SUNY Potsdam Honors Winners of 2025 Learning and Research Fair Awards

SUNY Potsdam Students Honored with Awards for Excellence for Research and Creative Projects

Potsdam, NY (05/13/2025) — SUNY Potsdam recognized students and faculty mentors for excellence in research and creative projects, following the College's 2025 Learning and Research Fair.

More than 50 students presented their research to faculty, staff and classmates in the Barrington Student Union on May 7. Following the fair, the following top research projects were recognized with awards, which included $1,000 worth of prizes, at the College's honors ceremony.

Frederick B. Kilmer Research Awards (Sciences)

Alyssa Card, an environmental science major from Norwood, N.Y., won first place for "Decoding Devonian Dynamics: Ancient Carbon Isotopes as Windows into the Paleo-Carbon Cycle and Environmental Shifts," working with Dr. Page Quinton.
Sean Henley, a history major from Palmyra, N.Y., won second place for "Purification of the NCOA4 Protein via Liquid Chromatography," working with Dr. Fadi Bou-Abdallah.
Aldyn Landas, a chemistry major from Lacona, N.Y., won third place for "Alkyne Synthesis from 5-Pyrazolone Derivatives," working with Dr. Martin Walker.

Frederick B. Kilmer Research Awards (Social Sciences)

Kathryn Nelson, an archaeological studies major from Riverside, R.I., won first place for "Making a Mark: Dating Analysis of Ceramics from Heaven Hill Farm," working with Dr. Hadley Kruczek-Aaron.
Jericho Walter, an archaeological studies major from Georgia, Vt., won second place for "From Dusk 'til Dawn: Conceptualizing Sunrise and Sunset in the Florentine Codex," working with Dr. Lydia Rodriguez.
Evelyn Klein, an English and creative writing major from Syracuse, NY, won third place for "Foul on the Play: Examining Gender Inequalities in Professional North American Sports," working with Dr. Anna Sorensen.

Frederick B. Kilmer Research Awards (Humanities)

Alyssa Spina, a musical studies major from Rome, N.Y., won first place for "Jewish String Musicians Throughout the Holocaust," working with Dr. Erin Brooks.
Michael Wong, a musical studies major from Brooklyn, N.Y., won second place for "The Evolution of Acoustical Technology in Concert Halls," working with Douglas McKinnie.

Ram L. Chugh North Country Research and Public Service Awards

The Wagner Institute for Sustainability and Ecological Research (WISER) team won first place for "Molecular Method for Monitoring Greenhouse Pest Populations," working with Raymond Bowdish and Robert Snyder. The WISER team included students Chase Bond of Stanley, N.Y., Gabby Mazzullo of Sherill, N.Y., Garrett O'Hara of Bainbridge, N.Y., Andrew DiPonio of New Paltz, N.Y., Gershena Moise of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Ellie Barbolt of Glenville, N.Y.
The Environmental 290 Decomposers class won second place for "Student Composting Incentives and Viewpoints," working with Dr. Katherine Cleary. The class included students Ryan Goss of Watertown, N.Y., Kadi Palmer of Averill Park, N.Y., and Garrett O'Hara of Bainbridge, N.Y.

Graduate Award

The Pathways to Public Health team won for "Pathways to Public Health: Advancing Health Equity through Professional Development," working with Missi Wooldridge '08. The team included students Hillary Rabel of Syracuse, N.Y., Theresa Adams of Hogansburg, N.Y., Netta Terrance of Hogansburg, N.Y., and Iris Torres of Middlebury, Conn.

Provost's Award for Excellence in Student Research

Alexandra Sveshnikova, an anthropology major from New Russia, N.Y., won for "Profiling Skeletons Using Long Bones from Medieval Burials in Central Kenya," working with Dr. Nasser Malit.

Outstanding Faculty Mentorship of Undergraduate Research

Raymond Bowdish '87, University Instructional Specialist and WISER Center Coordinator, and Dr. Robert Snyder, Associate Professor, Department of Biology.

The Learning and Research Fair is coordinated by the Office for Student Research and Creativity, which offers support for student-faculty collaborations or mentorships that contribute to the understanding of a discipline through the examination, study, creation and communication of new knowledge, by means of an original scholarly or creative project.

The Office for Student Research and Creativity also oversees the Presidential Scholars Program, the Kilmer Fund and the Honors Experience. It is part of the Donald and Kathryn Lougheed Center for Applied Learning, located in the Lougheed Learning Commons. To find out more, visit www.potsdam.edu/academics/appliedlearning/studentresearch.

About SUNY Potsdam:

Founded in 1816, The State University of New York at Potsdam is one of America's first 50 colleges -- and the oldest institution within SUNY. Now in its third century, SUNY Potsdam is distinguished by a legacy of pioneering programs and educational excellence. The College currently enrolls approximately 2,500 undergraduate and graduate students. Home to the world-renowned Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam is known for its challenging liberal arts and sciences core, distinction in teacher training and culture of creativity. To learn more, visit www.potsdam.edu.

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Media Attachments

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More than 50 students presented their research and creative projects at SUNY Potsdam’s Learning and Research Fair.

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Alyssa Card, an environmental science major from Norwood, N.Y., presents on her research at the 2025 Learning and Research Fair at SUNY Potsdam. Card won first place in the science category for the Frederick B. Kilmer Research Awards for her project with Dr. Page Quinton, titled “Decoding Devonian Dynamics: Ancient Carbon Isotopes as Windows into the Paleo-Carbon Cycle and Environmental Shifts.”

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Andrew DiPonio speaks about one of his research projects, working with chemistry faculty to complete protein analysis using SDS and NATIVE gels. He also was a member of the winning WISER Center team on a molecular method to monitor greenhouse pest populations, which won a Ram L. Chugh North Country Research and Public Service Award.

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Alexandra Sveshnikova ’25 speaks about her award-winning project, “Profiling Skeletons Using Long Bones from Medieval Burials in Central Kenya,” at the SUNY Potsdam Learning and Research Fair.