Click to see full PDF of schedule.

The Honors Program is excited to announce the schedule for the 2026 Honors Senior Thesis Defenses! This year 17 seniors will present their research across a variety of disciplines — from Biology and Data Science to Sociology and Music. Thesis defenses will take place 3-5pm in the Degnan Conference Room during the week leading up to the Easter holiday. Please see the complete schedule for students’ names, topics, and the official dates. The entire campus community is welcome to attend and support the Honors seniors. Contact Lauren Squillante with questions.

The next day, Patrick accompanied Professor Jonathan Brantley of the English Department and five Honors students on a trip to see an exhibit on the life of Franz Kafka at the Morgan Library & Museum in New York City. The students were deeply appreciative of the cultural experience and the academic encouragement Patrick provided. Learn more about what Patrick has been up to since graduating in 2018.

The �鶹��ýAV University New Jersey Chapter of Pi Mu Epsilon, the National Mathematics Honor Society, received the prestigious Infinity Award, recognizing excellence in chapter activities and engagement. The honor was presented at the Joint Mathematics Meetings in Seattle, which took place January 8-11. Honors students Riza Bautista ’25 and Aakash Pandey ’25 were in attendance, along with Dr. Eileen Poiani, to receive the award.

Both students also presented reseach at the meeting’s Pi Mu Epsilon undergraduate poster session. Aakash’s project “Study of Patterns within Number Bracelets” was completed as his Honors senior thesis under the guidance of Dr. Dawn Nelson of Mathematics. Riza’s project “A mathematical Model of Neuropeptide-elicited Rhythmic Oscillations” was completed with Dr. Nickolas Kintos of Mathematics.

The Honors Program has announced the 2025 Senior Honors Thesis Defenses schedule for the spring. All defenses will take place 3:00-5:00pm in the Degnan Conference Room, located in �鶹��ýAVPeter Hall (2652 John F. Kennedy Blvd, Jersey City, NJ 07306), unless otherwise noted below*.

For more information about the 2025 defense schedule, contact Lauren Squillante.

Tuesday, March 25

Study of Patterns within Number Bracelets
by Aakash Pandey
Advisor: Dawn Nelson, Ph.D., Mathematics & Statistics

First-Gen Immigrants in the US: Retirement Strategies and Income Reporting Practices
by Tabata Patino
Advisor: Samar Issa, Ph.D., Business Administration

Enhancing Elderly Fall Prediction and Detection through Comparative Analysis of Machine Learning Algorithms
by Michael Salinas
Advisor: Rebecca Conley, Ph.D., Mathematics & Statistics

TBA
by Gabriela Diaz Solorzano
Advisor: Lori Buza, J.D., Accountancy & Business Law

Wednesday, March 26

Exploring the Role of Worldview Conflict in Tolerance across the Political Spectrum
by Lalita Gajraj
Advisor: Daniel Wisneski, Ph.D., Psychology

The Hitler-Jugend: Praxis of Nazi Ideology
by Anthony Rivera
Advisor: David Gerlach, Ph.D., History

The Cultural Impacts that Shaped Baroque Art
by Kelly Rodrigues
Advisor: Devin Heyward, Ph.D., Sociology

Mass Surveillance of the American People by the United States Government and Corporations: How Is Our Privacy at Risk?
by Brandon Ron
Advisor: Widyane Hamdach, Ph.D., Political Science

Tuesday, April 1

Technology: A Gift or a Curse?
by Jeremiah Campbell
Advisor: David Surrey, Ph.D., Sociology

Analyzing the Disparities in Black Maternal Health
by Jana Khalil
Advisor: David Surrey, Ph.D., Sociology

Patients’ Rights: Understanding End of Life Care
by Rosemary Merchan
Advisor: Karen Wydner, Ph.D., Biology

Wednesday, April 2

Reverse Engineering for Malware Analysis: A Comparison of Ghidra and IDA Pro as Tools for Analyzing 32-bit and 64-bit Programs
by Melanie Arias
Advisor: Alberto LaCava, Ph.D., Computer Science

The Evolving Landscape of Lung Cancer Awareness: A Comparative Analysis of Vaping and Traditional Smoking Perceptions among Young Adults
by Jenin Iseed
Advisor: Suzanne Carr, R.N., Ph.D., Nursing

An Examination of Major League Baseball Pitcher Arm Injuries in the Pitch-Clock Era
by Dakota Pitts
Advisor: Nickolas Kintos, Ph.D., Mathematics & Statistics

TBA
by Adebusuyi Shittu
Advisor: Alberto Realuyo, Ph.D., Computer Science

Thursday, April 3

Predicting Protein-Drug Complex Structures for Crohn’s Disease-Associated Targets
by Riza Bautista
Advisor: Hugo Guterres, Ph.D., Chemistry

Beyond the Screen: Exploring the Education Potential of Multimedia in Chemistry
by Carolina Da Fonseca Guedes
Advisor: Natalie Hudson-Smith, Ph.D., Chemistry

TBA
by Carlota Pastor Romero
Advisor: Leonard Sciorra, Ph.D., Biotechnology

The Possible Protective Effects of Selected Phytochemicals, Individually and in Combination, Against Environmental Endocrine Disruptors
by Catherine Weddle
Advisor: Laura Twersky, Ph.D., Biology

Wednesday, April 16

*12pm in the Bastek Honors Center

Where Did We Go Wrong?: The Effects of the Pandemic on Teaching
by Genesis Fernandez
Advisor: Jennifer Ayala, Ph.D., Sociology

On Monday, December 9, 2024, the students from the Dr. Karl Alorbi’s Honors Principles of Management course and from Dr. Beth Adubato’s first-year Ignatian Seminar “Walking the Walk,” donated dry goods totaling $15,000 to the LINDA organization. Throughout the semester, both courses worked to raise money and collect donations in order to present the organization with this substantial gift ahead of the holiday season.

LINDA is a non-profit organization that collects and distributes new and gently used cosmetics, toiletries, and other necessary items that may be financially out of reach for women whose lives have been temporarily disrupted by domestic violence, incarceration, substance abuse, or homelessness. �鶹��ýAVPeter’s University is home to the organization’s founding chapter.

Natalie Ojeda, sophomore, double-major in Accountancy and Mathematics, asked President Benitez to describe briefly his current position as university president and its responsibilities. Dr. Benitez explained his role, as president and chief executive officer of the institution, saying his, “overarching responsibility is the operation and every single decision that the university makes around the institution.” He noted that he makes decisions along with his team, the members of his cabinet, who are “important to the everyday operations” of the university.

Faty Kebe, junior, majoring in Economics received excellent advice when she asked what, if anything, President Benitez disliked about his job. The president answered, “Finding that right balance is the most complicated thing in leadership roles” and advocated strongly for students to do good work while also making time for family and for taking care of themselves.

Maldonado said, “As college students, we all struggle to find that balance and it was nice to see that even the president of �鶹��ýAV finds it difficult to put down the work. President Benitez made it known that our mental health matters and we should prioritize that over work, when needed, in order to be a good leader. He followed up with what he liked best… we got the answer that the students and staff are what he likes best.”

Hahnaya Cooper, freshman, majoring in Business Management asked what the difference is between average managers and top-performing managers. President Benitez said leadership, “cannot be about you. It has to be about the people [you are leading].” He reminded the class to take care of others and take concern for their individual situations; when caring for others, one can grow as a leader.

The president ending the interview with advice on the power of teamwork, the value of mentorship, and the importance of correcting one’s mistakes. Maldonado note that the class hour ended with the students thanking Dr. Benitez for sharing his time and good advice with them with an enthusiastic round of applause.

Photos were taken by Angeline Boyer, Executive Director of University Communications.

On Wednesday, November 13, 2024, students from Dr. Karl Alorbi’s BA-151 Honors Introduction to Management course took part in the semiannual International Business Networking event organized by the U.S. Commercial Service and the New Jersey District Export Council (NJDEC), hosted by CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA) in Livingston, NJ.

Pictured from left to right: Susan Widmer, US Commercial Service Director for northern NJ; Juanita Hoyos ’28; Beth Rooney, Director of Ports, The Ports Authority NY/NJ (Guest Speaker); Faty Kebe ’27; Amanda Sea Valdes ’01, Manager, The Ports Authority NY/NJ; Kimberly Gomez ’27; and Abeeha Fareed ’27. Standing in front is Dawn Cecco, Chair of New Jersey District Export Council (NJDEC).

In this era of media oversaturation, artificial intelligence, and deep socio-political division, it is the responsibility of everyone to be educated in media literacy, critical thinking, and fair debate. To this end, the fall semester’s CM-102-HP course sections touch on the upcoming presidential election. Select course assignments focus on giving students the tools necessary to be media literate, to think critically, and to debate fairly and intelligently.

On October 16, 2024, students from Professor Brian Morgan and Professor Constance Wagner’s Honors English Composition courses presented at Peacock Pundits Present! An Honors Composition Symposium. The students’ essays touched on themes relevant to the 2024 presidential election, including discussions on leadership, feminism, and policy issues such as immigration and the American military.

The students chosen to present their papers were excellent representatives of their class. Each presented papers that were well-written and even tempered, showing the ability to argue a thesis strongly, while acknowledging critiques from opposing views. Copies of the full essays are available for reading by scanning the QR code on this page. Pictured above are the student speakers, first-year Honors students: Paige Austin-Burrows, Tindi Awinyo, Felix-Andrew Barragn, Brandon Barros, Skye Graham, Zoe Monti, Valeria Pagan, Tabitha Quito, Aimee Santiago, Victoria Solomon, Hajar Touzani, and Ana Vargas.

Isabelle was provided a stipend for her internship through the Frank J. Murphy, Jr. ’69 STEM Internship Program, which��seeks to propel Honors students majoring in STEM disciplines to prepare for compelling STEM careers through engagement in internships. The Fund provides annual stipends to selected students for their participation in external internship experiences in STEM disciplines (including but not limited to Biology/Health Careers, Chemistry, Physics, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Computer Science, Cyber Security, Data Science, Mathematics, and Psychology).

The Honors Program and Biology Department advisor Dr. Kathy Wydner are extremely proud of Isabelle!

As part of the Future of Physics Days, David will be presenting his recently published article, “.” This research was sponsored in part by The Frank J. Murphy, Jr. ’69 STEM Internship Fund, which seeks to propel Honors students majoring in STEM disciplines to prepare for compelling STEM careers through engagement in internships. David completed research remotely during the spring of 2021 under the guidance of Dr. Yusui Chen, Assistant Professor of Physics at New York Institute of Technology. Their research focuses on open quantum systems (i.e. engineered structures that exhibit quantum properties and interact with their environments) and tries to challenge a long-established approximation in the process of measuring the system-environment interactions, called Markov approximation. They implemented non-Markovianity in order to extract more valuable information that is otherwise lost.

David became interested in pursuing a degree in the natural sciences after completing three years of service in the Israel Defense Force. He realized that many bright, young people tend not to enjoy science — usually through insufficient or unengaging education — and his goal is to rectify that by becoming an educator. His goal is to complete his undergraduate degree and then move on to graduate and Ph.D. programs in theoretical physics, so he can teach the next generation of research scientists.

David has also worked extensively under the mentorship of Dr. Debing Zeng, Associate Professor of Physics, throughout his four years at �鶹��ýAVPeter’s University. Dr. Zeng served as advisor for David’s Honors senior thesis. He will present his thesis, “Investigating Dynamical Quantum Phase Transitions in a Multiple-Qubit System,” on Thursday, March 31, 2022 at 3pm in McIntyre Conference Center Room A. All are welcome to attend.

The Honors Program wishes a hearty congratulations to David for his great success!