COMMITTEE ON RESEARCH
Annual Report 2014-2015
Submitted April 22, 2015
Committee members: Thomas Beal, Kelly Gallagher, Melissa Godek (chair),
Mette Harder, Toke Knudsen, Florian Reyda, Kathy Meeker (ex officio)
The main objective of the Committee on Research is to encourage student research and
creative activity on campus and to enhance that aspect of the educational mission of the
College. The Committee sponsors the Student Grant Program for Research and Creative
Activity, and supports Student Research and Creative Activity (SRCA) Day.
A total of $59,250 was allocated to the student grants and awards programs for 2014/15 (see
Table 1). As part of outreach efforts, Committee members led two workshops each semester
on the student grant process, which were well attended by potential grant applicants.
During the fall 2014 semester, the Committee awarded a total of $36,405 in grants to support
28 student projects (with a total of 35 student participants). Successful proposals were
submitted from a wide variety of disciplines, ranging from creative projects in art and music
to research projects in both the natural and social sciences. A full listing of funded projects is
included in Appendix 1 of this report. The Committee is currently completing review of the
spring 2015 semester grant applications (17 submissions requesting $21,585); an amended
report will be submitted once awards for this round are finalized.
Table 1. Funding sources for the Student Research and Creative Activity Grant Program
Source
Amount
College at Oneonta Foundation (income
from unrestricted endowment)
$48,000
Dr. Gary Holway Scientific Achievement
Award fund (College Foundation)
$4,350
Alumni Association
$3,000
LEAF (underwritten student fellowships for
Prof. Zians’ project)
$1,200
Prior fund balance allocation for Awards for
Excellence prizes
$2,700
Total
$59,250
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Committee on Research 2014/15 Report
The 2015 SRCA Day, held on April 16, continues to thrive; SRCA Day has become one of
the signature events spotlighting student scholarly effort at SUNY Oneonta. This year, there
were 160 student participants involved in 124 projects with 71 faculty sponsors from 24
different department/programs. The SRCA Keynote Address, SUNY Oneonta – A Lot Closer
to Broadway Than You Think, was delivered by Hal Luftig (class of 1979), four-time Tony
Award-winning Broadway producer.
The full program, including student project abstracts, is available on the Grants Development
Office website: http://www.oneonta.edu/advancement/grants/SRD.asp.
Prior to the day’s program, faculty sponsors nominated students for the fifth annual College at
Oneonta Foundation Awards for Excellence in Student Research & Creative Activity. A group
of faculty and staff that included members of the Research Committee selected finalists, and
awardees were chosen by a panel of judges comprised of Emeritus Faculty (Drs. Jane
Grastorf, Bruce Knauer, and William Pietraface). Five students were selected as awardees and
will receive $300 prizes; their faculty mentors will receive $100, and seven student nominee
finalists receiving Honorable Mention awards will receive $100 prizes. Prizes are funded by
the College at Oneonta Foundation through philanthropic gifts to the College. Awardees and
finalists will be honored at a reception on Monday, May 4. Finalists and awardees are listed in
Appendix 2.
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Committee on Research 2014/15 Report
APPENDIX 1
Student Grant Program for Research & Creative Activity – 2014/15 Award Recipients
Fall 2014 Awards
Kaitlyn Alongi (Kirsten Hilpert, Human Ecology): Effect of Dairy Foods on Total, LDL, and HDL
Cholesterol
John-Anthony Barnas (Timothy Newton, Music): Stylistic Comparison of Mallarmé Settings by Claude
Debussy and Maurice Ravel
Katje Benoit (Carolyn Nersesian, Biology): Barrier Impact of Roadways on White Tailed Deer
Sara-June Bouillon (Donna Vogler, Biology): Invasive Plant Survey, Replacement and Removal Project
Hope Costa (William Wilkerson, Political Science): The Politics of Dissents and Concurrences on the
U.S. Supreme Court: An Application to the Roberts Court
Jansen Costello (Devin Castendyk, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences & Tracy Allen, Geography):
Arsenic and Trace Metals in Common Pesticides in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala
Eric Davis [graduate student] (Willard Harman, Biology): Development of Effective Protocols for the
Decontamination of Aquaculture Haul Trucks Exposed to Zebra Mussels without Using Formalin
Kathryn Forti (Florian Reyda, Biology): Description of a New Species of Tapeworm of Stingrays from
Northern Coastal Australia
Tegan Fox, Melissa Haig, Taylor Zelka (Toke Knudsen, Mathematics, Computer Science and
Statistics): Mathematics at the Oneonta Normal School 1893-1945: Articles from The Oneontan and The
Pen Dragon
Kelly Garham (Melissa Godek, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences): Impact of the North Atlantic
Oscillation Teleconnection on Minimum Temperature in New York
Matthew Hartwell (Brian Lowe, Sociology): Topography of Hashtag Activism
Nathan Heller (Florian Reyda, Biology): Investigation of Damage Caused by a Thorny-headed Worm
Parasite in White suckers
Zach Horowitz, Garret Abrams, Brian Reeves, William Murphy (James Zians & Fanli Jia,
Psychology): Attitudes and Concerns of Parents Living in Otsego County about Local Youth Risk Issues
[student fellowships funded through LEAF]
Renee Karr (Brenda Seery, Human Ecology): Gender Neutral Restroom Opinion Survey
Stefanie Lewis (Keith Brunstad, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences): Crystallization History of the 1 Ma
Tieton andesite Lava Flow, Washington, USA
Christopher Linkletter (Keith Brunstad, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences): Petrology and Geochemistry
of a Transect Across the Marcy Anorthosite Massif and New Russia Gneiss Complex Contact Zone,
Northeastern Adirondack Highlands of NY
Christine LoFaso (Jill Fielhaber, Biology): Activation of STAT Transcription Factors during C. difficile
Infection
Stefan Mirvil (Sven Anderson, Art): Subtlety of Motion
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Committee on Research 2014/15 Report
Adam Myer (Fred Zalatan, Biology): Identification of Host Factors Involved in the Ty1 Transposon of
Baker's Yeast
Jordan Perry (Brenda Seery, Human Ecology): The College Hook-Up Culture's Effects on the
Emotional Well-Being of College Women
Joseph Perry (Jennifer Withington, Biology): Allelochemical Transport by Two Species of
Ectomycorrhizal Fungi
Hunter Reed (Mette Harder, History): The French Republic vs. The Friend of the People: Marat on Trial
Alexander Robillard [graduate student] (Donna Vogler, Biology): Determining the Status of the Wood
Turtle (Glyptemys insculpta) in Central New York
Kevin Sutton, Marvin Rodriguez, Anthony Nichols (Toke Knudsen, Mathematics, Computer Science
and Statistics): Word Frequencies in Theatrical Plays
Christopher Teter [graduate student] (Sean Robinson, Biology): Forest Impact Analysis of Naturalized
Population of Syringa reticulata in New Lebanon Center, New York
Jacquelyn Victoria (Sven Anderson, Art): Crochet as an Exploration of the Human Bust
Jessica Williams (Nancy Bachman, Biology): Construction of a Nuclear Localization Mutant of Heat
Shock Factor 1 Beta Isoform
Jillian Young (Melissa Godek, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences): Developing a Precipitation
Climatology for Central New York
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Committee on Research 2014/15 Report
APPENDIX 2
2015 College at Oneonta Foundation Awards for Excellence
in Student Research & Creative Activity
AWARDEES
John-Anthony Barnas (Music) / Faculty Nominator: Timothy Newton (Music)
Stylistic Comparison of Mallarmé Song Settings by Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel
Matthew Hartwell (Sociology) / Faculty Nominator: Brian Lowe (Sociology)
Topography of Hashtag Activism
Nathan Heller (Biology) / Faculty Nominator: Florian Reyda (Biology)
The Histopathology of Catostomus commersoni (White Sucker) Infected with Pomphorhynchus
bulbocolli (Acanthocephala)
Christopher Teter (Biology, MS) / Faculty Nominator: Sean Robinson (Human Ecology)
Another Naturalizing Exotic Tree: Populations of Syringa reticulata (Japanese Tree Lilac) in New York
Micaelina Velardi (Theatre) / Faculty Nominator: Patrice Macaluso (Theatre)
Design and Fabrication of Masks and Puppets for Nagamandala
HONORABLE MENTION
Michael Alavanja (Geography) / Faculty Nominator: Tracy Allen (Geography/Environmental Sciences)
Developing a Comprehensive Public Utilities GIS Database for Oneonta, New York
Danielle Dragotta (Biology) / Faculty Nominator: Jacqueline Bennett (Chemistry and Biochemistry)
Synthesis of Thiosemicarbazones Using Green Chemistry
Victoria Gander (Elementary Education/Spanish) / Faculty Nominator: María Montoya (Foreign
A Dollar A Day
Languages and Literatures)
Joseph Raguzin (Geography) / Faculty Nominator: Tracy Allen (Geography/Environmental Sciences)
A Comprehensive Guide to the Environmentally Sustainable Initiatives on the Campus of SUNY Oneonta
Hunter Reed (History) / Faculty Nominator: Mette Harder (History)
The French Republic vs. the Friend of the People: Marat on Trial
Emilie Richard (Geology) / Faculty Nominator: Tsitsi McPherson (Biology)
SUNY Oneonta Ecological Footprint Assessment Survey
Jounia Sara Saint-Juste (Biology) / Faculty Nominator: Nancy Bachman (Biology)
Zinc Ion Activation of Heat Shock Proteins in Mouse NIH3T3 Cells
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