Binghamton University hosted the 12th-annual SUNY Undergraduate Research Conference in the University Union on Monday. Held every spring, the conference spotlights undergraduate research and projects from students across the state, fostering connection and academic discussion.

Typically held at two locations, the University was the only SUNY campus to host the conference this year because it is a centrally located research center, according to Stephen Ortiz, the assistant vice provost for academic enrichment and executive director of the Binghamton University Scholars program. Ortiz, who is also the director of the External Scholarships and Undergraduate Research Center, said the campus is “increasingly dedicated to undergraduate research,” adding that 52 percent of students from the “last graduating senior class” participated in research or a creative project.

Since 2019, the University has been classified as an R1 institution, a designation awarded to 187 colleges and universities that surpass “a clear threshold of $50 million in total research spending and 70 research doctorates awarded annually,” according to the Carnegie Classifications of Institutions of Higher Education.

“For us, the motivation to take this on really was the idea that we could invite some of the best students from across the whole state to come here and to treat them like future Binghamton grad students for the day,” said Rachel Coker, the University’s executive director of research advancement. “So, I would love to be in a room a year or two from now and be meeting a new doctoral student who says, ‘Oh, I decided to come here after taking a lab tour during that conference in 2025,’ and I think that really could happen. ”

Split up into four poster sessions, the conference invited students with varying research experience to share their accomplishments. All students had a faculty mentor to help guide their research.

Thirty-seven SUNY campuses were represented on Monday, including every doctoral institution in the system.

Over 300 projects exploring a wide range of topics were featured. This year, Ortiz said the conference limited how many project authors could attend due to a high number of submissions.

One student from SUNY New Paltz, Taheem Ahmed, showcased a project he worked on with fellow student Wafi Danesh called LUROX D, “an affordable and intelligent self-learning prosthetic arm prototype.” Another New Paltz student, Abigail Petteys, presented on the relationship between motherhood and conspiracy theories, a project she developed with Lee Bernstein, a history professor at New Paltz.

“Both our University and SUNY are really insistent that our definition of research is not simply what people do in a lab,” Ortiz said. “It’s open to humanities and social sciences, but also creative activities,” said Ortiz.

SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. gave the conference’s keynote address. King referenced the Trump administration’s recent attacks on university research, which include the freezing and cancellation of at least $6 billion in grants and contracts at several top universities and attempts to enforce funding caps [HYPERLINK: https://www.bupipedream.com/news/nih-funding-cap-prompts-backlash-from-suny-chancellor-king/162760/] for research funds issued by the National Institutes of Health.

King spoke about how research contributes to the positive reputation of higher education in the United States, driving innovation in fields like science and medicine and creating “lifelong learners.”

“The research displayed here is exactly that kind of work, exactly that kind of applied thinking that we want every SUNY student to be doing, because no robot or AI application, no budget shortfall, no government, no leader walking away from funding commitments can take away your curiosity, your creativity, your ingenuity and your passion,” King said.

He concluded by encouraging students to share their work and advocate for education and research.

The conference also featured a SUNY Graduate School and Career Fair, professional development events and oral presentations.

Ortiz and Coker highlighted the value of research on individual students, instilling a desire to learn and share their work with others. Coker pushed back against the view that research with practical application is more valuable than theoretical research.

“For people on a college campus, we want you to be thinking big thoughts, we want you also to be learning to think, learning how to study,” Coker said. “And so that’s not always going to look extremely practical, but I think it pays off in so many ways down the road.”