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18 The College of New Jersey Magazine That growth has been personal, too. MUSE marked Jealf 's first major leap into independent research, working under the guidance of psychology professor Raquel Sosa. She learned statistical coding — something she once struggled to imagine herself doing — and realized she had earned the opportunity she was given. Jealf took her research beyond campus: She presented at conferences at University of Pennsylvania and in Denver. "I've really proven to myself that I can do this," she says. ONE OF THE BIGGEST SURPRISES OF CONDUCTING FIELD RESEARCH in Alaska had little to do with stickle- back fish, and everything to do with the people working alongside him, says biology major Miles Pedowitz '27. Pedowitz joined biology professor Matt Wund and fellow TCNJ students to study the early stages of species formation in stickleback populations near Anchorage. Days were spent setting and checking nets, collecting juvenile fish, and taking in a stunning landscape. Beyond the fieldwork itself, Pedowitz was struck by how quickly the group came together. Working, cooking, and eating together, the group quickly became more than classmates and colleagues. "By day three, we were already in sync," he says. "We knew what to do, how to do it." The experi- ence, he says, taught him the value of learning how to adapt and work together as a team. For Wund, the magic of undergrad- uate research is most exciting at that moment when the traditional roles of professor and student start to blur. In the classroom, there is generally an answer waiting to be learned, he says, and the professor knows what comes next. But research is different. "When you're doing research, you're actually applying what you know to answer questions that no one else knows," Wund says. "The goal of science is to answer questions that no human has ever answered before." That shared pursuit of the unknown changes the relationship, he adds. RESEARCH COUNTS Faculty-mentored student research is a signature part of the curriculum across campus at TCNJ. Each spring, the college recognizes student projects at its Celebration of Student Achievement. The numbers for COSA 2026 prove TCNJ's commitment to giving students research opportunities. 553 SUBMITTED PROJECTS: POSTERS, PAPERS, LIVE AND DIGITAL DEMOS, EXHIBITS, AND PANELS 830 STUDENT PRESENTERS 36 DEPARTMENTS REPRESENTED 7 SCHOOLS REPRESENTED

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