Celebrating 20 Years of SOURCE

Pictured: Students Emaan Naeem Mughal (B.S. ’22), left, and Puneet Dhaliwal present their academic research poster, "The Effect of Brain Dehydration on the Efficacy of Cerebrospinal Fluid’s Cushioning Effect: A Computational Study."

One hundred twenty three abstracts were accepted for oral or poster presentations at this year’s Symposium of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE), representing the work of approximately 250 graduate and undergraduate students across New York Tech’s schools, colleges, and campuses. First held in 2004, SOURCE rang in its 20th anniversary on April 14 on the New York City campus, marking two decades of students’ scholarly research.

The symposium is a critical event at New York Tech, as the annual tradition convenes students to honor and showcase the outcomes of their academic research in collaboration with peers and faculty mentors. The excitement began with opening remarks from Professor of Humanities Elizabeth Donaldson, Ph.D.

Students then dispersed for the morning hour of oral presentations. Spread across three floors in 16 W. 61st St., students spoke on topics such as the relationship between body positivity and physical health, solutions to greenhouse gas emissions in Puerto Rico, and student-led legislation to end the sale of over-the-counter weight loss and muscle-building products to minors. Technical topics included exotic DNA structures and their role in gene instability, genome sequencing of bacteria-infecting viruses (bacteriophages), and the use of bacteriophages to combat MRSA infections.

Annette Pietraru, left, presented her work on “Synthesis of Multi-Target Directed Ligands for Alzheimer’s Disease.” Ahnaf Zaman, middle, and Justin Edward, right, presented their project “Assessment of PDE5 Inhibitory Activity of Novel Compounds for Potential Therapeutic Applications in Alzheimer’s Disease.”

Following this first session, SOURCE visitors mingled with faculty and students and explored the first round of poster presentations. By noon, lunch was served as SOURCE Chair Roger Yu, Ph.D., Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Daniel Quigley, Ph.D., President Hank Foley, Ph.D., and Provost and Executive Vice President Jerry Balentine, D.O., took to the stage to formally welcome the crowd to the 20th-anniversary celebration.

“It’s a pleasure to see so many students and faculty here participating in SOURCE, this longtime New York Tech tradition,” President Foley said. “I think performing research really epitomizes the New York Tech spirit of doing, making, and innovating, and SOURCE gives our community a chance to see our students in action as they describe their research and creative works.”

After the lunch break, students assembled for the second poster session in the Nada Maire Anid, Ph.D. Art Gallery and Student Lounge, followed by the afternoon hour of oral presentations. Before the event concluded, visitors could listen to or view poster research topics including effects on music in memorization ability, reproductive healthcare, and a study involving lingual and cultural diversity in New York City.

“SOURCE is a fantastic opportunity to not only summarize and share the work that we’ve done but also to mingle with our peers and see all they’ve been working on,” said NYITCOM student Andrew Cecora, who presented “More Than a TV Show—How Scrubs Can Color Your Patient’s Perspective” with School of Management student Kyle Gillani. “This is a great way to broaden our horizons for what we may be able to study in the future.”

Michael Cronin (B.A. ’04), an alumnus of the first-ever SOURCE, made an appearance at this year’s 20th anniversary and was an eyewitness to how far the university has come in cultivating students who achieve so much during their academic journeys.

“It’s incredible to see the growth and expansion of SOURCE. Walking around and seeing the energy from the students and the passion of the presenters, it’s incredible,” said Cronin, whose SOURCE presentation, “Web Site Development: A Professional and Creative Process,” in 2004 involved early website technology and design. “Students take their academics and the knowledge of their discipline, and they present and teach it in a way that their audience can understand. SOURCE is a great venue for these students to build presentation and public speaking skills.”

View all the projects at this year’s SOURCE.