UNION, NJ — Kean University assistant professor Matthew G. Niepielko has received the National Science Foundation CAREER award to fund genetic research while supporting students at the graduate, undergraduate, and high school levels.
As one of the most prestigious NSF awards for faculty members beginning their careers, the CAREER award will provide $829,000 to Niepielko’s lab for five years and fund research into the genes that influence fertility. Niepielko teaches computational biology in The Dorothy and George Hennings College of Science, Mathematics and Technology.
The grant launches a program called New Jersey’s Research Alliance for Inclusive STEM Education, or NJ-RAISE, that combines research with opportunities for students, especially those from minority or underrepresented communities.
“I congratulate Dr. Niepielko on receiving the NSF CAREER award,” said Kean President Lamont O. Repollet. “This grant shows the strength of our faculty and provides funding for one of a growing number of research projects underway as we fulfill our role as the state’s urban research university.”
NSF CAREER funding is awarded to early-career faculty “who have the potential to serve as academic role models” in both research and education. Niepielko’s award is the first received by a faculty member at Kean.
Niepielko, a faculty member in the Department of Biological Sciences and Kean’s School of Integrative Science and Technology, is studying animal reproduction at the cellular level — focusing on Drosophila, or fruit flies — as a model system to gain basic insight into the genes that control animal development.
The award comes as Kean pursues its designation as a Carnegie R2 research institution, further raising its research profile.
“This is groundbreaking for Kean University,” said CSMT Dean George Chang. “Matt is the trailblazer as we move toward becoming an R2 research institution.”
Niepielko also helps coordinate Kean’s Group Summer Scholars Research Program, in which high school students conduct scientific research. He said he has seen many qualified high school students from disadvantaged backgrounds, as well as Kean students, miss out on research opportunities because of financial pressures. NJ-RAISE addresses those issues.
The grant specifically provides scholarships for high school students to the summer program and stipends for Kean graduate and undergraduate students doing research. Niepielko is working with educators in underserved communities to recruit high school students.
“This grant is special because of the broader impact it can have on the community,” he said. “It’s not just about the research; it’s about making real change in the local community.”
Two Kean students per year, for five years, will also receive support to train and conduct research at Princeton University during the summer.
Ahad Shabazz-Henry, a Kean sophomore biotechnology major from Newark, conducts research in Niepielko’s lab. This summer, he will work with Princeton’s Department of Molecular Biology through the award.
“The opportunity to conduct research at such a prestigious school is honestly mind-blowing,” he said, adding that when he got the news, he was driving and had to pull over immediately, “because I was just in shock.”
“Coming from an underrepresented community such as Newark, I know how hard it is to find opportunities for higher education and the many obstacles that need to be overcome,” he said. “Programs like this allow marginalized youth to experience what is possible and allow others to see their talents. I think it really encourages more kids to pursue higher education.”
Gisselle Hidalgo, of Long Branch, a senior majoring in biotechnology at Kean with a concentration in molecular biology, has conducted research with Niepielko since last year. She said the grant stipend eases her financial concerns.
“It is of the utmost importance for students like myself to have the chance to conduct research,” she said, adding that it opens the door to education and career possibilities. “Being able to do research is such a rich opportunity that provides you with the essential skills needed to work in a lab as well as think critically.”
Photo Courtesy of Kean University