SUNY Oneonta

SUNY Oneonta's 2018 College Fed Challenge team, a group of the college's most talented economics and business economics students, competed in the Liberty Street Division of the College Fed Challenge competition on Oct. 24 and has qualified to advance to the semi-final round on Nov. 14 at the Federal Reserve Bank in New York City. During the preliminary round, the five students gave a presentation on the economy that included a forecast of near-term changes in economic and financial conditions that would impact monetary policy, risks to their forecast, and a recommendation for a stance on monetary policy. Teams are required to prepare a slide deck consisting of charts and graphs used to determine their policy recommendation. The five presenters then answered questions given by a panel of judges in a 15-minute session. The panel consisted of New York Fed economists and staff who are experts in their field. While only five representatives formally presented to the judges during the competition, SUNY Oneonta's team totals 17. Presenters, alternates and non-presenting team members work collectively on the presentation throughout the semester and travel together to New York City for the competition. The non-presenting team members prepare the five presenters with potential questions from the judges and ensure the accuracy of the data and content of the required slide deck. The Oneonta team offered a presentation on campus that served as a dress rehearsal for the Fed Challenge during an evening event for faculty and students. The presentation was entirely student-run and included discussion on monetary policy and policy tools, the Fed Challenge competition and recruitment, and a question and answer session with the audience. There were more than 90 in attendance.

Seven students were selected by the faculty of SUNY Oneonta's Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences to be the recipients of Scholarship Awards this year. Scholarships were awarded as part of the department's 42nd Annual Majors' Night in the Student Commons area of the Perna Science building.

Ninety three SUNY Oneonta students from SUNY Oneonta's School of Economics and Business traveled to the Big Apple on Oct. 25 for the college's annual Backpacks to Briefcases alumni networking trip. Students visited 21 well-established alumni at their Manhattan offices and heard about their experiences going from students to top executives. The event is designed to inspire students to jumpstart their careers by beginning to build their professional networks. It is funded by the Oneonta Student Association and the SUNY Oneonta Alumni Association through charitable gifts to the Fund for Oneonta.

Two students presented at the Annual Conference on Volunteerism and Social Responsibility, held at SUNY Oneonta on Nov. 3. SUNY Oneonta students Samantha Pepe and Skylar Claud presented "Home Restoration and Sun Salutations." In this presentation, they will speak about their one-week volunteer experience with the Jewish disaster relief organization, NECHAMA. They traveled with eleven other students and two professors to help rebuild homes damaged from Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.

During the Fall Break, a group of 16 SUNY Oneonta students traveled to the coast of Maine to study invertebrate animals and marine biology. They visited the Darling Marine Center, a field station of the University of Maine, where they spent three intensive days sampling from a variety of marine habitats. Students were immersed in the marine environment with the ultimate goal of observing as many marine animals as possible. Activities included a ride on a research vessel upon which students collected open water samples, a visit to a tidal mud flat, and a visit to an intertidal zone. Students learned about the importance of fisheries in Maine firsthand and were also introduced to the delights of cooking and eating seafood. The trip enabled the students to apply what they had learned in the classroom back on the SUNY Oneonta campus.

Emily Ahlqvist has been named the 2018 SUNY Oneonta Intern of the Year, a new award sponsored by the Otsego County Chamber to recognize outstanding work by interns at local businesses and organizations.

The following local residents were among the students who graduated from SUNY Oneonta following the spring 2018 semester. The college's commencement ceremony was held on Saturday, May 12.

Ten students have been selected for SUNY Oneonta's Robert Noyce Scholars Program in Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science and Physics. This program prepares talented science majors for successful careers as grade 7-12 science teachers in high-need, urban and rural schools. Supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation, the program offers each Noyce Scholar approximately $20,000 in scholarships during his/her junior and senior years. In return, students commit to teaching for at least four years in high-need rural or urban school districts after graduating from SUNY Oneonta.

Five SUNY Oneonta students flew to England recently to perform in a choir in Durham, UK. The students rehearsed about 25 hours, during which they learned 18 short choral works for performance at the English Choral Experience course held at Durham Castle, part of Durham University. The English Choral Experience was led and directed by prominent English choral conductor, Paul Spicer, who serves as choral conductor at the Royal Birmingham Conservatory. Durham Castle is a Norman castle that has been occupied since 1840 by University College, Durham. It is open to the general public to visit, but only through guided tours, since it is in use as a working building and is home to over 100 students. Oneonta students rehearsed and stayed in the 16th century Great Hall. In order to be selected for the trip, SUNY Oneonta students had to audition. They were required to prepare one song of their choosing and complete several sight-reading exercises. The students were able to do some sightseeing, as well, visiting the cathedral where segments of two Harry Potter movies, the latest Avengers film and "Elizabeth I" were filmed. The trip was conceived through a Faculty Center grant for Applied Learning. The D'Antonio Student Travel for Excellence Fund, the Fund for Oneonta, the Dean of Humanities and the Music Department all supported the trip.

Artwork by SUNY Oneonta recent graduates is featured in a new exhibition in the college's Project Space Gallery. "Student Recipient Exhibition, Jean Parish Memorial Scholarship 2017-2018" opened Sept. 10 and runs through Oct. 5.

Six women and four men's Tennis players earned academic recognition from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.

The senior field hockey trio of Allyson Bilow, Carissa Warren and Allyson Wells represented the United States on a collegiate tour of Australia.

Three SUNY Oneonta students have been awarded scholarships to travel to Thailand and intern with Sodexo thanks to funding provided by SUNY Oneonta Auxiliary Services.

SUNY Oneonta students are making a difference in Puerto Rico this summer, assisting in recovery efforts after Hurricane Maria destroyed much of the U.S. territory's lush landscape and many homes. A group of 11 students recently returned from a service-learning trip there with geography faculty members Justin Hartnett and Trevor Fuller. Last September, a Category Four storm known as Hurricane Maria hit the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. With widespread flooding, power outages and hundreds of homes destroyed by the tropical storm, Puerto Rico was stripped of its lush landscape, and the widely popular tourist territory became devoid of its attractions for weeks. Unfortunately, the recovery has been moving along slowly ever since. Eight months after the disaster, there is still an extensive need for assistance in Puerto Rico. Blue tarps serve as shelters for many residents whose homes were destroyed. Working with NECHAMA, a volunteer-driven nonprofit headquartered in Minnesota, 11 SUNY Oneonta students cleaned, swept, hammered, painted, worked on roofs and more last week to help improve the area.

Six SUNY Oneonta students traveled to Cancun, Mexico last week to participate in the 93rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Parasitologists. The students presented posters on the results of their parasitological research projects on host-parasite systems of Otsego Lake, or of marine stingray tapeworms. Several of the student research projects were supported in part by Student Research Grants from SUNY Oneonta. Student travel to these meetings was supported in part by the Caroline '67 and David D'Antonio Student Travel for Excellence Fund.

A total of 1,445 SUNY Oneonta students earned Dean's List honors for the spring 2018 semester. To qualify for the Dean's List, a student must earn a grade-point average of 3.5 or higher while carrying a course load of 12 hours or more.

A total of 222 SUNY Oneonta students earned Provost's List honors for the spring 2018 semester. To qualify for the Provost's List, a student must earn a perfect 4.0 grade-point average while carrying a course load of 12 hours or more.

Junior softball player Dana Del Genio was selected to the Google Cloud Academic All-District 3 First Team this spring.

2018 graduate Kayla Clohessy was selected by the SUNYAC as the recipient of the Dr. Delores Bogard Award.

17 SUNY Oneonta students recently traveled to Peru to study tropical biology. The group spent one week in the Andes Mountains learning about ecosystems in the highlands, as well as agricultural practices and culture. Students also learned first-hand the effects of high elevation on the human body! A highlight of their time in the mountains was the visit to the ancient Incan town of Machu Picchu, considered to be one of the new Seven Wonders of the World.

Sophomores Kevin Mackin and Daniel Ioos were selected this spring as SUNY Scholar Athletes.

From May 14-18, assistant professor of music Dr. Adam Kent led a mini-course on Colombian music in Cartagena, Colombia with three SUNY Oneonta music majors, Misaki Kobayashi, Taylor Stone and Catrin Miskewicz. The program was an outgrowth of a COIL collaboration organized by Dr. Kent with a colleague from the Universidad de Cartagena last fall. With a grant from the O.I.E. and funding provided by the Sociedad de Mejoras Publicas in Cartagena, Dr. Kent partnered with Patricia Ojeda, founder and director of the Escuela de Musica Patricia Ojeda, for a series of presentations on musical nationalism in the South American country. Guest speakers and performers included local percussionists, jazz musicians and experts on Cumbia, the best known indigenous musical form. In addition, the students studied and performed works by such Colombian composers as Jaime Leon, Carlos Luis Figueroa, Adolfo Mejia, Juan Guillermo Villarreal Solar and Guillermo Uribe Holguin. The students plan to offer a concert of the music studied on this trip in the fall semester at SUNY Oneonta. When not busy practicing or attending presentations, the students were able to do some sight-seeing, enjoying an excursion to the Islas del Rosario keys off the Cartagena coast, participating in a workshop on chocolate making, and visiting the local Museo del Oro.

Junior softball catcher Selena Ruiz was selected to the NFCA All-Region Team for her on-field performance during the 2018 season.

When the faded banners on the exterior of SUNY Oneonta's Fine Arts building were removed at the end of the spring semester, they were replaced with brand new ones designed by an art major from Colonie, NY. The college selected Briela Tollisen's banners through a competitive process developed by Facilities and the Art Department. The banner replacement project was an assignment for Tollisen's Advanced Graphic Design class, and the experience mimicked one of a professional artist responding to a call for proposals for a public work. Specifications for the banners were announced to students in October before a half dozen designs were selected for further consideration. The field was then narrowed to three. Finalists presented their work, from vision to production, to the college in November. After thoughtful discussion of the merits of each set of banners, the college settled on Tollisen's designs. ICG believes that each is a well-executed work that could stand on its own. As a series, the banners present a wide range of aesthetics that showcase the creativity that SUNY Oneonta students possess.

Local athletes were members of the 2018 SUNY Oneonta women's lacrosse team.

Local athletes were members of the 2018 SUNY Oneonta softball team.

Local athletes competed on the SUNY Oneonta baseball team this spring.

Sixteen SUNY Oneonta students have received Fellowships for Internship Support, so that they may be paid while completing invaluable immersive learning experiences this summer.

Eight SUNY Oneonta students completed internships and also received payment during the Spring 2018 semester, thanks to a number of Fellowships for Internship Support.

Forty eight seniors were recognized for community service efforts during a ceremony at SUNY Oneonta's Alumni Hall Theater last week. The event, which was held May 11, was hosted by the Center for Social Responsibility and Community and was a celebration of seniors who volunteered 350 hours or more during their time at SUNY Oneonta. This year's senior class had 589 seniors who logged 60,517 hours of service in their four years.