Dana Knox Research Showcase Celebrates High-Impact Student Research

NJIT’s Dana Knox Research Showcase returned in 2025 to once again highlight the innovative and impactful work of students across disciplines. The event celebrated undergraduate and graduate researchers tackling real-world challenges with creative, technical solutions.

Now in its 20th year, the showcase was also its largest — over 150 presentations by 200+ students spanned all six of NJIT’s colleges.

"The Dana Knox Showcase continues to exemplify the innovative spirit and academic excellence that define NJIT," said Provost John A. Pelesko. "Our students' research not only advances knowledge but also addresses real-world challenges, embodying the university's commitment to impactful scholarship."

This year’s showcase awarded top honors to projects that addressed urgent issues in health, sustainability and materials science. It once again offered the campus a chance to connect with the researchers to understand the significant impact of research endeavors they’ve spent their undergraduate and graduate studies pursuing.

In addition to sharing their research endeavors with the Highlander community, a relatively recent tradition was also again realized: the Mr. and Mrs. R. S. Sodhi Prize for the first-, second- and third-place teams from each of the competition’s undergraduate and graduate categories. The winners and their projects are below.

Undergraduate Division Winners

1st Place – Anmol Doss
Project: “Proximal Femur Bone Strength in Persons With Spinal Cord Injury: Development of a Computational Framework to Simulate Sideways Fall From a Wheelchair”

Anmol Doss developed a method to simulate femur bone strength in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) using CT scan data to create detailed 3D models that reflect bone density and mechanical behavior. While CT imaging and finite element analysis tools already exist, applying them in this way is unique to the field. Doss’s study demonstrated strong correlation between model outputs and traditional bone density measures, offering a foundation for future clinical tools. The project points toward a future where fracture risk in SCI patients could be quickly, non-invasively evaluated in hospitals, improving care and outcomes.

2nd Place – Ojasvita Reddy
Project: “Novel BODIPY-Based Photobase Generators for Photoinduced Polymerization”

Ojasvita Reddy’s project introduced a new method for controlling polymerization reactions using visible light instead of ultraviolet light, opening the door to safer and more versatile applications in 3D printing and biomedicine. Her team developed two photobase generators (PBGs) that release a strong base under mild light exposure, triggering rapid polymerization through a thiol–Michael addition reaction — a highly efficient process that forms strong, stable bonds. One compound, BD-I-TMG, showed significantly faster polymerization, completing the reaction in two and a half minutes. Reddy’s innovation enhances both the safety and precision of material manufacturing and biomedical engineering processes.

3rd Place – Allison Harbolic
Project: “Nanoplastics Can Enter Placental Tissue and Alter Placental Morphology”

Allison Harbolic’s research demonstrated that nanoplastics — extremely small plastic particles — can penetrate placental tissue and alter its morphology. Using a mouse model, she showed that fetal and maternal blood spaces expanded following exposure to nanoplastics, raising concerns about potential impacts on fetal development. Although overall placental layers remained unchanged, localized disruptions suggest that nanoplastics could affect nutrient exchange and immune functions during pregnancy. Harbolic’s findings contribute to a growing body of evidence on the biological risks posed by plastic pollution, particularly during critical developmental periods.

Graduate Division Winners

1st Place – Mary Ngoma
Project: “Experimental Study of the Impact of Porosity on Bio-Induced Cementation in Clay-rich and Dolomite-rich Rocks Using MICP”

Mary Ngoma’s research explored microbial-induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) as a sustainable alternative to traditional cement-based methods for strengthening rocks and soil. She found that more porous rocks benefited more from microbial biocementation, with a 22% increase in strength compared to a 13% increase in less porous samples. Her work offers a potential environmentally friendly solution for preventing infrastructure failures like sinkholes, and even proposes future use of plant-based enzymes for hard-to-reach cracks. Ngoma’s research highlights a greener, targeted approach to geotechnical reinforcement.

2nd Place – Mohammad Jafari and Aliza Mujahid
Project: “Mechanobiological Regulation of Skin Graft Expansion and Failure”

Mohammad Jafari and Aliza Mujahid addressed a persistent problem in reconstructive surgery: the high failure rate of skin grafts caused by mechanical tension. Their research uncovered how mechanical forces activate skin fibroblasts, leading to graft contraction and detachment. To counter this, they designed new meshing patterns using finite element modeling and machine learning to reduce tension and improve graft success rates without the need for chemical additives. Their work, which forms the basis of their startup DermaMech, represents a promising new direction for more reliable, sustainable skin grafting practices.

3rd Place – Funsho Habeeb Issa
Project: “CRISPR Editing of the Cancer Glycocalyx to Tune Mechanically Regulated Migration in Glioblastoma Multiforme”

Funsho Habeeb Issa’s project targets one of the deadliest forms of brain cancer — glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) — by focusing on an unusual feature of its cells: a thick, sugary coating called the glycocalyx. This coating makes cancer cells tougher, helps them move around more easily, and allows them to hide from the body’s immune system. Issa’s research explored how changing the structure of the glycocalyx could slow down the cancer’s ability to spread. Using CRISPR gene editing, he aimed to weaken specific enzymes that build the glycocalyx, with the goal of softening the cancer cell surface and making tumors less aggressive and more visible to the immune system. The project offers a promising new angle for future GBM therapies.