Dr. Amer Alnajar ’04, founder and Chief Medical Officer of Vytalize Health, returned to Lehigh this summer not just as an alum, but as a judge at the 2025 Summer Research Expo. As he made his way through the rows of posters and engaged with students, his presence symbolized the full-circle journey of a Lehigh graduate who turned his passion for innovation and impact into a nationwide healthcare platform.
“This has been a truly rewarding experience,” said Alnajar. “I asked a lot of questions, and the students were prepared, thoughtful, and engaged. These interactions are invaluable—not just for refining ideas, but for preparing students to communicate their work beyond the university. It’s clear they benefit from connecting with professionals outside their academic circles.”
On July 31, more than 100 student-led research projects transformed Mountaintop Campus’s Building C into a vibrant showcase of ideas, exploration, and interdisciplinary discovery. With around 200 undergraduate and graduate students presenting their summer work, the annual poster-style event reflected the university’s growing research momentum.
Spanning fields from engineering and science to public health, social justice, and entrepreneurship, the projects emerged from established programs like Mountaintop Summer, STEM-SI, and the Marcon Institute, as well as other, independent research efforts. Ten alumni judges, including Alnajar, offered feedback, asked questions, and encouraged students to think critically about how to communicate their work to diverse audiences.
"This summer's STEM-SI program represents Lehigh's fifth consecutive summer offering undergraduate researchers the opportunity to participate in a network of student scholars across campus," said Chad Kusko, director of operations at the Institute for Cyber Physical Infrastructure and Energy. "The program immerses students in hands-on research and supports them through professional development, faculty mentorship, and preparation for graduate school."
This year’s STEM-SI cohort included students from Lehigh as well as others from institutions across the region, such as Franklin & Marshall College, Muhlenberg College, Penn State, Temple University, and the University of Pittsburgh.
"Throughout the 10-week program, students developed technical skills and research resilience, while gaining experiences that will help shape their academic and professional paths," Kusko said.
For Marcon Institute Fellows, the Expo was an opportunity to share research focused on antiracism and equity—spanning topics such as education, wellness, environmental justice, and community partnerships.
"The Summer Research Expo is a wonderful platform for our Marcon Mountainhawk Fellows to present their research to the Lehigh community and beyond." said Jessica Jackson, program manager for the Marcon Institute. "The 2025 cohort of Marcon Fellows are advancing innovative, justice-driven projects in a wide array of areas including mental health and community care, equity in education and representation, housing and urban justice, employment equity, and environmental justice and design."
One of the teams, “Purple Drop,” supported by Creative Inquiry’s Mountaintop summer program and also one of the projects in the NextGen Pathways to Transformative Impact Fellowship, is creating a lab-on-a-chip system that uses open-source software and hardware to manipulate droplets of water containing DNA to process binary information like an electronic computer, but with much higher data density. By sequencing the movement, heating, and cooling of the droplets on a platform called "Purple Drop," we hope to precisely control the hybridization of the DNA strands and process information in the form of bits. The team - Jonathan Kim ‘27, and Declan Tabor ‘27, worked under the guidance of faculty mentors Mark Arnold, retired professor from Lehigh’s computer and engineering department, and Mayuresh Kothare, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering.
Tabor noted the value of sharing their work in a public forum.
“Talking to visitors from different backgrounds and answering their questions pushed us to think more deeply about our project. It helped us see our work from new perspectives,” he said.
Bill Whitney, assistant vice provost for Experiential Learning Programs, said the Expo reflects Lehigh’s commitment to hands-on learning and innovation. "This event showcases that the Lehigh’s campus is not quiet in the summer months. The research presented today shows the ambitions of Lehigh students and faculty to advance knowledge, systems, and policy in the world to improve and enlighten the human condition - just what a university is all about.”
Whether developing new technologies, advancing social equity, or applying classroom knowledge to global challenges, the 2025 Summer Research Expo was a celebration of Real Students doing Real Work—each one with a story to tell. The projects on display offered more than research results; they revealed ambition, curiosity, and a drive to shape the future. In every conversation, poster, and prototype, there was evidence of a generation inspired to lead, to question, and to build something meaningful—for themselves and the world around them.
