STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS
Dorman Scholars Class of 2020
Biology Major Chloe Jelley As a sophomore, Chloe Jelley began working as an understudy to evolutionary biologist and ant expert Phil Barden at NJIT’s Department of Biological Sciences. There, she studied ant fossil collections from his fieldwork and eventually investigated both living and extinct prehistoric ant species from around the world. Her research was showcased at NJIT’s Undergraduate Research Symposium and at the 2019 Entomological Society of America Annual Meeting, where she won an undergraduate President’s Prize for her first-ever formal presentation on the comparative morphology of ant eyes. Chloe furthered her study during an expedition to Madagascar’s dry forest of Ankarafantsika National Park, conducting one of the area’s first samplings of leafy-dwelling ants that dominate the expansive forest canopy. “The Madagascar trip really solidified that I wanted to pursue a career researching ants and got me applying to schools for it,” said Chloe, now a student in Cornell University’s Ph.D. entomology program. “I think the research I’ve done at NJIT is the thing I’ll think most about looking back at my time as an undergrad.”
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Med Student Sravya Vegunta This fall, Sravya Vegunta started her studies at New Jersey Medical School. She is excited to rotate through the various medical specialties, which she said should help her decide on a clinical discipline to pursue. What she is certain about is that she aspires to deliver direct patient care, conduct clinical research and, down the road, engage with Doctors Without Borders and the World Health Organization. In her first two years at NJIT, she assisted Distinguished Professor Namas Chandra in the university’s Center for Injury Biomechanics, Materials and Medicine (CIBM3), in characterizing the changes in microglial cells and monocyte infiltration after blastinduced traumatic brain injury. She won a silver medal for her work at NJIT’s 2019 Dana Knox Showcase, which recognizes undergraduate and graduate researchers. Of the CIBM3 opportunity, she remarked, “I was learning from day one. I was doing handson experimentation and analyzing data independently. I had the opportunity to publish my work as well as present it multiple times. The experience definitely exceeded what I thought I would be able to achieve as an undergrad.”
Astrophysics Researcher Samantha Lomuscio Applied physics graduate Samantha Lomuscio worked with astrophysicists at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), where she conducted high-energy astrophysics research to detect Jupiter in a way that has never been done successfully — through gamma-ray emissions. Her exploration began when she was one of eight students selected last year to participate in the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates program for the physical sciences. She continued working remotely with the museum throughout this past summer, until the next phase of her research career began. She is now at the University of Virginia, where she is pursuing a Ph.D. in astronomy. “Looking back, my AMNH experience gave me the opportunity to learn about high-energy astrophysics and the mechanisms behind gamma-ray emission in more in-depth than ever,” she said. “It’s given me scientific knowledge that I will take with me through graduate school, but it’s also helped me affirm that I want to pursue science and astrophysics research as my career, and helped me develop confidence in myself that I am capable of accomplishing this in the future.”
