The Purchase College School of Natural and Social Sciences announces its 27th Annual Student Research Symposium which will be held on April 26 from 8:45 AM to 1 PM at Purchase College located at 735 Anderson Hill Road, Purchase, N.Y. This annual event represents the best of the science programs offered at Purchase, and a forum in which graduating seniors can present their yearlong scientific research.

The topics to be presented this year include research on the effects fatty acids on breast cancer cells, Christian iconography and tattoos, the Sub-Saharan economy, the correlation between asthma and income level, social networking and honesty, solving Sudoku, skateboarding as a subculture, children of the AIDS epidemic, the effects of aging on decision-making, and gender influences on preschoolers.

What makes the science programs at Purchase distinctive is that each student works closely with faculty sponsors on original research for their Senior Project, an opportunity most students don’t have at larger institutions. The Student Research Symposium is also unique in that it allows undergraduate students to report on their research in the same way scientists from major research laboratories do at national and international conferences.

This year’s Symposium has an international flavor as Purchase students from the United States, Russia, Kenya, Germany, France and Japan will discuss their research in all areas of the natural and social sciences.

The Symposium consists of concurrent sessions in anthropology, biology, chemistry, environmental studies, economics, math/computer science, political science, psychology, sociology, women’s studies, and media, society & the arts.

Students describe their research during a 15-minute oral presentation followed by five minutes of questions from the audience. Other students participate in a dedicated poster session, in which presenters display their research results with a combination of words, images and graphics.

Presentations will be conducted in both the Natural and Social Sciences Buildings. Afterward, awards will be presented to students for academic excellence, outstanding research and service to the School of Natural and Social Sciences. Lunch will be served.

Registration begins at 8:15 AM in Room 1001 of the Natural Sciences Building. Registration can also be conducted online at www.purchase.edu/sciences/symposium, where further information is also available, including directions to the campus. The Symposium is free and open to the public.