Weekend Update: Thanksgiving Edition!

Michelle Datsur, FCRH '19:
"Last weekend my friends and I got together to have a thanksgiving of our own, aptly named “Friendsgiving”, before going home for the holiday. It was a potluck of various delicious foods ranging from cornbread to potatoes to spaghetti squash lasagna. One of our friends even bought a ham on Arthur Avenue, and it was delicious. We gathered around, talked, and watched old thanksgiving episodes of Friends. It was a really great way to relax for a few hours ahead of the business of the week and traveling home, and I hope we do it again next year! "

Connor Murray, FCRH '18:

"This Friday, I went ice skating in Bryant Park. Thanks to the Residence Hall Association, I was able to do this for free!

Connor Murray at Bryant Park

Katie Porter at Book of Mormon

Katie Porter, FCRH '19:

"This weekend, I attended Book of Mormon on Broadway for an RA program! Before the show, we participated in a discussion about religious satire and learned about Mormonism."

Luke Berman, FCRH '18: "Last weekend I went to see Fordham Experimental Theatre’s (FET) performance of Mercy Mercy Mercy, a student written and directed production in the intimate black box theater. FET allows students the opportunity to take on any theatrical position they may be interested, including but not limited to actor, writer, director, or stage hand!"

Undergraduate Research at Fordham

I’ve been lucky enough to participate in undergraduate research since my second week on campus of my freshman year (I am currently a second semester senior).  I am a member of the Wireless Sensor Data Mining (WISDM) Lab that is run by Dr. Gary Weiss from the Department of Computer and Information Science.  Our main projects utilize data mining techniques with sensor data from smartphones and smartwatches to perform activity recognition and biometric identification tasks.  Fordham is a strong proponent of undergraduate research, so being able to participate work in a lab with one of my professors an undergrad has afforded me many opportunities that I may not have had at another school. 

WISDM members and Dr. Weiss working in the lab

I have been awarded multiple Fordham Undergraduate Research Grants during my time here that have funded my work during the academic year.  I have also received grants through Fordham and the Clare Boothe Luce Foundation so that I could continue my research on campus during the summer where my housing was paid for and I received a stipend.  One highly anticipated event every spring is Fordham’s Undergraduate Research Symposium held in April.  Over 300 students participated last year giving talks or presenting posters about their work.  I have participated in this event each year and look forward to once again sharing my research with faculty and my peers.  I have also had a chance to present my work at the Bronx Science Consortium Poster Symposium held at the Bronx Zoo.  Fordham University is part of the consortium alongside the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Montefiore Hospital, the New York Botanical Gardens, and the Wildlife Conservation Society/Bronx Zoo.

WISDM poster at the Undergraduate Research Symposium

In collaboration with Dr. Weiss and some other members of the WISDM lab, I submitted a paper to a conference describing our most recent work with smartwatch-based activity recognition.  We recently found out that the paper was accepted, and I am especially excited because I have the opportunity to attend the BHI-2016 International Conference on Biomedical and Health Informatics in Las Vegas.  Fordham awarded me an undergraduate travel grant so that I can present this paper at the conference at the end of February. 

Working on my research in the WISDM Lab

My involvement with undergraduate research has afforded me many opportunities to learn about and gain relevant experience in the computer science field.  I would not be pursuing the career path I am now if I had not been exposed to the field of data mining through my involvement with the WISDM Lab.  As I reflect on my time at Fordham, I am especially grateful for the support my school and faculty have offered me in my pursuit of my research.  I would not be where I am today without this incredible experience.  

You can read more about student research at Fordham here and here.  If you want to learn more about Fordham College at Rose Hill undergraduate research, research grants, and the Undergraduate Research Symposium, you can read about it here. 

New York Is My Campus, The Rest Of The World Is A Step Away

Newark-Liberty Int'l Airport is a short trip from Fordham

Happy Easter future rams! While this blog has provided an abundance of information on life in New York City, although NYC is the greatest city in the world, as they say it is possible to have too much of a good thing. What's great about Fordham and our location in New York City, however, is that when you do want to get away for a weekend or Easter break it's very easy. 

My Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio

If you come from a family like mine, holidays are meant for family time and any opportunity to take a vacation is soaked up to it's fullest. With much of my family in the Great Lakes and the South, driving home isn't such an attractive option when it comes time to go away for breaks like Easter. Luckily for us, Fordham is located in the midst of the biggest transportation hub on the east coast. NYC's 3 airports (JFK, Laguardia, and Newark-Liberty) make up the busiest airport system in the US, so finding a direct flight is never a challenge. The Ram Van even operates as a shuttle between the Rose Hill campus and LaGuardia and JFK during busy travel seasons such as Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Spring break. If you're like myself and typically fly through Newark Liberty (the east coast hub for United), getting there is a breeze. The cheapest way is to take the D train from Fordham Road down to 34th street, and walk one block over to Penn Station where you catch an NJ Transit train to the airport. The subway stretch takes about 30-45 minutes and will cost you just $2.75 and the NJT takes about 15-20 and costs $12.50. Substituting the D train with Metro-North is also a popular, but more expensive option, as are taxis and car services like Uber.

Cumberland Falls in Cumberland Gap National Park

This Easter, I was lucky enough to go visit my family in Cincinnati, and meet a friend in Tennessee for the day. I flew in direct from Newark-Liberty to Cincinnati (oddly enough the main airport is in Kentucky) and drove a few hours down to the beautiful Cumberland Gap National Park to spend a day with my friend. The best part of my flight is that it was completely free, including my checked bag! 

If there's any recommendation I have for future or current Fordham students who live outside the Northeast Corridor, it's to enroll in a frequent flier program. I've been racking up miles with United since the airline was called Continental, and my flights to New Orleans and Charleston over Christmas and Thanksgiving have allowed me to fly for free between NYC, Cincinnati, and really anywhere I'd like to go.

I love being able to visit my family in Charleston, SC

For those of you who live close-by to Fordham, or are afraid of flying; you're in luck too! Fordham has it's own stop on the Harlem and New Haven lines of Metro-North that serve downstate New York and coastal Connecticut. To avoid back-tracking through Penn Station, Metro-North is also a convenient way to get to Stamford Connecticut and transfer to Amtrak trains to Providence and Boston. From Penn, New Jersey Transit and the Long Island Railroad serve the rest of the NYC area and Amtrak has numerous routes stretching across the country.

Happy Spring Break!

Alligators in South Carolina (from a safe distance)

Hello from South Carolina! I am spending my very last spring break at Fordham down south with my roommates. So far, I've seen about 20 alligators (very scary), three gorgeous sunsets, and more palm trees than I could count. It's the ideal place for some rest and relaxation before out sprint to graduation.

Exploring Little Italy (the Manhattan version;
it's not as good as Arthur Avenue) my sophomore year.

Spring Break at Fordham always gives students a lot of opportunities. Freshman year, I flew home to celebrate my birthday with my extended family and catch my cousin's play. Some students stay at Fordham over break, and that's what I did my sophomore year. I took advantage of the extra time to explore while helping finish a volume of the Fordham Undergraduate Research Journal. Although some residence halls close over break, students who stay can relocate to on-campus apartments. I lived in Salice-Conley and got a taste for the still-new apartments that seniors (and some juniors) get to enjoy.

I spent my junior year abroad in Granada (you might be able to find a few posts about my study abroad experience here or here), so spending spring break in Paris was a no-brainer. A lot of Fordham students jump at the chance to travel a little further during break. I know friends who have paired off to explore Europe (spending today in Ireland, of course), grouped up to head to a Caribbean resort. or signed up for GO! projects to devote their breaks to immersion and/or service. Some GO! projects this break include San Jose, California; the Adirondacks in upstate New York (which you may hear about later this week-- stay tuned!); and Les Cayes, Haiti.

There is no wrong way to do spring break, but I've found that the best way is to spend it with your Fordham family.

P.S. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Studying Abroad With Fordham London (Is The Best)

Kensington Palace- A 5-minute walk from Fordham's campus!

The best experience I have had at Fordham University was my semester abroad in London through Fordham’s London Centre. For four full months, I spent my weekends traveling around Europe and my days exploring the ins and outs of London- and of course, going to class. As a marketing student, Fordham offered all the business classes and marketing electives that I need, which allowed me to continue my studies and while expanding my horizons, growing as a person, and mastering all forms of European public transportation. I also made so many new Fordham classmates through the program, many of which I am still very close with now that we are all back in the Bronx.

Gabelli School Trip to Rome

While I technically speaking had a “semester abroad in London”, I prefer to think of my experience as a semester abroad in Europe with London as my home base. London is where lived, studied and explored Monday through Thursday and anywhere else in Europe is where you could find me on the weekends. During that time I travelled to 10 different countries including France, Switzerland, Spain, Germany, Denmark, Italy, and the Czech Republic. I ate traditional Czech goulash, clinked beer steins at the largest German festival in Munich, and climbed the rural mountains of Scotland. I ate potatoes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in Ireland and dined in the mountains of Gruyere, Switzerland with, of course, gruyere cheese fondue. I learned how to navigate almost any public form of transportation and have mastering the art of being comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Our Flat

And while traveling on the weekends was always exciting, returning to London, to Fordham’s campus was always something to look forward to. My flat (British for apartments) was my home and my classmates were both my best friends and family. Classes were hands-on and field trips exploring the city and its treasures were common. Our professors were both encouraging and understanding about traveling, but still expected us to work hard and really learn in our classes.

London Centre Fall 2014 Farewell Tea Party

I cannot stress how great my experience in London was and I encourage every Fordham student to study abroad in order to discover it for themself.

Check out the the Fordham London's Facebook page and website for more information. Happy travels! 

Studying Abroad in Italy!

This past semester (Fall 2014) I was lucky enough to have the experience of a lifetime and study abroad! I spent some of the most amazing months of my life studying and living in the beautiful city of Florence, Italy.  I had taken Italian language classes for all four semesters of both my freshman and sophomores years at Fordham so Italy was an obvious choice in my case!

The process of studying abroad began in the Fall of my sophomore year, I set up a meeting with an advisor in Fordham's study abroad office (ISAP) to discuss all of my options.  I knew that I wanted to go to Italy but I was not sure what program or what city I wanted to be in.  This meeting was extremely helpful, the advisor showed me how to use ISAP's website in order to discover the numerous programs Fordham has agreements with all over the world. I soon found the Syracuse Florence program and quickly applied and soon after got confirmation that I would soon be embarking on the trip of a lifetime.  ISAP helped me tremendously in the months leading up to my departure with countless things, such as pre-departure meetings, helping to pick classes that would transfer, and general questions about absolutely anything regarding my future home or program.

                                                                               Florence is beautiful! 

I left for Italy on September 1st and was soon in Florence, definitely nervous and jet lagged, but also very ready to see what the city had to offer! I soon moved in with my host family, all students in the Syracuse Florence program live with host families except for Architecture students.  I could not have asked for a better family, they welcomed me in as one of their own and included me in their daily life.  I never felt uncomfortable or like I was intruding, I definitely believe that living with a host family helped me tremendously when it came to immersing myself into the culture and becoming comfortable with the language.                                          After a long hike in the beautiful Cinque Terre! 

During my time in Florence I took five classes at Syracuse's campus, an old villa on the outskirts of town that is absolutely beautiful. When I wasn't in class I took full advantage of the cheap and numerous travel options that Europe has to offer.  I got the amazing opportunity to travel to so many new places. I went all throughout Italy, traveling both North and South, to places like Sicily, Ferrara, Venice, Parma, Torino, and Cinque Terre.  I also got the opportunity to travel throughout Europe on many occasions.  Outside of Italy I was lucky enough to travel to Budapest, Vienna, Poland, Prague, London, and Copenhagen!

Some friends and I in Prague 

I would not trade my abroad experience for anything and I am so happy I got the chance to travel the world and truly experience another culture as amazing as the one I found in Florence! Fordham ISAP was extremely helpful in all aspects of the process not only before my departure but also while I was abroad and upon my return in terms of getting all transfer credits.

For further information on Fordham numerous study abroad programs you can visit ISAP's website at: http://www.fordham.edu/studyabroad

Abroad in Australia

A great part of the Fordham experience is studying abroad. I recently returned from Sydney, Australia where I spent the semester exploring a new culture and city on the other side of the world. Deciding to study abroad wasn’t an easy decision. The process began my sophomore year when I met with an International & Study Abroad Program (ISAP) advisor. The ISAP office has programs all over the world available for fall, spring, and summer semesters. Students travel to Europe, Central America, South Africa, and many more unbelievable places. I didn’t know much about Australia but after researching a few programs and cities I decided to apply to the IFSA-Butler program in Sydney, Australia. Fordham’s ISAP office connected my information to the program that directly enrolled me into the Australian university system. IFSA-Butler was a great program that sponsored many events throughout the semester including a rugby game, hiking in the Blue Mountains, and a weekend with a host family in the country.

I flew out of BWI airport on July 15^th and was soon enrolled at the University of Sydney in the heart of Australia’s largest city. My experience at Sydney Uni was completely different than Fordham. I attended class with Aussies and the university was home to 50,000 students. I took courses in Australian history, international politics, and Australian media. Outside of the classroom I explored the city and incredible beaches that are some of the most famous in the world.

Whitsunday Islands

For Spring Break I traveled the coast of Queensland from Brisbane to Cairns. During this 10-day adventure I white-water rafted in crocodile filled waters, bungee jumped in the Daintree rainforest, and went scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef. On weekends I visited various other places around the country including Melbourne, Darwin, and the Outback. I explored islands in Fiji and mountains in New Zealand. During the 5 months I lived in Sydney I was completely immersed in the Australian lifestyle. It was an experience I will never forget and am so thankful for. Through Fordham’s ISAP office there are so many opportunities to explore the world and studying abroad was one of the best decisions I have made during my time at Fordham.

Ben Lomond Hike in Queenstown, NZ

For more information on Fordham International & Study Abroad Programs visit: 

http://www.fordham.edu/info/20917/study_abroad