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THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MANHATTAN COLLEGE | SINCE 1924
Volume CVIII, Issue 12
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NEW YORK, DECEMBER 5, 2023
MC Model UN Wins at Conferences in Germany and D.C.
Adrianne Hutto Production Editor
Battle of the Bronx Returns Men’s basketball faced off against Fordham. GOJASPERS/COURTESY
Math Professor Angel Pineda Makes Breakthrough in Medical Imaging Research Emmanouel Sofillas
form in clinical tasks, Staff Writer specifically in the detection of tumors. What sets Angel Pineda, Ph.D., a this research apart is professor of mathemat- the unique use of mathics, stands as a pioneer ematical modeling using in the field of mathemat- neural networks to preics to enhance medical dict human performance. imaging, particularly in the context of MRI The primary issue with (Magnetic Resonance modern MRI machines Imaging), through a Na- is that they are time-contional Institutes of Health suming for patients to be (NIH) grant of $434,000. in and often result in a costly health insurance At the core of Pineda’s bill. Pineda’s research is work is the exploration aimed to streamline the of how MRI images per-
process and produce faster, higher-quality MRI images that can benefit the patient. “Instead of merely assessing image quality, we aim to determine the effectiveness of an MRI image in detecting specific conditions, such as tumors,” Pineda said. “By leveraging both human and computational perspectives, we can op __________________________ CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
The Manhattan College Model UN team had the opportunity to travel to Germany and Washington D.C. to represent the Russian Federation and the United States, respectively, at the Model UN conferences. Alexander Nichols, a junior at Manhattan College and member of the security council for the Germany trip, has been a part of the Model UN for two years now. He explained that while the students were given tours and the opportunity to travel, the majority of the trip was spent hard at work indoors. “It was probably eight hours of meeting with other students from other schools trying to work on resolutions,” Nichols said. With the goal of a career in international law and a double major in political science and peace and justice studies, it is no wonder Nichols has taken to the team’s security council. For this semester’s competition, the security council focused on the theme of education and conflict. “I’ve really been interested in our security council because we handle a lot of these issues that pertain to young people and focus on really giving them a voice,” Nichols said. Another student who traveled to Germany to represent Model UN was Quinn Nagle, a junior chemical engineering major at MC. Nagle was given the opportunity to join the group at the last minute, filling the coveted last spot for the team traveling to Germany. As an international studies minor, Nagle saw the trip as an opportunity to explore the liberal arts side of her
studies. To prepare for the conference, each student wrote a onepage paper on their given country’s position on a topic. Nagle was on the environmental committee, which was the focus of her paper. “I focused on resource efficiency and urban development,” Nagle said. “So, I learned a lot about that, and with my science background I was able to connect policy and the science that I’ve been learning for two and a half years now.” Nagle explains that as a Model UN novice, the first day of delegating can be daunting. However, thanks to the support from her co-delegate, she was able to push through and by the end of the day was able to find her footing. By the end of the conference, the connections she made with her fellow teammates were what made the trip stand out the most. “I’ve had no opportunity to talk to people in other majors and other facets on campus,” Nagle said. “It’s crazy that it took going to Germany for me to meet new people, but I think creating new connections with other people on campus that I never would have met otherwise, was probably the best part.” While in D.C., junior Montserrat Nicasio was with the other half of MC’s Model UN team representing the Russian Federation. Nicasio was a part of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), tackling two different topics. “The [first topic] was the FAO committee implementing the FAO strategic framework for 2022 to 2031 and then the __________________________ CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
IN NEWS:
IN FEATURES:
IN A&E:
IN SPORTS:
Author James Patterson at MC on p. 4
Albanian Students Association on p. 6
Jasper Jams on p. 8
Women’s Volleyball Recognized by MAAC on p.12