From the interaction of atoms to changes in immigrant behaviors to religious and social movements in 20th century Israel and Egypt, research and discovery from the world-renowned to the campus-based will be the focus of the day when the State University of New York at Old Westbury holds “2018 Student Research Day: Movement & Motion” on Tuesday, April 17.
“SUNY Old Westbury’s Student Research Day is always an exciting event,” said College President Calvin O. Butts, III. “This program showcases the curiosity, intellect and drive of our students as they share their findings. Through their work, they provide the real evidence of how our small college, committed to offering a strong liberal arts foundation, prepares students to succeed whether their field of interest is in the sciences, public policy, business, education or beyond.”
The 2018 theme for the event is “Movement & Motion” which has attracted nearly 150 student participants who will present their work through oral presentations, poster exhibits, and artistic displays. The program will also feature a keynote address by noted theoretical physicist Dr. Sylvester James Gates Jr. SUNY Old Westbury’s Student Research Day takes place in the Multipurpose Rooms of the College’s Student Union. From 11:20 a.m. to 7 p.m. Complete information on the day can be found at www.oldwestbury.edu/research-day-2018.
While much of the day’s activity surrounds the work of student-researchers enrolled in courses in the College’s schools of Arts and Sciences, Business, Education and Professional Studies, a highlight of the program will be the 1 p.m. keynote address by noted theoretical physicist Dr. Sylvester James Gates Jr. An active proponent of education, diversity and communication, Dr. Gates is known widely for both his research in theoretical physics and his commitment to increasing diversity in his field.
Gates is currently the Ford Foundation Professor of Physics at Brown University after having retired last year after 33 years of teaching and research at the University of Maryland, where he earned the highest rank available in the system, University System Regents Professor. He has degrees in both physics and mathematics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he remained to earn his Ph.D., also in physics. He received the Public Understanding of Science and Technology Award by the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2006 and was a member of the Maryland State Board of Education from 2009 to 2016. In 2009, President Barack Obama appointed him to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and in 2013 he was awarded the National Medal of Science for his outstanding contributions to the field of physics.