babbio building exterior with students

The Lawrence T. Babbio '66 Pinnacle Scholars Program

At Stevens, high-achieving undergraduate students have a unique opportunity to join an exclusive program not duplicated anywhere else in the world. The Pinnacle Scholars Program is a prestigious program for undergraduate students who want to push the boundaries of their education even further.

Your hard work pays off now

Two students working on a computer in a labSelected students have the opportunity to participate in original, advanced research projects under the guidance of full-time Stevens faculty, are eligible for an annual stipend and have the option to pursue an accelerated master’s program. Among its many advantages, this highly-regarded program gives undergraduates a leg up in the job market and/or advancement to competitive graduate and doctoral studies.

 Program Benefits

  • Pinnacle Scholars have access to a stipend of up to $5,000 for a maximum of three undergraduate summers.  The stipend is available to students participating in one of the following activities:

    1. Summer research under the supervision of a Stevens faculty member.

    2. An international experience (e.g., study abroad, international internship, service abroad, research abroad).  All programs must be approved by the Office of International Programs.

  • An annual cultural passport for exciting and engaging cultural events (e.g., plays and musicals, sporting events, operas, symphonies, art exhibits). This passport will allow you to experience the vibrant cultural opportunities available only in the New York City metropolitan area and network with fellow scholars. 

  • The opportunity to enroll in special honors and research seminars that provide support and guidance for your research activities.

  • Individualized mentoring and advisement.

  • The option to participate in the Accelerated Master's Program, which provides the opportunity to complete a bachelor’s and master’s degree sequentially.

  • Additional peer mentoring and support is provided to freshmen through the Pinnacle Peer Advisor program.  Peer Advisors are upper-class Scholars who serve as an additional resource to a small group of Pinnacle freshmen throughout their first year, helping freshmen acclimate to Stevens and learn more about the Pinnacle Program resources and opportunities.

Program Requirements

First-year applicants can indicate their interest in the program during the application process. To further demonstrate their commitment, applicants are required to submit an additional essay articulating their passion for the program. Candidates may also be contacted for an interview. Invitations for the Pinnacle Scholars Program are made at the time of admission and based on your academic record and potential impact at Stevens. If you are selected to be a Pinnacle Scholar, you will be notified in your admissions acceptance letter. the option to confirm or decline acceptance into the program.

You may remain in the program for up to eight academic semesters provided you maintain a 3.2 GPA and make satisfactory academic progress toward the degree, which is reviewed annually.

Accelerated Master's Program

The Accelerated Master’s Program (AMP) provides high-achieving students with the opportunity to begin taking graduate-level courses during their undergraduate studies, enabling them to earn both an undergraduate and master's degree in less time than usual while giving them the edge they need to succeed in launching successful careers. Students must enroll in the AMP to complete the sequential undergraduate and graduate degrees and meet its requirements.

Innovation and Entrepreneurship Summer Research Program

The Innovation and Entrepreneurship Research Program engages undergraduates in research, design or business projects for ten weeks over the summer. You identify a suitable project according to your interests, select a faculty advisor and submit a proposal to the Research Program Committee. Faculty review proposals and identify students with whom they want to work.

This relationship becomes a unique, student-mentor collaboration for the duration of the project. Frequently, your work is carried on throughout your student career and integrated into your senior capstone projects.

Innovation and Entrepreneurship Summer Research students work on a high level, attracting the attention of leaders and venture capitalists that support the most critical, high-impact innovations today. You’ll gain invaluable experience in real-world problem solving and create impressive resumes even before graduating from Stevens. What's more, you’ll distinguish yourself as the motivated, creative, and commercial-savvy graduate that top companies and graduate programs demand.

This summer, I worked with a suite of predictive modeling software for forest management. The software would allow loggers to use probabilities to determine how they should manage the forests.
Ian Cordasco

Recent Research Projects

  • AMBIENT ENERGY HARVESTING

  • AN ANALYTICAL MODEL OF A NOVEL, MICROFLUIDIC PEM FUEL CELL DEVICE

  • ANALYSIS OF AIR BUBBLE MOVEMENT ON SUBMERGED SUPERHYDROPHOBIC SURFACES

  • ANALYZING MOZART’S SYMPHONY IN G MINOR

  • BACTERIAL GROWTH ON NANOSTRUCTURED SUBSTRATES WITH ANTIBACTERIAL CLAY COATINGS

  • BIOPOLYMER MATRICES FOR SKIN GRAFT CULTURES

  • BIOROBOTICS SURGICAL ROBOTICS SYSTEM

  • BUILDING PROXIMITY-BASED AUGMENTED REALITY ENVIRONMENTS

  • CASE STUDIES ON INFORMATION FLOW SECURITY FOR ANDROID APPS

  • COGNITIVE RADIO TEST BED DEVELOPMENT

  • COMPUTATIONAL MODELING FOR BIOINNOVATION

  • COMPUTATIONAL MODELING FOR BIOINNOVATION

  • DEVELOPMENT OF A MICROFLUIDIC 3D ARTHRITIC CARTILAGE TISSUE MODEL

  • DECODING THE BRAIN: USING EEG SIGNALS TO PREDICT MUSCLE PATTERNS

  • ENGINEERING SCAFFOLDS FOR CARTILAGE REGENERATION

  • EXISTENTIALIST AESTHETICS APPLIED TO THE IDEA OF MUSIC AS NOISE

  • FACEBOOK FORENSICS APP R&D

  • FLEXIBLE TRANSPARENT KEYBOARD R&D

  • INCORPORATION OF NANO-SCALE SPACER MOLECULES INTO GRAPHENE SUPERCAPACITORS

  • INVERTED FLYING ROBOT R&D

  • MAXIMIZING THE QUALITY OF CARE OUTCOMES OF A NJ COMMUNITY-CENTERED MEDICAL CENTER

  • MECHANICAL ACTUATION IN BONE CELL TISSUE

  • NEURAL TISSUE ENGINEERING

  • OMNIDIRECTIONAL MICRO AERIAL VEHICLE SYSTEM TESTING

  • ORGANIZING BUSINESS PROCESS MANAGEMENT EFFORTS: A SURVEY OF BEST PRACTICES

  • PROBABILISTIC RISK ASSESSMENT SYSTEM FOR AMBULATORY SURGERY CENTERS

  • SMART SENSOR AND HOME AUTOMATION

  • SYNTHESIS OF NOVEL HETEROCYCLES USING RADICAL CHEMISTRY