Two Russell Sage College students will present their original research at the 2022 Northeast Regional Honors Council Conference.  

The conference will be held April 7-10 in Philadelphia. 

“We’re very excited to have two students doing research and presenting to their peers, and also to be able to return to an in-person conference to celebrate their work this year,” said Nathanael Green, Betty Harder McClellan Distinguished Professor in Humanities and co-director of Sage’s Honors program.

The following students will participate in the Honors conference: 

— Biology major Sarah-Gabrielle Casimir will present “Synthesis of silver nanoparticles and their application in increasing the efficiency of solar disinfection (SODIS) water contaminated with E.coli bacteria.”

Watch: Professor Obuya and Sarah-Gabrielle Casimir discuss their research.

“Working with Dr. Obuya has taught me a lot, from discipline to organization and learning about research,”  said Biology major and pre-med student Sarah-Gabrielle Casimir ’22 . “I am really grateful for this opportunity.”

Her conference presentation grew out of research she conducted with Chemistry Professor Emilly Obuya, Ph.D., to identify a combination of sunlight and nanoparticles that could disinfect a bottle of water more efficiently than sunlight alone. 

Sarah-Gabrielle is a Biology major in Sage’s Class of 2022 with plans to attend medical school.

She said that Honors courses, like Science in Life: Politics, Law and Ethics in Science, allowed for more discussion and debate and were among her favorite classes at Sage. Her research, she added, pushed her to see how she can use science to help communities. 

— Psychology major Breanna Burns will present  “College Access and Newcomer Students: Bridging the Gap to Promote Educational Success”

Her conference presentation grew out of a project with Assistant Professor and Director of Service Learning Ali Schaeffing, Ph.D. They investigated the obstacles that children and young adults who are refugees face in their pursuit of education. 

Russell Sage College’s Honors and CSTEP programs supported both students’ research projects.

Sage’s Honors program offers community, research and travel opportunities, seminars and other special events for highly motivated students in any major. 

CSTEP is an acronym for Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program. It is a grant-funded program sponsored by the New York State Department of Education. It provides mentoring, paid internships and research experiences to eligible students in STEM-related majors or professional programs. 

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