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Kean University

Hannah Donovan to Speak at Kean University Research Days

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 7, 2017

Union, N.J. - The ninth annual Research Days at Kean University, a celebration of student and faculty research and creative endeavors which has grown since its inception from 90 to a record 485 student participants, will feature a keynote address by Hannah Donovan, a Brooklyn-based product and design leader. The digital entrepreneur will speak in Kean University’s STEM building, 1075 Morris Ave., Union, on Tuesday, April 25 at 9:30 a.m.

“Kean students have been increasingly engaged in research and creative projects,” said Kean University Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Jeffrey Toney, Ph.D. “Their involvement opens doors to pursue professional and graduate study as well as satisfying careers.”

During Research Days, Kean recognizes significant research achievements through the Faculty Research Mentor of the Year and Undergraduate Student Researcher of the Year awards. This year’s Undergraduate Student Researcher of the Year is sustainability science major Naomi Horowitz. Naomi, a Kean University senior, will present her research on Wednesday, April 26 and will receive a monetary award and certificate of achievement during Research Days. 

Naomi worked on multiple research projects while maintaining a 4.0 GPA, placing her in the top one percent of students at Kean. In the summer of 2016, Naomi traveled to Central China Normal University to study the water quality at local farms. She collected and tested water samples, comparing monoculture and polyculture farming techniques as one of her research objectives. Her work has been published in a professional journal, and she has two research manuscripts in progress.

This year’s Faculty Research Mentor of the Year Award will be presented to Juan Li, Ph.D. Li’s one-on-one research mentoring has led to 10 research publications co-authored with undergraduate students. Li’s research team was selected for the prestigious Council for Undergraduate Education’s Posters-on-the-Hill event in 2016, where Kean student Yulia Rossikova received the award for Best Student Research. Yulia’s work was selected from among over 100 nationwide submissions. In 2017, Dr. Li worked with Kean undergraduates to establish a local chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery – Women (ACM-W). 

Research Days showcases the breadth and diversity of the research happening at Kean. Local high school teachers are invited to bring their classes. To learn more about this year’s event and view the complete schedule visit http://research.kean.edu/.

Danielle Ford

daniford@kean.edu

(908) 737-0588