Hofstra University

Leah Boisvert '26, Lilly Knappe '27, and Sophia Marciano '26, students in Hofstra University's Lawrence Herbert School of Communication, participated in the AmPav Worldwide Student Program at the 78th Annual Cannes International Film Festival, May 13-24. The American Pavilion (AmPav) is the hospitality and communications hub for the thousands of Americans attending Cannes, one of the world's largest and most glamorous film festivals.

The U.S. Department of State has awarded Hofstra University student MeiLi Haan '26 the competitive Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship. Haan, a double major in sustainability and music business, is applying the award to a program that will allow her to study both disciplines at Edinburgh Napier University in Scotland this fall.

Dylan Budhu and Craig Mannino, both Class of 2026 and students in Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (HCLAS) and Rabinowitz Honors College, have been named the recipients of the 2025 Firestone Fellowship, an annual award that provides students with opportunities to conduct summer research in their academic discipline, under the guidance of a faculty mentor.

Hofstra University inducted 68 students into its chapter of Phi Beta Kappa this spring. Phi Beta Kappa is considered an emblem of high achievement and strong potential. The society celebrates and advocates excellence in the liberal arts and sciences. Its campus chapters invite for induction the most outstanding arts and sciences students at America's leading colleges and universities.

Established in 1997 by Hofstra's Axinn Library faculty, this award recognizes and rewards excellence in research and writing by graduating seniors.

Two mechanical engineering students from the Fred DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Science recreated a historic artifact for the Hofstra University Museum of Art's EVERY Body, EVERY Mind exhibition. Krishan Rathee '27 of Williston Park, NY, and Gianluca Tredici '26 of Tomkins Cove, NY, developed a replica of a late 19th-early 20th-century Chi Wara headdress. Their work offers visitors of all ages and abilities the rare opportunity to engage with art through touch. The exhibition, which runs through July 11, explores the 35-year impact of the Americans with Disabilities Act and highlights inclusive approaches to museum education. The tactile replica allows guests, including those with visual impairments, to interact more meaningfully with a culturally significant object.

Mia Lee '26 is heading to the 2025 Rifle and Pistol National Junior Olympics in Alabama, April 13-18, where she has secured a first-round invitation to compete in the women's 10-meter air rifle championship. After competing in Junior Olympics for the past seven years, this is her final year of eligibility. The Hofstra biochemistry major and ROTC cadet from Boston, MA, fell in love with the precision and focus that her sport requires. Her interest was sparked when she was just 8 years old and began accompanying her father to the rifle range.

Lawrence Herbert School of Communication students won top honors in five categories at the 50th national Gracie Awards for exemplary news programming. The prestigious honor, awarded annually by the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation (AWMF), recognizes work by, for, or about women in television, radio, and online media on the national, local, and student levels. Hofstra students have taken home multiple Gracie Awards for the last 11 years.

Four students from the Frank G. Zarb School of Business put their entrepreneurial skills to the test at the 2025 New York Business Plan Competition (NYBPC), competing against students from schools such as Farmingdale State College, Molloy University, and SUNY Old Westbury in the regional round. Representing Hofstra were international business student Aydan Smith from Locust Grove, GA (OurBloom), Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences economics student Prisha Srivastava from San Ramon, CA (CogniView), finance student Jack Fernandez from South Ozone Park, NY (Vacant), and entrepreneurship student Dhrruv Dhamani from Jaipur, India (One More Time).

Hofstra University presented its annual Service Week, March 18-20, 2025. The program offers Hofstra University students opportunities to participate in community service programs over spring break. For the first time, Service Week included an inaugural program to meet and work with residents of the Shinnecock Indian Nation in Southampton, Long Island. Organized by Anita Ellis, director of the Office of Commuting Student Services and Community Outreach, and Karen Torrence, director of the Shinnecock Senior Citizen Nutrition Program, students were matched with senior tribal members and helped around their homes with planting and weeding.

Naya Mahabir '25, a Hofstra biology major from New Hyde Park, New York, received a TriBeta Research Grant for her work on microbes that may promote plant growth in adverse environments.

Sandro Amaglobeli and Allison Siegel, both Class of 2025 and Rabinowitz Honors College students, presented a research poster at the 2025 Pi Mu Epsilon (PME) annual conference held in Seattle, Washington, during the Joint Mathematics Meetings (JMM), from January 8-11.

Hofstra University's Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) made a strong impression at Hacking Health 2025, a 48-hour healthcare-focused hackathon hosted by Columbia University's BMES on February 8-9. Competing against over 20 elite teams from institutions including Columbia, Brown, MIT, Yale, and Penn, Hofstra's BMES secured first place in the Personalized Medicine and Genomics division for its novel thyroid monitor, THYROS, which is now patent pending.

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Hofstra Chapter advanced its leadership and professional development by attending the Workshop for Student Chapter Leaders (WSCL) in Memphis, Tennessee. The conference, which brought together engineering students from across the country, helped participants enhance their skills in chapter management, professional development, and networking - all key components of a successful student organization.

Six undergraduate nursing students, in their senior year, from the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies (SONPA) traveled to Washington, D.C., February 6, to participate in the 37th annual National Black Nurses Day on Capitol Hill. This year's event, titled "Reimagining Health Equity: Addressing Ongoing Threats to America's Well-Being," provided an opportunity for students to engage in discussions on legislative issues affecting the nursing profession, including workforce diversity, maternal mortality, artificial intelligence in health care, and economic wellness.

Sandro Amaglobeli and Allison Siegel, both Class of 2025 and Rabinowitz Honors College students, presented a research poster at the 2025 Pi Mu Epsilon (PME) annual conference held in Seattle, Washington, during the Joint Mathematics Meetings (JMM), from January 8-11.

A group of students from the Fred DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Science had the opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of technology and innovation during a recent trip to Silicon Valley. Led by Associate Professor Jianchen Shan, the students engaged with some of the biggest names in the tech industry, gaining valuable insight into the latest advancements and career opportunities in computer science and cybersecurity.

Super Bowl Week is underway in New Orleans, and three reporters from WRHU-88.7 FM, Radio Hofstra University, are on the ground, participating in media activities leading up to the Sunday, February 9, rematch between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles.

Hofstra Votes LIVE, the award-winning, multi-platform election night broadcast, produced by Hofstra University's Lawrence Herbert School of Communication, aired on election night, November 5, after weeks of intense preparation and rehearsal.

Select students participating in Hofstra's Student Managed Investment Fund (SMIF) were featured in a video highighting the benefits of the program.

Jessie Hirsch (Bellerose, NY) and Julia Catanzano (Deer Park, NY), students from Hofstra's School of Health Sciences (SHS), earned top honors at the Greater New York American College of Sports Medicine (GNY ACSM) Conference held at NYU Langone in New York City. The conference showcased research from undergraduate and graduate students across the region, featuring 29 accepted abstracts and six finalists in the prestigious President's Cup Student Research Competition. Additionally, SHS had three student poster presentations that included collaborative research conducted by undergraduate Exercise Physiology students including Admar Calovini (New Hyde Park, NY), Jasmine Garmon (Holbrook, NY), David Wang (Valley Stream, NY), Erin Crisley (Wakefield, MA), Paige Kyle (Aurora, CO), Tarek Harhash (East Northport, NY), Emma Brennan (Myrtle Beach, SC), Lily Yepez (N.Bellmore, NY), Stacey Wong (Middle Village, NY), Anaya Davis (Palm Bay, FL), Amelia Heywood (Roseville, CA), and Emily Kishori (Elmont, NY).

Edward Guo, a senior computer science student from Northborough, MA, is making waves in the world of computer science by achieving what many doctoral students only dream of: Guo will publish and present his groundbreaking research at the EuroSys 2025 Conference in the Netherlands in this spring.

Four students from Hofstra University's Physician Assistant (PA) program spent their summer break giving back to those in need. They volunteered with Global Brigades in Panama, where they provided healthcare services to underserved communities.

Juliana Feeney, a physician assistant (PA) studies student from Congers, NY, is on a mission to inspire the next generation of healthcare professionals. Thanks to a grant from the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) Health Foundation, Feeney is working on a children's book titled El heroico asociado medico (The Hero Physician Associate). The book idea was designed to introduce the PA profession to Spanish-speaking, elementary-aged children in the Hempstead School District, with the aim of encouraging them to consider it as a future career.

Students from the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies reached a milestone in their academic journeys toward the Doctor of Nursing Practice in Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, Family Nurse Practitioner, and Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. The White Coat Ceremony, attended by students' families and friends, marked the transition from classroom learning to clinical practice for the 54 students.

This past spring, Hofstra announced an exciting opportunity for students - a contest to design a T-shirt that will be given to the incoming Class of 2028 during Welcome Week. The contest was open to all students, regardless of major or discipline, to showcase their creativity and represent the spirit of the University through original artwork, within the theme "What does Hofstra mean to me?" A panel of expert judges evaluated all 48 entries with the grand prize going to Pallavi Singh, an English major from South Richmond, NY, for her design titled "Fill your cup at HOFSTRA." In addition to having her design printed on the Welcome Week shirts, Singh was also provided with a $250 gift card to the campus bookstore.

The Global Studies and Geography Department has announced Genevieve McCormick '25 of Allendale, NJ, as the 2024-2025 recipient of the Dr. Masaharu G. Inaba Endowed Memorial Scholarship.

Hofstra students displayed research and independent study projects on topics ranging from antibiotic resistance to the impact of social media influencers as part of Spring Graduate Research Day.

Over 140 undergraduate students presented their research at Hofstra's annual Undergraduate Research Day, last month. The research projects were showcased in multiple formats including posters, art displays and performances and focused on varied academic disciplines, including humanities; communications; education; engineering; computer science; and the natural, health, and social sciences.

Two students in Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (HCLAS) have been awarded the 2024 Firestone Fellowship, an annual award that provides students with opportunities to conduct summer research in their academic discipline, with the guidance of a faculty mentor.