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by Gisele Habibulla ‘25

On Friday, December 3rd, Molloy had the privilege of facilitating the first-ever in-person Qubit by Qubit: Quantum Computing “Meet-Up” for the Tristate area. More than 35 students from 10+ schools attended the event and met with their professor, Dr. Agarwal; the Vice President of The Coding School, Ms. Peltz; and several academic and industry leaders in quantum computing, such as research scientist from IBM, Bryce Fuller; and Ph.D. candidate in Quantum Computing from NYU, Wael Itani.

The Qubit by Qubit: Quantum Computing “Meet-Up” event gave students a chance to get to know one another while also furthering their understanding of quantum computing and possible future careers in this field.

We started with a “Quantum Bingo,” an activity in which all participants introduced themselves as we filled a bingo card with signatures from students/instructors who applied to each category. It included questions ranging from “someone who can describe quantum superposition” to “someone with the same favorite movie/TV show as you.” This was the perfect opportunity to break the ice. The beauty of this activity was realizing how similar I was to the people in the room. I could surround myself with people who share a genuine passion for quantum computing.

Following this, each guest speaker had their own table by which students could rotate through to ask questions, listen to advice, and interact with quantum simulations. My favorite was Dr. Agarwal’s demonstration with polarized paper, which selectively absorbs light vibrations. Here, we had a physical demonstration of how the 0 and 1 states in quantum computers work. Additionally, I enjoyed the variety of professionals in the quantum-computing field. I learned about how each speaker got into the study of quantum, found a college that provided a course for it, and how they chose to pursue it. I gained insight on how to apply my knowledge of quantum computing to future careers. For example, some speakers implemented quantum computing into medical practice, and others took a more social humanities route.

It was incredibly inspiring to have professionals in quantum computing visiting Molloy. I have always been interested in computer science, but I lacked direction on how to advance my skills. Through the QxQ: Quantum Computing course and events like these at Molloy, I can be confident in my next steps in this new field.

Congratulations to all the participants and the winners of the 2nd annual school-wide Amazon Cyber Robotics Competition. In this CoderZ competition, 62 Stanners attempted to solve challenging robotics missions at the virtual Amazon Fulfillment Center. Each mission was scored based on the correctness of the solution and the time needed to complete it.

The best robotics coder and the winner of the competition is Ethan Acevedo '25, who scored 4931 points. Sophia Lai '23 won second place with a score of 4595 points. George Stathopoulos '23 took third place with a score of 4223 points.

The Computer Science & Engineering department is proud to announce the winners of Molloy's Fifth Annual 3D Christmas Ornament Competition! The competition's judges, President Richard Karsten '81, and our new Alumni Development Officer, Rebecca Wagner '14, selected the winning designs based on creativity, 3D techniques, and a link to Molloy.

The winner of the competition is Joseph Castano '24, the second place winner is Alexandra Cedrowski '22, and in third place is Ayden Montalvo '24. Honorable mention: Fabio Colindres '24. 

Congratulations to the winners and the participants!  You can see all the amazing entries and 3D simulations at the following link: CLICK HERE.

by Ms. Edit Boral

Over the summer, CS110 (Programming with Python) students Sebastian Sanabria ’23 (pictured left) and Tyler Tabarovsky ‘23 (pictured right) placed in the top 70 winners of the nationwide “GOAT: Decoding a Successful App” challenge created by Amazon and GOAT. Hundreds of feature prototypes went through multiple rounds of judging by Amazon employees, GOAT employees, and the GOAT CEOs themselves, and the judges selected Tyler’s and Sebastian’s prototypes as standouts based on innovation, creativity, and design.

“We had so many incredible submissions, and it's no small feat that your students won this challenge,” said the GOAT: Decoding a Successful App team.

During the five-day long GOAT: Decoding a Successful App Challenge, students learned about the GOAT company and how different members of their team have developed the technology solutions that have helped them grow to be worth over a billion dollars.

On day one, students heard from Eddy Lu, GOAT’s CEO and co-founder, as he described the importance of problem solving in successful entrepreneurship and app design. The next day, the GOAT team shared their first Black Friday experience. On day three, students explored the role of a DevOps Engineer and learned how multiple people and teams must work together to solve complex problems. During the fourth day of the challenge, students learned how GOAT uses data science and artificial intelligence to authenticate sneakers and run their business more effectively. They also learned how to use customer data to personalize the user experience. At the end of the five days, students were ready to tackle the challenge and to build a new app feature using App Lab to help GOAT’s customers find the right product at the right time.

Please click on the images below to see Tyler’s and Sebastian’s winning apps and hear from them how they solved the problem GOAT is facing. Both students received prize packages from Amazon and GOAT.

ABOUT GOAT: GOAT is the global platform for the greatest products from the past, present, and future. Since its founding in 2015, GOAT has become the leading and most trusted sneaker marketplace in the world. Through its unique positioning between the primary and resale markets, the company offers styles across various time periods on its digital platforms and in its retail locations, while delivering products to over 30 million members across 170 countries.

This school year, Molloy became a partner school with MIT’s “The Coding School” to offer a quantum computing course called Qubit by Qubit (QxQ). The course is an introductory college-level quantum computing course taught by MIT and Oxford quantum scientists in collaboration with IBM Quantum. In the first semester, students learned about the mathematical and algorithmic background of quantum computation. In the second semester, they have been exploring the physics of making measurements using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Recently, MIT researchers demonstrated a very famous experiment regarding two-level quantum systems conducted by Stern and Gerlach in 1922.

Senior Brianna Garrison ’21 shared her thoughts on the course with The Beehive: “The quantum computing course with MIT is so fascinating! In this class we are learning about how concepts in quantum mechanics such as superposition, entanglement, and interference can be utilized to introduce a new way that computers can fundamentally work. Some of the concepts such as entanglement even contradict Einstein’s theory of relativity, proving that there is so much complexity and vastness to the world of physics that we have yet to discover or understand. In this class we are taught by professional coders and physicists, and there are a lot of resources offered to help the students. Speaking of which, there are thousands of other students taking this course from all over the world, and I learn a lot from my extremely diverse group of peers. The subject of quantum computing is not usually introduced until graduate school, and therefore it is an honor and a privilege to study this through Molloy.”

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by Ms. Edit Boral, Computer Science Department

On Sunday, May 9th, Molloy Quantum Computing students participated in a panel discussion with top quantum computing researchers and faculty, as well as leaders from QxQ’s (Qubit By Qubit) Advisory Board. The discussion was the finale of the “Qubit by Qubit: Quantum Computing” course offered for the first time to students all over the world.

Often referred to as the Giants of Quantum Computing, William Oliver, Director of MIT’s Center for Quantum Engineering, Scott Aaronson, Director of UT Austin’s Quantum Information Center and Spiros Michalakis, Physicist at CalTech’s Institute of Quantum Information and Matter, shared their experiences with students. The Giants talked about how they got into Quantum Computing, what a day in their life looks like, as well as about the difficulties and future of quantum computing. 

The panel congratulated students on finishing such a difficult course previously offered only at a graduate level. “You are at the forefront of this emerging technology. I cannot wait to see what you will do in the future,” said Kiera Peltz, the executive director of the program. “The skills you learned in linear algebra, group theory, quantum mechanics and classical algorithms are not only for the present but also for the future. You are the next generation of leaders. Take these skills and apply them to the field that you are passionate about. We officially welcome you to the quantum community!” Peltz said.

“Quantum computing is the language of the universe,” added Spiros Michalakis, “and we are closer than ever to solve the problem of rebuilding the universe through quantum computers. You are so lucky to have access to these teachings at such an early stage of your education. Take a moment and concentrate on the deeper aspects of quantum computing.”

“This is the time when you can devote every hour of the day to study what you are interested in. Follow your passion!” added Scott Aaronson.

Molloy students are among the first high schoolers in the world who took “Qubit by Qubit: Quantum Computing” taught by MIT and Oxford researchers. Students who graduated from the course earned a certificate issued by The Coding School. Molloy is thrilled to be offering this course again next school year at no cost to students as our partnership with the QxQ program has been extended. Moreover, Professor James Freericks of Georgetown University has invited Molloy students to register for his upcoming edX course, “Quantum Mechanics for Everyone”, which will start in the last week of June 2021. 

On January 23rd, computer science students virtually attended TKS Talks with Delivery Engineering Director at Netflix, Amy Smidutz. Amy talked about her journey working at the world's largest tech companies like Netflix, Amazon, and GoDaddy, as well as introduced students to niche fields of engineering like Chaos Engineering.

CS 110 student Anthony Kerr ’23, who observed the presentation, shared the following: “One important lesson I learned from Amy Smidutz is to always be curious. When something intrigues you, take the time to explore it. You may end up finding your passion. By exploring her curiosity for technology, Amy Smidutz found her passion at just seven years old. She also met many like-minded people who shared her love for computer science and engineering. Smidutz’s initial curiosity led her to many life-changing opportunities and eventually becoming the engineering director of one of the biggest companies in the world, Netflix. At the end of the live stream, she shared with us some great advice to propel our futures:

• Even if you are feeling alone, always remember that there are people like you in the world, and eventually you will find them.
• Be intentional in the environments you want to be involved with. Make the most of your opportunities.
• Ambition creates manifestation.

Attending this event and seeing computer science being actively used in different fields reinforced my belief that the programming skills I am currently learning at Molloy will be strong assets in my future.”

by Ms. Edit Boral

Molloy students had a chance to virtually meet and chat during their computer science classes with the following four guest speakers from Amazon:

• Litmanovich Lenara, Recruiting Coordinator on the Amazon Consumer Team
• Terence Truong, Solutions Architect Amazon Web Services
• Amit Lodh, Senior Leader and Solutions Architecture Manager on the Amazon Web Services Team
• Jaswanthi Meganathan, Engagement Manager Amazon Web Services

Each Amazon volunteer was thrilled to connect and share insights from their computer science journey with Amazon Future Engineer (AFE) students and  Ms. Boral. They talked about what it's like to actually study computer science in college and work in the tech industry and Amazon. Students also had a chance to ask questions and connect with the volunteers on LinkedIn. Molloy’s Computer Science program offers students the opportunity to obtain Amazon Certificates. These certifications carry weight when pursuing future job opportunities – particularly at Amazon.

 “The class chat with Lenara Litmanovich was very informative and interesting,“ said AFE student, Vaughn Curtis ‘22. “Lenara talked about her educational background and then proceeded to explain first, how Amazon works, second, what Amazon is looking for in terms of recruiting, and finally, what it is like to work at Amazon. In the Q&A session, we discussed everything from specifics in coding, to college, to the Amazon workplace environment. It’s practically impossible to quantify the number of different things one can do in the tech field and for me, it is definitely something that I’m interested in pursuing. All in all, it was an exciting event.”

Junior AFE student, Christiana Mattheopoulos ’22, stated that “The chat with Terence Truong, a solutions architect at AWS was very inspiring. My takeaway from his visit is the importance of the fact that people of all backgrounds can be successful in the world of computer science. Whether you have a computer degree, a history degree, or a finance degree, with the right amount of passion and effort, anyone can become a successful programmer. To learn to code, you mustn’t be afraid. You must be willing to put in the work. Most importantly, you must believe that you can grow out of your current weaknesses and fears and that you can become someone who is effective in coding and communication.”

AFE and Quantum Computing student, Brianna Garrison ’21, said that it was an absolute honor to be able to hear from such talented and insightful Amazon engineers as Amit Lodh and Jaswanthi Meganathan. “One main lesson that I learned from both speakers is that a career is not a steady and straight-forward path. Taking unexpected turns is common, and a natural result of exploring your passion and place in the world. It was especially important what Ms. Meganathan remarked, using her career as an example: there can be many (hierarchical) ups and downs in a career path, but ultimately there will be a positive and forward direction. In other words, your career path isn’t a straight line up; not every single job is going to be followed by a “promotion”, but that is good and another natural part of exploring what you want to do, and ultimately throughout the ups and downs and twists and turns, you will improve. What’s important is to maintain curiosity and an open mind. Personally, since I had the privilege to hear from two guest speakers, I got a real taste of how broad and diverse the field of computer science is. Both presentations I attended were by engineers at the same company, and yet their jobs and experiences were vastly different. It made me realize that there are so many directions one can go in the realm of computer science, but the possibilities are endless and expanding,” shared with us Brianna.

This event was brought to Molloy by Amazon with the aim to inspire students to become future leaders in the field of computer science. More than 80 students participated and Assistant Principal Maria Cuomo was also able to join the chats.

Students and alumni enjoyed a special presentation on October 24, 2018 as Dr. Adam L. Young (pictured center) provided a guest lecture titled Cryptovirology and the Birth of Ransomware. This event was made possible thanks to the efforts of computer science teacher Ms. Edit Boral (pictured second from right) as well as growing interest in Molloy’s expanding computer science program.

Dr. Young initiated the area of study known as Cryptovirology in 1996 with Moti Yung at Columbia University. Cryptovirology is the study of the applications of cryptography to malicious software. He is co-inventor of the secure data kidnapping attack known as Ransomware. He is also co-inventor of the discrete-log kleptogram, a backdoor Trojan horse attack. Dr. Young co-authored the book Malicious Cryptography with Moti Yung, which was published by Wiley in 2004. Dr. Young received a BS in Electrical Engineering from Yale University in 1994, an MS in Computer Science from Columbia University in 1996, and a PhD in Computer Science in 2002 awarded with Distinction by the Columbia University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Dr. Young acknowledged that Ransomware is a threat to users of computer systems worldwide, but he and Moti Yung published their findings as a way to warn and prepare users about this inevitable danger of technology. “Cryptovirology is the proactive anticipation of attacks against computer systems and networks. We look at how to develop ways to protect people against these types of [Ransomware] attacks. That’s the justification for doing this type of research,” said Dr. Young.

Thank you again to Dr. Young, Ms. Boral, and all of the alumni and students who came out to support the lecture!