SUNY Old Westbury's Collegiate Science Technology Entry Program (CSTEP) student researchers once again returned from the Annual CSTEP Statewide Conference with great news and accolades. Approximately 700 CSTEP students and staff from 52 colleges and universities across New York State participated in the 26th Annual CSTEP Statewide Student “Journeys Beyond Excellence” Conference held from April 13 to 15, 2017 at the Sagamore Resort Hotel on Lake George in Bolton Landing, New York.
The capstone event of the weekend was the Awards Banquet where CSTEP researchers in the categories of Natural Sciences, Physical Sciences, Social Sciences, and Technology and Human Services celebrated the accomplishments of the presenters in the Oral Presentations and Student Research Poster Competition.
Biochemistry major, Nelson Euceda, won first place in the Chemistry/Biochemistry Poster Research Competition with his project titled "UVA-Induced 6-Thioguanine Superoxide Radical Production Enhanced by Glutathione.” Nelson worked under the supervision of Dr. Ruomei Gao from the Chemistry and Physics Department. Within the Social Sciences Oral Research Competition, Nimra Hameed and Jourvonn Skeen, both Biological Sciences majors, took first place with their presentation titled “Developmental Lead Exposure Alters Rodent Maternal Pup Retrieval Disrupting Adolescent Social-Play.” Both students were mentored by Dr. Lorenz Neuwirth in the Psychology Department.
Other students who presented their research and participated in the conference were Sarah Sadik, Kristelle Pierre, Aryanna Holder, and Isaiah Jacobs who served as the SUNY Old Westbury Ambassador.
CSTEP is a New York State grant-funded initiative designed to foster academic excellence for under-represented or economically disadvantaged full-time college students majoring in the STEM fields or majors leading to licensed professions. The three-day conference is designed to help participants enhance their understanding of academic disciplines and allows students to network with fellow CSTEP researchers, participate in professional and career development workshops, and listen to prominent speakers from various CSTEP targeted fields.
