SUNY Potsdam Student Veronica Lavia Exhibits Undergraduate Research in Albany

2014 Apr 24

Two accomplished SUNY Potsdam undergraduates recently presented their research at the Legislative Office Building in Albany, in an event attended by legislators and SUNY officials. Students from 47 SUNY and CUNY campuses presented more than 100 poster displays highlighting their research in a range of academic disciplines. Entitled "Innovative Exploration Forum," the event included work by SUNY Potsdam students Eric Martell and Veronica Lavia.

Veronica Lavia is a junior visual arts major in the College's selective Bachelor of Fine Arts program, where she has a concentration in video. Originally from Carmignano, Italy, she presented research that she conducted along with Crane School of Music faculty member Donald George and Crane student Daniel Mertzlufft, to translate Donizetti's opera, "Teresa and Gianfaldoni," from Italian to English. The result is the first sing-able version of this chamber opera in English. Lavia is currently working on another research project through the Kilmer Research Award program, to translate an opera by Offenbach into English. In addition, she will present an artistic installation at the 2014 Lougheed Festival of the Arts on campus later this month. Lavia will show her video work based on an original short story, entitled "Dust." As an undergraduate, she has served as a group tutor and has worked for the College's Center for Student Research. Lavia will complete an internship in New York City this summer before returning to campus for her senior year.

Student research at SUNY Potsdam encourages a professional student-faculty collaboration or mentorship, aimed at contributing 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. For more information, visit http://www.potsdam.edu/academics/specialprograms/cur.