Close Close

Wild Oysters, Lacrosse, Superstorm Sandy, Next Generation Solar Cells, Insects, and More!

Monmouth University’s School of Science Summer Research Program (SRP) has been under way for the past 10 weeks. Now in its sixth year, the SRP enables students to work on collaborative research projects under the supervision of School of Science faculty and staff. Student researchers are carrying out exciting original research in a range of disciplines including biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, nanotechnology, software engineering, and watershed management among other topics.

The SRP Symposium will be held on Thursday, August 14, from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., in Erlanger Gardens on the Monmouth University campus. At the symposium, students will be presenting their research in poster format. Members of the public are welcome to attend the symposium.

“The Summer Research Program provides students with valuable research experience and helps to support an intellectual community of faculty teacher-scholars. We are thrilled to have these outstanding students on campus this summer to collaborate with our faculty on research,” said Dr. Michael Palladino, dean of the School of Science.

Out of the 231 students from throughout the United States who applied to the 2014 program, 67 students were accepted including undergraduate students from Monmouth University, and students from area colleges and universities including Carnegie Mellon University, Johns Hopkins University, Mercer County Community College, Pennsylvania State University-Erie, Rutgers University, Rowan University, The University of Delaware, and The University of Scranton.

High school students from Hightstown High School, Marine Academy of Science and Technology, Monmouth County Vocational School District Biotechnology High School, Passaic Valley High School, and Point Pleasant Borough High School are also involved in the program. Students have been working on research projects in wet laboratory, computer laboratory, and field research environments.

Corporate sponsors of the 2014 SRP include Brinkerhoff Environmental Services Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb, Defined Logic, Global Essence, Inc., Marathon Data Systems, and Sparta Systems. Research grant support sponsors include the American Society for Microbiology, Hudson River Foundation Tibor T. Polgar Fellowship, the Independent College Fund of New Jersey, Jiaxing Biotechnology, the NJ Department of Environmental Protection, and the NJ Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife. Program supporters include School of Science faculty and staff, alumni, and friends of the School.

Sample research projects include:

  • Comparing Infection Rates in 3 Surgical Methods for Repairing Torn ACL’s of Dogs
  • Zooplankton in Barnegat Bay
  • Training Regimens in Lacrosse
  • Measuring Teacher Effectiveness with High Performing High School Students
  • Malpractice Insurance Attitudes Among NJ
  • Antimicrobial genes and proteins in male reproductive organs
  • Designing Next Generation Solar Cells: Modeling Energy Transfer in Biological Chromophores
  • Identifying and Documenting Wild Oyster Populations in the Hudson River Estuary
  • Real-time Water Quality Monitoring and Mapping in Coastal New Jersey
  • Storm Effects on Monmouth County Coastal Lakes: Before and After Sandy
  • Nanotechnology-based Drug Delivery System of Anticancer Drugs