That desire led him to biology so after leaving Northeastern, Matteo worked as a technician in a DNA sequencing lab, gaining real-world experience before returning to community college and ultimately transferring to �鶹��ý���� to pursue molecular biochemistry.

I love that you can study the fundamental mechanisms of life. You can zoom in to the molecular level and also see how those mechanisms affect entire systems.

Now working in Professor Eli Lee’s lab, Matteo studies protein condensates — dynamic, fluid structures formed when proteins separate from their surrounding solution, similar to oil separating from water. These condensates form through weak interactions between proteins, constantly assembling and disassembling.

His research asks a deceptively simple question: How does protein structure affect the properties of these condensates?

Understanding this process may help scientists uncover how cells transport membrane proteins and how lipid “rafts” may form around specific sites in the cell membrane. It’s a complex system — always in equilibrium, constantly shifting — and Matteo is fascinated by its elegance.

His work will take him far beyond campus. This year, he will present at the Biophysical Society Annual Meeting in San Francisco and at the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology conference in Washington, D.C.

Looking ahead, Matteo plans to pursue a Ph.D., with long-term interests in origin-of-life research, exploring how chemistry first gave rise to living systems.

“I’ve worked in industry, and it’s great for building technical skills,” he says. “But I want to work toward big, long-term scientific questions.”

Last year, Matteo took first place at �鶹��ý����’s Science Slam — not by listing data points or presenting dense slides, but by telling a story.

Science Slam challenges students to communicate their science stories in an engaging, and accessible way. For Matteo, it was transformative.

“In lab reports, you just present the facts,” he says. “But Science Slam taught me that people understand stories better than lists of information. Science communication needs narrative.”

His winning presentation centered on a hummingbird that migrates from New Jersey to the Dominican Republic for the winter — a rare but real phenomenon. The story unfolded from the hummingbird’s perspective, guided across the ocean by a protein in its eyes that detects Earth’s magnetic field.

Matteo watching as his classmates give their slam presentations

Unable to see land but knowing exactly where to go, the bird eventually arrives in the Dominican Republic,  landing beside Matteo and his grandmother.

The metaphor mirrored his own visits to family from New Jersey to the Dominican Republic and connected deeply with audiences.

“Science isn’t just logic,” he reflects. “There’s an emotional component. We’re not just calculators. If you want people to care about science, you have to make it compelling.”

He credits the experience with strengthening his graduate school applications and helping him learn how to frame his research as a cohesive scientific narrative.

Having attended multiple institutions, Matteo says �鶹��ý���� stands out.

“It’s a place where opportunities feel within reach,” he says. “People know you. Professors and administrators are responsive. They advocate for you.”

He points especially to �鶹��ý����’s Summer Research Program, where students immerse themselves full-time in research, live on campus, and engage in professional development while presenting their work to peers.

“You’re doing research all day! It’s like a full-time job, but it’s so fun,” he says. “It’s a no-brainer opportunity.”

His advice to other students?

“Take every opportunity and see what sticks.”

Don’t Miss This Year’s Science Slam

Inspired by Matteo’s story? You can experience for yourself on Monday, February 23rd, from 3–5 p.m. Whether you’re a student considering competing, a future scientist refining your communication skills, or simply someone who loves a good story, Science Slam is your chance to see research come alive.

Students heard from a number of speakers, including �鶹��ý����’s Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Junius Gonzales, who served as the keynote speaker. He shared his circuitous route from “a vermin-infested tenement” in Hartford, Conn., to medical school and now higher education.

Read the Full Article

The Barry Goldwater Scholarship is one of the most impressive national undergraduate scholarships in the natural sciences, engineering and mathematics, says Computer Science Professor Stefan Robila, the campus representative for the Goldwater Scholarship. It is awarded to students who plan to conduct research within their field after graduation, and eventually become experts in that field. Messina plans to pursue a doctorate in Medicinal Chemistry with a long-term goal of joining a pharmaceutical research team with potential to cure disease.

This extraordinary honor confirms the high quality of Marisa’s work. She demonstrates a clear plan for a research path strongly anchored in her previous work and personal experiences and a passion for discovery and innovation.

Read the Full Article

Whitener, now in his 30th year at �鶹��ý����, recently shared his cancer journey in a classroom in Richardson Hall and via Zoom with an audience made up of chemistry and biology students, faculty and the public.

Whitener’s background as a chemist and cancer survivor gives him a unique perspective, one he’s also documented in his online “,” which he wrote 10 years ago to mark 25 years in remission and to serve a wider, non-academic audience.

At the outset, Whitener’s straight talk and humor, something that he, like many people faced with a serious diagnosis, adopted as a coping mechanism, are evident. Displaying a photo of himself as a young bald man, he says, “Most of my hair is gone due to male pattern baldness but I was 27 years old when this happened…because I had cancer chemotherapy.”

He explains that his presentation, which includes handwritten slides and cartoon-like drawings, is messy and not polished and that the 62-year-old will be turning 35 because he celebrates his “second birthday” from the last day of his chemotherapy treatment.

“I like it being messy because going through cancer is pretty messy,” he says. “Cancer is bad but there are some good stories. I’m an example of a successful, positive outcome from cancer.”

With that he launches into his introduction of how cancer cells grow and spread, chemotherapy treatment and his personal bout with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma as a case study.

Read the Full Article on the University Press Room

Abstract

Protein cargos anchored on the lipid membrane can be segregated by fluidic domain phase separation. Lipid membranes at certain compositions may separate into lipid domains to segregate cargos, and protein cargos themselves may be involved in protein condensate domain formation with multivalent binding proteins to segregate cargos. Recent studies suggest that these two driving forces of phase separation closely interact on the lipid membranes to promote codomain formation. In this report, we studied the effect of cargo density on the outcome of the cargo phase separation on giant unilamellar vesicles. Proteins and lipids are connected only by the anchored cargos, so it was originally hypothesized that higher cargo density would increase the degree of interaction between the lipid and protein domains, promoting more phase separation. However, fluorescence image analysis on different cargo densities showed that the cooperative domain formation and steric pressure are at a tug of war opposing each other. Cooperative domain formation is dominant under lower anchor density conditions, and above a threshold density, steric pressure was dominant opposing the domain formation. The result suggests that the cargo density is a key parameter affecting the outcome of cargo organization on the lipid membranes by phase separation.

Benjamin, now a senior, knows so much about the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (also known as PETM) because, like a lot of undergraduates in the College of Science and Mathematics, she has had the opportunity to conduct research with a faculty researcher on topics that interest them.

And that research has paid off.

Benjamin won first place at the 2021 Mario M. Casabona Future Scientists Awards competition in November for her research on PETM.

As part of the Future Scientists program, Benjamin, along with five other student researchers, presented their research in both a poster session and in five-minute oral presentations at the Awards held at the Center for Environmental and Life Sciences in November. The program trains student researchers to communicate their scientific research to the general public, helping them to succeed in their graduate education and career paths. The program’s sponsor, Mario M. Casabona, an entrepreneur and founder and managing director of TechLaunch LLC and Casabona Ventures, attended and was joined by a professional panel of judges, who determined the winner.

Benjamin discussing her research at the 2021 Mario M. Casabona Future Scientists Awards, where she won first place.

Students presented research on topics varying from mathematical education to neutron star structure in gravitational waves to a protein’s relationship to melanoma to how treatment for inflammation can be derived from mathematical models, and much more.

Undergraduate, as well as graduate, research is a hallmark of the College of Science and Mathematics, says Dean Lora Billings.

“Faculty-mentored student research is really important because not only does it allow the student the freedom to explore and be creative, but to also be a problem solver with confidence to think out of the box,” Billings says. “This falls under the world of experiential learning, where a student uniquely applies what they have learned in the classroom and then sharpens their communication skills by telling the story.”

Studying and researching with professors is an important step for many future scientists. Before receiving the research opportunity with Earth and Environmental Studies Assistant Professor Ying Cui, Benjamin says she felt unqualified for research.

“I was initially very intimidated because I thought, ‘Here I am, an undergraduate, with no resume qualified experience and definitely not specializing in a singular topic,’ ” Benjamin says.

However, Cui made it clear that she was very open to having students of all levels get involved, and Benjamin’s experience has been meaningful ever since.

“This experience will be one I will carry with me in my future,” Benjamin says. “Dr. Cui is an incredible mentor and my involvement has given me the chance to understand more deeply the time, effort, money and methods that go along with true research.”

Winning first place after presenting her research on how black carbon is used as a tool to understand how ecosystems responded to the PETM global warming event was a tremendous feeling, she says. Her research gave her the preparation she needed to confidently discuss how society is dependent on the ecosystem and therefore it is essential to understand how it will respond to climate change.

As part of her research, Benjamin has had the access to work with high-grade equipment alongside fellow student researchers like Melissa Spigelman, a junior studying Molecular Biology, who has also gotten a meaningful experience out of her research.

Melissa Spigelman explains her research on melanoma and protein during the Mario M. Casabona Future Scientists Program competition.

Spigelman was awarded second place and audience favorite for her research on a protein known as ICER and its relationship to melanoma – the deadliest form of skin cancer. Her goal is to create a cream that contains ICER and protein that could kill off the melanoma and prevent those cancer cells from spreading.

Her interest in research was inspired by her best friend who suffered from Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a cancer in the lymph nodes. While Spigelman always had a hidden passion for biology, watching her friend fight cancer only further inspired her to make a change in the world.

“I wanted to help in any possible way that I can,” Spigelman says.

During the time her friend was undergoing cancer treatment, Speigelman was offered a remarkable opportunity at �鶹��ý���� through one of her close friends, Angelo Cirinelli. At the time, Cirinelli was a senior researcher at the University while she was only a senior in high school. After speaking with Biology Professor Carlos Molina, Cirinelli was able to bring Speigelman on board. The two have worked together on research projects ever since.

“It was honestly a true blessing that Dr. Molina was willing to take a chance on me at such a young age,” Speigelman says. “I’m just so glad that one day in the future, I feel like we’ll be able to find a treatment for really aggressive cancers like melanoma.”

The student research opportunities offered at �鶹��ý���� took Cirinelli to the next level of his career in molecular biology. After winning a first-place award for melanoma cancer research in the Future Scientists Awards of 2019, he is now studying at Rutgers in the Biomedical PhD program.

“It’s been very meaningful to work with Dr. Molina on research as an undergrad and now as a PhD candidate,” Cirinelli says. “At the event, it was great to see that other people also understood the importance of the projects that we have going on in the lab.”

When Cirinelli was a freshman, he knew he wanted to get into research but wasn’t sure how to get involved. Dr. Molina’s research caught his eye one semester so he decided to simply ask him if he needed some assistance.

“A lot of people don’t know how to go to the professors during their office hours and just ask. The worst thing that they could say is that their lab is full,” Cirinelli says.

Once involved in the research, the students typically spend on average 16 to 18 hours of research per week while the projects take at least one or two years to complete before being presented at the annual Mario M. Casabona Future Scientists Awards competition.

Gianna Fazzini was the first ever mathematics education student to present at the Future Scientists event.

Gianna Fazzini, a senior from West Caldwell, New Jersey, was the first mathematics education student to present at the Future Scientists event. Through her research in the realm of math education, she hoped to open people’s eyes up to the world of math education, and in what direction it’s heading.

Her passion drew her toward math education research since the subject was never her strong suit. She believes that math education focuses mostly on procedures rather than on concepts and she seeks to change that with a balance of both in the classroom.

“I believe as future research goes, it’s important to study teachers in their own classroom settings in order to make the connection between the tools that teachers are providing their students, and the tools that they were provided in their teacher preparation program,” Fazzini says.

Through her research with Assistant Mathematics Professor Joseph DiNapoli, Fazzini urges students to get involved in research and spark new changes around the world.

“Being able to research something that was so meaningful to the both of us made this an enjoyable experience and I strongly urge anybody who has the chance to do research on campus to take advantage of it because it gives you the ability to view the world in a different light,” Fazzini says.

The student researchers are taking a positive approach to research, science and math in hopes of encouraging others to follow their examples and to make a decision to embark on something that didn’t seem possible.

For more information, visit the 2021 Mario M. Casabona Future Scientists Awards webpage.

Story by Rosaria Lo Presti; photos by University Photographer Mike Peters

���� by a �鶹��ý���� researcher published in the Royal Society of Chemistry peer-reviewed journal RSC Advances offers a new, more sustainable approach to recycle and recover important components from end-of-life (EoL) lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) that power our cell phones, laptops and electric cars.

Led by Chemistry and Biochemistry Assistant Professor Amrita Sarkar, the research, titled “A Sustainable Approach to Cathode Delamination Using a Green Solvent,” shows that global efforts to increase the use of green, affordable energy sources has resulted in the ubiquity of rechargeable LIBs. Unfortunately, the extensive use also causes an enormous accumulation of battery waste at the end-of-life stage, introducing a serious waste-management challenge that undercuts meaningful sustainability goals.

Researchers and industries are currently looking for sustainable and environmentally friendly techniques of recycling and reusing of spent battery components, Sarkar explains – and this discovery by her team is an important step in that direction.

“This finding is expected to provide a replacement for a toxic organic solvent and offers an effective, eco-friendly and sustainable recycling approach for spent LIBs,” Sarkar says, adding that the method leading to this discovery was tested at lab scale and a pilot-scale test would be necessary to determine its economic viability.

A safer way to recycle

Proper recycling methods are necessary to maintain the sustainability and economic benefits of LIBs and mitigate safety hazards, but so far existing recycling processes typically focus on a combination of physical and chemical approaches that require high temperatures and toxic chemicals.

LIB cathodes – the electrodes that play a central role in moving electrical currents within the battery – also contain active materials such as cobalt and nickel that are wasted in traditional recycling practices, making the need for more effective, sustainable methods increasingly more pressing.

Composed of Sarkar and undergraduate students Onurcan Buken and Kayla Mancini, the research team had a hunch that, by using a commercially available sugar-based solvent called Dimethyl Isosorbide, they could replace the solvent currently used (N-methyl pyrrolidone, which poses unreasonable risks in most of its uses in America) and not only extract more of the elements being wasted, but do it in a greener way.

The results were a significant find – 81% of available active materials like cobalt and nickel and 79% of a critical organic binder, polyvinylidene fluoride, were recovered using the more eco-friendly solvent, far surpassing the amounts recovered using traditional methods.

The results could mean the solving of one of the industry’s most pressing problems, making it all the more important experience for �鶹��ý����’s student researchers.

“I am excited to see that my undergraduate research students achieved an impressive feat in obtaining publishable results,” Sarkar says. “They have developed critical thinking, work ethics, communication skills with the outside world and pursuit of excellence for research on par with their graduate peers.”

This scholarship provides a fantastic opportunity for Kayla to expand her undergraduate research effort in fabricating new surface material for future industry development.

With Associate Dean Scott Kight as MC, the event kicked off with a poster presentation by Kimberly Calix, a Biochemistry major, discussing the pretreatment of proteins using heat to optimize its structure. John Notte, a Physics major, then presented on the upcoming upgrade of the LIGO detector, the Advanced LIGO Plus project.

Our first full talk was next with Anthony Gachetti, an Earth & Environmental Science major, who discussed climate change and using the paleoclimate record to make predictions. This longer presentation was also the first opportunity for the judges to ask a full set of questions which Anthony met effectively with enthusiasm. He was rated the highest in this area by the judges in their assessment.

Following Anthony were Katherine Schaffer, a Chemistry major, and Sarah Acquaviva, a Mathematics major both presenting posters. Katherine’s presentation dove into the use of electrochemical sensors for the imaging of neurotransmitters. Then Sarah’s poster looked at the use of caps on classes as a means to control viral outbreaks. The timeliness of this presentation stood out to the judges in the poster category.

Hope Diamantopoulos, a Computer Science major, had the next five minute talk. Her work looked into the teaching of emotions to improve worker-robot collaborations as we move toward more automated production. The strength of the algorithms effectiveness and its applicability really impressed the judges.

Evelyn Visan, a Molecular Biology major, and Allison Conlon, an Applied Mathematics and Statistics major, closed out the poster presentations. Evelyn’s research looked at the development of a rapid test to diagnose Ranavirus, a disease that has the potential to quickly ravage populations of amphibians, fish and reptiles. Allison came on next to discuss the effectiveness of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Using publicly available data Allison looked at the wealth of various individuals and the effects of the TCJA on those individuals

The final presentation, and final five minute talk, was given by Paolo Turano, a Biology major. His work looked at coconut oil’s effectiveness for weight loss. Paolo also studied the effect of this dietary change on the liver, specifically its contribution to Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). His findings showed little impact from a dietary perspective, and in males, an increased risk of NAFLD.

Following the presentations, the judges deliberated and the audience casted their votes for their favorite. After a short time we had our results!

• Best Poster Award – Sarah Acquaviva
• Third Place Talk Award – Paolo Turano
• Second Place Talk Award – Anthony Gachetti
• First Place Talk Award – Hope Diamantopoulos
  Best Mentor Award – Dr. Weitian Wang
• Audience Favorite Award – Paolo Turano

Thank you to the judges for your time, input and feedback to the students. Congratulations to each of the students that participated in the event, your research and presentation of that information embodies what we hope to enable in all of our students in the College of Science and Mathematics!

Learn more about the event, the judges and the participants on the 2021 Mario M. Casabona Future Scientists Program website