Research

Research at Saint Francis University is a vibrant part of the student experience.

SFU's IDEA Center: Smartphone-Based Rail Car Tracking for Geo-Spatial Organization

Dr. Rachel Wagner, Department Chair | 08/18/2025
As rail cars are constantly moved for cleaning, repair, or inspection, Curry Rail Services needed an efficient system to quickly identify the location of each car. Nathan Cammarata, an SFU engineering/mathematics major is collaborating with the company todevelop a smartphone-based strategy for tracking the location of rail cars in real time.

SFU Receives Industrial-Scale 3D Printer for Innovation and Education

07/16/2025
Saint Francis University has received a high-speed, industrial-grade 3D printer, thanks to a generous donation from a corporate partner. Known as the BIG-Meter, the printer features a build area of one cubic meter, enabling the creation of full-scale prototypes, tooling, molds, and end-use parts in a single print.

Printing with a Purpose

Marie Young, University Communications & Marketing | 01/23/2024
An empty plastic Powerade bottle kicked off an unexpected journey for three Saint Francis University Biology/Pre-Medicine majors. Their quest for free filament to use in their personal 3-D printers has blossomed into something truly extraordinary.

13th Annual Student Research Day Held

Marie Young, University Communications & Marketing | 11/09/2023
Students from a wide spectrum of majors showcased current projects at the Thirteenth Annual Saint Francis University Student Research Day on November 9, 2023. This annual event celebrates student research projects conducted on campus and allows the University community to become familiar with the unique and interesting work SFU students do.

SFU one of 50 emerging research institutions to receive NSF funding

Marie Young, University Communications & Marketing | 10/10/2023
The U.S. National Science Foundation announced a $399,727 award to Saint Francis University as part of its first-ever Enabling Partnerships to Increase Innovation Capacity (EPIIC) grant program. The agency is investing $19.6 million to help nearly 50 emerging research institutions grow their capacity to participate in and drive regional innovation.

Conservation genomics presentations free to public

Biology Department | 06/16/2023
The Dr. Wayne and Elizabeth Takacs Biology Department is hosting ConGen 2023, an international conservation genomics training workshop next week. Free evening presentations are open to the public on topics related to conservation biology and genetics/genomics.

Saint Francis joins Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project with NASA

University Communications & Marketing | 06/14/2023
Officially joining the Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project (NEPB) with NASA, the Saint Francis team will gather and contribute valuable scientific and engineering data by casting weather balloons far into Earth's atmosphere during solar eclipses in 2023 and 2024.

Biology professor interviewed on NPR about octopus RNA research

University Communications & Marketing | 06/14/2023
SFU biology professor, Dr. Matthew Birk, is one of the scientists featured in an NPR interview that delves into an article in the journal Cell, where researchers report that octopuses can edit genetic information.