{"id":12794,"date":"2014-04-16T11:59:27","date_gmt":"2014-04-16T15:59:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/news\/article.php?ArticleID=12794"},"modified":"2018-05-11T12:10:48","modified_gmt":"2018-05-11T16:10:48","slug":"12794_montclair-state-holds-student-research-symposium-and-techlaunch-competition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/college-of-communication-and-media\/2014\/04\/16\/12794_montclair-state-holds-student-research-symposium-and-techlaunch-competition\/","title":{"rendered":"Montclair State Holds Student Research Symposium and TechLaunch Competition"},"content":{"rendered":"

Montclair State University\u2019s Eighth Annual Student Research Symposium<\/a>, \u201cPromoting Collaboration across Disciplines,\u201d held on April 12, 2014, celebrated the outstanding scholarship and research of more than 400 graduate and undergraduate students from each of the University\u2019s six colleges and schools.<\/p>\n

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\u201cPresentation topics spanned the gamut of curriculum areas, giving insight and lending testimony to what students are exploring through their studies,\u201d says Linda Davidson, assistant dean of the College of the Arts and chair of the Symposium Organizing Committee. \u201cIn a sense, the program, as a whole, may be regarded as providing a great \u2018snapshot\u2019 of a segment of University learning outcomes over the past academic year.\u201d<\/p>\n

More than 250 posters, oral and multimedia projects were presented at the daylong event, held in University Hall. \u201cThe Symposium is special for many reasons,\u201d notes Davidson. \u201cIt is the only university event which showcases the scholarly achievements of undergraduate and graduate students from across the University, representing all six colleges and schools.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the conclusion of the program, the top entries in four categories each received $500 awards with Sharmin Uddin receiving the award for Best Oral\/Multimedia Presentation (Undergraduate). Her project was \u201cDoes administering different degrees of calorie restriction biweekly improve dietary adherence: A mathematical approach,\u201d advised by Professor Diana Thomas.<\/p>\n

Kelly Triece received the award for Best Oral\/Multimedia Presentation (Graduate) for \u201cExamining wildlife habitats associated with road mortality hotspots in New Jersey.\u201d Her coauthors are Natalie Sherwood, Meiyin Wu, Gretchen Fowles and Brian Zarate, and her faculty advisor is Professor Meiyin Wu.<\/p>\n

The winner of the Best Poster (Undergraduate) category was Anthony Strobolakos, with coauthors Dajana Borova, Alvin Mercado, Mollie Rosenkrantz and Fady Sidhom. The presentation title was \u201cMolecular detection of Ranavirus in the northeastern US: The largest Ranavirus screen in North America,\u201d and the faculty advisor on the project is Professor Kirsten Monsen-Collar.<\/p>\n

Robert Moore received the award for Best Poster (Graduate) for \u201cWhat predicts visceral adipose tissue: Trunk shape or trunk size?\u201d His coauthors were Diana Thomas, Steven Heymsfield, Manfred Mueller, Anja Bosy-Westphal and Courtney Peterson, and Professor Thomas is the faculty advisor.<\/p>\n

On the same day, the College of Science and Mathematics hosted the second TechLaunch Future Scientist Award competition. Twelve students from the College were invited to present their research to a panel of judges with the top two receiving monetary awards donated by members of the College of Science and Mathematics Advisory Council.<\/p>\n

The first place award ($1,000) went to Rabih Balilli from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. His research topic was \u201cA computational evaluation of the steric and electronic contributions to the stability of the structures of a- and \u03b2-D-Glucopyanose part 4: Energy versus Geometry for a- and \u03b2-D-Glucopyanose in aqueous solution.\u201d Balilli\u2019s faculty advisor on the project is Professor Marc Kasner.<\/p>\n

Second place ($500) went to Shivani Patel from the Department of Biology and Molecular Biology. Her topic was \u201cThe inhibitory effects of EGCG and EGCG-stearate on Herpes Simplex Virus 1 (HSV-1) in cultured human epithelial A549 cells.\u201d Professors Lee H. Lee and Sandra Adams are her faulty advisors.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been told by our colleagues in industry that universities are great at producing scientists but they often arrive on the job under-prepared to fully engage in the critical area of communication,\u201d notes College of Science and Mathematics Dean Robert Prezant. \u201cThe TechLaunch Future Scientist competition offers a unique program among science and math student research symposia where students demonstrate their prowess in verbal communication thus lending perspective to this need in today’s industry, government and academic worlds.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both of the TechLaunch Future Scientist Award-winners this year are in the College of Science and Mathematics\u2019 Science Honors Innovation Program (SHIP<\/a>), the highly selective program that provides the opportunity for exceptional science students to participate in two-year, intensive research programs mentored by College faculty.<\/p>\n

Image Gallery<\/h2>\n

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