Old Westbury, NY - April 18, 2014 - Eight student researchers from SUNY College at Old Westbury participated recently in the 22nd annual New York State Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program Conference, and four left the conference having earned awards and recognition for their efforts.
“The success of these students is quite an accomplishment and stands as further evidence of the strength of Old Westbury as it relates to teaching and research,” said College President Calvin O. Butts, III.
Old Westbury’s students were among the more than 600 students and staff associated with CSTEP at more than 50 colleges and universities across New York State who gathered recently in Bolton Landing, New York, for the conference.
In addition to presenting their own research, students participating in the conference had the opportunity to network with fellow CSTEP researchers, participate in professional and career development workshops, and listen to prominent speakers from various CSTEP targeted fields.
Highlighting the event is the annual awards banquet, where CSTEP researchers in the categories of Natural Sciences, Physical Sciences, Social Sciences, and Technology and Human Services celebrate the accomplishments of the student presenters.
Susan Ramirez, a senior biological sciences major from Brentwood, New York, won first place in the cell biology category for her research titled “Hexim-1 Protein Expression Modulates Epithelial Mesenchymal Transistion (EMT) During Prostate Cancer: A Novel Mechanism Mestasis.”
Senior Prince Yearwood, a biological sciences major from Brooklyn, New York, took first place in the Environmental Science category for his research, titled “Are we slowly dying: The Effects of Bisphenol-A and 4-Nonylphenol in the Progression of Alzheimer’s Disease.” In the same category, senior biological sciences major Maurice Chendron, of North Baldwin, New York, was awarded honorable mention for his project, “Elucidating the protective effect of Phenylmercaptoacetamide (PMA) to AS (V) toxicity in Caenorhabdites elegans.”
Chemistry major Monique Louis, a junior from Springfield Gardens, earned first place in the Chemistry II category for her research, titled “6-Thioguanine: A Potential Endogenous Oxidant via Excitation-Oxidation-Reduction Cycles.”
Other CSTEP students who presented their research included Treasure Allen of Brooklyn, New York, Cassandra Castma of Westbury, New York, Eric Doucet of Deer Park, New York, and Laesha Jean-Louis of Westbury, New York.
The Collegiate Science & Technology Entry Program (CSTEP), funded by the New York State Department of Education, is a program geared towards increasing the number of underrepresented students in the fields of science, technology and the licensed professions.
About SUNY College at Old Westbury
Located on the historic North Shore of New York’s Long Island, the State University of New York College at Old Westbury is a selective public liberal arts college with more than 4,400 students studying in more than 40 undergraduate degree opportunities in its liberal arts and professional programs and 15 graduate programs in business, education and mental health counseling. On the College’s 604-acre campus, students and faculty participate in an environment that demands academic excellence, fosters intercultural understanding, and endeavors to stimulate a passion for learning and a commitment to building a more just and sustainable world. For more information on the State University of New York College at Old Westbury, visit www.oldwestbury.edu.