News
NJSPL: Chatbot for NJ SNAP Services
Built on OpenAI’s API and leveraging the Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) model, the chatbot bridges the gap between users and SNAP resources by delivering answers in English and Spanish (among other languages).
TECH UPDATES: “Hey AI, Write a Report on Innovation in Local Government”
A gamechanger for local governments, tasking an AI chatbot with research and writing projects saves you time and trouble, at least for the first draft.
Bloustein School announces faculty promotions
Promotions reflect the high standards of teaching and research for which the Bloustein School is known.
MPI Grad Students Present MOMCare with AI
This paper presents MOMCare, a chatbot designed to support mothers navigating the challenges of PPD. MOMCare has a retrieval-augmented architecture with an end-to-end pipeline from data preprocessing to response generation. It employs hybrid classification, a dual embedding system, a dual verification guardrail, and a medical domain-specific reranking mechanism to generate empathetic and relevant PPD responses.
Samuel Researches Gambling Harm Reduction in Online Spaces
Our exploratory analyses suggest that this reddit forum provides important information on how users communicate motivations to gamble, interpretations of gambling experiences, and define potential harms related to gambling online as well as how to avoid or remedy those harms.
Studio: Newark’s EWR Transit-Oriented Community
The Graduate Planning Studio of Spring 2025 is essential because it marks a significant shift in how Dayton and the South Ward of Newark are recognized within the broader regional transit network. Historically, these areas were invisible regarding transit access and public investment.
Could absence of party line lead to primary election surprises?
“I would say the two most notable impacts so far are that so many Democrats and Republican candidates, including pretty legitimate candidates with a shot at winning, [are] choosing not to go for an endorsement. That would have been unheard of before,” said Rubin, an associate dean at Rutgers University’s Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy.
Stamato Commentary: Rocking the boat for democracy: Public media, under siege
Of course, the Trump administration is determined to end public support not only for PBS, but for NPR as well. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting receives and distributes over $500 million in taxpayer money to public TV and radio stations annually. Eliminating millions of dollars in federal funding to the two public media organizations amounts to a significant threat.
Research from Ralph: The Deal Breaker Theory of Cycling
Most locations across the world have a large un-tapped pool of people who do not bike at all and an even larger pool who do not bike for transportation. To increase cycling, we must better understand this group and the reasons they do not ride. I propose a new theory that suggests everyone has a list of “must-haves” that must be in place before they will bike. While there are many possible cycling needs, I introduce five in this paper: Safety, Comfort, Relative Convenience, Availability of Tools, and Social Approval.
Candidates for NJ governor are using AI in their ads in new ways
“There are a lot of people who are more than happy to use AI for entertainment,” Samuel said. “But when it comes to decision making, a lot of people go back to fundamental information based, fact-based decision making.”
House SALT proposal would raise cap on deduction to $30K, but some Republicans balk
The Republican tax plan in the U.S. House would raise the cap for the state and local property tax deduction from the current $10,000 to $30,000 for families making up to $400,000. That’s according to legislation released May 12 by the Republican-led House Ways and...
Smart weighs in on possible NJ Transit rail strike
As talks continue between #NJTransit and its rail engineers' union to try to avert a walkout by the union at midnight on Thursday, professor Mike Smart weighed in on the looming issues with the WABC7 Eyewitness News Mornings @ 10 team.