Natural Sciences Research

Research in the Natural Sciences Department at LaGuardia 

Faculty in the Natural Sciences Department conduct research work here at LaGuardia and in collaboration with external institutions within the CUNY system and beyond. The Department hosts a research lab, which houses state of the art instruments and facilities. Students interested in conducting research are advised to discuss the opportunities available with individual professors in the Department.

Opportunities for Undergraduate Research 

The Natural Sciences Department at LaGuardia attaches great importance to Undergraduate Research, and opportunities for such research activities are regularly available in the Department. Undergraduate research is a key element of science education in the modern world, and it provides a unique learning experience, which goes beyond the classroom, for students to progress toward their academic and/or professional careers. The success of the program in the Natural Sciences Department can be seen from the research presentations given by our students at many national conferences and symposia (New York State CSTEP conference, CUNY-AGEP Science Fair, Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students, American Physical Society meetings, and more), as well as research publications in high impact journals.

Importance of Undergraduate Research 

While conducting leading edge research, students gain valuable experience and a deeper understanding of the processes involved in conducting scientific investigations. Students also acquire new skills, such as learning how to ask questions that are relevant to the phenomenon being studied, creating working hypotheses, designing significant experiments, problem solving, interpreting and rationalizing data generated and effectively disseminating the results to others. The latter can range from informal communications within the Department to the exciting opportunity of students presenting their work at conferences or publishing manuscripts in journals. All these activities are great to enhance the students’ CV and, thus, improve future career prospects. Lastly, and by no means the least, through conducting research projects, students gain self-satisfaction, a great sense of achievement and contribute to knowledge generation in the world.

NIH Bridges program at LaGuardia Community College 

LaGuardia Community College’s ‘Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program’ provides mentored research experiences to qualified minority, disadvantaged or disabled students. The LaGuardia Bridges program has formed a consortium with three exceptional four year colleges, the City College of New York, Hunter College, and Queens College, to provide challenging research experiences in the biomedical and behavioral sciences for the STEM underrepresented college students (underrepresented minorities, the disabled, and those from disadvantaged backgrounds) that LaGuardia serves.

Please contact Dr. Maria Entezari at tentezarizaher@lagcc.cuny.edu for more details.

LaGuardia-Rutgers NEXTGEN Summer Experiential Learning & Internship

For students interested in hands-on learning modules in animal science, agriculture, veterinary science, biomedical research, and USDA Jobs? Then this would be a perfect internship for you!

The Animal Science Discovery Program at LAGCC funded by the US Department of Agriculture will be recruiting 20 students for a paid summer experiential learning program. This internship will earn you 3 credits at Rutgers University, Animal Science program. The program will run from June 23rd- July 11th. All expenses (accommodations, round trip (first and last day), and food) will be covered. A stipend of $1500.00 will be awarded for competition of the program.

Please contact Dr. Preethi Radhakrishnan for more details.

We encourage students to apply using the following application form.

LaGuardia-Rutgers NEXTGEN Transfer Scholarship

The LAGCC-Rutgers Transfer Scholarship is a merit-based, full scholarship for LaGuardia Community College students to attend Rutgers University-New Brunswick and earn their bachelor’s degree in Animal Science.

This scholarship is funded by the NEXTGEN grant initiative of USDA-NIFA. Scholarship details:

1. 1. Full out-of-state tuition, meals, additional fees, and housing at Rutgers SEBS will be covered.
   2. A total of four semesters plus additional summer sessions (if needed) will be covered by the scholarship.
   3. Students will be supported with pre- and post-enrollment application services by LaGuardia and Rutgers’ core advising teams made up of faculty, staff, and peers.

Please contact Dr. Preethi Radhakrishnan for more details.

We encourage students to apply using the following application form.

Environmental Sciences NextGen Paid Internship Opportunity

For students interested in participating in a PAY Internship with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and various environmental and agricultural organizations in New York City. A stipend of $1,500 is available for participants.

Please contact Dr. Preethi Radhakrishnan for more details.

We encourage students to apply using the following application form.