Summer internships pave the way to career success for Rowan students

July 20, 2009

Ian Dougherty is analyzing data for NASA. Lisa DeGironimo is doing research that can help scientists better understand evolution and global climate change. Brian Yates is roaming West Texas prairies studying the effects of agriculture and cattle ranching on the environment. And, from Italy to USC, four chemistry students are studying everything from hydrogen bonds to the biochemistry of proteins.

For these and dozens of other Rowan University students, summer work isn't about spending long days laboring on the Boardwalk. Instead, for these students, summer means taking advantage of internship opportunities that give them a real advantage in their chosen fields as they work toward their degrees. And they all agree that no matter how you slice-or scoop it-their internships are paying solid dividends.

Here's a look at how some Rowan students are spending their summer internships:


A rising senior physics major from Bridgeton, Dougherty's internship, which runs through Aug. 5, involves analyzing neutron data sent to Earth from NASA's Mars Odyssey which launched in 2001.

"My specific project is to find evidence of water in specific land feature, known as lobate debris aprons, on Mars," Dougherty says.

In June, Dougherty traveled to Florida in June to watch the launch of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which is looking for potential landing sites on the moon.
A former missionary to Ecuador, Dougherty prepared for the internship by analyzing Mars neutron data for Professor David Klassen. He is the second straight Rowan student of Klassen's to land a summer internship at Goddard.

"The launch of the orbiter wasn't too impressive. It was like a shooting star going up. But the sound was impressive. It shook the Earth. This is experience has made the space program more down to Earth for me," laughs Dougherty, who is eyeing a career in institutional research.


Through a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program funded by the National Science Foundation, DeGironimo, a biological sciences major from Old Bridge, is examining evolutionary plant genetics in a 10-week internship with Professor Lisa Dorn.
Her work involves studying the phenotypic plasticity of the plant Arabidopsis thaliana, which is part of the mustard family. DeGironimo is comparing the genetic responses of different strains of the plant to environmental conditions. Her research has implications for the understanding of evolution and also global climate change, she says.

DeGironimo, who is entering her senior year, is building upon the study abroad experience she enjoyed last fall when she conducted marine ecology studies in Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands.

"I'm very interested in evolutionary genetics," she says. "This experience has just been awesome. It's a great gateway for grad school. The Midwest is known for genetics and molecular work in biology."


Through Aug. 7, Yates, an environmental studies major with minors in biology and Spanish, is conducting eco-toxicology research to determine the effects of pesticide use on the environment.

A native of Long Valley, Yates is working with Dr. William Rogers, an environmental risk assessor. His research involves examining the effect of atrazine, the most common pesticide that stops plant growth, on golden algae blooms. Yates spends his days in the lab and out on the prairies, where he has dodged deer and rattlesnakes.

"I'm studying the natural history of this area and what the ecosystems were like prior to settlement," he says. "Recently, I was water sampling knee-deep in mud. I really enjoyed it. I love the outdoors. Most of my work involves looking into a microscope and assessing biodiversity and relative abundance of phytoplankton."

The 10-week paid internship is one in a long string of career-building moves Yates has undertaken. In fall of 2006, he studied abroad in Spain. The following summer, he held an internship with the Environmental Protection Agency. And this fall, he's heading to Brazil to study the rainforest and other tropical biomes through Antioch University.

All chemistry majors, Reca, Hagens, Reyes and Sanchez are all working at prestigious institutions for 10 weeks this summer alongside well-known chemistry researchers as part of the American Chemical Society's and national Science Foundation's REU and IREU programs.

Chemistry professor Dr. Darius Kuciauskas motivated the students to apply for the programs, which offer the best science students opportunities to participate in graduate- and professional-level research at 50 domestic sites as well as four sites in Europe. The undergraduate students each applied to up to five sites based on the research opportunities that related to their interests.

Reca, a rising junior triple major in chemistry, physics and math from Howell, is at the University of Perugia, Italy, researching quantum chemistry, including hydrogen bonds, which will lead to a greater understanding of the properties of water. Next month, he will present his research results at the ACS national meeting in Washington, D.C.

"I hope this opportunity will improve my research skills and prepare me for graduate school," says Reca. "I also hope to enjoy my first time in Europe."

Hagens, 20, a rising senior biochemistry major from Lodi, is researching the biochemistry of proteins at Rutgers University/University of Medicine and Dentistry New Jersey in New Brunswick.

"I was relieved and happy to receive not only a summer job but also experience for graduate school and a Ph.D.," she says.

Reyes, 19, a rising junior chemistry major from Hamilton, is at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, focusing on nanoparticle block composites, which may lead to discoveries of materials that can renew themselves.

Sanchez, 23, a rising chemistry senior from Dunellen, is conducting research at the University of Southern California. Her project focuses on the conversion of methane to polyolefins, a group of thermoplastic, hard polymers that can be used in the automotive and appliance industries.

"It was definitely a boost of confidence to have these institutions interested in my potential and what I have to offer. Additionally, it feels great to have all of the hard work I put into my academic career thus far pay off," says Sanchez.

REU provides each student with travel costs, room and board for 10 weeks and a stipend.



A senior mechanical engineering major from Stockton, Hunterdon County, Muldowney received four-count ‘em-four internship offers. He accepted a position at Vineland, where he's helping the engineering staff design an extension to their power plant.

"I've had the opportunity to learn the existing plant and to work on the installation of a new natural gas turbine. It's a tight-knit group of engineers here and they've permitted me access to the entire plant. I get to see first-hand how power generation works," says Muldowney, whose interest in steam piqued when he began working on the New Hope and Ivyland Railroad as a teenager.

Muldowney credits his aggressive use of services provided by Rowan's Career and Academic Planning Center in helping him land the internship-and the other offers.

"Much of my pursuit was done through personal contacts I have established at career fairs, on-campus industry presentations, and through a former co-worker," Muldowney says. "The CAP Center properly prepared me through more than one resume critique and also a very helpful mock interview."


In a 12-week REU outside of Annapolis, Md., Savastano is part of a research project that examines how prey density affects the reproductive patterns of comb jellies. Comb jellies are predators of oyster larvae and jellyfish. The rising senior biological science major from Hillsborough also designed her own experiment looking at how predation damage affects comb jellies' reproductive success.

"I'm lucky to have a mixture of work in the lab and in the field," says Savastano, a student in Rowan's Thomas N. Bantivoglio Honors Concentration program.

"I spend time looking through a microscope and boating out on the Chesapeake Bay to collect water samples and organisms. It's great to have an internship that is both intellectually stimulating and enjoyable."