UB undergraduates showcase research to SUNY chancellor and elected officials

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Three University at Buffalo students presented original research to State University of New York (SUNY) Chancellor Nancy Zimpher, New York State Senator Michael Ranzenhofer and other elected officials on April 1 in Albany.

The presentations were part of an event called the “Innovative Exploration Forum: Undergraduate Research in New York State's Public Higher Education System.”

The showcase allowed 125 of SUNY’s most talented undergraduate scholars and 40-plus faculty research mentors to introduce more than 90 research projects to New York State legislators and SUNY administrators.

The bi-annual symposium was sponsored by the SUNY Faculty Senate and UB’s Center for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (CURCA).

“The statewide research symposium allows each campus to show the success and the return on investment of the state support each receives,” says Timothy Tryjankowski, director of CURCA and co-chair and architect of the symposium.

“Students working on their undergraduate degrees at UB showed the audience how prepared they are for careers and further studies,” Tryjankowski says. “It was evident to our state leaders that new discoveries, new businesses and our future leaders are being molded here at UB.”

The UB student participants and their projects were selected by faculty members and administrators from across UB’s campuses who conducted a comprehensive review of student proposals.

Those chosen included:

• Susan Little, a senior environmental geosciences major, who presented “Combined Sewer System Impact on the Integrity of an Urban Waterway.” Her faculty mentor was Chris Lowry, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Geology.
• Nigel Michki, a sophomore computational physics major and 2014 Barry Goldwater Scholarship recipient, who presented “Method for Electrostatically Aligning Proteins in Solution.” His faculty mentor was Andrea Markelz, PhD, professor in the Department of Physics.
• Phillip Tucciarone, a senior chemical and biological engineering major and 2014 Marshall Scholarship recipient, who presented “Silicon Nanoparticles: Synthesis and Applications.” His faculty mentor was Mark Swihart, PhD, professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering.