Six Schools Visit SLU

Students Present at NY6 Undergraduate Research Conference 

St. Lawrence University hosted the highest number of participants in the history of the NY6 Undergraduate Research Conference in Eben Holden on Saturday, Nov. 8. 

Participating student presenters came from SLU, Colgate University, Hamilton College, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Skidmore College and Union College. The conference consisted of four poster sessions, three paper sessions, and a film session, all of which took place from 9 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.  

The topics of research presentations varied from English Literature to Computer Science. 

Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, Dr. Ronnie Olesker, was the primary contact from SLU for this research conference. This annual conference tradition started in 2011, according to Olesker. “Organizing the conference was very easy because this is a well-run machine at this point,” she said. Olesker highlighted her happiness about hosting the highest turnout of participants in the conference’s history. “I think that’s particularly exciting just for us, because logistically we’re the farthest institution in New York 6, so some of our students from Hamilton were driving four hours, left before six in the morning.”

Zoe Chamberlain ’27 from Hamilton College expressed her excitement about meeting student researchers from other NY6 colleges. “I love talking to people who like chemistry as much as I do, and I think this conference gives me a great chance to meet other people like that, especially because the department at our school is so small,” Chamberlain said. “It’s really important to learn about what other people are doing for research and what life at other schools is like, because it’s kind of insular when you’re just at one school.” 

Oscar Brown ’26 from Colgate University compared his experiences with last year’s conference. “I went to this conference last year, and I have just been blown away by the quality of work this year by all of the different students at all of the different institutions,” Brown said. “Having this time of year where we can all come together and celebrate the successes of our research is so impactful and so powerful.” 

Another participant, Aditi Kumar ’27 from Hamilton College, enjoyed spending time on campus along with connecting with other student researchers. Kumar walked around and visited various places on campus, including Dana Dining Hall. “So, I think it was a really great, comprehensive introduction to this campus,” she said. She was also pleased to discover that SLU conducts similar research on nano-sized carbon particles to her summer research. 

Nela Chestojanova ’27 presented her research that she conducted through the SLU Summer Research Fellowship. Chestojanova found it valuable to have an academic exchange with students from other institutions in biomedical sciences and neuroscience. “I was presenting my poster on virtual reality and spatial cognition,” she said. “For most of them, it was the first time trying VR glasses, so it was very nice to help them experience VR and educate them on the implications of VR for the future.” Chestojanova also enjoyed showcasing campus to the guest students and making them feel at home.