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SUNY Potsdam Announces Winners of 2022 Learning & Research Fair Awards

May 18, 2022

SUNY Potsdam Students Honored with Awards for Excellence for Research and Creative Projects 

Cassandra Spillane ’22 speaks about her project at the SUNY Potsdam Research and Learning Fair. She was later honored with the Provost’s Award for Excellence in Student Research.

SUNY Potsdam recognized students and faculty mentors for excellence in research and creative projects, following the College’s 2022 Learning and Research Fair.  

More than 40 students presented their research to faculty, staff and classmates in the Barrington Student Union on May 11. Following the fair, the following top research projects were recognized with awards, which included $1,000 worth of prizes, at the College’s honors ceremony. 

Emily Vierno ’22, speaks about her project at the SUNY Potsdam Research and Learning Fair. She was later honored with the Frederick B. Kilmer Research Award.

Frederick B. Kilmer Research Awards 

  • Emily Vierno ’22, an exercise science major from Massena, N.Y., won first place for “Development of Photogrammetry Techniques to Investigate Musicians Posture,” working with faculty mentor Dr. Tracy Lipke-Perry. 

  • Lucas Scalcione ’24, a biology major from Endicott, N.Y., won second place (tie) for “Thermostability of Heteropolymer Ferritin with Different H to L subunit Ratios Studied by Differential Scanning Calorimetry,” working with faculty mentor Dr. Fadi Bou-Abdallah. 

  • Aisha Laguda ’23, a biochemistry major from Springfield Gardens, N.Y., won second place (tie) for “Is the Proteasome Involved in Elc1 Mediated Degradation of Polyadenylations Factors?” working with faculty mentor Dr. Fathima Nazeer.

Ram L. Chugh North Country Research and Public Service Awards 

  • Samuel Rosenberg ’22, an archaeological studies major from Pittsford, N.Y., won first place for “Archaeology of the Jewish Communities of St. Lawrence County, 1855-1945,” working with faculty mentor Dr. Hadley Kruczek-Aaron. 

  • Madison Shammas ’22, a biology major from Adams Center, N.Y., won second place for “Exploring Campus Recruitment Methods: A Dive into Social Media,working with faculty mentor Raymond Bowdish. 

Provost’s Award for Excellence in Student Research 

  • Cassandra Spillane ’22, an archaeological studies major from Bemus Point, N.Y., won for “Use of Red Ochre in Burial: Reason to Ritual?” working with faculty mentor Dr. Timothy Messner. 

Outstanding Faculty Mentorship of Undergraduate Research 

  • Associate Professor of Archaeology Dr. Timothy Messner 

The Learning and Research Fair is coordinated by the Office for Student Research and Creativity, which offers support for student-faculty collaborations or mentorships that contribute to the understanding of a discipline through the examination, study, creation and communication of new knowledge, by means of an original scholarly or creative project. 

The Office for Student Research and Creativity also oversees the Presidential Scholars Program, the Kilmer Fund, the Institute for Ethical Behavior and the Honors Program. It is part of the Donald and Kathryn Lougheed Center for Applied Learning, located in the Lougheed Learning Commons. To find out more, visit https://www.potsdam.edu/academics/appliedlearning/studentresearch 

About SUNY Potsdam:  

Founded in 1816, The State University of New York at Potsdam is one of America’s first 50 colleges—and the oldest institution within SUNY. Now in its third century, SUNY Potsdam is distinguished by a legacy of pioneering programs and educational excellence. The College currently enrolls approximately 3,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Home to the world-renowned Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam is known for its challenging liberal arts and sciences core, distinction in teacher training and culture of creativity. To learn more, visit www.potsdam.edu. 

For Media Inquiries

Alexandra Jacobs Wilke

jacobsam@potsdam.edu 315-267-2918

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