Students, faculty, staff across Northeastern University and industry leaders came together virtually on April 9, 2020 for the university’s annual RISE (Research, Innovation, Scholarship, Entrepreneurship) to celebrate innovation in multidisciplinary student research projects with a strong showing from College of Professional Studies (CPS) students. Student competitors had the opportunity to showcase their work to a virtual audience that included industry professionals and potential employers or investors.
This year, a record number of College of Professional Studies undergraduate and graduate students participated (24 students presenting 18 entries) with 14 students winning awards in eight categories, of a possible 23 categories. The students represented five degree programs and a wide range of professions and industries.
New in 2020, RISE included a Northeastern College of Professional Studies Resiliency and Sustainability Focus award specifically for students of the college. This award recognized one undergraduate and one graduate student or team whose project best applied research and communication to an important resiliency and sustainability topic.
Winners of the CPS prize are:
- Mark Turner, Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering Technology: Fixed-Wing Drone Autonomous Re-Flight Platform
- Mruga Salunke, Master of Science in Corporate and Organizational Communication: Building Cultural Resilience and Agility: Based on Cross-Cultural Adaptation by Global Consultancies
Following is the list of all CPS RISE award winners in each category, their projects and faculty mentors:
Computer and Information Sciences
- Jinyuan Chen, MPS Analytics: Applying a Customized Ordinal Machine Learning Classification Method to Predict Potential Retail Location Performance
- Faculty advisor — Alice Mello, Assistant Teaching Professor, Master of Professional Studies in Analytics
Social Sciences, Business and Law
- Mika Morikawa, Master of Science in Corporate and Organizational Communication: Cultural Awareness in the Social Work Workplace: How Social Work Management Can Improve the Experiences of Social Workers of Color
- Faculty advisor — Patricia Goodman, Assistant Teaching Professor, Master of Science in Corporate and Organizational Communication
CPS Resiliency and Sustainability
- Mark Turner, Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering Technology: Fixed-Wing Drone Autonomous Re-Flight Platform
- Faculty advisor — Jonathan Cue, Lecturer in Engineering
- Mruga Salunke, Master of Science in Corporate and Organizational Communication: Building Cultural Resilience and Agility: Based on Cross-Cultural Adaptation by Global Consultancies
- Faculty advisor — Patricia Goodman, Assistant Teaching Professor, Master of Science in Corporate and Organizational Communication
Data
- Freida Parsons and Wangzi Zhao, Master of Science in Commerce and Economic Development: Multi-Level Sentiment Analysis of Stress
- Faculty advisor — Mikhail Oet, Associate Teaching Professor, Master of Science in Commerce and Economic Development
Grand Impact
- Mariangela Cardoso Miguel Carmona, Joyce Liu, Anu Ajaya Kumar, Yasha Barthia, Chia Hsiang Shih, Yingtao Dai, Master of Science in Project Management: Give It Here: An App-Based Solution for Charity Donations
- Faculty advisor — Jeryl Concepcion, Lecturer, Master of Science in Project Management and Assistant Director, Academic Advising and Program Operations
Illuminating Complex Problems
- Mruga Salunke, Master of Science in Corporate and Organizational Communication: Building Cultural Resilience and Agility: Based on Cross-Cultural Adaptation by Global Consultancies
- Faculty advisor — Patricia Goodman, Assistant Teaching Professor, Master of Science in Corporate and Organizational Communication
Sharing Economy
- Jinyuan Chen, Master of Professional Studies in Analytics: Applying a Customized Ordinal Machine Learning Classification Method to Predict Potential Retail Location Performance
- Faculty advisor — Alice Mello, Assistant Teaching Professor, Master of Professional Studies in Analytics
Commenting on how RISE complements coursework learning, Darin Detwiler, assistant dean of academic and faculty affairs and lead for RISE notes, “It’s one more piece to their experience; one more way to show what they have done, and what they’re capable of doing. For these students, this is where the real world begins. They’re really putting themselves out there, showing off what they’ve done. RISE provides opportunities.”
Detwiler commented on the wide range of participation and student topics: “The increase in CPS participation came from the dedication and hard work of many faculty and leaders across all domains and programs. These awards reflect the strong and diverse talent of our students. Our faculty and students exemplify the interdisciplinary nature of computer and information sciences, social sciences, business and law, resiliency and sustainability, data, impact, complex problems, the economy and beyond.”