The ϲ team at the ACC Meeting of the Minds Conference held last year at ϲ. (Photo by Steve Sartori)
At last year’s ACC Meeting of the Minds Conference, José L. Marrero-Rosado ’17 discussed his research on the toxicity of two chemicals found in Onondaga Lake. The experience was a valuable way for him to refine his skills in presenting his work.
The conference, which showcases the research and creative work of select undergraduates from the ACC’s 15 schools, also allowed him to discover the depth of other student research from a variety of different fields and institutions.
“I met amazing scholars, but more importantly, I was able to learn what research looks like in fields I’m not familiar with, like art history,” says Marrero-Rosado, a dual biochemistry and anthropology major in the and the . “The Meeting of the Minds taught me that research is not just what happens in a lab bench but that it is much more than that. I left the conference with a new sense and value of what creating knowledge looks like.”
José L. Marrero-Rosado
Marrero-Rosado encourages students to apply to this year’s upcoming conference, being held this year at Duke University March 31-April 2. ϲ students can apply by completing a brief application at . The deadline to apply is Wednesday, Feb. 1.
Each of the ACC’s schools select six undergraduates to present at the conference. Students of all disciplines can apply to present their original research or creative project, which needs to be under the mentorship of a faculty member.
“The Meeting of the Minds conference represents a unique opportunity for students to gain experience in presenting their own ideas and findings, engaging with other students about their research, and interacting with faculty members from across the ACC,” says Associate Provost for Academic Affairs Jeffrey Stanton. “It is also a way to highlight the best of what our university has to offer and the wonderful contributions our students are making every day to research, creative work and academic knowledge.”
A panel of ϲ faculty members will select the winners based on the academic quality of the project, clarity of expression in the proposal, completeness of research/creative project, independence of project and relevance of project to program of study.
Marrero-Rosado ’s research was part of a collaboration under the research of John Hassett, chemistry professor at SUNY ESF; Jim Hewett, associate professor of biology in the College of Arts and Sciences; Katharine Lewis, associate professor of biology in the College of Arts and Sciences and Marrero-Rosado’s mentor; and Frank Middleton, associate professor at Upstate Medical University.
The Meeting of the Minds conference represents a unique opportunity for students to gain experience in presenting their own ideas and findings, engaging with other students about their research and interacting with faculty members from across the ACC.
Associate Provost for Academic Affairs Jeffrey Stanton
At the Meeting of the Minds conference, Marrero-Rosado focused on research involving the toxicity of PXE and PTE, two chemicals found in Onondaga Lake, a federal superfund site that is being cleaned up after having been a site of industrial dumping. He presented results from his experiments using zebrafish in which he found these two chemicals were more toxic to the organisms than DDT, a banned insecticide.
“Moreover, I also found that both chemicals increase seizure susceptibility in zebrafish larvae,” Marrero-Rosado says. “These results are alarming, as these chemicals are not being monitored and the lake cleanup is ignoring their presence in the lake. Therefore, this research is expected to help the lake cleanup and detoxification.”
After presenting at the conference, Marrero-Rosado received useful feedback from other students and professors—feedback that helped him decide some of the later steps in his project.
“I was able to learn how to properly present my research to people with different levels of expertise in my field. This is crucial in any field of study, as research is worthless if it is kept to oneself,” Marrero-Rosado says. “The Meeting of the Minds prepared me to share my research with the public at other events like the national Society of Toxicology conference I will be attending in March.”
The conference was one of his most memorable experiences at ϲ and for those who might be interested in applying, Marrero-Rosado says, “Go for it!”
“The scholars, the staff, the speakers, the research … all of these, great in themselves, add together to create this unique and unforgettable experience that will help you grow as a student, scholar and individual,” Marrero-Rosado says.
For more information about the 2017 M.O.M. Conference, contact Melissa Lowry at malowry@syr.edu.
