More than 100 students presented their scholarly research to the Drew community
April 2025 – Drew University’s annual Day of Scholars event served as a celebratory and learning moment for more than 100 students presenting their undergraduate research projects.
Drew University Day of Scholars
The event was both a chance to be recognized for their achievements, and an opportunity to practice presentation and communications skills, explaining topics from the humanities to the sciences to members of the Drew community.
“I greatly enjoyed sharing my research with the Drew community and exploring the diverse projects presented by other students,” said Jacquelyn Dal Bon C’26, who presented Investigating the Validity of the Forced Swim Test as a Model and Measure of Depression in Rats alongside research partners Amy Campos C’26 and Maryann Dillon C’25.
“Day of Scholars provides students the opportunity to develop effective communication skills by presenting our research to a interdisciplinary audience. This program leaves me with a greater feeling of confidence in my research, as answering questions challenges me to consider new perspectives. It is uplifting to see the culmination of everyone’s hard work and engage with my peers in the topics we are most passionate about.”
Drew University Day of Scholars
For other students, it was a look at a potential post-Drew path.
“This was the first research project I’ve done and now it’s inspired me to go to grad school,” said John McGlaughlin C’26, who presented The Mu2e Experiment in tandem with Andzani Mthenjane C’26 and Brendan Mullany C’25.
For Emily Shirk C’25, the research process offered its own rewards.
“My favorite part about the project is that students have so much autonomy,” she said, presenting ISGylation of IFI16 in Viral Sensing Pathway. “I’m able to run the project by myself in the lab on my schedule. The experience has taught me that research takes so much longer in real life than you envision—it’s taken me a year to really understand my project and do it well.”
Drew University Day of Scholars
In addition to the Day of Scholars poster session, Drew’s Action Scholars also presented their Town Hall passion projects. Through the Action Scholars program, students explore real-world problems and solutions both in the classroom and through volunteer work.
This year, students identified contemporary issues and connected them to moments in Drew’s history. As part of their research, they collaborated with the University Archives, Digital Humanities, and Library staff, gaining hands-on experience working with historical materials.
