Noteworthy Achievements

The PROFessionals of the Month program celebrates exemplary Rowan University employees, as nominated each month by their colleagues across the University community. To read honorees’ profiles, visit PROFessionals of the Month.

Wendy Aita, Rowan Integrated Special Needs Center (RISN), received $236,941 from NJ Department of Children and Families to support Mental Health for Children with IDD through RISN Center. 

Danielle Arigo, Psychology, received $23,640 (Total amount funded to date: $140,029) from Drexel University (Prime sponsor: National Institutes of Health) to support the study “Sharing digital self-monitoring data with others to enhance long-term weight loss: A randomized trial using a factorial design.”  

Zeynep Isik-Ercan, Early Childhood, Elementary Education, and Critical Foundations,  received $1,965,802 from NJ Department of Human Services to support the Early Childhood Leadership Institute.

Mohammad Jalayer, CREATES, received $20,477 from Rutgers, the State University (Prime sponsor: Federal Highway Administration, passed through the New Jersey Department of Transportation) to support the NJDOT Bicycle and Pedestrian Resource Center, and $25,009 from Rutgers, the State University (Prime sponsor: Federal Highway Administration, passed through the New Jersey Department of Transportation) to support the NJDOT Safe Routes Resource Center 2025-2026.

Jennifer Janofsky, History,  received $5,000 from Villanova University, Lapage Center to support the study “Transatlantic Trials: Hessian Soldiers, Defeat, and the Human Cost of Revolution.”

Archana Kumari, Neuroscience, received $2,288,537 from National Institutes of Health to support the study “Hedgehog signaling regulation of postnatal tongue and taste organ morphogenesis.” 

Thanh Nguyen, Mathematics, received $39,941 from NJ Department of Agriculture (Prime sponsor: US Department of Agriculture) to support the study “Development of an affordable vehicle-mounted smart weed detection and management system.”

Hieu Nguyen, Mathematics, received $39,109 from NJ Department of Agriculture (Prime sponsor: US Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Research Service) to support the study “Mapping blueberry flowering and pollination using AI and autonomous drones for assessing duke decline and breeding of new cultivars.” 

Steven Pew, Public Safety, received  $10,500 from NJ Division of Highway Traffic Safety (Prime sponsor: U.S. DOT/ National Highway Traffic Safety  Administration) to support Highway Safety.

Benjamin Saracco, Rowan University Library, received the Cynthia Graham Hurd Memorial Award at the Charleston Library Conference. This honor recognizes librarians who lead initiatives that have a meaningful impact on students and their broader communities.

South Jersey Climate News, a local environmental news outlet produced by Rowan University journalism students, has won a 2025 New Jersey Journalism Impact Award. Click here for more information about the award. Cited as part of the award were: South Jersey Climate News advisors Mark Berkey-Gerard and Dianne Garyantes, Rowan Productions Director Jon Akass, Rowan Productions staff Anthony Amoroso, Jada Ali and Joe Pidgeon, and students who worked on SJCN in 2024 including: Rachel Amarillo,  Rim Badaoui, Jimmy Borgmann, Paige Britt, Shane Crowley, Tyler Delpercio, Sophia Fandino, Maryella Gallardo, Essence Holman, Elena Laughton, Aiden Martz, Sylent Lee Michaels, Madison Miller, Kelsey Royal, Arian Shahrokh, Abigail Twiford, Brynn Wilson, and Kate Zaffarese.

Jagadish Torlapati, Civil/Env Engineering, received  $157,057 (Amount funded to date: $374,281) from University of Alaska (Prime sponsor: Department of Homeland Security) to support DHS, S&T, Office of University Programs (OUP), University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA), Arctic Domain Awareness Center (ADAC)-ARCTIC: A COE for Homeland Security in the Arctic.

Andrea Vernengo, Chemical Engineering, received $548,807 funded in Actions 3 and 4 (Total funding to date: $997,071) from US Department of Education to support “REACTS: Shaping the next generation of researchers, educators, and leaders in chemical technologies for sustainability.”

Bharathwaj Vijayakumar, Samyukta Alapati and Sahana Varadaraju, IRT, published Automating Freshman Course Placement and Registration: A Case Study and were recognized in EdgeCon Proceedings. 

Morgan Yacoe, College of the Arts, received $10,000 from the NJ State Council on the Arts to support the Creative Aging Initiative: Creative Aging Arts Workshops for Older Adults.

Qianqian Zhang, Electrical/Computer Engineering, received $50,000 from Stevens Institute of Technology (Prime sponsor: National Institute of Standards and Technology) to support the study “Bridging the Gap: Comprehensive Cybersecurity and Career Readiness Training for Critical Infrastructure in NJ/NY Region.”