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4 Advancing Knowledge WORLDWIDE IT HAS BEEN AN EXTRAORDINARY year for our scholars—both students and faculty—who received Fulbright awards, published numerous journal articles, gave presentations around the world, and won prestigious awards. Here are a few stand-out examples. Associate Professor of Biology Sudhir Nayak and Professor of Chemistry David Hunt, along with several of their former students, collaborated on a three-year project in which they synthesized new proteasome- inhibiting compounds and created a novel screening procedure to rapidly test the effectiveness of such compounds. Their work, which was funded through a grant from the Merck Institute for Science Education and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, could help pharmaceutical companies develop new and more efficient cancer-fighting drugs. "It's insanely uncommon for students to be involved in this level of research at the undergraduate level," said Nayak. "It just doesn't happen that often, and that's part of what makes this institution unique." Carolina Chica '12 was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to be an English teaching assistant in India. As an undergrad, Chica double-majored in Communication Studies and Women's and Gender Studies and was part of TCNJ's Educational Opportunity Fund and Women in Learning and Leadership programs. Earlier this year, she was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's oldest academic honor society. Following her year in India, Chica plans to study for a master's degree in international relations at the Maxwell School at Syracuse University. This is the third-straight year that a TCNJ student has received a Fulbright. Using special telescopes they built themselves, computational physics major Joe Benigno '14 and math/science/ technology education major Joanna Papadopoulos '13 monitored activity on the sun and Jupiter's moon, Io, as part of an international NASA project called "Radio JOVE." Working under the direction of Physics Professor Paul Wiita, the students gathered data by picking up synchrotron radiation emitted from the sun, Io, and the rest of the galaxy.