Students Showcase Passion for Discovery Through Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program

Driven by intellectual curiosity and a shared passion for exploration, this year’s Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows stepped beyond the boundaries of traditional textbooks to examine a wide range of real-world topics.

While many college students use the summertime to take a break from their studies, the group of University of New Haven students who participated in our Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship had a unique opportunity to take advantage of the time away from formal classwork to focus on faculty-mentored research.

The 2026 SURF program participants pursued projects ranging from evaluating lung inflammation induced by e-cigarette aerosols to perceptions of parental responsibility for juvenile offending.

Among this year’s cohort four were student-research projects supported by the Carrubba Family Endowment, and two student-research projects supported by Professor Huan Gu’s National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Grant.

Chemical engineering major Joela Abbey ’28 pursued a project titled, "Characterizing Measuring the effects of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 biofilms on mucus viscoelasticity and removal through rheometer analysis," under the guidance of Dr. Gu, the Jacob F. Buckman Endowed Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical & Biomedical Engineering.

"Unlike an independent study or capstone project, SURF emphasized discovery through original research while providing mentorship and resources that encouraged both academic and professional growth," explained Abbey. "The experience pushed me to become more confident in my abilities as a researcher, strengthened my problem-solving and communication skills, and showed me how persistence and adaptability are essential."

SURF also affords students a special opportunity for interdisciplinary work, which fuels innovation.

Forensic science major Bridgette Golden ’27 worked under the guidance of Nathan Seifert, Ph.D., assistant professor of chemistry in the Tagliatela College of Engineering, to apply computer-aided computational methods to analyze the behavior of organic fluorinated molecules and its collective interactions.

Ultimately, the opportunity to work closely with a faculty mentor is a highlight of the program.

Forensic science major Shahira Khosla ’28 worked on a project tiled, "Evaluating Nicotine-Dependent and Nicotine-Independent Lung Inflammation Induced by E-Cigarette Aerosols," with Shikha Sharma, Ph.D., an assistant professor of forensic science.

"Dr. Sharma has been a wonderful source of guidance and support throughout this journey," said Khosla. "Her consistent encouragement, availability, and regular meetings helped me grow as a researcher and navigate the challenges of conducting a research project."

Research in the lab sciences has the potential to bridge the gap between laboratory findings and improvements in human health, such as senior genetics and biotechnology major Pearl Patel’s biology research, mentored by Anna Kloc, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Biology and Environmental Science

Patel’s research investigates the presence and localization of Encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) in human heart tissue samples to better understand the role viral infections may play in cardiovascular disease. As part of her work,  Patel had the opportunity to pursued the clinically precise cutting of a human heart tissue sample into tiny pieces for RNA extraction. 

The SURF program commends our SURF participants for their diligence and applauds our faculty mentors for their guidance.

2026 SURF Program Participants

Joela Abbey ’28 (Chemical Engineering)
"Characterizing Measuring the effects of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 biofilms on mucus viscoelasticity and removal through rheometer analysis"

Erin Doyle ’28 (Chemical and Biomedical Engineering)
"Design of Enzyme-Responsive Polyolefin as a Programmable Antifouling Material"
Mentor: Huan Gu, Ph.D.

Bridgette Golden ’27 (Forensic Science)
"Many-Body Interactions of Fluorinated Organic Molecules"
Mentor: Nathan Seifert, Ph.D.

Shahira Khosla ’28 (Forensic Science)
"Evaluating Nicotine-Dependent and Nicotine-Independent Lung Inflammation Induced by E-Cigarette Aerosols"
Mentor: Shikha Sharma, Ph.D.

Haleigh Martin ’27 (Psychology)
"Parental Responsibility for Juvenile Offending: The Impact of Age Cues and Crime Severity on Mock Juror Attributions"
Mentor: Lauren Stornelli, Ph.D.

Pearl Patel ’27 (Genetics & Biotechnology)
"Identification and characterization of Encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) in human heart tissue"
Mentor: Anna Kloc, Ph.D.