More than a hundred students took part in the 2022 Student Research & Creative Activity Showcase, which spotlighted student academic and creative brilliance, faculty and staff commitment, and alumni success.
The annual SRCA Showcase program lets students take part in supportive, academic conference-style presentation sessions and allows the campus and community to learn about students’ research projects and scholarly/creative work.
This year, the showcase was part of a new Experiential Learning Week that emphasized hands-on learning opportunities such as internships, research, study abroad and more.
The two-day SRCA showcase kicked off Thursday, April 14, with a luncheon and keynote address by alumnus Kewulay Kamara '75, a poet, multi-media storyteller and lecturer with experience in culture, government, academia and media. During his talk, titled "Back to the Future: Storytelling in the Era of Communication and Information Technology," Kamara told the audience about his journey from Sierra Leone to SUNY Oneonta, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and literature, and the trajectory that led him to his current practice in art, education and social sustainability.
Kewulay was an Apex International Fellow (2018) and is currently Future Literacy scholar at the University of Makeni, Sierra Leone. He is founder/director of Badenya Inc., an African arts-presenting organization that established Dankawalie Secondary School, and is founder of Lasiray Energy and Communications currently engaged in electrification of the Koinadugu/Falaba districts.
During presentation sessions Thursday and Friday, 128 students and 88 projects were represented, covering a wide array of disciplines, from fashion to chemistry to environmental sustainability to sociology, and everything in between. Fifty four faculty members served as mentors, and 25 of the projects were grant-funded.
Students researched broad topics such as the effects of fashion choices on global sustainability and African American travel in the mid 20th Century in New York, as well as topics that hit closer to home, such as the use of a new Neahwa dog park downtown and a proposal for the use of ivy walls as a sustainable practice on campus.
“It was an incredible two days,” said Director of Grants Development Kathy Meeker, who coordinates the SRCA Showcase. “Student engagement in project-based research or creative activity reinforces and complements classroom learning, provides critical faculty mentorship, and supports development of skills including problem solving, critical thinking, communication, collaboration and independence. I’m extremely proud of everyone involved!”
