Jersey City, NJ — Three Saint Peter’s College students received grants from the TriBeta Biological Honors Research Foundation for ongoing projects in Biology for the 2004-2005 academic year. All of the students are Biology majors and members of the Class of 2005. Since 1998, 22 Saint Peter’s students have received funding to conduct scientific research sponsored by the TriBeta Foundation on campus.
Jennee Darragh, of Morris, NY, is examining the effects of heavy metals and pollutants on the sea cucumber, an invertebrate related to the starfish. Natalie Furka of Secaucus, NJ, is conducting developmental biology research on cell death in the inner ear of the clawed frog, an area with implications for cancer research. Pothina Ghazy of Jersey City, NJ is examining the regulation of blood cell development. Dr. Laura Twersky is the faculty research adviser to Darragh and Furka. Drs. E. Regina Giuliani and Dennis C. Giuliani are the faculty research advisers to Ghazy. The students will present their formal findings and papers at TriBeta’s regional meeting in the spring.
Founded in 1922, TriBeta is a society for undergraduate students devoted to biological studies and scientific research. There are 430 chapters throughout the United States, with Rho Nu Chapter of BBB established at Saint Peter’s College in 1998. Dr. Laura Twersky serves as faculty adviser to the chapter.
Saint Peter’s College is the Jesuit College of New Jersey. Founded in 1872, Saint Peter’s has an enrollment of approximately 3,000 students in undergraduate and graduate programs. The main campus is located in Jersey City . The College has a branch campus for adults in Englewood Cliffs, NJ. and also offers courses at various corporate sites at the Jersey City waterfront, in Newark and in South Amboy, NJ.