Students, Faculty Collaborate on Summer Research

Students and faculty from the School of Science participated in an eight week research program, called the Summer Undergraduate Research Program, this past summer. Almost 40 sophomore, junior, and senior students worked with faculty members on various projects in biology, chemistry, computer science and physics. In compensation for their research, each student received $2,000 and housing.

Small student research groups had the benefit of working alongside the faculty members, which, according to interim dean of the School of Science Deborah Knox, is an experience typically enjoyed only by graduate students. 

In biology, research was conducted under the direction of Jim Bricker, Jeff Erickson, Janet Morrison, Dennis Shevlin, Amanda Norvell, Marcia O’Connell, Charles Peterson, and Howard Reinert. Projects investigated various organisms and included DNA sequencing of the corn snake, Elaphe gutatta, an endangered species in New Jersey, as well as studies on the neurotransmitter serotonin in mice. 

Research in the chemistry department was led by Donald Hirsh, John Allison, Georgia Arvanitis, and Lynn Bradley. One of the projects included the creation of a model system to study metal complexes and organic radicals that work in tandem to catalyze the production of commercial plastics and to synthesize the essential biochemical building blocks within our bodies.

The computer science research was headed by Deborah Knox, Peter DePasquale, and Monisha Pulimood. The unifying theme for all of the projects in this department was the investigation of information security. Speakers from Merrill Lynch, Educational Testing Services, and the New Jersey Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory provided insight into handling security information in a corporate environment.

Romulo Ochoa of the Physics Department headed an investigation of ZnSe semiconductors and amorphous silica using Raman spectroscopy.

The Summer Undergraduate Research Program was made possible by the support of the provost’s office and by funding from the College and external grants, including National Starch & Chemical Company and Merck, and in cooperation with the New Jersey State Police.

Some of the projects will continue into the academic year through mentored research and independent research.

"It’s just a really great experience for students," Knox said. "They have a summer experience like none other."