Students Christina Joseph and Kimberly Acevedo (left to right) have been awarded paid fellowships to conduct research on the Sparkill Creek this summer.
Two Dominican College Biology students have been awarded highly-competitive paid research fellowships to fund their summer research work on the Sparkill Creek. Kimberly Acevedo and Christina Joseph will be working a minimum of 10 weeks this summer on their projects and will be using a Dominican College research laboratory in the Prusmack Center.
Biology Professor Dr. Bernadette Connors said, “Students involved in these fellowship programs are afforded opportunities to contribute to the general body of scientific knowledge in the field of environmental microbiology. The work done by these research fellows will further grow the Environmental Sciences program at Dominican College, making the institution a regional center for work of this sort.”
Acevedo received an American Society of Microbiology Undergraduate Research Fellowship, which entitles her to a $4,000 stipend, plus an invitation to present her work at the 2018 meeting in Atlanta, GA. Her research focuses on understanding and analyzing the biodiversity of microbial and viral life in the Sparkill Creek and the Piermont Marsh. Just 24 of these fellowships were awarded nationwide.
Christina Joseph received a Tibor T. Polgar Fellowship through the Hudson River Foundation. She will receive a $3,800 stipend, along with $1,000 for supplies. The focus of her work is to compare the Sparkill Creek in Rockland County and NJ to the Pocantico River in Westchester County. Only eight Polgar Fellowships were awarded.