What's New at MSAIB
Microsoft Hackathon
Agentic AI Hackathon at Microsoft
City office on April 17, 2026 collaborating on-site with UN partners and receiving technical guidance from Microsoft throughout the day. Built in Microsoft Copilot Studio, the projects addressed real operational needs across UN departments, such as knowledge management, legal research, leadership development, peacekeeping support, and capacity development.
Grayscale Hackathon & vibeFORWARD Hackathon
Back-to-Back Hackathon Champions
MSAIB student, Nathanael Lara, claimed first place at two consecutive hackathons. At the Grayscale Hackathon on March 21, 2026, Lara, along with his fellow groupmates, built a browser-based emergency detection system using Claude Vision, combining live camera feeds, motion analysis, speech recognition, and geolocation into a real-time threat assessment tool. Three weeks later at the vibeFORWARD Hackathon on April 12, he won again with Blocks AI, a node-based visual editor that maps uploaded codebases into interactive block layouts for learners and developers navigating complex or legacy systems.
UN Peacekeeping Hackathon (April 2-27)
UN Peacekeeping Hackathon
Over the course of April 2026, MSAIB student Nathanael Lara and MSBA students Yang Lu, Linh Nguyen, Misha Semenov, and Jack Wood, participated in a UN Peacekeeping Hackathon focused on modernizing how military unit performance is evaluated. Working in cross-functional teams, students designed digital solutions to replace fragmented, manual processes with standardized, data-driven systems that enable real-time insights and more effective decision-making in peacekeeping operations.
AI Applications Challenge (April 24)
AI Applications Challenge
On April 24, 2026, Fordham students were tasked to design and build practical AI-powered tools that tackle real-world problems across industries like finance, healthcare, and education. MSAIB students Lepun Lamia, Nathanael Lara, and Utkarsh Jha rose to the challenge, earning second place with their AI Deal Intelligence Agent. They built a platform that automates M&A research by aggregating deal intelligence from dozens of sources and delivering financial analysis and valuation insights through a single, streamlined dashboard.
UN Internship
Three Fordham Students Land UN Internships
Fordham students have secured internships with the United Nations, a direct outcome of the Agentic AI with Copilot Class. MSBA students, Jack Wood and Jonathan Park, will join the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) team. Meanwhile, MSAIB student Yuxi Wang will also be joining the United Nations as an intern.
MSAIB Year-Ender Party
MSAIB Toasts the Year at the Empire Hotel Rooftop
On May 7, 2026, the MSAIB program gathered atop the Empire Hotel for its year-end celebration, bringing together students, faculty, and industry professionals to close out the academic year in style. The evening honored graduating students and those wrapping up their first year in the program, while creating space for meaningful connections across the MSAIB community.
UN Final Project Presentation (May 8)
Gabelli Students Present Agentic AI Solutions at UN Headquarters
On May 8, 2026, students from the Agentic AI with Copilot class brought their final projects to the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, presenting their agentic AI solutions built in Microsoft Copilot Studio directly to UN partners. The projects addressed real operational needs across UN departments, marking a culminating moment for a course that bridged the classroom with real-world impact.