Muhlenberg College

The mathematics and computer science double major is researching how students interact with an LLM-powered robot under different conditions.

The Muhlenberg College biology major and studio art minor is working at a Columbia University lab this summer as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Cech Fellow.

The Muhlenberg College neuroscience major is exploring how the naturally occurring substance acts on GABA receptors using a lab technique involving frog eggs.

While studying computer science, the Muhlenberg College rising junior is exploring the vulnerabilities in some of the most common smart plugs.

The Muhlenberg College physics and mathematics double major is also conducting summer research for her third consecutive year.

The rising sophomore, who is interested in both neuroscience and film studies, is analyzing 12 films from the United States, England, Japan, and South Korea.

More than 50 Muhlenberg College students presented original scholarly research this fall -- in areas ranging from biology, chemistry, and physics, to English, art, and sociology.

Muhlenberg students Erin Jackson '25, Ashley Kim '25, Alyssa Sipman '26, and Sydney Vogel '25 presented original research on molecular genetics of animal development alongside their advisor Bruce Wightman, professor of biology, at the 2025 International Worm Meeting in Davis, California. In addition, Vogel won first prize in the "mixed media" art competition for her bio-design sweater.

The Muhlenberg pre-health biology major is transforming a species of bacteria to see if it will affect aquatic plants the same way it affects land plants.

International student Fuka Aizawa '26 has worked in two different labs at Muhlenberg, followed by a research assistantship in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Brandon Brogle's profession is for the birds - literally. As an undergraduate, Brogle '20, who studied biology at Muhlenberg, took part in groundbreaking research with the College's world-renowned Acopian Center for Ornithology. Today, Brogle, who's currently an avian field technician with EnviroScience, continues to contribute to the research and says it was a single class that propelled him into the world of birds. He wasted no time taking advantage of all things birds Muhlenberg and the Lehigh Valley had to offer, notably working under Daniel Klem, professor of ornithology and conservation biology, and ornithological specialist Peter Saenger of the Acopian Center. The research with Klem and Saenger focuses on bird deaths due to collisions with windows. Klem is a pioneer in this research, which was recently featured in National Geographic. The team also focuses on testing glass that claims to be bird-friendly (that is, it deters birds from flying into it).

Lily Press '24 and Riley Wexler '24 took part in the National Science Foundation's competitive Research Experiences for Undergraduates program.

Winters '25, a biology and environmental science double major and member of the women's basketball team, studied aquatic life around the island of South Caicos.

Rising senior Derek George, a biology major and history minor and men's tennis player, conducted cancer research at the Louisiana Cancer Research Center in New Orleans this summer.

The students and faculty presented their research at the Joint Mathematics Meetings in Boston.

Liam Safran '23 and Jenny Makhoul '23 worked together to investigate the mechanisms of memory possessed by this unique single-celled organism.

Lee was on campus this summer doing research with Professor Richard Niesenbaum on mycorrhizal presence, which is a beneficial fungus that grows in plant roots.

Bethany Fluck '23 and Katie Raab '24 studied predator and prey interactions under the mentorship of Professor of Biology Erika Iyengar.

Nour Yousry '23, Paige Henderson '24 and Katelyn Graver '23 conducted research with neuroscience professor Jordanna Sprayberry this summer focusing on the effects of agrochemical pollution on bumblebees.

Raab was a researcher in Biology Professor Erika Iyengar's ecology lab looking at the effects of road salt brine on local ponds.

Eli Coopersmith '23, Jacklyn Hernandez '23 and Gabrielle Stein '25 spent six weeks this summer developing a way to use shell waste from pecan and hazelnut manufacturers to create a soil dressing for potted plants.

As part of the 10-week Program for Research in Markets & Organizations, Adonis Brooks '23 is seeing firsthand what it would be like to go on to a Ph.D. program.

Muhlenberg students and faculty recently presented at the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) meeting in Philadelphia and the Lehigh Valley Molecular and Cell Biology Society symposium held at Allentown's Cedar Crest Col...

Danny Monzo, Long Nguyen and Isabella van der Weide worked in the lab of Biology Professor Bruce Wightman studying sleep and arousal in the small soil-dwelling roundworm C. elegans, funded by the Vaughan Summer Research Grant.

A team of Muhlenberg students worked with Professor Sherri Young to test how readily medications can cross the blood-brain barrier to gain a better understanding of how to treat Alzheimer's disease.

Shivani Iyer '23 interviewed coaches, players, researchers and others to better understand the perspectives and experiences surrounding head injury and protection in the sport.

Natalie David worked with Professor Jordanna Sprayberry on the effects of fungicidal odor-pollution on the bumblebee's ability to learn and recognize a floral scent.

Senior field hockey and softball player Sarah Raab researched ticks with Biology Professor Marten Edwards in the Lehigh Valley this summer.

Under the guidance of Professor Maura Finkelstein, she conducted summer research exploring Indigenous perspectives on the environment and how they might be better incorporated into the field of sustainability studies.

Ava Duskic '23 and Emma Muller '22 worked with Professor Gretchen Gotthard this summer to further understand the learning and memory capabilities of Physarum polycephalum, a slime mold known as "the blob."