a colleague or friend for lunch, schedule a walk (especially outside, the benefits of fresh air, sunshine and nature are amazing)!

Do you have any wellness success stories (even small victories!) to share?

Through Pace University’s Wellness program, I was placed in a wellness pod that met weekly via zoom with members of the Pace community on all campuses. This gave me an opportunity to expand my Pace network and when the most recent walking challenge came about, we created a walking team that we all decided would be named “One Pace!” Our goal was to create a walking team from across all campuses and offices at Pace to show we are UNITED and ALL IN THIS TOGETHER!! When employees are physically and mentally healthy, they are more engaged, motivated, and productive. On the walking challenge teams I have been a part of we hold each other accountable, have fun and reap the health benefits of friendship, cardio walking workouts and a wonderful support network throughout the University. For each walking challenge I have tried to entice 1-5 people who did not participate in the challenge before to join and will continue to do so for each upcoming challenge—the more engaged our community is—the better!!

The 2024 AI Internship Experience Program at the Seidenberg School started this week! This intensive, two-week paid program for undergraduate and graduate students of Seidenberg will include a multitude of hot topics and tools in technology (such as Introduction to Machine Learning and CNN, Generative AI, Agile Methodologies, and Scrum), a crash course in Python, GitHub workshops, networking, career development, and more. All interns will leave the program with resume worthy projects. The program will culminate in a presentation on Friday, June 14, from 1:00 p.m.–4:45 p.m. in the NYC Design Factory on the 9th floor of 15 Beekman.

Seidenberg Professor, Associate Dean, and Co-Director of the Seidenberg AI Lab, Dr. Christelle Scharff, is leading the program with Dr. Carmine Guida, Assistant Professor and head of Seidenberg’s new BS in Game Development.

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When describing the program, Dr. Guida said that “the AI Internship Experience gives our students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with artificial intelligence, machine learning, project management, pre-professional advancement, and design thinking.” Elaborating on how comprehensive this experience will be for the interns, he said that the “students will develop and deploy two AI-related projects, including an image classifier and generative adversarial network (image generator). Additionally, students will develop their GitHub repositories and enhance their resumes and LinkedIn profiles. They will also be mentored by Career Services, as well as Pace alumni.”

Dr. Scharff added that she and Dr. Guida decided to put the program together because they wanted to “have a program that is very innovative, that is for the next generation. This experience is inspired by internship programs of leading tech companies, such as Google and Microsoft.” When talking about the students who are participating, she said that “we have a very diverse group of students. A lot of them are Sophomores, and this is a first internship experience for some of them. So, it is important for us to build their confidence, teach them new skills, and to set them up for success in their future internships and jobs. We wanted to create a safe environment where our interns can explore and experience all different paths that working with AI can offer.”

Pace University’s Board of Trustees announced the election of a new member, Dov Horowitz '05 (Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems), a distinguished alumnus and IT leader.

"Dov Horowitz is committed to Pace’s mission of creating opportunities for our students now and throughout their careers,” said Rob Sands, chairman of Pace’s Board of Trustees. “We are pleased to welcome him to our Board of Trustees and look forward to benefiting from his expertise, vision, and leadership.”

Dov is the CEO of American Technology Services (ATS), which offers modern technology solutions, including cloud, compliance, custom software development, and network design services. ATS has enhanced its cybersecurity and digital innovation capabilities through strategic acquisitions of cybersecurity and innovative firms. At the NYC headquarters, ATS incubates advanced solutions including the AI-powered web hosting platform LoudSpot and virtual reality simulations. Dov also leads Worldwide TechServices, a global IT professional services and infrastructure support company, where he has served as CEO since 2011.

Dov Horowitz, who received a master’s degree in computer science from Pace’s Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems, recognized that the dramatic ascendance of the Esports and videogame industries presented new, exciting opportunities for Pace to better serve its students. With a landmark gift to support the institution of competitive Esports at Pace, Horowitz’s company, American Technology Services, became the Founding Partner of the varsity program. Dov and American Technology Services saw the potential of Esports to enrich competitors’ student experiences while engaging them in an emerging, multibillion dollar industry.

“As a proud Pace alum, I've experienced firsthand the significant and meaningful impact the university can have in educating and inspiring students,” said Horowitz. “The Esports program, for example, offers ongoing dynamic competitive, curricular, and vocational opportunities for both current and future Pace students. I’m honored to join the Board of Trustees as the university continues to meet student demand and foster next-generation skillsets.”

In fact, following Horowitz’s momentous support, Pace University's Esports program was voted No. 1 in the nation after winning a March Madness-styled bracket for college esports programs. Currently, there are more than 500 members across both campuses that are a part of the Pace University gaming community, including players on Pace’s Varsity, Academy, Club, and intramural teams. Pace is defying a national trend in the growth of participation by female or non-binary athletes. In the past year, the share of women on the school’s esports team has grown to 28% from 19%, and notably, half of the members in the esports club are female.

About Pace University

Since 1906, Pace University has been transforming the lives of its diverse students—academically, professionally, and socioeconomically. With campuses in New York City and Westchester County, Pace offers bachelor, master, and doctoral degree programs to 13,600 students in its College of Health Professions, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, Elisabeth Haub School of Law, Lubin School of Business, School of Education, Sands College of Performing Arts, and Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems.