Seton Hall Awarded NJ State Grant to Support Undergraduate STEM Research

On February 19, 2025, The Office of the Secretary of Higher Education (OSHE) awarded Seton Hall University with funding to support students’ summer internships through the 2025 Career Accelerator Internship Grant Program (CAIGP). 

The purpose of the grant program is to ensure that "every New Jersey student … ha[s] experiential learning opportunities. [As enumerated in New Jersey's Student Bill of Rights], OSHE strives to strengthen the connections between employers and New Jersey institutions of higher education (IHEs) to generate those opportunities while ensuring positive educational impacts for all students."

Through collaboration with Student Services and the College of Arts and Sciences, 19 students were awarded summer 2025 funding to participate as STEM Undergraduate Researchers as part of the STEM CONNECT Program. 

Jeffrey Togman, Ph.D., explained,

The STEM CONNECT Grants bring together undergraduates with faculty supervisors to provide students with hands-on research experience during the summer. Students who successfully apply receive a stipend and a research supply budget to support the proposed project. For 2025, students were selected in the fields of biology, biochemistry, chemistry, physics, math, cybersecurity, computer science, neuroscience and psychology. With generous support from NJ OSHE, these grants are part of the College of Arts and Sciences' commitment to provide students with experience in cutting-edge scientific inquiry and research.

This summer, student projects include studies in brain injury and other neuroscience, antibacterial and antifungal substances, semiconductors, cold plasma, bone injury and recovery, chemical mitigation and materials science. Students will also be responsible for conducting genuine laboratory, technical, or theoretical research, with duties including designing and running experiments, recording data, performing literature reviews and research and writing and revising findings and hypotheses. Students will also be asked to join faculty in conferences, publications and other dissemination of the findings resulting from the project, including the Spring 2026 Petersheim academic research conference and a STEM Connect event in the fall 2025. 

Dean Jonathan Farina, Ph.D., shared,

I'm excited that we can provide our undergraduate students with the transformative opportunity to conduct original, interdisciplinary research under the supervision of some of our outstanding faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences. Many Seton Hall students have jobs during the summer and even the school year to make ends meet; this Grant enables them to replace entry-level work with research experiences that teach them advanced laboratory skills, teamwork and accountability and cutting-edge knowledge that prepares them for great careers.

Monica Burnette, Ph.D., echoed the importance of experiential learning and internships to a student's academic integration, "We are pleased to be awarded funding through OSHE for NJ CAIGP. Internships and undergraduate research are considered high-impact practices; research shows that students who participate in these opportunities are more likely to graduate and have positive career outcomes.”

To learn more, contact Student Services at [email protected]. 

Categories: Education, Research