Students Show Creative Work and Research at Annual Event

Nearly 120 SUNY Oneonta students participated in the 2024 Student Research and Creative Activity (SRCA) showcase from April 24-25 in the Morris Conference Center.

The annual SRCA showcase gives students the chance to share their scholarly and creative work with the campus community through academic conference-style presentation sessions. This year’s two-day event featured 85 projects, making it one of the largest showcases of Student Research and Creative Activity ever presented at SUNY Oneonta.

Students presented faculty-sponsored projects across academic disciplines, from Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (“Dynamic Flow Modeling of Inflation and Deflation Characteristics for Effusive Lava Eruptions”) to Mathematics (“Rithmomachia: A Medieval Math Board Game”) to Anthropology (“Tibia Honest: Should Human Remains be Displayed in Museums? Assessing the Disposition of Legacy Human Skeletal Remains”) and many more.

“My favorite part of being able to share research with my peers is seeing the different experiences from research participants, seeing the different backgrounds of where people come from and any new perspectives they may have,” said Brendan Heaney, a sophomore majoring in Dietetics. “So many people show so much interest in their projects, and it’s great to hear about their backgrounds and listen to them share their knowledge.” Heaney and fellow Dietetics majors Jessica Haun and Allison LaBarbera presented “Nutritional Needs Assessment of SUNY Oneonta Students Using the On-Campus Food Pantry” at the SRCA Showcase, and their faculty sponsor was Assistant Professor of Nutrition and Dietetics Kelly Martin.

This year, SRCA began with a keynote address from SUNY Oneonta alumni Michael Lahn ’86 and Lori Lahn ’86. Michael has been an emergency physician for the past 30 years, and Lori is an attorney and health care analyst. Together, they have been involved with the international non-governmental organization Bridges to Community, which engages in community development in Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. In the last 10 years, they have organized and participated in almost 20 volunteer trips to those countries, frequently with friends and members of their family. Michael is the chairperson of the board of directors of the organization.

Students completed their creative activity and research projects under the mentorship of 54 faculty sponsors this year. Twenty-eight of the 85 projects received support from the Student Grant Program for Research and Creative Activity, funded by the University Foundation and the SUNY Oneonta Alumni Association.

“This has been a great celebration of the research and creative activities that our students have been engaged in,” said Associate Director of Scholarly Activities Audrey Porsche, who coordinated this year’s SRCA showcase. “It’s made possible through charitable gifts to the University Foundation and Alumni Association and the showcase provides a great opportunity for our students to share what they have accomplished alongside their faculty sponsors. These students are getting research and creative experiences that will help them post-graduation, whether they are going on to graduate school, internships or careers. It’s all great experiential learning in action!”