UAlbany Showcase 2025

Thank you to all who attended and participated!

The University at Albany held its third annual Showcase Day, which celebrates academic excellence, on Wednesday, April 30, 2025.

The day-long event featured poster fairs, performances, discussions, demonstrations and exhibitions that reflected new and original exploration of topics in STEM, arts and humanities, social sciences and the professions.

More than 2,200 UAlbany students presented over 1,300 sessions, sharing their research, academic work, experiential learning and creative activities.

UAlbany students, faculty and staff, as well as prospective students, donors, sponsors, legislators, community leaders, institutional partners and more than 450 middle and high school students from nine school districts, all attended Showcase.

Photos

Awards

Survey

UAlbany Showcase 2025

Student Awards & Honors

awards

UAlbany Showcase Awards

Eight student presenters were selected to win a $250 Showcase Award. The award and cash prize were made possible by our Showcase partners.

UAlbany Showcase Award winners pose for a photo with an oversized check and the UAlbany President and Provost at Showcase Day

Winners were announced at the Showcase Closing Reception:

Haley Bowman
Avery Giddings
Kyra Kalinovsky
Bree Langston
Sumaiya Nasir
Ibirayo Otusile
Evan Ozmat
Janiece Mary Padilla

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Awards

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering award winners pose for a photo with their award plaques at UAlbany Showcase.

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering announced the following awards on Showcase Day:

Best Junior Design Project

Winners:
- Kelvin Biney
- Meghan Herbert
- Najani Johnson
Runners-up:
- Alexander McDougall
- Powell Burke
- Tyler Bissonnette
People’s Choice Award:
- Brian Allen
- Kenneth Kowalski
- Mahib Rahman
- Sanad Sahawneh

Best Capstone Project

Winners:
- Justin Adams
- Jeremy Allen
- Anna Beech
- Hasan Merzai
Runners-up:
- Basit Baloch
- Ahmed Fadlalla
- Steven Vele
- Matthew Diehl
People’s Choice Award
- Selina Singh
- Lorrenz Miguel Matutina
- Irving Becerril

ECE Robotics Challenge

Winners:
- Thane Simera
- Stephen Chen
- Ryan Monty
Runners-up:
- Clay Farley
- Zak Friedman
Most Creative:
- Danny Laguerre
- Nora Mehzad

Minerva Center for High Impact Learning Undergraduate Research Awards

The Minerva Center for High Impact Learning announced the winners of the 2024-2025 undergraduate research awards on Showcase Day.

2024-2025 Endowed Undergraduate Research Award

Khadija Abdallah
Joseph Garofalo
Omar Gulmohamad
Sydney Hanson
Emmett Hanson
Reza Jari
Arianna Lange
Ethan Lenney
Alexandra McBean
Alexander McDougall
Malcolm Nance
Leann Nicholas
Chinecherem Osuji
Charlize Penalver
Mauricio Rodriguez
Kathryn Rooney
Amal Siddiqui
Bonnie Stern
Parmesh Thakoordial

2024-2025 Innovation Funding Research Assistantship

Khadija Abdallah
Myles Alamu
Lauren Aldrin Bernard
Mahmood Al-Farsi
Tristen Altime
Khamani Ambrose
Michael S Angamarca
Justin Anthony
Aaron Argomido
Anton Bonacci
Zoe Bryant
Florian Charles
Kelsey Classen
James Cuddy
Naomie Delice
Nada Elniel
Madalyn Essman
Gabriella Fanti
Gabriella Federighi
Immanuel Forde
Antoinette Francis
Christian Francisco
Joseph Garofalo
Julia Garrison
Kyra Gerdes
Avery Giddings
Ciera Gidley
Arely Gonzalez Hernandez
Tyler Gridley
Maxwell Gustin
Emmett Hanson
Joseph Hart
Alice R Heaton
Jacklyn Hicok
Pamela Hoxha
Gary Hu
Kennedy Hunter
Larisa Ibralic
Reza Jari
Hao Jian Huang
Seth Johnson
Kassandra Jovellanos
Doresh Khemraj
Joe Kobrossi
Alzahra Kolaib
Megan Lane
Hunter Lass
Jared Lewis-Holliday
Evan Limani
Daniel Lintz
Luke Lohrfink
Yingzhao Ma
Isabella A Maccera
Amar Malik
Kenner Marroquin
Alex McBean
Ashi Mehta
Tristan Melfi
Maira Mojica Ramirez
Maya Montena
Katherine Montgomery
Kaylia Morgan
Raja Mosher
Maddisen Nelson
Kaosi E Nuel-Ejiofor
Maria Nunez
Brenda M Padilla De Jesus
Noah Patzarian
Nick Pellegri
Mariana Pierce Resendiz
Victoria Pincus
Chris Pulimoottil
Leah Punnoose
Cole D Raccio
Johannson Ramos
David Reilly
Milo Reynoso
Mazharul Rohan
Kathryn Rooney
Skylar Rosenberg
Simge Sahiner
Mariela Santos-Reyes
Isabelle Savage
Jason Scheffel
Joey Schwartz
Benjamin Sepello
Ananya Sharma
Xavier R Shaw
Zyon Small
William Smitas
Natalie Specht
Jaelyn Staiano
Natasha Strock
Sridhana Tata
Betul Tok
Jack Uhl
Bianca Vildor
Michael Villano
Jaiden Williams
Aidan Winkler
Nicholas Winslow
Briana Yanson
Kris Yhap
Zachari Zegadlo
Yucheng Zhu

2024-2025 Minerva Center Research Award

Mattie Fitzpatrick
Simge Sahiner
Devyn Warnken

2024-2025 Presidential Award for Undergraduate Research

Myles Alamu
Isabella Blauvelt-Mercado
Katy Cable
Katherine Czernyk
Erin Donnellon
Mohamed Gardner
Julia Garrison
Adam Iqbal
Prarthna Kaurani
Doresh Khemraj
Noah Levine
Amar Malik
Savannah Mandella
Alexander McDougall
Thomas Miney
Sakthi Muthukrishnan
Melody Palmer
Charlize Penalver
Lily Plotkin
Leah Punnoose
Alison Sawyer
Olivia Sheffer
Zyon Small
Betul Tok
Drake Vergara

Writing & Critical Inquiry (WCI) Program Writing Contest

The Writing & Critical Inquiry (WCI) Program holds a writing contest for current WCI students each semester to encourage independent thinking, collective reflection and meaningful engagement. The winners read their essays during UAlbany Showcase.

Fall 2024

Personal Inquiry Essay

Winner: Trevor Pettit, "Our Kitchen Table"
Finalists:
- Esther Blough, "Take it? Or Leave it."
- Spencer Pannhorst, "A Note on Monsters"

Analysis Inquiry Essay

Winner: Sara Ghaly, "Do You Hear Me Now? The Rise and Decline of Deaf Culture and American Sign Language (ASL)”
Finalists:
- Trevor Pettit, "An Analysis of Generational Attitudes Toward Climate Change in The Gondoliers"
- Patrick Kolodziej, "Understanding Meaning Using Machines"

Conversation Inquiry Essay

Winner: Gwen Dominguez, "The Ethics of Shoplifting"
Finalists:
- Isabelle Savage, "Full Pockets and Empty Stomachs"
- Garvita Goyal, "Tiny Particles, Big Problems"

Spring 2025

Personal Inquiry Essay

Winner: Hailey Ferreras, "The Hole in My Heart"
Finalists:
- Marissa Urreta, "Girlhood, Unicorns, and Death: Am I just a Girl?"
- Jessica Allen, "They/Them"

Analysis Inquiry Essay

Winner: Ella Pessoni, "The Aestheticization of Pain in a Digital Landscape"
Finalists:
- Andrew Perez, "American Gang Violence"
- Toni-Ann Bernard, "The Impact of Social Media on Political Movements: The Case of Breonna Taylor"

Conversation Inquiry Essay

Winner: Adriana Sanon, "Pressure for a STEM Major"
Finalists:
- Ella Pessoni, "Dreamers in the Digital Age"
- Javier Gonzales, "Empty Shelves: Resisting Censorship and Defending Intellectual Freedom"