Julia Riley at last year’s ACC’s Meeting of the Minds conference
As a participant of last year’s ACC Meeting of the Minds (M.o.M.) conference, Julia Riley ’20 presented her research on a certain protein, Ubiquilin-2, that has been shown to cause some forms of ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, when it contains certain mutations. The prestigious opportunity allowed her to further develop her abilities to convey how creative and interesting science can be.
“The conference solidified how important it is to make sure the knowledge we generate with research is accessible to everyone, because it should belong to everyone,” says Riley, a biochemistry and neuroscience major. “This is always important because it helps generate new perspectives and ideas, and especially important in the current climate of public distrust in research.”
Every year, a group of six undergraduates from Syracuse join students from the 14 other institutions in the ACC to showcase their work, learn from peers at other colleges and universities, and network among scholars and students at the conference.
This year’s conference will be held March 20-22 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
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.
Syracuse University students can apply by completing a brief application. The deadline to apply is Monday, Feb. 3.
Students at last year’s Meeting of the Minds conference. Top row, from left, are Emma Maurer, Cynthia Wang and Julia Riley. Bottom row, from left, are Nick Riccardi, Xuerui Yang and Jacob O’Shea.
Another Syracuse student who attended last year, Nick Riccardi ’20, presented a poster on “Canadian Hockey Leagues Game-to-Game Performance.” The sports analytics major investigated how certain outside factors—such as rest, travel and weather conditions—affect how junior hockey league players perform on a game-to-game basis.
“My experience at the conference was amazing in terms of presenting my own research, as well as learning about other students’ work,” Riccardi says. “I was able to get valuable experience presenting to many people as well as learn a great deal about the topics that other students presented research on.”
Riley, who uses microscopy to investigate how Ubiquilin-2 in cells responds to cellular stress and investigates the protein’s interactions with other cellular components linked to ALS, also enjoyed the interdisciplinary nature of the conference.
“It was a unique opportunity to talk to and learn from people outside of my realm of study,” says Riley, who is also a student in the Renée Crown University Honors Program.
The conference offers a distinctive academic experience and the opportunity to connect with other student researchers across the ACC.
“Our students have an incredible experience each year at the Meeting of the Minds Conference. It’s a dynamic event featuring the best of undergraduate student research in all disciplines from the ACC institutions,” says Kate Hanson, director of the Syracuse Office of Undergraduate Research & Creative Engagement (The SOURCE). “Students have the opportunity to present their work, get valuable feedback, and meet students and faculty from across the ACC universities.”
A panel of Syracuse University faculty members select the presenters based on the academic quality of the project, clarity of expression in the proposal, completeness of research/creative project, independence of the project and relevance of the project to program of study.
For more information about the 2020 M.o.M. Conference, contact Hanson at khanso01@syr.edu.
