Male Saint Joseph's student presenting his research at symposium

Saint Joseph's University Center for Undergraduate Research

The Center for Undergraduate Research promotes investigations in all academic disciplines and cultivates a passion for independent discovery by equipping students for the challenges of the future in any career or educational situation. The Center supports high-quality research and creative activities that engages students through inquiry-based learning to advance the Saint Joseph’s University's educational mission.

The SJU Images of Research & Scholarship Contest Is Now Open for 2025-2026

The SJU Images of Research & Scholarship Exhibit is a multidisciplinary, exhibit/competition celebrating the diversity and breadth of undergraduate student research. Undergraduates in any major or discipline and at any stage of research are invited to submit abstract entries consisting of a high-resolution image (graph, photograph, schematic, microscope image), or 3D form (sculpture/3D printout) that relates to their research or creative/scholarly work. Research work need not be fully completed. Freshmen and sophomores beginning research with a faculty mentor are encouraged to present!

Submissions are automatically posted on the SJU CUR website and on social media later in the spring. Entries are entered in competition for the Most Popular Choice (based on Instagram votes to start in March 2026) and for Best Images (based on SJU Faculty votes).

Submit images

Images of Research and Scholarship 2025 Entries

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS:

Most popular: Lysosomal Uptake of Dextran in TNBC Cells, by Emma Clift, Grace Ho, and Shay Patel

Best Image: Seeing is Believing, by Luke Sanelli

Brightfield and Fluorescence Imaging of MDA-MB-231 Tumor Spheroids in 3D Cell Culture

Seeing is Believing: Visual Storytelling in Creative Nonfiction

Unveiling Molecular Secrets: Advancing Mass Spectrometry for Surface Analysis

Transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans Isolated Under Fluorescent Microscopy with Green Fluorescent Protein

Highlighting Dopaminergic Neurons in the BZ555 Strain of C. Elegans

Danio rerio inspection of swimming patterns.

Terfenadine-Induced Lysosomal Membrane Permeabilization in Non-Malignant Breast Tissue Cells

Lysosomal Uptake of a 10 kDa Fluorescent Dextran in Triple Negative Breast Cancer Cells

Fluorescence microscopy of MDA-MB-231 TNBC cells reveals lysosomal uptake of Alexa Fluor DAF 488, emphasizing a potential pathway for targeted cancer treatment.

***WINNER OF THE MOST POPULAR VOTES***

Emma Clift, Grace Ho, and Shay Patel

Mentor: Dr. Clyde Ofner III, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Brightfield and Fluorescence Imaging of MDA-MB-231 Tumor Spheroids in 3D Cell Culture

MDA-MB-231 tumor spheroids were grown in a 3-dimensional cell culture and imaged using brightfield and fluorescence microscopy. Blue indicates live nuclei, while green represents dead cells.

Alyssa Weisberg, Branden Stanley, and Gwyneth Shermanski

Mentors: Dr. Isabelle Mercier, Dr. Adeboye Adejare, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Seeing is Believing: Visual Storytelling in Creative Nonfiction

An illustration inspired by Sanelli's memories of reading comic strips with his mother. Inspired by Bill Watterson.

***WINNER OF THE BEST IMAGE (determined by faculty votes)***

Luke Sanelli

Mentor: Dr. Jenny Spinner, Department of English, Writing and Journalism

Unveiling Molecular Secrets: Advancing Mass Spectrometry for Surface Analysis

This mass spectrometry data showcases the development of a novel Surface Reader, designed for rapid, non-invasive detection of biomolecules and bacterial markers directly from surfaces.

Jessalyn Aquilino

Mentor: Dr. Charles McEwen, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans Isolated Under Fluorescent Microscopy with Green Fluorescent Protein

C. elegans (STR 198) showing dopaminergic neurons in ventral and dorsal nerve cords, depicting C. elegans lacking neurodegeneration. Mg x4 EVOS FL Auto.

Shawan Finck

Mentor: Dr. Adeboye Adejare, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Highlighting Dopaminergic Neurons in the BZ555 Strain of C. elegans

Image of a C. elegans treated with a hazardous compound, calcium carbide. The stain used here highlights dopaminergic neurons.

Kaitlin Dixon

Mentor: Dr. Adeboye Adejare, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Danio rerio inspection of swimming patterns.

Danio rerio are a fish who depict schooling behaviors, patterned synchronized swimming, as opposed to shoaling behavior, the loose grouping of fish.

Grace Roth

Mentor: Dr. Scott McRobert, Department of Biology

Platys in the Lab.

Platys, a species of fish that display the typical behavior of grouping together, called shoaling, come in all types of interesting phenotypes that can be used in different research assays.

Grace Roth

Mentor: Dr. Scott McRobert, Department of Biology

Flow region around a sphere

Flow region around a sphere visualized using streamlines

Matthew McGrath

Mentor: Dr. Piotr Habdas, Department of Physics

Murine hippocampal neurons and glia

Matrix of neurons and glia (A) from neonatal brain tissue (beta-tubulin, green; DAPI, blue; G3BP1, red). Individual neurons (B & C) are visualized among the nuclei from AraC-treated cells.

Bridget Magee

Mentor: Dr. Jennifer Tudor

Terfenadine-Induced Lysosomal Membrane Permeabilization in Non-Malignant Breast Tissue Cells

This study tests whether terfenadine, an antihistamine drug, can trigger lysosomal membrane permeabilization in triple-negative breast cancer and healthy breast cells as a potential targeted therapy.

Emma Clift

Mentor: Dr. Clyde Ofner III, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences

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Faculty member at Saint Joseph's University teaching students in a lab in front of a monitor.

Summer Scholars Program

Saint Joseph’s University Summer Scholars Program provides support for currently enrolled undergraduates (and students in 5-year programs) to engage in research, creative writing, fine and the performing arts, and other scholarly endeavors alongside a faculty mentor.

Learn More About the Summer Scholars Program

A student in the lab uses a pipette to measure samples

Funding

The Center for Undergraduate Research is funded by external and internal partners that provide research grants and endowments.

Learn How to Fund Your Research

Tenaya Darlington teaches English classroom

Get Involved

Expand research opportunities for students by making a gift, provide research internship and experience opportunities and volunteer as a guest speaker for students to learn about the industry.

Get Involved with CUR

Student presenting research following Jesuit learning

CUR Festival

In celebration of undergraduate research and scholarship, the SJU CUR (Center for Undergraduate Research) enjoins the university community in celebrating the Undergraduate Research Festival.

Explore the CUR Festival

Saint Joseph University students writing and researching on laptop

What is Undergraduate Research and Why is it Important ?

From the Council of Undergraduate Research: Undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative inquiry is fundamentally a pedagogical approach to teaching and learning. With an emphasis on process, the Council defines undergraduate research as: A mentored investigation or creative inquiry conducted by undergraduates that seeks to make a scholarly or artistic contribution to knowledge.

Undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative inquiry enriches undergraduate education and helps students achieve their academic and career goals through the critical skills they gain and sharpen through these experiences.

Learn More

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