Purchase, NY - When most people think of creativity, they think of the arts. But at Purchase College, SUNY, the core principles of creativity—such as experimentation, innovation, and openness to ideas—are helping to produce superstars in the sciences, too.

On May 5, forty-five of the college's top-performing seniors in the sciences will present their final projects, showcasing some of the most innovative scientific research that’s taking place at the undergraduate level in America today, at the 31st Annual Natural & Social Sciences Student Symposium. Running from 8:45 am to 12:30 pm, the symposium convenes in the Purchase College Natural Sciences Building.

The event is free and open to the public and features research in fields as diverse as biochemistry, biology, environmental studies, mathematics/computer science, psychology, economics, anthropology, sociology, political science, Latin American studies and gender studies.

"At Purchase, the sciences and arts departments communicate in ways that lead to creative breakthroughs in both areas of study," commented Ronnie Halperin, associate professor of psychology and chair of the School of Natural and Social Sciences. "The annual symposium is a celebration of excellence in the sciences, and a way for Purchase to share some of our most exciting research with the community."

Among the presentations at this year's symposium are: "Meditation as a Buffer against Age-Related Executive Function Decline" by Barbara Peysakhovich, sponsored by Dr. Nancy Zook; "Princesses and Cowboys: Does Gender Information Make Inhibition Hard for 3- to 5-Year-Olds" by Jessica Fosella, sponsored by Dr. Karen Singer-Freeman; "Reflections of Environmental Food in the Perceptual Structure of Food: Eating Habits Examined From an Ecological Perspective" by Hillary Costigan, sponsored by Dr. Julia Blau and Dr. Lisa Jean Moore; and "Lipid Analysis of Nuclei from Tumor Cells" by Rosabeya Diaz, sponsored by Dr. Joanne K. Tillotson.

The symposium, which gives students the valuable opportunity to present their ideas in an open forum and to utilize a skill set that is crucial to the career of a science professional, is one of several initiatives through which Purchase nurtures the development of leading scientific achievers nationwide.

Various illustrious sciences professionals got their start at Purchase, including Dr. Jill Bargonetti, award-winning cancer researcher profiled in The New York Times; Carl Safina, prominent New York-based marine conservationist and president of the Blue Ocean Institute; Dr. John R. Ambroseo, president, CEO and director of Coherent, Inc., a supplier of photonics based solutions; Lindsay Randall, Special Assistant at the White House Council on Environmental Quality; and Peter Powchick, senior vice president of clinical development at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals.

Sponsors of the 31st Natural and Social Sciences Student Research Symposium include: The Joseph & Sophia Abeles Foundation,
Edith Fehr, Lucille Werlinich, Catherine Ziegler, John Ambroseo, Ph.D. ('83 Chemistry) & Jeanette Ambroseo, Con Edison, Doral Arrowwood, Ronen Marmur, M.D. ('90 Psychology), Sigma Xi: The Scientific Research Society, Entergy, The School of Natural and Social Sciences Alumni, and The Friends of Natural and Social Sciences.

For more information about Purchase College, part of the State University of New York (SUNY) network of 64 universities and colleges, visit www.purchase.edu.

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