College hosts first summer undergraduate research poster session and reception

Student researchers at the College of Arts and Sciences have been busy this summer working in their labs, on their projects and creative activities.

CAS hosted its inaugural summer poster session and reception in July to showcase and celebrate the research happening on campus and with faculty mentors. The free event, hosted by the College of Arts and Sciences and the Center for Geological and Climate Hazards, joined UB students from the college’s departments of art, biology, chemistry, communicative disorders, Earth sciences, geography, materials design and innovation and physics.

“This summer was a beautiful opportunity to further myself, my career, and strengthen professor relationships,” says Kayla Algae, an environmental engineering student studying with Catheryn Ryan, research staff, and Nicholas DiFrancesco, assistant teaching professor in the Department of Earth Sciences.

Algae’s study — “Correlation Between Volatile Content and Magma Vesicularity” — is looking at whether magma with more trapped gas forms rocks with more bubbles and holes when it cools. The team is looking to see if the amount of gas and the number of bubbles are connected.

As a result of the work completed over the summer, Algae plans to minor in geological sciences.

“As an environmental engineer, you can get a broad understanding about the environment, but Nick has inspired me to narrow my focus on geology,” Algae says. “The hands-on experience I’m getting in the lab helps put students like me ahead of the game. It also shows me that I’m capable of doing this work.”

Held in the UB Student Union Social Hall, the event allowed students, faculty, staff and the community to browse research posters, hear about student projects firsthand and converse.

“This program is the first time that students get to experience presenting research work in a ‘conference setting’ and hopefully get bitten by the research bug,” says Sophie Nowicki, Empire Innovation Professor in the Department of Earth Sciences and director of the Center for Geological and Climate Hazards.

“For the faculty, this is also a time when we can learn more about what our peers are doing research-wise and catch up.”

More than 50 students from across the country also participated through UB's Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program, which provides summer research opportunities, financial support and faculty mentorship.

Participating REU students represented George Washington University, Harvard University, Texas A&M University, University of Puerto Rico at Cayey, Binghamton University, SUNY Oswego, Stony Brook University, The College of New Jersey, Colby College, Dickinson College, Metropolitan State University of Denver, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, the University of Michigan, the University of Maryland, the University of Pennsylvania, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona and the College of the Holy Cross.

“What I love about this event is that we have different departments and universities taking part,” says Nowicki. “Many of the proposals are interdisciplinary, so while it takes time to develop these collaborations or identify who one could work with, it’s very exciting to see them come together!”

Katie Czajka, a neuroscience student at Dickinson College, worked as a research assistant in the UB Department of Biological Sciences this summer with Denise Ferkey, associate professor in the department. Her research, “Stress Response Phenotypes of fkh-2 Forkhead Transcription Factor C. elegans Mutants” looks at changing a gene in a roundworm to see how their bodies react when they are under stress, like when it's too hot or they don't have enough food. The team is looking to learn how that gene helps the nervous system to function properly, especially when the animals face challenges.

“It was really amazing being able to work in the lab at UB this summer,” says Czajka. “It confirmed my career aspirations wanting to do research.”

“It was wonderful having Katie in the lab,” says Ferkey. “She was thoughtful and careful in her experiments and accomplished an incredible amount in a short period of time.”

Summer research students were sponsored by a mix of the National Science Foundation, the SUNY Chancellors Fund Award, endowed scholarships and College departments.