Dedicated to the Pursuit of Knowledge

At a time when most college students are headed for summer break, New York Tech student researchers and recent graduates traveled with faculty to impressive conferences, where they shared scientific findings, made professional connections, and gained a deeper understanding of their academic field. Here are just a few of their experiences.

Keeping Their Eyes on the Prize

Three students from the College of Arts and Sciences and a student from the College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM) presented research at the 25th Annual Meeting of the Vision Sciences Society (VSS). The international conference, which took place May 16 to 20 in St. Pete Beach, Fla., draws vision scientists from around the world each year.

“The opportunity was especially meaningful given the rarity of undergraduate presentations at this prestigious conference and the translational potential of the students’ work,” says cognitive neuroscientist Robert Alexander, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology and counseling, who mentored and accompanied the student researchers.

Undergraduate psychology major Briana Alcindor presented “Decreased Eye Movement is Associated with Perceived Blurring of Object Boundaries in Meditation.” The project, one of several ongoing research initiatives in Alexander’s laboratory, explores whether eye movement patterns might explain some of the perceptual changes people experience during meditation, with findings potentially informing future mindfulness-based interventions.

“Presenting was a memorable experience. I’m usually part of group presentations, but this time, I was on my own. I was really pushed out of my comfort zone,” says Alcindor, who received a National Eye Institute Early Career Scientist Travel Grant in support of her travel. “While presenting, I gained confidence in my ability to explain my research independently. This will be important for my future career as a mental health counselor and a researcher. This experience helped me become more comfortable with public speaking, which is an important skill for clinical and academic settings.”

NYITCOM student Nancy Mahfouz and psychology undergraduates Ayesha Mulla and Doris Prela joined CUNY School of Medicine student Sophia Castro in co-presenting the poster “A Review of Fixational Instability in Ophthalmic Disease.” Their research aims to bring awareness to the connections between eye movements and disease. For example, abnormal eye movements can impair reading, diminishing a patient’s quality of life. Measuring these movements could help clinicians individualize treatment and better track whether a medication is working for their patient or if it may need to be adjusted. This summer, the team will submit their work for publication in scholarly journals.  “Presenting at VSS was empowering. It made me realize I’m part of a real scientific community, not just a student doing a project. People were genuinely interested and cared about our ideas,” says Mulla.

Exercising Their Knowledge

The following week, 15 students and recent graduates from the School of Health Professions traveled with exercise science faculty Assistant Professor Alexander Rothstein, Ed.D., Associate Professor Amerigo Rossi, Ed.D., and Professor Gordon Schmidt, Ph.D., to Atlanta, Ga., for the American College of Sports Medicine’s (ACSM) Annual Meeting.

At the meeting, held May 27 to 30, New York Tech was honored for achieving Exercise Is Medicine® on Campus (EIMOC) Gold Status, recognizing multiple healthy lifestyle initiatives implemented at the Long Island campus. Among others, these included older adult exercise classes run by Schmidt’s students in fall 2024, the Exercise Science Club’s Annual Dodgeball Tournament and Strongest Bear Competition (held in collaboration with the Department of Occupational Therapy), and fitness-focused activities at NYITCOM. The faculty and students in attendance proudly received the award on behalf of the university.

Abstracts presented included “A Pilot Study Analyzing the Effects of Acute Indian Club Swinging on Strength, Endurance, and Mobility,” by Exercise Science B.S. student Shane Phillips, and “Acute Responses to Indian Clubs as an External Load during a Standardized Warm-Up,” presented by Rothstein.

Phillips also competed alongside recent graduates Bernie Acevedo (B.S. ’25) and Mateo Gonzalez (B.S. ’25) in the ACSM’s national Quiz Bowl, a Jeopardy-style contest with questions related to human physiology, body composition, and exercise testing and prescription, among other topics. The top team from each of the 11 regional ACSM chapters competed, with New York Tech’s team taking second place in the country and earning the record for the second-highest score (second only to this year’s winning team).

“Attending the ACSM National Meeting was an incredible opportunity for both personal and professional growth, as well as a testament to the success of our exercise science program…Securing second place in the competition truly highlights the strength and competitiveness of our program—not just regionally, but on a national scale,” says Gonzalez, who adds that hearing from established researchers helped to inspire his own future research passions.

Recent graduate Gina Brindisi (B.S. ’25) also gained invaluable experience, including networking opportunities that could lead to research collaborations with a company specializing in tissue regeneration technology.

“We exchanged contact information and discussed the potential to collaborate on research using their device, which has already been studied in areas like Parkinson’s disease and sports injuries,” says Brindisi. “I also had the opportunity to receive a professional review of my résumé, which gave me helpful feedback on how to present my experiences and keep track of everything I’ve done in the field of exercise science.”

In addition, via a research collaboration between New York Tech and Hofstra, Hofstra graduate student Jessie Hirsch, who was mentored by Rossi and Rothstein, as well as Associate Professor of Psychology Melissa DiMartino, Ph.D., won second place in the President’s Cup, a five-minute research presentation competition. The group’s study examines the feasibility of an exercise program to improve well-being in a middle school setting.

“Being surrounded by professionals who are deeply committed to advancing the movement of science was truly inspiring. I had the chance to network with clinicians, professors, ACSM staff, and fellow students, which opened my eyes to the many paths available in this field. It reaffirmed that I’m exactly where I’m meant to be and left me excited to grow as both a future physical therapist and a contributor to research,” says rising Exercise Science, B.S. senior Kaela Walker.