#facultyresearch

The research covered all academic areas and varied in focus, but many projects tackled applied issues. From the exploration of the aged yellow hue in the Indian yellow pigment to the factors behind the economic growth in China, I was truly enthralled by the projects discussed. I am always impressed by the deep knowledge of our faculty and staff and the enthusiasm they have for their research areas.

Jing Zhang discussing her research topic and presentation: “A Comparison on Elementary Mathematics Textbooks among U.S., Mainland China, and UK”

And I was not disappointed this year! I agree with Provost Perreault, who shared the excitement of learning about new areas.  This wonderful event is an affirmation that Buffalo State faculty and staff members are strong researchers who address complicated and often applied questions. And it is rewarding to see how they cultivate the love of research and creative efforts within our students.

Provost Melanie Perreault welcomes and congratulates participants 

I personally had a wonderful time exploring the projects displayed and only wish I had had more time to spend chatting with faculty, puzzling over new questions, and learning more from our research experts. But then there will be next year, and I can’t wait to see the research projects that will be shared with our community.

Kathleen McNerney, assistant professor of speech-language pathology, described how she would use badges to promote learning in her graduate courses. I was impressed with the careful way she and her RITE team had thought through these issues and had developed an array of methods to document knowledge learned at varied levels.

Kathleen McNerney, assistant professor of speech-language pathology

Andrea Nikischer, assistant professor of adult education, presented on the increased engagement and retention see wished to foster by adding gamification to an online graduate course. It was interesting to hear her describe the different levels of confidence that adult learners bring to her classes and how she hoped to build and expand on their initial knowledge.

Andrea Nikischer, assistant professor of adult education

Nirmala Nutakki, lecturer in the Mathematics Department, presented on how she developed digital e-learning modules to support the learning of elementary math content by preservice teachers. The thoughtful way she described how to parse learning into smaller chunks to improve comprehension was very interesting. And I loved her comment that “math is not a spectator sport.”

Nirmala Nutakki, lecturer, Mathematics Department

Robin O’Dell, associate professor of mathematics, gave an informative presentation on how she had used Adobe Captivate as an interactive remediation tool to help students in MTH 122. Her detailed and humorous descriptions of how she mastered the Adobe program gained not only some good chuckles from the audience but also a clear appreciation of the hours of work she had put into learning this tool.

Robin O’Dell, associate professor of mathematics

The last presentation was given by Lisa Rafferty, chair and associate professor of exceptional education, on increasing student engagement and individualized feedback in an e-learning environment. She will use Qualtrics in the fall with her EXE 501 class to enrich student learning. I was particularly impressed to learn that she would be able to give students real-time feedback, so they would be practicing with useful information.

Lisa Rafferty, chair and associate professor of exceptional education

In each presentation, faculty members shared the value of their RITE team and others in implementing their technology to better serve student learning. It was an exciting set of presentations, but most importantly, each will have a positive impact on teaching and learning.

Kate Conway-Turner with all the presenters

Again the students demonstrated that undergraduate students can and do delve deeply into issues to answer important questions, illuminate fields of study, and creatively attack questions related to their academic pursuits. Kudos to Jill Singer, director of the Undergraduate Research Office, for bringing national recognition to Buffalo State’s undergraduate research program and for her many years of coordination of this splendid conference.

Student Emily Parra-Amador presents her research to Kate Conway-Turner

Student Robert Flores discusses his research with faculty member Saziye Bayram

Following closely on the heels of the Student Research and Creativity Conference was the 20th annual Research Recognition Reception. This event celebrates the significant faculty research that occurs on campus and especially those who have successfully competed for external funding to support their research.

The event was held in the atrium of the Science and Mathematics Complex, and faculty, staff, and students came together to celebrate another successful research year. Many thanks to the Research and Economic Development Office and the Sponsored Programs Office for co-sponsoring this important event.

Undergraduate summer research fellowship recipients with their faculty mentors

The Research Recognition Reception ended with an announcement from Dr. Singer of this year’s Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowship recipients and their mentors. The topics ranged widely from landscape-inspired tapestries to cell-to-cell communication responses to osmotic challenges to elderly support systems. The summer projects promise another group of outstanding presentations for next year.

Jill Singer making her closing remarks