Another score for undergraduate research here at Iona: senior Daniel Lipus was granted the Tibor T. Polgar Fellowship for his research of the invasive plant species Phragmites australis, otherwise known as the common reed.

The plant had become quite an annoyance along the Hudson, disrupting the nesting grounds for local birds and displacing local plants, thereby reducing the biodiversity. By studying the basic biology of this ecological invader, Lipus hoped to use his knowledge to help control the spread of the plant. 

Lipus’ work centered on how the plant differed in nine locations along the Hudson, believing that the plants growing in Albany must be different than those on Staten Island. In order to find the differences, Lipus went right to the plant’s source. No, not the roots; the DNA. He looked at eight specific regions of the plant’s DNA, known as microsatellites, to find any differences.

“Very simplified, it can be said we compared the differences in sizes of these regions for all the samples we collected,” Lipus said.

Lipus determined the proximity between the samples based on how similar in length their microsatellites were. Four hundred samples later, Lipus was determining management strategies for the different populations.

After working with his faculty mentor Biology Professor Joseph Stabile on a similar project, Lipus was determined to gain more research experience.

“It was a lot of fun and a great experience,” Lipus said of his work with Stabile. He knew he wanted to continue with the research so he applied to the Fellowship.

“The Hudson River is a very interesting ecosystem and close to Iona,” he said. “So it really fit into the scheme of my research I had been doing end.”

Stabile is very proud of Lipus’ work and success in receiving the Polgar Fellowship. The Fellowship is a very competitive program open to only eight college students, either undergraduate or graduate, for research of the Hudson River ecology. 

After experiencing some trouble finding a program that could help Lipus reach his research goals, Stabile helped Lipus directed his attention to the Polgar Fellowship.

“Dr. Stabile really did a great job helping me with the proposal and getting everything else together I needed for my application,” said Lipus.

About two months later, he received the good news. “It is a widely acknowledged fellowship and I am very excited to have been part of it this year,” he said.

The conference where Lipus presented his work took place at the Carrie Institute of Ecosystems in upstate New York. Set up by the Hudson River Organization, recipients gathered together and shared the results of their work, answering questions and learning from each other.

“I knew all the other recipients of the fellowship, so it was great to see them again and to hear about their projects they worked on over the summer,” said Lipus. “It was a nice familiar future.”

Lipus remains excited about the entire experience. “I met some nice people who are working as environmental students and scientists at other colleges and it was great to exchange opinions and talk about each other’s