Summer Fellows Explore Passions through Research

A record-breaking 37 St. John Fisher University undergraduates are engaging in the Summer Fellows Research Program, collaborating with faculty mentors on research projects representing more than a dozen disciplines.

Sponsored by the Center for Student Research and Creative Work, the 10-week program gives students the creativity and freedom to design projects or explore special topics in their chosen field of study. Fellows engage in an intensive summer research experience mentored by full-time Fisher faculty members; practice goal-setting and critical self-reflection; and communicate research findings to peers and a broader community of scholars on and off the Fisher campus.

Throughout the program, student researchers and their mentors participate in “coffee talks,” or informal gatherings where they can share their success and challenges as they progress in their projects. The coffee talk sessions also explore professional development topics including using Google Scholar to better meet their mentors; artificial intelligence in student research; using iPads; and building resilience through the research process. Students also receive support in résumé building, communicating research, publishing in undergraduate journals, and more.

Undergraduate research at the University has expanded greatly over the last decade; nearly 300 students have participated in the Summer Fellows Research Program since its inception in 2011. External grants fund anywhere from 20 to 40 percent of costs associated with research, with the University making continued investments as well. Each year, between 40 to 50 students participate in regional, national, and international conferences and more than 150 students participate in the Fisher Showcase, the University’s annual research and creative works symposium.

“When students become scholars in fields or disciplines that they are passionate about, it elevates their academic experience, builds workforce readiness skills, and deepens their learning,” said Dr. Kristin Picardo, assistant provost in the Office of Sponsored Programs and director of the Center for Student Research and Creative Work.

This summer, Picardo said the breadth of research is the most diverse it has ever been, with students engaging in projects in natural sciences, humanities, social sciences, and health care.

Three students, Ranya Alsalahi, Dominique Lawrence, and Ephraim Chase, worked with Jeremy Sarachan, associate professor of media and communication and interdisciplinary arts, to gain backstage experience by working on Fisher Summer Theater’s production of Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth. Alsalahi served as stage manager, Lawrence was the assistant stage manager and props supervisor, and Chase served as the lighting board and sound board operator.

In the Wegmans School of Nursing, Stephen Zawodzinski is collaborating with Dr. Joy Hogan, assistant professor, to develop an online training module to educate health professionals on delivering palliative care to patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Phoebe Brajdic, a recent graduate of the Class of 2024 who will enter the University’s mental health counseling master’s program in the fall, is engaging in a usability study on gratitude interventions with Dr. Rob Rice, associate professor and chair of the mental health counseling program.

Riley Chappell and Caleb Soria are working with Dr. Gregory Drake, assistant professor of criminology and criminal justice, to develop a catalogue of mental health and wellness resources that police departments can provide to their officers.

In the Biology Department, students are surveying spotted turtle populations in Bergen Swamp, engaging in bench research that explores immune responses to bacteria, and building a database of environmental bacterial flora, among other projects.

Luke Horton, who is majoring in inclusive adolescence education with a minor in history, is working with fellow student Chris Thom, a history major, to collaborate with history professors, Drs. Anthony Siracusa and Carolyn Vacca, on the creation of a historical look at Howard Coles, Rochester’s first African American radio announcer and founder of The Frederick Douglass Voice, one of New York State’s longest running Black-owned newspapers.

Check Out The Research: Throughout the summer, Fisher News will spotlight research projects in the News and Events webpage and on Instagram and YouTube.