Kean Computer Science Professor Receives National Mentoring Award

On May 11, 2016

Union-based Kean University Computer Science Professor Patricia Morreale, Ph.D. has been selected by the Mathematics and Computer Science Division of the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) as a 2016 Faculty Mentoring Award winner.  Morreale has mentored over 100 undergraduates, leading to 40 peer-reviewed publications and more than 50 peer-reviewed presentations at both national and international conferences.

“It is an honor to be recognized by CUR with this award,” said Morreale. “I enjoy working with our undergraduate students on their research. Our program at Kean is built on faculty-student interaction, such as research mentoring.”

“This award honors faculty for their outstanding work in mentoring undergraduate students in research,” said Jan Rychtar, CUR  Awards Selection Committee chair. “Dr. Morreale was chosen because of the success she has had in directing undergraduate research and the impact her efforts have had on these students. We commend her for her great work in mentoring undergraduates.”

Morreale’s research and outreach have been funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, AT&T, Google, and Verizon Wireless. She is an elected councilor in the Math and Computer Science Division of CUR and serves as co-chair of the National Center for Women & Information Technology’s Academic Alliance. She holds a patent in the design of real-time database systems, which was successfully commercialized.  Morreale established the Multimedia and Network Laboratory at Kean and directs research on network performance and design, focusing on wireless and sensor networks, particularly human computer interaction (HCI) in support of accessible and secure mobile system design.

Two recent Kean grads mentored by Morreale, Marvin Andujar and Yerika Jimenez, have been selected for NSF Graduate Research Fellowships, which will support their doctoral research.

“Their success, which started at Kean, contributes positively to the national agenda on excellence, innovation and diversity,” said Morreale.

Kean promotes undergraduate research and has had notable successes engaging a diverse population in the STEM fields. In 2004, Kean established the Students Partnering with Faculty (SpF) program to support and advance student-faculty research and creative work.  Through summer intensives and activities during the academic year, the SpF program helps faculty secure funding for collaborative research projects and promotes research mentoring.

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