Mini-Research Grant Award

New York Tech is pleased to announce the ‘Sixth Annual Mini-Research Grant Award’' (6th Annual MRGA) and invites applications for high school research project proposals or continuing projects in STEM disciplines for a $300 award intended to offset the cost of research materials and related expenses. Proposals should be for research projects pursued in the 2023 calendar year.

About MRGA

Applicants (one student or student group) will be considered if they meet the following requirements:

  • 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 completion
  • Students must complete summary (continuing project or proposal) sections in their own words.
  • Must have plans to compete in a related research competition (i.e. LISEF, Intel, Sigma Xi, etc.) and/or present work in progress at a New York Tech campus in-person or remotely.

Topics of the research project 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. *Preference is given to student projects conceived and implemented with high school faculty mentors, and for project proposals that have preliminary data.
Apply Here

Deadline to apply is January 9, 2023

Winners will be announced between January 20 – 25, 2023 Grant funds will be awarded February 1 – 5, 2023

Questions? Send inquiries to MRGA committee (mrga@nyit.edu) or directly to:

  • Dr. Niharika Nath - Professor, College of Arts and Sciences
    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

View Frequently Asked Questions

View Program Flyer

VIEW FEEDBACK FROM OUR TEACHER-PARTNERS

Send inquiries to the MRGA committee at mrga@nyit.edu.

Learn more about our prestigious Mini-Research Grant Award committee members

Dr. Niharika Nath
Professor
Department of Biological and Chemical Sciences
NYIT College of Arts and Sciences
nnath@nyit.edu

Dr. Rosemary Gallagher
Associate Professor
Department of Physical Therapy
NYIT School of Health Professions
rgall01@nyit.edu

Dr. Wenjia Li
Associate Professor
Department of Computer Science
NYIT College of Engineering and Computing Sciences
wli20@nyit.edu

Past Awards

The Fourth Annual Mini-Research Grant Award program application for 2021 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 Voya Foundation.

Program interest and submission quality were strong with students and teachers reaching out from high schools beyond the local area with interest in applying. Due to New York Tech's commitment to undergrad research and to diversifying STEM leadership at all academic and socio-economic levels, eligible high school students are encouraged to apply annually.

Credit: Nishant Deshmukh, Class of 2021

2021 selected research project titles include:

  • The Association Between Father Presence and Support, Neighborhood Environment, and Preterm Birth in African American Women
  • Temporal changes in the leaf pigments of Acer platanoides, Cornus florida, and Ulmus parvifolia through the growing season from budding to senescence
  • A Novel Microbial Process to Accelerate Degradation and Demineralization of Bioplastics
  • Developmental Changes in the Preen Wax Composition of the Muscovy Duck (Cairina moschata)
  • The Misunderstood Mealworm: A Possible Answer to Plastic Pollution?
  • Students' Attitudes Towards Different Proposed Physical Education Classes
  • The Effect of the Spirit Bomb Origami Design on the Grasping Capability of a Pneumatic Soft Robotic Gripper
  • Converting Natural Byproducts into Soil Compost Using the Bokashi Method for Large Scale
  • Sucrose vs Drosophila melanogaster Hyperactivity
  • The Effect of Sugar Diets on Fruit Flies
  • The effect of green tea catechins on tumor progression in Solanum lycopersicum (tomato plants) infected with Agrobacterium tumfaciens
  • Veganism Can Save the World
  • "Widgets" potential application for children with autism
  • Sleep deprivation and cognitive effects of memory on American adolescents
  • How does gratitude affect one's quality of sleep and level of depression?

January 24, 2022: 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)