UB to celebrate student excellence virtually

In keeping with the “new norm” for this academic year, UB’s annual celebration of student excellence has gone online.

The Celebration of Academic Excellence website offers a central location where members of the UB community can explore the extraordinary achievements of the university’s undergraduate and graduate students.

“While this year we are celebrating differently than we had planned, we remain exceptionally proud of our students and their contributions to our scholarly environment,” says Graham Hammill, vice provost for academic affairs and dean of the Graduate School.

The site includes a video message of congratulations from President Satish K. Tripathi, as well as videos that highlight students’ perseverance and dedication in the pursuit of their goals. There’s also a listing of students who received or were honorees for national, SUNY and UB awards, among them the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence, among others.

A popular component of previous year’s celebrations ─ the undergraduate research poster presentations ─ also has moved online, with more than 100 posters in the digital poster gallery highlighting the work of students who took part in mentored research, scholarship and community projects during this academic year.

“We are excited to showcase over 100 projects in the online gallery,” says Charles Baxter, assistant director of the Experiential Learning Network, which is hosting the digital version of the traditional poster showcase that usually takes place in the Center for the Arts atrium. “The accomplishments of UB students in research and community collaboration are truly remarkable, and I encourage everyone to explore the impacts of their work through this vibrant collection of posters and videos,” Baxter says.

Hammill says the contents of the celebration website “are just a small sampling of our students’ experiential learning endeavors, representing the exciting diversity and scope of student interest and faculty mentorship at UB.”