Mentored Student Research

"A Once in a Lifetime Opportunity"

A lifelong curiosity about the inner workings of humankind brought Alexandra Sveshnikova '25 to the SUNY Potsdam Department of Anthropology. The fire of that curiosity will be fueled by a research trip this summer to Kenya, where she will be part of a cutting-edge examination of our origins and the history that preceded human tenure on Earth.

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Combating Disease Through Education

For Whitney Callaghan ’17 & ’21, out-of-the-classroom experiences proved to be immensely important, like her semester-long internship at Planned Parenthood in Saranac Lake. Her primary role involved educating youth about sexual assault prevention. She also completed a research project examining the risk factors for chlamydia in St. Lawrence and Franklin County, and interviewed people about prevention methods. An internship with the Franklin County Department of Public Health rounded out her real-world training.

SUNY Potsdam Awards for Research Showcase Student Achievement & Adaptability

In a time of adaption for the higher education world, participants in the 2020 SUNY Potsdam Learning and Research Fair found some surprising benefits in the online format made necessary by the COVID-19 pandemic. The winners were selected from some 30 entries spanning the arts, sciences, social sciences and humanities. With fewer entries to evaluate in 2020, and more time to spend with the student researchers, judges were able to dig deeper into methods, conclusions and academic approaches of the contestants via Zoom interviews.

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Working Hard for Others

Serena Rockingster ’19 is determined to live a life of giving. A magna cum laude graduate with a bachelor of arts degree in psychology and a minor in women’s and gender studies, Rockingster, of Brooklyn, sees herself as a professor and clinical psychologist far down the road of her future.

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Genevieve Ruhland ’18

Before Genevieve Ruhland ’18 wrapped up her double major in music education and math this year, she directed a 70-minute experimental percussion performance in the Academic Quad—a project that allowed her to explore less mainstream percussion music as part of her Presidential Scholars research.

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Mahala Nyberg ’18

As a SUNY Potsdam Presidential Scholar, Mahala Nyberg ’18 worked extensively on a project focused on the life of WWII Veteran Donald Waful. She is now a senior and wrapping up a challenging course load with a double major in history and archaeological studies.

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Alexis Michael '18

As one of 21 students working on independent research projects through the Presidential Scholars Program this year, Alexis Michael ’18, a double major in archaeology and history, took aim at an experiment that could change archaeologists’ theories about when Indigenous populations first used the bow and arrow in Eastern North America.

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