Summer Research Program for International Undergraduates

The Center for Natural Resources (CNR), under the leadership of Dr. Michel Boufadel, is proud to host two undergraduate students for its 2025 Summer Research Program. Among them is Joy Harb, an international exchange student from Lebanon, who is participating through a fully funded scholarship that also provides housing support.

This initiative reflects CNR’s commitment to fostering global academic exchange and nurturing the next generation of scientists. Beginning with this year’s cohort, the Center plans to continue offering summer opportunities annually, enabling international students to gain valuable exposure to research practices and workplace culture while building a strong foundation for pursuing advanced studies in STEM fields.

From left: Joy Harb, Michel Boufadel

Joy Harb, a third-year Mechanical Engineering student at Notre Dame University Louaize (Lebanon), is currently doing his research internship at NJIT’s CNR Lab from July 10 to August 22. His work focuses on simulating the interaction between microplastics and fluid flow using both Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Finite Element Analysis (FEA). By modeling how microplastics deform under water forces and integrating turbulence and non-elastic material behavior, Joy aims to better grasp their environmental impact. Driven by a strong interest in sustainability, he is amplifying his knowledge of microplastics while gaining hands-on research experience and acquiring industry-relevant tools. Joy hopes this internship will serve as a starting point for his graduate studies and a career focused on solving everyday engineering challenges.

From left: Ahmed Ibrahim, Joy Harb, Michel Boufadel