In this Issue

From Dean Prezant p. 2

Drug Discovery at MSU p. 2

Studying Biofuel Markets p. 3

2012 Seminar Exchange Program p. 3

CELS — An Update p. 4

PharmFest 2012 p. 4

PRI names new Director p. 5

Bacteriophage genomics course p. 5

RHMLC expands offerings p. 6

PRI Celebrates Donors p. 7

PRI Participates in City Of Water Day p. 7

Japanese knotweed threat! p. 8

6th Annual Student Research Day p. 8

Students Research Climate Change p. 9

Women in Science Symposium p. 9

Convocation & Annual Awards p. 10

Student News p. 11

CSAM Welcomes New Hires p. 12

Kudos p. 13

Publications p. 14

Faculty Activity p. 15

Upcoming Events p. 16

The CSAM Newsletter is published semi-annually by the College of Science and Mathematics

Robert S. Prezant, Dean Jinan Jaber, Associate Dean & Editor Lynn F. Schneemeyer, Associate Dean Raquel Peterson, Administrative Assistant Susan Brunda, Secretarial Assistant

Back issues are available at: http://csam.montclair.edu/newsarchive.php Send your comments & news to jaberj@mail.montclair.edu

Fall 2012Fall 2012

Continued on page 8

D r. William Thomas, Director of

the NJSOC is one of the recipi-

ent of the 2012 prestigious Lowell

Thomas Award presented by the Ex-

plorers Club. Established in 1980, the

award is named for Lowell Jackson

Thomas, an American writer, broad-

caster, and traveler. The award honors

outstanding achievements in the field

of exploration and this year is centered

on the theme “Exploring Extinction.”

It is awarded periodically to those who

have distinguished themselves in the

field of exploration and who have

made particular contributions in the

specific area chosen to be that year's

focus. The achievements of each indi-

vidual recipient contribute special dis-

tinction to the other recipients.

Dr. Thomas, anthropologist and con-

servationist, is dedicated to protecting

biodiversity in Papua New Guinea by

developing methodologies that bridge

traditional knowledge and western sci-

ence. He is particularly interested in

the potential for indigenous knowledge

to provide a blueprint for the conserva-

tion of the earth’s remaining wild

lands.

Since 1988, Dr. Thomas has worked in

remote regions of Papua New Guinea

to record local environmental knowl-

edge, helping to create a baseline of

information on environments that have

yet to be studied. UNESCO recognizes

his work as a “Best Practice” on in-

digenous knowledge. His research has

been funded by the National Geo-

graphic Society, Conservation Interna-

tional, the Indo-Pacific Conservation

Alliance, The Explorers Club and the

Porgera Joint Venture. In 2005, during

an expedition in New Guinea’s Central

Range – the largest, least explored wil-

derness on this island – he was part of

an international team of scientists and

local naturalists that discovered fifty

new species.

Dr. Thomas hopes that by exposing

conservationists to the potential of in-

digenous knowledge, they will be

more willing to adopt local models of

sustainability and involve local people

in the conservation of their lands. He

created the Papua Forest Stewards ini-

tiative to test his ideas and is currently

working with several native communi-

ties to conserve their wilderness home-

lands.(1)

Founded in New York City in 1904,

The Explorers Club is an international

multidisciplinary professional society

dedicated to the advancement of field

research and the ideal that it is vital to

preserve the instinct to explore. It pro-

motes the scientific exploration of

land, sea, air, and space by supporting

research and education in the physical,

natural and biological sciences. The

Club's members have been responsible

NJSOC Director Thomas Named 2012 Lowell Thomas Awardee

Thomas (left) with Khapiap, the oldest Hewa

involved with Thomas’ work

2 Fall 2012

From Dean Prezant

T he new academic year begins with remarkable recognition for CSAM’s NJ School of Con-

servation Director Bill Thomas. Being named a 2012 Lowell Thomas Awardee by the Ex-

plorers Club is no small feat and lands Dr. Thomas in stratospheric company. Dr. Thomas’ schol-

arship and conservation efforts in Papua, New Guinea deserve high praise and all CSAM con-

gratulates and celebrates this wonderful achievement. CSAM is filled with productive and well

recognized faculty and students representing all of our science and mathematics disciplines. Join-

ing us this year are yet another six outstanding tenure track scholars, plus several outstanding Vis-

iting Instructors, program assistants, educators, and post-doctoral research associates. We’re re-

plete with dedicated faculty, staff and students, all pursuing active research programs, many resid-

ing in renovated laboratories and classrooms…but not all. And as you would predict with our re-

markable growth comes a very serious “space crunch”. We are out of room!

This November you’ll see a bond issue on your ballot that would support capital improvements for our state’s institu-

tions of higher learning. Approval of the bond translates into $750 million that can be used for construction of laborato-

ries, classrooms and libraries. The eight public Colleges and Universities would be assured $247.5 million. For Mont-

clair State University it would mean, with approval of our already submitted construction plans, ground breaking for our

new Center for Environmental and Life Sciences (see page 4). We’re ready to go, shovel-in-the-ground ready! We’re

ready to expand our bulging at the seams research programs in pharmaceutical chemistry (see below); our thriving re-

search in environmental management (see pages 3, 5, 7, 9); and we’re ready to offer our students and faculty new facili-

ties for their cutting edge research programs. It is critically important to our CSAM students that we have this new facil-

ity as soon as possible.

At this point, with less than a month to go, most citizens of New Jersey have still not heard that this ballot initiative is

looming. We hope you’ll share this news and we are hoping you are ready to vote yes on the question of keeping New

Jersey a major home for innovation, research, and discovery. ♦

I n May of 2010, Dr. John Siekierka, Sokol Professor of

Medicinal Chemistry and Director of the Sokol

Institute of Pharmaceutical Life Sciences, along with the

College of Science and Mathematics entered into a formal

sponsored research agreement with the Celgene

Corporation (Summit, NJ) and Dr. Jerome Zeldis, M.D.,

Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer, Celgene Global Health.

Celgene Global Health (CGH) collaborates with partners

around the globe to find solutions for healthcare

challenges in the developing world. CGH, a division of

Celgene Corporation, was founded in 2009 to focus on

building collaborations with non-governmental

organizations such as, Product Development Partnerships,

academic institutions, public/private funding

organizations, clinical research organizations and other

pharmaceutical organizations to evaluate its deep and

diverse library and pipeline of more than 400,000

compounds for activity in neglected diseases such as

tuberculosis, malaria, leishmaniasis, trypanosomiasis,

lymphatic filariasis and more.

This agreement allowed Dr. Siekierka’s laboratory to

assess a collection of Celgene propriety kinase inhibitors

for activity against novel parasitic protein kinases

identified through Dr. Siekierka’s research. In January of

2012, this program advanced to a new level with a greatly

expanded scope. Novel Celgene inhibitors are being used

as lead structures that may become potentially new

therapeutics for the treatment of human filarialsis.

Filarialsis is caused by a group of parasitic nematodes

leading to diseases such as elephantiasis and river

blindness which affect millions of individuals in

endeminic areas. The program, which exceeds over

$270,000 in funding, enters into a new phase of inhibitor

lead development. Dr. David Rotella, Sokol Professor of

Chemistry joins this high-potential program and will be

conducting medicinal chemistry initiatives to enhance the

potency, selectivity and metabolic stability of the Celgene

inhibitors identified to date. Dr. Rotella, with over 20

years experience in the field of medicinal chemistry, leads

a team of chemists to design and to synthesize improved

inhibitors which will be evaluated by Dr. Siekierka’s

group for activity against filarial parasite protein kinases

as well as against the parasites themselves. This exciting

endeavor represents an early stage drug discovery program

at an academic institution, a first for MSU. ♦

Drug Discovery for Neglected Diseases at MSU

Visit CSAM at http://csam.montclair.edu

3 Fall 2012

O ver 100 faculty members, from

top-tier colleges and universities

around the world, comprise the Col-

lege of Science and Mathematics. In

an effort to advance the sharing of

research, our research-active faculty

make themselves available each year

to speak on a broad range of research

topics of interest to their counterparts

at many of the area’s leading aca-

demic institutions.

This year’s roster consists of 63 fac-

ulty members from our five academic

departments offering seminars in mul-

tiple disciplines on research con-

ducted in important areas: Issues of

Environment, Computational, Mathe-

matical and Statistical Sciences, and

Chemical Sciences and Life Sciences.

Topics include “The Impact of an In-

vasive Plant Species, Japanese Knot-

weed, on our Water Resources,”

“Response of Polar Ice Sheets to Cli-

mate Change and Possible Sea Level

Effects: Questions and Constraints,”

“How Can Cities be Made More Sus-

tainable?”, “Mobile Collaboration for

Young Children: Reading and Creat-

ing Stories,” “Creativity in Math and

Science,” “The Fluid Mechanics of

the Human Eye,” “Ion Channels and

Brain Function” and “Observing

Love, Memory, and Recoil with

Gravitational Waves.”

Additional topics, list of participating

faculty and request information can be

found at http://www.montclair.edu/

csam/sep/seminar-topics/. ♦

G rowing concerns about energy

security, uncertainty associated

with costs and greenhouse gas

emissions from fossil fuels such as

petroleum, as well as the potential to

provide socio-economic benefits in

the form of additional income and

new jobs, are fuelling the demand of

renewable energy worldwide. A Joint

Clean Energy Research and

Development Center (JCERDC) was

proposed between the Government of

India and the US Department of

Energy (DOE) to undertake

c o l l a b o r a t i v e r e s e a r c h a n d

development to advance clean energy

technologies.

Three consortia—led in the U.S. by

the University of Florida, the National

Renewable Energy Laboratory and

Lawrence Berkeley Nat ional

Laboratory and in India by the Indian

Institute of Chemical Technology, the

Indian Institute of Science, and the

Centre for Environmental Planning

and Technology—were selected to

leverage their expertise and resources

in advanced biofuels, building

efficiency, and solar technology,

respectively. Montclair State

University is part of the University of

Florida led consortium that focuses on

development of sustainable advanced

lignocellulosic biofuel systems. With

a $257,982 allocation from DE and a

pledge of $265,768 cost-share,

Montclair State University is

entrusted with the task of conducting

economic and environmental analyses

of advanced biofuel markets. Dr.

Pankaj Lal from the Department of

Earth and Environmental Studies is

Co-Project Director of the U.S.

consort ium. Along with his

colleagues, he will develop a set of

sustainability indicators for advanced

biofuels in the U.S. The learning from

site level analyses for feedstock

production and conversion conducted

by consortium members will be used

to develop standards and protocols.

Improvements in top emission

contributing steps will be explored so

as to identify better practices which

can help in making the whole process

of biofuel product ion more

sustainable. Sensitivity analysis will

be also undertaken to ascertain the

impacts of different input parameters

on the total emissions and energy

consumption.

The comparative analyses for both

countries are proposed so that

researchers can adapt these standards

and protocols according to feedstock,

technology and country-specific

socioeconomic milieu. The extent, to

which existing standards and

certification systems reflect these

indicators, as well as how to make

modified standards operational, will

also be explored. In addition, Dr. Lal,

along with his colleagues, will

conduct life cycle analysis of

lignocellulosic biomass. The carbon

balance of advanced biofuel system

will be ascertained and total emission

of greenhouse gas from different

feedstock management regimes will

be evaluated through this analysis.

The information thus gathered will be

incorporated into a benefit-cost

analysis to assess the profitability of

different feedstock-based advanced

biofuels. A techno-economic and

capital budgeting model will be

developed to estimate the unit cost

and cost-competitiveness of advanced

biofuels produced under different

conversion systems.

Successful completion of the Center’s

work will benefit both U.S. and India

by delivering a working model for

feedstock production and supply,

biochemical conversion approaches

and technologies that have been

validated on pre-commercial scale

systems, and overall economics and

sustainability of biofuel production

and supply systems. Drawing from

the results of this research, the

consortium will develop educational

and outreach materials to enhance the

capacities of stakeholders in both

nations to produce and distribute

second generation biofuel and bio-

based products. Once project

solutions are implemented, they will

contribute to both nations’ energy

security goals such as achieving 21

billion gallons of second generation

biofuels per year by 2022 in U.S. and,

20% blending of biofuels by 2017 in

India. ♦

Seminar Exchange

Grant to Study Advanced Biofuel Markets

4 Fall 2012

A s reported in the Spring 2012 edition of the CSAM Newsletter, the new site for our Center for Environmental Life

Sciences (CELS) has been leveled and cleared in anticipation of the commencement of the construction of the new

facility. Final building construction plans have been filed with the New Jersey Division of Codes and Standards (DCA).

The DCA will review the plan in its entirety including

electrical, plumbing, fire protection, energy usage,

mechanical, elevator, ADA compliance, and lab equipment

and safety. Upon receipt of a favorable decision, Montclair

State University Office of Design and Construction will

prepare the necessary documents for construction bids.

Funding of the construction remains a vital and an on-

going goal. Concerted efforts by Dean Prezant and Ms.

Peggy Harris, MSU Development Officer, to reach out to

friends of the College for support of this important

endeavor continue. The proposed higher education bond

issue (on this November's election ballot) is the first in

nearly a quarter century. The bond, if approved, will

provide NJ public colleges the financial resources needed

to construct and expand facilities essential to accommodate the growing need for new, modern and additional laboratory

and research spaces so vital to the realization of CELS and the future of CSAM. Your support of this bond issue is of

utmost importance. Make our collective voices heard this November! ♦

T he Honorable Kim Guadagno

New Jersey Lt. Governor and

Secretary of State Opened the 2102

PharmFest events — The Changing

L a n d -

s c a p e ,

held on

April 3

at the

Univer-

s i t y

Confer-

ence Center. Mr. Dean J. Paranicas

President & CEO, HealthCare Insti-

tute of New Jersey followed with wel-

coming remarks to the largest group

of attendees since the inception of

PharmFest in 2002.

The opening panel, Overcoming To-

day's Pharma Challenge: Building on

Past Successes with a Focus on Sci-

ence, People and Partnerships, was

moderated by Dr. Francis Cuss from

Bristol-Myers Squibb with panelists

from Merck, Venemum Biodesign

and Bristol-Myers Squibb. At 10 a.m.

two simultaneous sessions were of-

fered: Start- up Enterprises and the

Pharmaceutical Sector: Challenges

and Innovations in Today’s Market-

place and The Convergence of the

Biotech, Pharma, Medical Devices &

Diagnostics Industries: Challenges

and Opportunities.

The lunch keynote was

delivered by Mr.

R o b e r t H u g i n ,

(pictured right) Chair-

man and CEO of Cel-

gene Corp. The 1 p.m.

sessions consisted of

New Trends in Pharmaceutical Sales

and Market Research and Computa-

tional Drug Design followed by an-

other consecutive sessions - Drilling

Down: New Jersey’s Life Sciences

Vendor Community and Small Mole-

cule and Biologic Drug Discovery

and Development. The day’s events

concluded with a panel on Career

Success in the Changing Pharma In-

dustry for our students and alumni.

Thirty four top level scientists and

business officers from the pharmaceu-

tical and other related businesses vol-

unteered their time and served on

these panels. Companies represented

included 3D-2 Drug, Nuclear Diag-

nostic Products, Scrip Intelligence,

Medical Lab Diagnostics, Knowl-

edgePoint360 Group, Novartis Phar-

maceuticals, and Bristol-Myers

Squibb among others.

PharmFest is a multipurpose daylong

event designed to explore the pharma-

ceutical, health and medical technol-

ogy industry and to broaden aware-

ness of the current and future state of

the industry. The event is hosted by

Montclair State University in coop-

eration with the HealthCare Institute

of New Jersey and the NJ pharmaceu-

tical, health and medical technology

industry. It is offered biennially by

the collaborative work of the: College

of Science and Mathematics (CSAM),

School Of Business (SBUS), Center

for Career Services and Cooperative

Education (CCSCE) and HealthCare

Institute of New Jersey (HINJ). For a

full program an information on previ-

ous years’ events, visit http://

www.montclair.edu/pharmfest/. ♦

PharmFest 2102 — The Changing Landscape

CELS — An Update

5 Fall 2012

PRI Names New Director

A ssociate Professor

of Biology and

Molecular Biology

Meiyin Wu has been

appointed director of

t h e Un i v e r s i t y ’ s

Passaic River Institute

for Environmental Re-

search and Education

(PRI). The Institute,

working in collabora-

tion with federal, state,

and local agencies,

schools, and environmental advocacy

groups, promotes environmental re-

search and education and seeks solu-

tions to environmental problems

within the Passaic River Basin, its

tributaries, and surrounding water-

shed lands.

The PRI conducts research in such

areas as contaminant biological up-

take, ecotoxicology, and ecosystem

degradation and restoration. It devel-

ops scientific content for environ-

mental education programs and regu-

larly organizes academic and public

conferences on topics relevant to the

Basin. Dr. Wu’s

research in-

cludes work on

the global envi-

ronmental prob-

lems associated

with invasive

exotic species,

including their

potential long-

term impact on

native ecosys-

tems. She is pro-

ject director of the National Science

Foundation funded Research Experi-

ence for Undergraduates (REU) on

Multidisciplinary Environmental Re-

search at the New Jersey School of

Conservation. Dr. Wu recently re-

ceived a NSF grant to study green-

house gas emissions from tidal wet-

lands in the New Jersey Meadow-

lands.

A U.S. Department of the Interior

grant is funding her work on the EPA

Great Lakes Restoration Initiative

involving the development of an ul-

trasound treatment device that can

eliminate invasive aquatic organisms

from ship ballast waters.

Prior to joining the faculty in 2009 as

an associate professor of Biology and

Molecular Biology, Dr. Wu taught at

the Center for Earth and Environ-

mental Science at the State University

of New York at Plattsburgh. She re-

ceived a B.S. from Chinese Cultural

University in Taipei, Taiwan and

M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Wash-

ington State University.

The PRI will be holding its fifth an-

nual Passaic River Symposium,

“Today’s Status, Tomorrow’s Per-

spective,” at the University Confer-

ence Center on October 19, 2012.

This year’s conference will focus on

the Lower Passaic River Restoration

Project, and include keynote speakers

and presentations on the environ-

mental management challenges rele-

vant to the Passaic River Basin in-

cluding sediment remediation, eco-

system restoration, and environmental

advocacy. ♦

Innovative Course in Bacteriophage Genomics Offered Again by Sandra Adams, Department of Biology and Molecular Biology

T he Department of Biology and

Molecular Biology is again

offering freshman students an

innovative program in bacteriophage

genomics research funded by the

Howard Hughes Medical Institute

(HHMI). The courses will be team-

taught by Drs. Sandra Adams, Kirsten

-Monsen-Collar and Quinn Vega.

HHMI Science Education Alliance

(SEA) gives undergraduate students

at select colleges and universities

across the nation the opportunity to

do hands-on original research

studying bacteriophages (viruses that

infect bacteria).

Montclair State University is one of

11 schools in the country selected for

full membership in the program in

2011, and the only school in the state

of New Jersey to be selected. HHMI

provides training for faculty,

laboratory supplies and materials,

travel to HHMI Symposia, as well as

support from HHMI staff.

The bacteriophage genomics program

is offered in two semesters: laboratory

sections of Principles of Biology I

(BIOL 112) in the fall and Principles

of Biology II (BIOL 113) course in

the spring. During the fall semester,

students will isolate phage collected

from local soil samples, purify their

phage, extract DNA, use restriction

enzymes to characterize it, and

prepare the phage for electron

microscopy. Additionally, students

name the phage for inclusion in a

national database, Phagesdb.org. The

purified DNA from one phage will

then be sent for sequencing to a

partner institution.

During the spring semester, students

will receive digital files from HHMI

containing the selected phage's

genome sequence. The students will

then use bioinformatics tools to

annotate the phage. This culminates

in a GenBank submission. The

coursework builds on themes and

techniques from across biology:

microbiology, molecular biology,

ecology, electron microscopy, and

bioinformatics.

We were very successful during our

first year and isolated seven novel

bacteriophage, one of which was

completely sequenced, annotated, and

submitted to GenBank with 14

students as co-authors. ♦

6 Fall 2012

RHMLC Expands Offerings by Catherine Holl-Cross, Mathematical Sciences

T he Red Hawk Mathematics

Learning Center (RHMLC),

opened January 2012 in the newly

renovated Schmit Hall. The spring

was a pilot semester. Students were

enrolled in five undergraduate mathe-

matics courses with a combined total

enrollment of 526 students in Math

100 - Intermediate Algebra and Math

106 - Contemporary Applied Mathe-

matics. Coming off very successful

pilot semesters in Spring and Summer

2012, the RHMLC has opened its

doors to over 1800 students this se-

mester.

During Summer 2012, the staff began

curriculum development and gearing

up to receive students from all sec-

tions of Math 061 - Basic Skills Math,

100 - Intermediate Algebra, 103 - the

Development of Math, 109 - Statistics

and 114 - Math Business II - Calculus

for the Fall semester. This will be the

first semester where the RHMLC will

be at capacity from morning till night

and it promises to be an exciting time!

To accommodate the increased enroll-

ment, in August we were fortunate to

have two new Course Coordinators

join the staff of the RHMLC. Some of

you may recognize Timothy Mink,

who is near completion of his Mas-

ter’s in Pure and Applied Mathemat-

ics under Jon Cutler’s advisement.

Tim earned his BS in Mathematics

from Stevens Institute of Technology.

Despite his late start to the position on

August 13, Tim has done an out-

standing job in organizing curriculum

in a new text for Math 061 students.

Gregory Stock joins us

out of Rutgers Univer-

sity, where he is just

completing his Masters

in Statistics (October

2012). Greg also earned

a Master in Mathemat-

ics from Stevens Insti-

tute of Technology.

Recently Greg has been

an adjunct instructor at

Rutgers, as well as

Brookdale and Middle-

sex Community Colleges. During the

upcoming semester, Greg will be

working as a Part Time Course Coor-

dinator and is managing the Math 109

curriculum. Since August 20, Greg

has been putting in more than the ex-

pected hours in the RHMLC to pull

together resources and organize the

curriculum for our Math 109 students.

He is doing excellent work! Greg,

Tim, and I will be joined by eight

graduate assistants and several under-

graduate and graduate tutors to assist

students taking their classes

at the RHMLC.

The RHMLC is also under-

going a renovation and a

much needed expansion! An

important feature of our em-

porium design is the “Focus

Group Session.” During this

time, students leave the

computer station and attend

a small group session lead

by either a Coordinator or

Graduate Assistant. Students

will be able to communicate

more spontaneously with the instruc-

tor, graduate assistant, or each other.

We will be able to highlight important

topics as well as difficult concepts

and application problems. With the

renovations that are soon to be com-

plete, this Focus Group session will

now be able to be held in a classroom

space right in the RHMLC. Addition-

ally, we are adding more computers to

the Center and a drop-in room to al-

low students time to stay late, come

earlier or just drop by if they want to

get additional work done with the

support of the staff.

In the Spring 2012 term, Drs. Corey

Webel and Erin Krupa of the Depart-

ment of Mathematical Sciences began

a research study on the effectiveness

of the courses in the RHMLC, high-

lighting students ability to problem

solve in Math 100. This study will

continue into the Fall semester. More

information and results to follow.

On Saturday, October 6, 2012, the

RHMLC will host the Garden State

Redesign Conference. I would like to

invite anyone interested in learning

more about what is going on in

mathematics course redesign projects

in the state and some schools nation-

ally to attend. Additionally, the Cen-

ter will host an Alumni reception on

Homecoming weekend, Saturday,

October 13, 2012.

As always please feel free to stop by

to see students engaging in their

course work at the Red Hawk Mathe-

matics Learning Center. ♦

Blue cups: students taking exam

7 Fall 2012

F or the past seven summers, New-

ark middle school students and

Passaic River Institute counselors

have waded in streams and lakes, ob-

served aquatic and woodland wildlife,

measured water flow and quality, and

seen firsthand what can happen to a

major river’s watershed through envi-

ronmental neglect — and subsequent

remediation and preservation. Their

interactive environmental education

experience was made possible by do-

nors to the Passaic River Institute’s

Passaic Basin Eco-Explorers Summer

Program in Environmental Science,

Ecology, and Computer Technology.

The three two-week, all-day sessions

camp provides a hands-on experience

that introduces the concepts and tools

of science, fosters respect for the envi-

ronment, and encourages careers in

science for the student participants.

Topics studied include watershed pro-

tection, water treatment and analysis,

water sampling, industry-river rela-

tionships, groundwater and tidal hy-

drology, estuarine ecology, eco-

system management, and related

computer technology. Partici-

pants visit and study areas from

the headwaters of the Passaic

River to its mouth at Newark

Bay. They typically spend the

morning of each day in the field

gaining hands-on experience in

ecology and environmental sci-

ence. The afternoons are spent

in a computer laboratory at

Montclair State learning how to

document and present what they

have experienced.

This summer, all of the camp's donors

were able to see their generosity in

action, including eight representatives

from The Landsberger Foundation,

The Victoria Foundation, Covanta

Essex Energy, Investors Bank and TD

Bank, all of whom received a

plaque, t-shirt, backpack, a

potted shrub — and the sin-

cere thanks of the students

and their counselors. One

group of funders came to the

Essex County Environmental

Center in Roseland to see the

students take part in the hands

-on “Uncover and Discover”

program that showed them the

array of wildlife and plants living ad-

jacent to the river. Others guests put

on waders to observe the students

learning how to measure water flow

and pollution levels in tributary

streams at the Alfonso Bonsal Wild-

life Preserve in Clifton.

The PRI Eco-Explorers Summer Pro-

gram and the College of Science and

Mathematics express their gratitude to

the following contributors who made

the 2012 program possible:

The Landsberger Foundation $15,000

Victoria Foundation $12,500

TD Charitable Foundation $10,000

Covanta Essex Company $ 5,000

Investors Savings Bank

Charitable Foundation $ 5,000

PRI Summer Program Celebrates Donors by Nancy Masterson-Newkirk, University Communications

(From left) Wu, A. Melendez and A. Robinson of

Investors Bank, H. Asher of Covanta Essex Energy, and

CSAM Dean R. Prezant

T he Metropolitan Waterfront Alli-

ance, an umbrella group of 650

organizations dedicated to making

New York and New Jersey harbor and

waterways cleaner and more accessi-

ble, sponsored the annual City Of Wa-

ter day on July 14. The Passaic River

Institute (PRI) sponsored a booth at

Liberty State Park. Drs. Laying Wu

and Nanzhu Lin joined me in distrib-

uting MSU promotional materials and

information about the PRI.

In keeping with the City of Water

theme volunteers, Emily and Christian

Olsen led activities for children on the

skills of seamanship. For children 5

years and younger we had the "Sink

or Float" using common household

object. This proved to be a very popu-

lar activity and many parents played

the game with their young children. A

popular shipboard game, quoits toss-

ing, made from coils of rope, was in-

troduced.

School aged children were taught

knots that are useful aboard boats. For

older children we created very crude

sextants from protractors and chal-

lenged them to determine the height

of the new One World Trade Center

building. We were very fortunate that

at 1 pm we were able to take a noon

sun sight. We were able to determine

our latitude within a few degrees of

our actual location. ♦

PRI Participates in City Of Water Day by Kevin Olsen, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

N. Lin (standing) and L. Wu (seated) look

on as youngster learns rope knotting

8 Fall 2012

P rofessors Dirk Vanderklein, Bi-

ology and Molecular Biology,

and Josh Galster, Earth and Environ-

mental Studies, along with Geo-

science B.S. students Mariany Segura

and Mariya Guzner, have been inves-

tigating the impact of Japanese knot-

weed on local water resources. This

project continues the

work of two previ-

ous graduate stu-

dents and is sup-

ported by a Sokol

Student-Faculty Re-

search Grant.

Japanese knotweed

is an invasive plant

originally native to

Asia but has been

increasing its range steadily through-

out the eastern United States. The

plant, characterized by tall, dense

stands typically grows next to rivers

and with its extensive root system has

the potential to transfer large amounts

of water through transpiration.

The project has two parallel tracks

that 1) measures the water usage of

the plants and 2) maps the density and

distribution of knotweed along local

streams. Water usage has been meas-

ured at three sites from 5:30 AM to

8:00 PM that measured light intensity,

photosynthesis, leaf water stress lev-

els, and transpiration. These measure-

ments will allow for the calculation of

the liters of water used per square

meter of knotweed.

The second track

involves mapping

the size of knotweed

patches in the field

using lasing range

finders along local

streams such as the

Peckman, the Third

River, and the Gof-

fle. The measured

areas of knotweed will be extrapo-

lated to the watershed scale using a

geographic information system (GIS)

during the fall semester.

Combined, the two parts of the pro-

ject will assess how much water these

plants use from local water supplies.

These supplies are projected to be

stretched to their limits as human de-

mand increases and the climate

changes, so assessing the potential of

this additional stress to the system is

critical to protecting future water sup-

plies. ♦

Invasive Plant Threatens Water Resources

Segura ( top left) and Guzner measuring

transpiration and leaf water status

Sixth Annual Student Research Symposium

Continued from page 1

for an illustrious series of famous

firsts: First to the North Pole, first to

the South Pole, first to the summit of

Mount Everest, first to the deepest

point in the ocean, first to the surface

of the moon. Past Lowell Thomas

awardees include Edmund Hillary,

Isaac Asimov, Sylvia A. Earle, David

Doubilet, Mary Cleave, Dan Rather,

Rita R. Colwell, Jean-Michel Cous-

teau, Buzz Aldrin and Bertrand Pic-

card.

Dr. Thomas will be honored at the

Explorers Club award dinner on

October 13, 2012 at the Cedar Lake

Event Space in New York City

along with this year’s other

awardees—Sir David Attenborough,

David Hempleman-Adams, LVO,

OBE, MD’00 and Scott Wallace FN

’07. (1)http://www.explorers.org/index.php/about

william_h._bill_Thomas_ph.d._ fn_89. ♦

T he University held its annual Student Research Sym-

posium on April 22, 2012 at the University Confer-

ence Center. The Symposium showcases and rewards out-

standing scholarship and research by MSU students. It also

provides a venue for sharing research with the academic

community, peers, and the greater community through

oral, poster, or multimedia presentations. Open to under-

graduate and graduate students, the Annual Montclair

State University Student Research Symposium aims to

promote interdisciplinary research and collaboration in the

hope of instilling in our students the importance of explor-

ing issues from multiple perspectives. A total of 141 stu-

dents across all majors and degree programs presented oral

papers and 194 students presented posters. They were

mentored by over 107 faculty members.

For the second year, awards were presented to outstanding

research and presentations. This years awardees were:

Undergraduate Student Award for Poster Presentation

Title: Arabidopsis thaliana pleiotropic drug resistance

plays an important role in root development

Presenter: Elizabeth Y. Flores, Co-author: Sang Won Han

Advisor: Dr. Marcela Rojas Pierce

Graduate Student Award for Poster Presentation

Title: Montclair State students’ reflect on the impact of

messages from school and home about sex on their first

sexual experiences

Presenter: Samantha Kwiatkowski

Advisor: Eva Goldfarb

Undergraduate Award Oral Presentation

Title: Danthropology: A new interdisciplinary after-school

project in structured play

Presenter: Kelly Vaghenas

Advisor: Dr. Neil Baldwin

Graduate Award Oral Presentation

Title: Towards a next generation green data center

Presenter: Michael Pawlish

Advisor: Dr. Aparna Varde ♦

9 Fall 2012

O n March 7, 2012, I departed

Punta Arenas, Chile, along with

fellow CSAM student Nadine Ore-

jola, (BS ’12) to participate in a six

week LARsen Ice Shelf System Ant-

arctica (LARISSA) research cruise

off the east coast of the Antarctic Pen-

insula. It was an incredible opportu-

nity to work alongside an interna-

tional group of researchers, including

marine geologists, geophysicists,

physical oceanographers, biologists

and glaciologists, who study atmos-

phere-ocean-cryosphere-biosphere

interactions along the Antarctic Pen-

insula. This expedition was the sec-

ond field program for this ongoing 5-

year project. In 2010, EAES profes-

sor, LARISSA principle investigator

and my advisor, Dr. Stefanie Brach-

feld, joined the first LARISSA expe-

dition to the western side of the Ant-

arctic Peninsula.

The Antarctic Peninsula has under-

gone significant changes over the past

half century, with seven of its twelve

ice shelves having experienced retreat

or collapse, coincident with a 2.5oC

rise in air temperature. Two ice

shelves from the eastern side of the

peninsula, Larsen A (in 1995) and

Larsen B (in 2002), experienced

catastrophic disintegrations.

Working with LARISSA, we seek to

understand the causes of ice shelf col-

lapse and the response to the physical

environment and the marine ecosys-

tem after the ice shelves are removed.

The Larsen Ice Shelf system can

serve as a model of how the Antarctic

continent may respond to the modern

warming trend.

Nadine and I joined the marine geol-

ogy contingent and participated in

sediment core collection and sam-

pling. These sediment cores, some as

long as 24 meters, were taken from

areas formerly covered by ice shelves,

but are now open water environments.

Our study of these cores will provide

a detailed history of the Antarctic

Peninsula climate over the last 10,000

years, contributing to the long-term

historical context for the rapid envi-

ronmental change witnessed by mod-

ern observers.

Sediment core samples were brought

back to Montclair State University so

that I, and other EAES students, can

study in detail the magnetic and geo-

chemical properties of the minerals

present. These data, combined with

records collected on the western Ant-

arctic Peninsula in 2010, help reveal

the paleoclimatic history of the re-

gion, including variations in westerly

winds that carry warm air from lower

latitudes to the poles and push warm

water up against the Antarctic Ice

Sheet and its fringing glaciers and ice

shelves, ocean circulation, presence

or absence of ice shelves, times of

glacial advance, periods of high bio-

logic productive water, and historic

sea ice extent.

The most common question I’m asked

is what my favorite part of traveling

to Antarctica was. There were a lot of

amazing things—the penguins and

wildlife, sunrises illuminating a sea

full of icebergs, the glacially sculpted

mountains, the excitement of recov-

ering a great sediment core—but it

was the experience of working in the

field with such an incredible interdis-

ciplinary science team that I value the

most. ♦

Researching climate change: A student ‘s perspective by Brendan Reilly, MS candidate, Department of Earth and Environmental Studies

C elebrating 2012 Women History Month, the College of Science and Mathematics co-hosted (with the Women Cen-

ter and Women and Gender Studies Department) the first symposium on women in science on Monday, March 5.

The half day symposium titled "Beyond Barbie: Real Women in the World of Science”, consisted of Keynote address by

Dr. Melda Yildiz, (pictured left). Dr. Yildiz, an Associate Professor, School for

Global Education and Innovation, at Kean Uni-

versity, and co-Chair of NJ Women’s & Gen-

der Studies Consortium On Women discussed

“Math, Science, and Technology across Cul-

tures throughout History: Global Media.” She

was followed by a panel presentation on

“Women in Science: Past and Present” and a

panel on “STEM Careers for Women: Chal-

lenges, Mentorship and Balance.” ♦

Women in Science Symposium

Reilly (left) and Orejola (right) analyzing samples

Visit CSAM at http://csam.montclair.edu

10 Fall 2012

Convocation 2012

O n a beautiful sunny Saturday afternoon of May 12, the College of Science and

Mathematics held its annual Convocation ceremony at the University’s Sprague Field.

Dr. Gene E. Likens, (pictured right), Distinguished Senior Scientist, Founding Director and

President Emeritus of the Institute of Ecosystem Studies, received an Honorary Doctor of

Science Degree. Associate Dean Jinan Jaber served as master of Ceremonies and remarks were

made by President Susan A. Cole and Dean Robert S. Prezant.

Outstanding Students Awards were given to graduating seniors from each of CSAM’s academic

majors. The selection is based on academic performance, involvement in research, service and

leadership.

This year’s recipients were:

Marco T. Finocchiaro, Aquatic and Coastal Sciences

Gregory Parker, Biochemistry

Pablo Salcedo, Biology

Julian Velez, Chemistry

Davor Risteski, Computer Science

Jessica Lynn Centinaro, Geography

Deepa Shah, Geoscience

Antonio Cardellicchio, Information Technology

Nicholas Kass, Mathematics

Sung Choi, Molecular Biology

Alexander Cali, Physics

Nicholas Kass was also named Outstanding Student conducting Undergraduate Research, and Deepa Shah represented

the graduates as Student Speaker. ♦

C SAM held its annual awards ceremony on May 2,

2012. Graduate students, faculty and staff were rec-

ognized for their service, teaching and research. Congratu-

lations to the following:

Outstanding Master’s Students

Scott Buchanan, Biology

Marni Crow, Molecular Biology

Maryam Alapa, Chemistry

Christopher Robert Bogda, Computer Science

Casey M. Ezyske, Environmental Studies

Carl Joseph Natter, Geoscience

Kaveh Saminejad, Statistics

James Alexander, Mathematics

Sarah Lindsey Voss, Teaching Middle Grades Mathematics

Margaret and Herman Sokol Awards

Faculty/Student Research Award

Clement Alo/Sean Rittinger

Eric Forgoston/Kristina Torbratt

Dirk Vanderklein and Joshua Galster/Mariya Guzner,

Mariany Segura

Graduate Summer Student Research Fellowship

Tanya Sulikowski, Biology & Molecular Biology

Garrett Nieddu, Mathematical Sciences

Graduate Fellowship in Science

Ryan Coogan, Mathematical Sciences

CSAM Awards of Excellence

Graduating Senior – Nicolas Kass, mentor Eric Forgoston

Graduating Masters – James Alexander, mentor Lora Bill-

ings

Doctoral Research – Padmini Das, mentor Yang Deng

Faculty Research Award – Johannes Schelvis

Faculty Teaching Award – Eileen Fernandez

Professional Staff – Jacalyn Giacalone Willis

Special Recognitions

Mary Lou West, Retirement

Ken Wolff, Retirement

Outstanding Academic Advising – Jonathan Cutler

Evan Maletsky Award – Melissa Tavarone ♦

CSAM Annual Awards

11 Fall 2012

SHIP student Katrina Bandeli re-

ceived the First Place Award in the

undergraduate poster competition at

the 9th Garden State Undergraduate

Math Conference held in March at

Raritan Valley County College. Her

research on “Sum Indices and Product

Indices of Single Cyclohexane

Chemical Compounds” is supervised

by Dr. Aihua Li. Katrina also re-

ceived a $500 travel fund from the

Mathematics Association of America

to attend the national meeting

“MathFest” organized by Mathemat-

ics Association of America held in

Madison, Wisconsin in August.

Four Center for Quantitative Obesity

Research students, Yasmin Begum,

Shanakey Cupidon, Yuna Maeda,

and Mahzabin Tibbi, traveled to the

Pennington Biomedical Research

Center in Baton Rouge, LA in March

to receive training on obtaining body

composition measurements. They also

toured the facility to observe how pre-

cise measurements through magnetic

resonance imaging, dual energy X-ray

absorptiometry, and indirect calo-

rimetry are performed in the study of

obesity. The team will be applying

their training to measure body compo-

sition in the Montclair State Univer-

sity population.

The Mathematical Association of

America (MAA) selected Leslie

Cheteyan, Stewart Hengeveld and

Michael Jones to receive one of the

two annual $500 MAA's 2012 George

Pólya Award. This award is given for

articles of expository excellence pub-

lished in the The College Mathemat-

ics Journal.

Center for Quantitative Obesity Re-

search student Shanakey Cupidon

was accepted and participated in the

highly competitive University of

Medicine and Dentistry, New Jersey

School of Osteopathic Medicine Sum-

mer Program. Shanakey is currently a

fourth year biology major.

Nanzhu Li (PhD student in Environ-

mental Management) and Casey Ezy-

ske (MA student in Environmental

Studies), pictured below, under the

supervision of Dr. Yang Deng gave

two presentations, respectively, at the

27th International Conference on

Solid Waste Technology and Man-

agement in Philadelphia, PA. Nan-

zhu’s oral presentation is entitled

“Formation of disinfection by-

products during chlorination of land-

fill leachate”, and Casey’s poster

presentation is entitled “Fate of ce-

rium oxide (CeO2) nanoparticles in

landfill leachate.”

Biology and Molecular Biology stu-

dents Shivani N. Patel and Mary

Salim (pictured below) attended the

Howard Hughes Medical Institute

(HHMI) 4th Annual SEA-Phages

Symposium held at Janelia Farm Re-

search Campus in Ashburn, VA.

along with Dr. Sandra Adams, De-

partment of Biology and Molecular

Biology. They presented a poster of

the results of MSU’s first Phage Ge-

nomics Research Initiative (PGRI)

course. PGRI is funded by a grant

from the HHMI Science Education

Alliance (SEA).

Earth and Environmental Studies

masters students Brendan Reilly and

Deepa Shah presented their M.S. the-

sis research at the Scientific Commit-

tee on Antarctic Research (SCAR)

Open Science Meeting in Portland,

OR. Deepa also presented her work at

the Northeast regional Geological

Society of America conference in

Hartford, CT.

Dr. Schelvis’ graduate student Kyle

Williams and undergraduate student

Ivana Prokopova of the Department

of Chemistry and Biochemistry pre-

sented posters entitled ‘Spectroscopic

study of the interaction of Escherichia

coli photolyase with UV-damaged

DNA’ and ‘Spectroscopic properties

of 5, 10-ethenyltetrahydrofolic acid

in solution’ at the 244th National

Meeting of the American Chemical

Society. ♦

Student News

T he College of Science and

Mathematics congratulates the

following faculty on their well

deserved promotions effective

September 2012:

Kirsten Monsen, Biology and

Molecular Biology, to Associate

Professor;

Hans Schelvis, Chemistry and

Biochemistry, to Professor;

Nina Goodey, Chemistry and

Biochemistry, to Associate Professor;

Stefan Robila, Computer Science, to

Professor;

Joshsua Galster, Earth and

Environmental Studies, to Associate

Professor;

Jonathan Cutler, Mathematical

Sciences, to Associate Professor;

Baojun Song, Mathematical

Sciences, to Associate Professor; and

Diana Thomas, Mathematical

Sciences, to Professor.

12 Fall 2012

CSAM Welcomes New Hires

Jasey Araque – Program Assistant, CSAM Dean’s office

B.S. Montclair State University

Rohit Bhat – Postdoctoral Associate, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

M.Pharm Manipal University, India

Ph.D. University of Mississippi

Tanya M. Blacic – Assistant Professor, Department of Earth and Environmental Studies

B.S., M.S., Ph.D. University of California, Davis

Thomas Card – Environmental Educator, NJ School of Conservation

Herman M. Dolezal – Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science

B.S. Fordham University

M.S., MMS, Ph.D. Stevens Institute of Technology

Hendrik Eshuis – Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

B.S., M.S. University of Utrecht (Netherlands)

Ph.D. University of Bristol (UK)

Marc Favata – Assistant Professor, Department of Mathematical Sciences

B.S. California Institute of Technology

M.S., Ph.D. Cornell University

Yvonne M. Gindt – Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

B.S. University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

Ph.D. University of California at Berkeley

Steven Greenstein – Assistant Professor, Department of Mathematical Sciences

B.S. Georgia State University

M.S. Texas State University, San Marcos

Ph.D. University of Texas at Austin

Deborah L. Ives – Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Mathematical Sciences

B.A., Kean University

M.A.T., Ed.D. Montclair State University

Eliza Leszczynski – Visiting Instructor, Department of Mathematical Sciences

B.S., M.S. Montclair State University

Robert Meredith – Assistant Professor, Department of Biology and Molecular Biology

B.S. Villanova University

M.S. South Dakota School of Mines & Technology

Ph.D. University of California Riverside

Ursula Wolz – Visiting Associate Professor, Department of Computer Science

B.S. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

M.A. Teachers College Columbia University

M.S., Ph.D. Columbia University

Wenwei Xiong – Post-doctoral Research Associate, Department of Biology and

Molecular Biology

B.S. Tongji University

Ph.D. Tongji University

Tian Yao – Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Earth and Environmental

Studies

B.S. Beijing Normal University

Ph.D. Boston University

13 Fall 2012

Kudos Dr. Stefanie Brachfeld (Earth and

Environmental Studies) was named to

the Review and Advisory Committee

of the Institute for Rock Magnetism

(IRM), University of Minnesota. The

IRM is a National Science Foundation

multi-user facility whose core mission

is to serve the greater geomagnetic

community by providing access to

state-of-the-art facilities and technical

expertise, pushing the frontiers of

mineral magnetism, and developing

connections to other disciplines.

Drs. Eric Forgoston and Lora Bill-

ings (Mathematical Sciences) have

been awarded $278,966 from the NSF

f o r t h e i r p r o j e c t e n t i t l e d ,

"Understanding the Dynamics of Sto-

chastic Disease Spread in Metapopu-

lations.”

Dr. Pankaj Lal (Earth and Environ-

mental Studies) has been awarded the

USDA Agriculture and Food Re-

search Initiative competitive grant

($349,963) to study socioeconomic

impacts of woody biofuels in thirteen

Southern States in U.S. The three year

grant titled “Assessing socioeconomic

impacts of biofuel development on

rural communities in the Southern

United States” will be conducted with

colleagues from Texas A&M Univer-

sity, Virginia Tech, and Tuskegee

University. Dr. Lal is also co-PI of a

team that secured five year $6.25 mil-

lion competitive grant from Depart-

ment of Energy. He will work with

colleagues from University of Florida,

University of Missouri, Virginia

Tech, Texas A&M University, Show

Me Energy, and Green Technologies

to develop “US-India Consortium for

Sustainable Advanced Biofuels Sys-

tem”. With grant share of $257,982,

he will conduct economic and envi-

ronmental analysis of advanced bio-

fuel markets in the US. (see page 3).

Dr. Aihua Li (Mathematical Sci-

ences) received $16,592 from the Na-

tional Security Agency and $2000

from the National Science Foundation

Regional Undergraduate Mathematics

Conferences (NSF-RUMC) to host

the Garden State Undergraduate

Mathematics Conference 2013-2014.

She was elected a 3-year term as a

council member of the national or-

ganization: "Council on Undergradu-

ate Research" (CUR) from June 2012

to May 2015.

Duke Ophori (Earth and Environ-

mental Studies) received a grant of

$5000 from the Global Change

SysTem for Analysis, Research and

Training (START) Program. The

funds were used to host a

visiting scientist, Dr. Mark Yidana, of

the Department of Earth Sciences,

University of Ghana.

Drs. Elena Petroff and Laying Wu

are the recipients of a two-year

$149,458 Sokol Faculty Award Fund

grant to work on Electron and Fluo-

rescence Microscopy for Imaging

Structure and Function in Biological

Systems.

Dr. Robert Prezant (CSAM Dean)

has been appointed to the Hackensack

University Medical Center, Moun-

tainside, Board of Trustees.

Drs. Dibs Sarkar and Yang Deng

(Earth and Environmental Studies),

with their collaborators - Dr. Xing-

mao Ma at Southern Illinois Univer-

sity Carbondale and Dr. Rupali Datta

at Michigan Tech, have been awarded

$199,946 from the Office of Surface

Mining (OSM) Reclamation & En-

forcement, US Department of the In-

terior. The project is entitled "Low-

cost, Green Technology to Improve

Water Quality in Mining-Impacted

Ecosystems, Phase I – Model Devel-

opment and Optimization". The 2-

year research activities aim at devel-

oping and optimizing two comple-

mentary, novel, “green”, cost-

effective materials (a recycled indus-

trial waste - drinking water treatment

residuals (WTRs), and a perennial

grass - vetiver) for passive treatment

of acid mining drainage (AMD) and

AMD-impacted water during surface

mining. The representative AMD,

AMD-impacted surface water, and

acid sulfate soils in this study will be

collected from the Tab-Simco coal

mine site in Southern Illinois.

Drs. Vladislav Snitsarev and David

Rotella are awarded $100,000 Sokol

Faculty Award Fund grant to study

the UPLC Chromatography System

for Drug Discovery. This award is for

$50,000 in FY 2013 and $50,000 in

FY 2014.

Dr. Diana Thomas’ (Mathematical

Sciences) research on exercise was

covered in an August 1 article in the

N e w Y o r k T i m e s ( h t t p : / /

well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/01/

dieting-vs-exercise-for-weight-loss/?

ref=gretchenreynolds). The study, led

by Dr. Thomas revealed that exercise

does not “rev” your metabolism and

that individuals who vigorously exer-

cise tend to compensate by increasing

their dietary intake. The study was

additionally reported as front page

y a h o o . c o m n e w s ( h t t p : / /

shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/diet-

exerc i se -be t te r - l os ing-we ight -

164900774.html) and a more detailed

description of the study appeared in

Glamour (http://www.glamour.com/

h e a l t h - f i t n e s s / b l o g s / v i t a mi n -

g/2012/08/weight-loss-does-exercise-

real.html). All coverage included

links to the health based calculators

programmed by Dr. Carl Bredlau,

Professor Emeritus of Computer Sci-

ence. Dr. Bredlau’s calculators are

currently being used in several ongo-

ing weight related interventions and

can be accessed at: http://www.pbrc.

edu/research-and-faculty/calculators/.

Drs. Ashwin Vaidya, Phil Yecko,

Arup Mukherjee and David

Trubatch (Mathematical Sciences)

have been awarded $171,135 from the

NSF for their project entitled, "MRI:

Acquisition of Imaging System for

the Study of Flow Patterns." ♦

14 Fall 2012

Continued on page 15

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Chapman, E., R.S. Prezant and R.

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“Using instructional coaching to cus-

tomize professional development in

an integrated high school mathemat-

ics program.” In J. M. Bay-Williams

(Ed.), Professional Collaborations in

Mathematics Teaching and Learning:

Seeking Success for All, pp. 161-174.

Lal, P., J. Alavalapati, M. Marinescu,

J. R. Matta, P. Dwivedi and A. Susae-

ta. (2011). “Developing sustainability

indicators for woody biomass harves-

ting in the United States.” Journal of

Sustainable Forestry, 30:8, pp. 736-

755.

Lal, P., J. Alavalapati and E. Mercer.

(2011). “Socio-economic impacts of

climate change on rural United Sta-

tes.” Journal of Mitigation and Adap-

tation Strategies for Global Change,

16:7, pp. 819-844.

Li. L., N. Gao, Y. Deng, J. Yao and

K. Zhang (2012). “Characterization of

intracellular & extracellular algae or-

ganic matters (AOM) of microcystic

aeruginosa and formation of AOM-

associated disinfection byproducts

and odor & taste compounds.” Water

Research, 46:4, pp. 1233-1240.

Madadrang C.J., H.Y. Kim, G. Gao,

Publications

15 Fall 2012

N. Wang, J. Zhu, H. Feng, M. Gor-

ing, M.L. Kasner and S. Hou (2012).

“Adsorption behavior of EDTA-

graphene oxide for Pb (II) removal.”

ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces,

4, pp. 1186-1193.

Olsen, K. (2012). “The First 110

Years of Laboratory Automation:

Technologies, Applications, and the

Creative Scientist.” Journal of Labo-

r a t o r y A u t o m a t i o n , h t t p : / /

jla.sagepub.com/content/early/recent.

Ou, H., N. Gao, Y. Deng, J. Qiao and

H. Wang (2012). “Immediate and

long-term impacts of UV-C irradia-

tion on photosynthetic capacity, sur-

vival and microcystin-LR release risk

of Microcystis aeruginosa.” Water

Research, 46:4, pp. 1241-1250.

Qian Y., F.J. Gallagher, H. Feng and

M. Wu (2012). “A geochemical study

of toxic metal translocation in an ur-

ban brownfield wetland.” Environ-

mental Pollution, 166, pp. 23-30.

Susaeta, A., P. Lal, J. Alavalapati and

E. Mercer. (2011). “Public prefer-

ences towards environmental exter-

nalities: A choice experiment study of

woody biomass based electricity in

the Southern United States.” Energy

Economics, 33:6, pp. 1111-1118.

Tauxe, L., Stickley, C.E., Sugisaki,

S., Bijl, P.K., Bohaty, S.M., Brink-

huis, H., Escutia, C., Flores, J.-A.,

Houben, A.J.P., Iwai, M., Jimenez-

Espejo, F., McKay, R., Passchier, S.,

Pross, J., Riesselman, C.R., Roehl, U.,

Sangiorgi, F., Welsh, K., and 13 oth-

ers (2012). “Chronostratigraphic

framework for the IODP Expedition

318 cores from the Wilkes Land Mar-

gin: Constraints for paleocean-

ographic reconstruction.” Paleocean-

ography, 27, PA2214, 19 pp.,

doi:10.1029/2012PA002308.

Thomas D.M., C. Bouchard, T.

Church, C. Slentz, et. al (2012). "Why

do individuals not lose more weight

from an aerobic exercise intervention

at a defined dose? An energy balance

analysis." Obesity Review doi:

10.1111/j.1467-789X.2012.01012.x.

Zhang, W., H. Ma, L. Ye, C. Dong, L.

Yu and H. Feng (2012). “Magnetic

and geochemical evidence of Yellow

and Yangtze River influence on tidal

flat deposits in northern Jiangsu Plain,

C h i n a ” . M a r i n e G e o l o g y .

doi:10.1016/j.margeo.2012.07.002. ♦

Dr. G.E. Antoniou (Computer Sci-

ence) presented "Realization of 2D

Reverse-Lattice Discrete Filters," at

the IEEE (Xplore) 5th International

Symposium on Communications,

Control, and Signal Processing

(ISCCSP'2012).

Dr. Erin Krupa (Mathematical Sci-

ences) was invited to give a keynote

at the International Symposium on

Research in Mathematics Education

in Fortaleza, Brazil. Her presentation,

entitled “The effects of an integrated

Mathematics Professional Develop-

ment Project” focused on her curricu-

lum and professional development

research.

As a part of his Global Education

Center project, Dr. Yang Deng (Earth

and Environmental Studies) visited

Chongqing, China in May, 2012. In

this trip, he delivered three presenta-

tions in Chongqing University, Ap-

praisal Center of Environment and

Engineering (CACEE), and Sanfeng-

Covanta Environmental Industry Co.,

The titles of his talks were: “Water

treatment residual and scrap tire as

sorbents for heavy metals in urban

runoff,” “Fate of nanomaterials in

landfill leachate,” and “Chemical oxi-

dation for treatment of landfill

leachate” at Sanfeng-Covanta Envi-

ronmental Industry Co., respectively.

Dr. Deng was invited to deliver an

oral presentation “A Review on Ad-

vanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs)

for treatment of landfill leachate” at

the 27th International Conference on

Solid Waste Technology and Man-

agement.

Dr. Lisa Hazard (Biology and Mo-

lecular Biology) presented “Do eco-

logical factors drive physiological

control of a unique ion-secreting tis-

sue, the lizard salt gland?” and

“Variation in salinity aversion of tem-

perate forest amphibian species may

influence response to anthropogenic

salinization” co-authored with stu-

dents K. Kwasek, E. Koelmel, M.

Gonzalez-Abreu, and S. Gerges at the

World Congress of Herpetology in

Vancouver, B.C. At the same confer-

ence, she served as judge for the

Graduate Awards.

Dr. Pankaj Lal (Earth and Environ-

mental Studies) presented his paper

“Modeling Bioenergy and Traditional

Forest Markets Tradeoffs in the

Southern United States” at the 2012

World Conference on Natural Re-

source Modeling held in Brisbane,

Australia. He gave a second presenta-

tion at the Association of American

Geographers 2012 Annual Meeting.

Dr. Aihua Li (Mathematical Sci-

ences) organized the 9th Garden State

Undergraduate Mathematics Confer-

ence held in Raritan Valley County

College. About 150 students partici-

pated in the conference. She reviewed

three articles for Mathematics Re-

views and refereed one paper for the

journal Primus. Dr. Li gave the fol-

lowing departmental colloquium pres-

entations: “Randic and Sum Connec-

tivity Indices of Certain Graphs” at

Beijing Jiaotong University and "Zero

Divisor Graphs of Upper Triangular

Matrix Rings” at University of Lou-

isiana at Lafayette. She delivered in-

vited talks -“Potential Research Top-

ics for Collaborations” at the Machine

Learning and Information Security

Workshop, Beijing Jiaotong Univer-

sity, “Solving Second Order Discrete

Sturm-Liouville BVP Using Matrix

Pencils”, joint with a former student

Michael Wilson, at the International

Conference on Applied Mathematics

Faculty Activity

Continued on page 16

16 Fall 2012

Upcoming Events

TOBB University of Economics and

Technology, Ankara, Turkey in May

and “ “Randić and Sum Connectivity

Indices of Certain Trees” joint with a

former student Jennifer Feiner, at

Graph Theory Day 63 held at Passaic

County College.

In February 2012, Dr. Sandra

Passchier (Earth and Environmental

Studies) gave invited talks at the MA-

RUM-Center for Marine Environ-

mental Sciences, University of Bre-

men, Germany, and the Institute for

Marine and Atmospheric research

Utrecht, at Utrecht University. Dr.

Passchier also accepted a 2-year term

as a member of the Curatorial Advi-

sory Board of the Polar Rock Reposi-

tory at The Ohio State University.

Dr. Elena Petroff (Biology and Mo-

lecular Biology) delivered an invited

talk on the effects of synthetic peptides

on glial proliferation at the Experimen-

tal Biology annual meeting, a multidis-

ciplinary scientific meeting comprised

of nearly 14,000 scientists and exhibi-

tors representing six sponsoring socie-

ties and 30 guest societies. Dr. Petroff

mentored Dominic Brown, a Weston

Scholar student who won the first prize

at the New Jersey Academy of Sci-

ences annual meeting for his presenta-

tion “Glial proliferation: The effect of

ASIC channels and peptides“ and was

invited to present at the American Jun-

ior Academy of Sciences national

meeting in Boston in February 2013.

This is the second student from Dr.

Petroff’s lab to achieve this honor.

Postdoctoral Researcher Yingkai Xu,

(Chemistry and Biochemistry) pre-

sented a poster entitled “Assignment of

the Vibrational Normal Modes of the

Isotope-Labeled Riboflavin Neutral

Radical in Riboflavin Binding Protein

by Resonance Raman Spectroscopy

and Computational Chemistry’ at the

244th National Meeting of the Ameri-

can Chemical Society. ♦

Saturday, October 6, 2012: Garden State Redesign Conference

Red Hawk Math Learning Center – Schmitt Hall

Friday, October 12, 2012: 2nd Annual Creative Research Center Symposium

11:00 a.m. Live Webcast – DuMont Broadcasting Center Studio

The Scientific Imagination: Where Do Ideas Come From?

http://www.montclair.edu/csam/news/article.php?ArticleID=10071

Saturday, October 13, 2012: MSU Homecoming

Tuesday, October 16, 2012: Sokol Science Lecture

8:00p.m. – Kasser Theater

To Eat or Not to Eat: Leptin and the

Biologic Basis of Obesity

Jeffrey Friedman, MD, PhD

Marilyn M. Simpson Professor and

head of the Laboratory of Molecular

Genetics at Rockefeller

Investigator at the Howard Hughes

Medical Institute

2005 winner of the Gairdner

Foundation International Award and

the Passano Foundation Award

2009 winner of the Shaw Prize and

Keio Medical Science Prize and 2010

winner of the Albert Lasker Award for

Basic Medical Research (both with Douglas L. Coleman)

Friday, October 19, 2012: Passaic River Symposium V

8:00a.m. – University Hall Conference Center

Today’s Status, Tomorrow’s Perspective

http://www.montclair.edu/conferencecenter

A comparison of a mouse unable to produce

leptin (left) and a normal mouse (right)

CSAM introduces a new ad-dition to its family of publica-

tions with the launch of CSAM Insights, a chronicle produced by CSAM’s re-search faculty and members of the Dean’s staff in an ef-fort to broaden awareness and understanding of the scope and relevance of CSAM’s research initiatives as well as the critical role research plays in preparing

the next generation of scien-tists. Take a look at the inau-gural edition at mont-clair.edu/csam.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leptin