Located on the second floor of the James Wheelock Clark Library on the Russell Sage College campus, the Kathleen A. Donnelly Center for Undergraduate Research (DCUR) opened in September 2008 as one of the Dean's first Centers for Excellence. Named for Dr. Kathleen Donnelly, Professor Emerita Chemistry, the DCUR aims to support the pursuits of undergraduate research at Russell Sage College in a variety of ways. Dr. Donnelly was a major force in supporting undergraduate research and was responsible for the College's NCUR participation from 1990 until her retirement in 2008. During that time several dozen students went to NCUR all over the country and presented their research.

Students are encouraged to use the Center's resources to assist in research on papers and presentations. Center staff are available to assist students with presentation skills, posters, technical support, and publication and conference possibilities. The Center oversees the College's participation in the National Council on Undergraduate Research. As such, we endorse the Council on Undergraduate Research's definition of undergraduate research: "An inquiry or investigation conducted by an undergraduate student that makes an original intellectual or creative contribution to the discipline."

The Center also encourages students in the WORLD Program at Russell Sage to make use of the resources available to them in preparation for the bi-annual WORLD Conference.

Students can use DCUR to find on- and off-campus opportunities that best match their skills.

The Sage Colleges have sent students to the National Council on Undergraduate Research since 1990. The complete list of Sage participants may be found here.

Students attending NCUR 2011 in Ithaca, NY:

• Brittany Beyus and Caitlynne Cash, "I'm Not a Feminist, But..." (RSC, Advisor: Prof. Leigh Strimbeck)
• Briana Bixler, "Will Red Light Exposure Make Winners Out of Losers?" (RSC, Advisor: Dr. Susan Jenks)
• Rachel Castro, "REACTION: FOOD ALLERGY ICONOGRAPHY" (SCA, Advisor: Prof. Jean Dahlgren)
• Cheryce Harvey, "Can bats be saved? : Investigation of the effectiveness of bacteria and fungi in controlling the growth of Geomyces destructans" (RSC, Advisor: Dr. Dorothy Matthews)
• Elizabeth Knoll, "Reducing expression of RNA interference genes in the mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus" (RSC, Advisor: Dr. Jack Harris)
• Lauren Schroder, "Carbamate and Organophosphate pesticides: The effect on acetylcholinesterase activity in Notropis hudsonius" (RSC, Advisor: Prof. Toby Michelena)
• Jessy Willette, "Lost Boys of Sudan: A Study of Identity and Cultural Difference in Christopher Quinn's God Grew Tired of Us," (RSC, Advisor: Dr. Tonya Moutray)

(President Susan Scrimshaw, Dr. Kathleen Donnelly, Dean Sharon Robinson)

(Dean Sharon Robinson, Dr. Kathleen Donnelly, Dr. David Salomon)

Contact
Dr. David A. Salomon, Director
salomd@sage.edu
518-244-4585

The Center is a member of the Council on Undergraduate Research.