Dear students, faculty, staff and friends:

In the past two years, Binghamton University’s transformative research has drawn national and international recognition — when Professor Stan Whittingham received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his groundbreaking work on lithium-ion batteries, and when the University was recognized as one of only 131 elite research universities in the nation by the Carnegie Classifications of Institutions of Higher Education.

Research Days does something similar by highlighting and celebrating the exciting research, scholarship and creative work conducted on our campus by faculty and students at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted every aspect of life, as happened last year, Research Days are being held virtually because of the importance of highlighting the research that our students and faculty have done.

Last year’s virtual event was a great success, and I have no doubt that this year’s will be as well. After all, we’re refining our skills at staging virtual events!

These vital activities connect our students and our world-class faculty and have long been a part of the fabric of academic excellence that defines Binghamton. As we continually look to expand opportunities for students, our groundbreaking First-year Research Immersion (FRI) program –with 10 research streams — provides exceptional opportunities for students to combine their academic studies with the experience of conducting authentic research. The addition of the Source Project — with six research streams — provides first-year students equally exciting opportunities to conduct original research in the social sciences and humanities.

Our Summer Research Immersion (SRI) program provides the same exceptional experience of conducting real research, coupled with the development of workplace skills that employers, graduate schools and professional schools expect: communication, collaborative, project management and leadership.

These programs are supplemented by our Summer Artists and Scholars Program, which provides funding to undergraduate students for eight weeks of full-time scholarly activity under the mentorship of a faculty member, working on projects ranging from writing and cinema to archival research and working in a lab.

And, of course, hundreds of our faculty offer undergraduate and graduate students’ rich opportunities to conduct research and discover new knowledge through independent research projects, work in their labs and studios, capstone projects and community-based research.

We have also forged strong research collaborations across campus through our six Transdisciplinary Areas of Excellence (TAEs), involving more than 200 faculty in the areas of citizenship, rights and cultural belonging; data science; health sciences; material and visual worlds; smart energy; and sustainable communities. These TAEs allow us to further develop a sense of identity, inspiring collaboration and generating excitement about the possibilities they hold.

We are especially proud of the way our students, staff and faculty have adapted to our changing world. Their creativity is commendable and inspiring. Thanks for being part of our Research Celebration!

Sincerely,

Donald G. Nieman
Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost