Undergraduate Research Conferences CUNY CSI

What is the Undergraduate Research Conference?

This event highlights scholarly and creative projects by students majoring in all disciplines, showcasing academic excellence through student-faculty collaboration, offering a rewarding and educational experience for all.

The conference is open to the entire campus community and friends of the College - students are especially encouraged to attend. This is a great opportunity to discover, cultivate, and inspire new ideas and interests. The major goals of the conference are:

Recognition of undergraduate research and creative work as highly valued teaching and learning experiences at the College
Celebration of academic excellence
Promotion of student-faculty collaboration and interaction in all aspects of teaching/learning

(CUNY, College of Staten Island, 2025)

The projects below are only a subset of the projects I have supervised with our undergraduate students at the Undergraduate Research Conference and shared with their permission.

2025 Undergraduate Projects Supervised

Student Perspective: "Working through a research project is both a personal and academic achievement. It's where my curiosity, hard work and critical thinking skills come together to create a meaningful project. Throughout the process, I overcame challenges that taught me resilience and broadened my knowledge".

Relating Sea Surface Temperatures to Coral Abundance in Florida

Objective: This project examined the relationship between rising sea surface temperatures (SST) and coral abundance in Florida. The study focused on assessing coral species richness across three distinct reef regions—Lower Keys, Upper & Middle Keys, and Southeast Florida—during the month of August in the years 2002, 2008, 2013, and 2018. The project utilized ArcGIS Pro and the Shannon Diversity Index to determine whether increased SST corresponds with declines in coral biodiversity.

Software and tools used: ArcPro, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint

Presentations:

Undergraduate Research Conference CUNY College of Staten Island, 2025
ESC 200 Final Project CUNY College of Staten Island, Fall 2024

Analyzing Sea Level Rise on Staten Island

Objective: The objective of this project was to assess the projected impacts of sea level rise (SLR) on Staten Island, New York, over the next 100 years using geospatial analysis tools in ArcGIS Pro. The study aimed to: (1) project future SLR scenarios, (2) identify the extent of inundation in coastal neighborhoods, and (3) evaluate the areas most at risk when combining SLR projections with a Hurricane Sandy-like storm surge.

Software and tools used: ArcPro, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint

Presentations:

Undergraduate Research Conference CUNY College of Staten Island, 2025
ESC 200 Final Project CUNY College of Staten Island, Fall 2024

Student Perspective: "With the mentorship of the great Sean Thatcher I was able to hone my skills for the ArcGIS software. This research project opened new doors for me and gave me confidence to apply to internships that revolve around the software".

2024 Undergraduate Projects Supervised

Geospatial Analysis of Sea Level Rise and Flooding of Queens, NY

Objective: Using QGIS, we modeled how sea-level rise would impact Queens, New York City, and identified areas most prone to flooding under low-end, high-end, and Hurricane Sandy-like scenarios by the end of the 21st century. Future work aims to investigate strategies to minimize the effects of future flooding, including mitigation and adaptation tactics, to prevent severe impacts from future storms.

Software and tools used: QGIS, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint

Presentations:

Undergraduate Research Conference CUNY College of Staten Island, 2024
2nd CUNY Undergraduate Research Day CUNY John Jay, 2024

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