A student points with a pinky finger at a portion of her research poster while presenting at UAlbany Showcase. A student points with a pinky finger at a portion of her research poster while presenting at UAlbany Showcase.

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.

 

UAlbany Showcase 2025

Student Awards & Honors

awards
UAlbany Showcase 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 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
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
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"

Share Your Feedback

As we plan for next year's event, UAlbany is seeking feedback from anyone who attended or participated in Showcase 2025. 

If you could take a moment to fill in our brief survey, we would appreciate it!
 

Complete the Survey

A student gestures and holds a laptop while presenting his research poster during UAlbany Showcase.
survey
photos
  • Students walk through the ETEC Parking Lot with a large, white weather balloon ahead of their Showcase presentation.
  • A student speaks with an attendee about her research poster at UAlbany Showcase.
  • A person smiles while trying out a set of VR goggles and hand-held controls during UAlbany Showcase.
  • A student smiles as she queues something up on her laptop during a Showcase presentation.
  • A student positions a robot on a track during a demonstration at UAlbany Showcase.
  • A moderator asks a panel of three students a question while a seated audience listens during UAlbany Showcase.
  • An orchestra performs with a conductor during UAlbany Showcase.
  • Three attendees admire a large painting inside the University Art Museum during UAlbany Showcase.
  • The UAlbany Spirit Band performs outside beneath the carillon during UAlbany Showcase.
  • A troupe of dancers in matching black leggings and orange shirts strike a pose during a performance at UAlbany Showcase.
A student gestures toward her research poster while presenting two two attendees during UAlbany Showcase.

 

Support Showcase

Anyone can support UAlbany Showcase by making a monetary donation of any size. 

Your generosity will help fund the educational opportunities available to both undergraduate and graduate students.
 

Donate Now

Thank you to our partners!

partners