Mini-Research Grant Award
MRGA 2025 Awards
The 8th Annual Mini-Research Grant Award (MRGA) 2025 program received 144 research project submissions from 42 high schools across the US and abroad. The faculty committee, assisted by a team of New York Tech graduate and undergraduate students, reviewed the submissions and awarded new deserving research proposals and continuing projects in February 2025. We hope to continue supporting the high school community in research. MRGA 2025 thanks the Voya Foundation for funding this program.
- Number of student applicants: 243
- U.S. High school applicants from New York, New Jersey, Florida, California, Ohio, Washington, Connecticut, North Carolina, and Nevada
Awarded Proposals Examples
- Using ML to Protect ML: Defending against Malicious Clients in Public, Large-Scale Privacy-Preserving Model Training Scenarios
- Unveiling the Impact of Fertilizers on Algae: Investigating Agricultural Runoff’s Role in Toxic Blooms
- Assessing the Gastrointestinal Permeability in Caenorhabditis elegans
- Exposed to Gluten and Casein: Implications for Autism Spectrum Disorder
- An affordable Robotic exoskeleton for those with mobility difficulties.
- Impact of Native Indian Grass Blend (Sorghastrum nutans, Elymus canadensis, Andropogon gerardii) on Metal Contaminants in Soil
- The Correlation of Type 2 Diabetes in Increasing the Risk of Alzheimer’s and utilizing Ashwagandha as a potential therapeutic via the GSK3B signaling pathway
- Ear-ly Detection: A Machine Learning Approach to Identification of Ear Diseases
- BioCycle: A Novel Biodiesel Reactor for Sustainable Waste Oil Recycling in Small and Mid-Sized Restaurants
- Combating Stress (The Silent Killer): Evaluating the Protective Mechanisms of Mindfulness Meditation on Explicit Memory, Blood Pressure, and Pulse Rate Through Increased Hippocampal Theta Waves and Acetylcholine Release and Cortisol Reduction
- Pollinator Preference between Native and Cultivar varieties of New England Asters
- Using A Dual Model Reinforced Learning Setup to Generate Energy Efficient Building Designs
- A vertical tubular photobioreactor effectiveness in capturing carbon dioxide from eutrophically simulated cyanobacteria
- Freeze-casting recrystallization of silk proteins over templated stainless steel surface
- Analyzing the Effectiveness of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in Identifying Spotted Lanternfly Tree Infestations
Proposal: Freeze-casting recrystallization of silk proteins over templated stainless steel surface
Proposal: Using ML to Protect ML: Defending against Malicious Clients in Public, Large-Scale Privacy-Preserving Model Training Scenarios
MRGA2025 recognizes current New York Tech students who assisted the committee:
Andrew Attia, Desirae Rausch and Yamini Patel – Biology, B.S.
Heer Bhuva and Vishva Ravani – Biotechnology, B.S.
Charles Siguenza and Daniel Chan – Physical Therapy, D.P.T.
Pradnya Gite – Computer Science, M.S.
Sarada Swarna – M.B.A.
To Apply
Requirements (single student or student group):
- Must be a high school student(s) conducting a STEM-based research project
- The High School STEM discipline or Research Teacher/Mentor must include a completed form of endorsement for school support to the applicant, and confirm that the students will carry the project to competition and/or present progress at New York Tech
- Students must complete summary (continuing project or proposal) sections in their own words
- Must have plans to compete in a related research competition (LISEF, Sigma Xi, etc.) and/or present work in progress at a New York Tech campus in-person or remotely
Research Topics
Research topics must be related to the following fields:
- Biology, Molecular Biology, Biotechnology
- Engineering and Computer Science, Biomedical Engineering
- Chemistry
- Health-related research, i.e. medicine, rehabilitation, aging, community health concerns, Alzheimer’s disease, healthy lifestyles, diabetes, etc.
- Applied Digital Technology
Preference is given to student projects conceived and implemented with high school faculty mentors, and for project proposals with preliminary data.
Applications for 2025 will be accepted December 2, 2024 – January 13, 2025.
Winners will be announced between February 3 – 5, 2025. Grant funds will be awarded February 6 – 11, 2025.
Contact Us
Questions? Send inquiries to MRGA committee (mrga@nyit.edu) or directly to:
- Dr. Niharika Nath – Professor, College of Arts and Sciences & Chair, MRGA Committee
Email: nnath@nyit.edu - Dr. Rosemary Gallagher – Associate Professor, School of Health Related Professions
Email: rgalla01@nyit.edu - Dr. Wenjia Li – Associate Professor, College of Engineering and Computing Sciences
Email: wli20@nyit.edu
Learn More About Our Prestigious Mini-research Grant Award Committee Members
Dr. Niharika Nath
Professor
Department of Biological and Chemical Sciences
College of Arts and Sciences
nnath@nyit.edu
Dr. Rosemary Gallagher
Associate Professor
Department of Physical Therapy
School of Health Professions
rgall01@nyit.edu
Dr. Wenjia Li
Associate Professor
Department of Computer Science
College of Engineering and Computing Sciences
wli20@nyit.edu
Past Awards
The Sixth Annual MRGA 2023 program received research projects from 18 high schools in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut; awards were granted to 28 projects from 15 high schools. The $300 awards, made possible through the support of the American Association of University Women (AAUW), are applied to expenses the high school student-researchers incurred during new or continuing research in STEM and related disciplines this academic year.
Research projects selected include:
- Simplistic Manipulative Accelerated Airfoil Control (Cold Spring Harbor High School)
- Bacterial Growth in Different Types of Water (Queens High School for the Sciences)
- Effects of Gyro-Stabilization on Hand Stability and Dexterity (Roslyn High School)
- Using Zeolite Clinoptilolite to Reduce Methane Emissions from Food Waste (Norwich Technical High School)
- How Agricultural Runoff Affects the Oceans Biodiversity (Norwich Technical High School)
- Evaluating the impact of Carbon – Nitrogen Levels in Phragmites Australis Rhizomes of Restored and Invaded Wetlands (Brentwood High School)
- The Effects of Varying Nitrate Concentrations on Tritia obsoleta (Brentwood High School)
- Microplastic Consumption in Alpheus randalli (Bergen County Academies)
- Synthesis of Stable MXene and Filtration by GO-MXene Hybrid (Bergen County Academies)
- Creating a Cost-Effective Device for the Translation of ASL to English (Bethpage High School)
- Building an Arduino Powered Water Purity Sensor that can test pH, Turbidity, and Dissolved Oxygen (Bethpage High School)
- Investigating the Role of Sunlight and LEDs in Planarian Regeneration (Bethpage High School)
- Effects of Nitrogen Oxide and Particulate Matter on Respiratory Health (Uniondale High School)
The 5th Annual MRGA 2022 program received 127 research project submissions from 20 high schools. The committee, assisted by a team of graduate and undergraduate students, reviewed the proposals and awarded 30 project proposals (or continuing projects) with grant awards. Voya Foundation funded this program.
- No. of students who applied: 176
- No. of project submissions: 127
- No. of high schools represented: 20
- States where high schools are located: NY, NJ, CT, MO
Research projects selected include:
- What is the Effect of Dietary Carbohydrate Intake on Performance in Female Endurance Athletes?
- Biodegradation of Polystyrene by Bacteria Found in the Gut of Tenebrio Molitor Larvae (mealworm beetle)
- Developing a Hydroponic System with the Recycling of Greywater
- Combating Covid with an Electroceutical Plant-Based Textile
- Numeracy and the Communication of Medical Risk
- The Effect of External Factors on the Perception and Taste of Food
- Effect of Organic Fertilizers vs. Synthetic Fertilizers on Cyanobacteria
- Investigating Factors that Could Alter the Genetic Impact of APOE on Alzheimer’s Disease
- Effect of Ionic Liquids on Perovskite Solar Cell Stability
- The Impact of Eutrophication on the Ribbed Mussel (Geukensia Demissa) and Their Host Plant Spartina Alterniflora
- “The Crumb Rubber Conundrum: The Effects of Heavy Metal Leaching on Terrestrial Invertebrates”
- Cost-Effective Air Quality Monitoring Using Readily Available Programming Interfaces
- Smart Mask Respiratory Protection, Air Quality Monitoring, and Reporting System
- Effects of Plant Substances in Inhibiting Prominent Pathogenic Oral Bacteria
- RAMOSA3 Undergoes Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation to Modulate Inflorescence Development in Maize
Graduate and undergraduate student assistants: Aissa Beaton, Wilber Parada (D.P.T.); Ajin Varghese, Dono Shodieva (Biology); Mary Sanchez (Biomedical Engineering)
The Fourth Annual Mini-Research Grant Award program application had an impressive 82 students submitting 55 research projects from 19 New York metropolitan area high schools. The Mini-Research Grant Award program selection committee reviewed all applications and selected 29 projects across 18 schools to fund with generous support from the Voya Foundation.