This year's Academic Showcase featured a whopping 468 unique research projects, including 176 posters.
The posters entirely consumed the MAC, and the sprawling Academic Showcase included 172 concurrent presentations, discussions, awards ceremonies, and much more stretching from one side of campus to another. Each poster was fascinating, and each research project noteworthy for its ingenuity, not to mention the time commitment. There was no "winner" of the poster session, but that doesn't mean there wasn't a winning poster in the room.
Effect of pH and an erg-Channel Blocker on Excitability of Leech Mechanosensory Neurons
The title is intimidating, unless you're a neurologist, and the abstract, on the surface, isn't much more accessible. This is just a taste: Neurons encode information in the form of electrical signals, which in turn depend on the controlled flow of Na+, K+ and other ions through transmembrane proteins called ion channels. Members of the “ether-a-go-go” (EAG) family of voltage-gated K+ channels are conserved across many species and appear to play a role in regulating neuronal excitability.
But author Ali Naqvi '24, who worked on the project with Elena Cahill '25 and Jim Angstadt, Ph.D., professor of biology, didn't present their findings just for scientists. He wants everyone to be as excited about the project as he.
"The best part of learning is then sharing that knowledge with other students. There were a lot of people at the Academic Showcase. Most of them aren't biology majors, but I want them to learn something and enjoy it."
Ali believes it was that same effusive attitude that earned him a win at a different poster session. Ali's poster took top honors in the four-year undergraduate category at last month's Regeneron Capital Region STEM Poster Showcase.
"I didn't even realize I was speaking to the judges. Maybe their Regeneron shirts should have tipped me off? I was just excited to talk about my research. Actually, I was packing my bags at the end of the show, and I wasn't even paying attention as they were announcing the awards. Then I heard my name called, and I thought, 'This is sick.' I just do this for fun, but it was pretty cool to be recognized for it."
Ali says his passion for the research comes from Angstadt. His enthusiasm rubbed off on Ali, who will attend Albany Med in the fall, and Ali wants to pass it forward.
"The Academic Showcase is great because you see all of your friends, and they come up to you, and they're like, 'Oh, so this is what you've been doing all that time.' And then I love walking around and learning from other students. It's really an awesome event."
Tauris Germany '26 earned 'Best Overall Presenter' at the Regeneron Showcase based on a student vote.
