Seton Hall Students Showcase Their Research Through Provost-Supported Opportunities

Seton Hall University continues to advance student scholarship and experiential learning opportunities by providing undergraduate researchers with special opportunities to present their work externally. These efforts, supported through programming coordinated by the Office of the Provost, are intentionally aligned with key priorities of Seton Hall’s Strategic Plan. Priority 1, Transformational Student Experience, focuses on enhancing the student experience by providing holistic, affordable and career-building opportunities to all students. Priority 3, Impactful Programs, Research and Innovation, emphasizes academic programs and research that address meaningful questions and societal challenges. Together, these priorities guide a coordinated approach that supports faculty-mentored scholarship and prepares students to engage confidently with broader academic and professional communities.

By investing in faculty-mentored research and structured preparation for external presentation, the Office of the Provost supports students in developing advanced research and communication skills while contributing to scholarship that engages real-world questions. These programs are designed to strengthen students’ ability to disseminate their work effectively, engage with interdisciplinary audiences, and participate in broader academic and professional conversations. “At the core of this work is our commitment to academic excellence and to ensuring students have meaningful, supported opportunities to share their scholarship beyond the University,” said Sona Patel, Assistant Provost. “By intentionally pairing faculty mentorship with preparation for external presentation, we promote academic rigor while helping students develop the communication and professional skills essential for success after graduation.”

Showcasing our students among our accredited peers.
In the fall semester, senior Alyssa Housley, an honors psychology student, was selected through a competitive application process to participate in the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) Annual Conference, where she represented Seton Hall University at the Student Poster Symposium. The symposium convenes students from accredited institutions across the Middle States region and spans all disciplines of scholarship, offering a forum for emerging scholars to present original research and engage with peers and faculty and provides selected students with an opportunity to present their findings to institutional leaders and stakeholders from across higher education.
At the conference, Housley presented research developed under the mentorship of Meghan Caulfield, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Psychology, entitled “Neurocognitive Impacts of Brain Injury on Decision Making.” The project examines the effects of concussions on impulsivity and decision-making by integrating behavioral choice assessments with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). By measuring prefrontal cortical activity during decision-making tasks, the research addresses pressing health-related questions and exemplifies how undergraduate research can contribute to broader societal understanding.

In advance of the event in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in December, Housley participated in a series of focused coaching sessions with Sona Patel, Ph.D. and Professor Caryn Grabowski, collaborating with her faculty mentor to refine both the visual design and oral communication of her poster. These sessions emphasized nuanced aspects of presentation effectiveness, including visual hierarchy and clarity, narrative structure, audience engagement, time management, and adapting scholarly content for interdisciplinary and non-specialist audiences. “One of my favorite parts of my job is mentoring outstanding students like Alyssa,” said Meghan Caulfield, Ph.D, “Through this experience, she gained invaluable training and preparation while representing Seton Hall University’s commitment to student research and engaging with the broader academic community.” As part of her preparation, Housley also presented her research to Seton Hall’s Academic Affairs Council, comprised of members of the Office of the Provost, deans of the University’s schools and colleges, and department chairs.

“Mentored research paired with intentional communication training is foundational to students’ academic and professional development,” said Caryn Grabowski, Director of Experiential Learning. “Through these experiences, students gain transferable skills such as project management, professional communication, public speaking, networking, and the ability to integrate feedback in ways that strengthen performance and confidence. These competencies are critical to career readiness and lifelong learning.”
Big East Undergraduate Research Poster Symposium Competition.
Housley has also been selected to represent Seton Hall University at the 2026 Big East Undergraduate Research Poster Symposium this March, alongside her lab mate and collaborator Gabriella DeGuzman. Their project, “Neurobehavioral Correlates of Traumatic Brain Injury in New Jersey College Students” (Meghan Caulfield, Ph.D.), was chosen through a rigorous, conference-wide review process.

Additional Seton Hall student teams selected to represent the University include:

• Lianna Cruz and Maia Coyle (Jon Radwan, Ph.D.) – Nonverbal Communication in New York Fashion Week
• Krish Reddy (Tinchun Chu, Ph.D.) – Combating Potential Drug-Resistant Pathogens with a Lipid-Modified Green Tea Derivative
• Gianna Vaynberg (Mary Balkun, Ph.D.) – Disturbing the Comforted and Comforting the Disturbed: Nature in British Gothic Female Novels
• Sean Coulson and Natalie Ruby (Reverend Gerald J. Buonopane, Ph.D.) – Quantifying the Effect of Water Activity on Lipid Oxidation in Foods via the TBARS Assay

The symposium will take place on Saturday, March 14, 2026, at Madison Square Garden, coinciding with the Men’s Basketball Big East Conference Championship Game. The event brings together top student scholars and faculty mentors from each of the 11 universities in the Big East Conference, representing disciplines across the humanities, social sciences and STEM fields. During the session, students present their research posters to a panel of three judges, who evaluate each presentation based on the clarity and quality of the poster, as well as the presenter’s communication skills, audience engagement, and depth of scholarly understanding. Presentations are rated and ranked following the session and medals are awarded to the top 3 presented works. This year marks the fifth year of Seton Hall’s participation in the Big East Undergraduate Research Poster Symposium and the third consecutive year in which selected students have participated in structured coaching and professional development sessions as part of their preparation.

These student experiences underscore the University’s sustained investment in undergraduate research, faculty mentorship, and student success. “This program highlights the value of cross-campus collaboration,” said Tinchun “Tina” Chu, Ph.D., Professor of Biological Sciences, who has now had two students participate in the program. “What makes the experience especially meaningful is seeing how students grow both as researchers and as communicators,” Chu noted. Through close collaboration with other faculty, the program can combine rigorous research mentorship with targeted coaching in presentation and communication. “That holistic support,” she said, “prepares students to share their work effectively and professionally.” Collectively, these initiatives reflect the Office of the Provost’s broader commitment to working closely with faculty research mentors to advance students’ skills in research dissemination, external presentations and scholarly engagement. Through a coordinated approach that supports faculty and students in tandem, these programs are intentionally designed to help students develop a nuanced understanding of effective research communication, including the ability to appropriately scale content for diverse audiences, design clear and compelling visual materials, articulate methodological rigor and communicate scholarly significance with confidence and clarity.

“The opportunity to participate in the research process has been one of the most valuable and enriching aspects of my undergraduate experience at Seton Hall,” said Alyssa Housley. “Helping plan studies, collect data, and present research at conferences across the country has solidified my interest in psychology and encouraged me to pursue research as a career.” Housley added that the confidence and interpersonal skills she developed through these experiences have extended beyond research into her coursework and extracurricular activities. She noted that presenting at the Middle States conference and now preparing for the Big East competition has been meaningful because it allowed her to connect with fellow student researchers across disciplines. “I am so grateful for the mentorship and support I receive from the Psychology Department, especially Meghan Caulfield, Ph.D.—as well as from the Provost’s Office, including Sona Patel, Ph.D. and Professor Grabowski,” she said. The Office of the Provost encourages faculty mentors and student researchers across all disciplines to continue seeking opportunities to present their work both internally and externally, ensuring that the efforts and achievements of Seton Hall’s outstanding student scholars continue to have a visible and meaningful presence within the broader academic community.

Categories: Education