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You put student research on the fast track

Awards recognize and support innovative work

������ý offers students opportunities to advance pioneering research, even as soon as their first year on campus. One way it celebrates that work is by presenting students with Undergraduate Research Awards made possible by ������ý Fund donors.

Award recipient Thomas Avallone ’25, for example, investigated how the demand for
cheap clothing, or “fast fashion,” strains the environment, and how chemicals in clothing could transfer into our bodies through our skin and affect our health.

The impact of his findings, and more research on this topic, could lead to important changes in clothing industry regulations and improve our ability to make informed decisions about the clothes we buy.

Next year, he’ll begin medical school and working as a research assistant in the Neuro-ophthalmology Department at SUNY Upstate Medical University, studying retinal regeneration in mice.

“I am very grateful to attend a University that supports their undergraduate students in their research endeavors,” he said. “I am confident that many of my experiences at ������ý have prepared me for medical school and beyond.”

Arthur O’Sullivan ’24 received an award for a project inspired by his undergraduate studies in biology and in classical civilization. His research was an interdisciplinary effort to build on others’ previous findings about the antibiotic properties of narcissus and honey and explore modern approaches to ancient medicinal remedies.

In the fall, O’Sullivan will be back at ������ý to start the master’s program in biology and expand his research experience in new areas of microbiology. He said the award boosted his confidence as a researcher and pride in his work. He said, “Receiving the award made my day.”