Binghamton students spend summer conducting real research through new SUNY internship

Research and researchers have always been fascinating to Brett Colucciello. This summer the Binghamton University sophomore got the chance to conduct real research and work alongside leading researchers as part of the Summer Research Immersion program.

“Growing up, I would think ‘What if I could meet them one day?’ but now I think ‘What if I can be them?” said Colucciello, who is majoring in biochemistry.

As a result of the SUNY Chancellor’s Summer Research Excellence Fund, Binghamton University received $150,000 to support a total of 38 students across four different summer research programs: the Summer Research Immersion (SRI), “Fast-track” Research Immersion (FtRI), Summer Scholars and Artists Program (SSAP), and McNair Scholars Summer Research Internship (McNair). The fund covers all student costs so that more students can participate, including student stipend/salary, tuition/fees, housing, meal plans, child care, and transportation. Binghamton University was one of the initial participants of the Summer Research Excellence Fund, along with the University at Buffalo, SUNY ESF, SUNY Polytechnic Institute, and Stony Brook University.

Chancellor King visited campus today to celebrate the students and their work as their internships concluded.

“Providing SUNY students with paid summer internships is integral to our strategy for student success and upward mobility,” said SUNY Chancellor John B. King, Jr. “That is why SUNY is setting a goal that every undergraduate student has the opportunity to complete an internship before they graduate, and we thank Governor Kathy Hochul for funding to help make it possible. My gratitude to President Stenger and his team for developing an exceptional internship program this summer, and my congratulations to the students who benefited from the Chancellor’s Summer Research Excellence Fund.”

Summer Research Immersion (SRI) and “Fast-track” Research Immersion (FtRI) are credit-bearing programs operated in conjunction with Binghamton’s First-year Research Immersion (FRI) program, where students work in teams on science and engineering research projects in one of eleven research streams. The Summer Scholars and Artists Program (SSAP) and McNair Scholars Summer Research Internship (McNair) are summer research programs where students work one on one with faculty mentors in any field of study.

Building on the Chancellor’s Summer Research Excellence Fund, the Chancellor announced earlier this spring that all state-operated campuses will receive a share of $10 million in dedicated ongoing annual funding to support paid internships on their campuses. Campus plans for the first year of the program are due at the beginning of September.

“Our summer research programs provide students with a one-of-a-kind research experience working alongside faculty and fellow students on cutting-edge projects,” said President Stenger. “These programs emphasize the development of workplace skills that employers, graduate schools, and professional schools expect in college graduates. We are incredibly grateful to Chancellor King for providing the necessary funding to expand these opportunities to even more low-income, first-generation, and minority students, giving them the opportunity to make the most of their summer, expanding their skill sets and knowledge base through real research.”“I think it’s a valuable experience for the students,” said Dr. Yancy Luan, research assistant professor. “They learn something. They try to utilize the knowledge they have learned, and they become an initial researcher. I’m proud of every one of my students.”

“I have been involved in the Summer Research Immersion program with my peers four days a week, six hours a day, which seems like a lot, but it flew by so quickly,” said Summer Lin, a junior majoring in biochemistry with a minor in graphic design. “I’m so grateful for the community that I’ve built here with my peers and Dr. Yancy himself.”