Montclair State University’s College of Science and Mathematics (CSAM) recently recognized some of its top students and thanked program funders at the second Science Honors Innovation Program (SHIP) Funders’ Breakfast. The SHIP program, made possible through generous grants from Merck and The Roche Foundation, offers undergraduate students the opportunity to become involved in the research community, get a head start on graduate school, and to compete for awards, fellowships, and admission into top PhD programs.

Directed by Philip Yecko, associate professor of Mathematical Sciences, SHIP is a two-year honors program for junior-year students with a focus on research and innovation, and one-on-one mentoring from faculty members. SHIP provides financial support for student research, travel to conferences and workshops, and summer stipends. Since this is the second year, there are now 24 students—two cohorts of 12 students each—involved in the program.

“The 12 ‘original’ SHIP students are set to graduate in May, but they’re still with us,” noted Yecko in his welcome remarks. “Among that original cohort of 12, we have students who have published, we have students who have worked on their own research collaborations with major world-renowned institutions, and I have started to write recommendation letters for major fellowships and PhD programs.”

Representatives from Roche attended the breakfast and were introduced to the new and returning SHIP students before hearing presentations from some of the students on their research. The presenters were:

• Stephanie Lear: “Algae Blooms in New Jersey Lakes”
• Diana Flores: “Flooding of Rivers and Streams”
• Sung Choi: “Study of pH and Proliferation on Pulmonary Fibroblasts after Exposure to Market Street World Trade Center Particulate Matter”
• Ken Svolto: “Geologic History and Geochemistry of the Marcellus Shale”
• Katrina Bandeli: “Graph Indices of Single Cyclohexane Chemical Compounds”
• Olga Degtyareva: “Female Mate Choice in Gambusia holbrooki”
• Wayne Ernst: “Theory and Experiments in Non-Equilibrium Pattern Formation”
• Jonathan Tancer: “The Deployment of MML for Data Analytics over the Cloud”

CSAM Dean Robert Prezant thanked the guests from Roche “for all your incredibly important support for our students and for tomorrow.” He also had advice for the students: “The message I’m giving you is—stay curious. I know lots of us are curious, but you have a special knack for pursuing that curiosity. Otherwise you wouldn’t be in this program. That’s why the word, “innovation” is in the SHIP title.”

See more photos from the event.

Read more about the SHIP students and their research.