Previous Keynote speakers at The Student Research Symposium
(formerly the Liberal Arts and Sciences Day Conference, formerly The Science Day Conference)

1995 Anthony Defeo
Anthony received his Bachelors in Biology at New Paltz and went on to pursue a Ph.D. at the NYU School of Medicine. His research project identified genes which play a role in prostate cancer.

1996 Julian Keenan
Julian received his Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Psychology at New Paltz. He went on to pursue a Ph.D. at SUNY Albany where his research employed experimental analysis to identify brain areas specific to consciousness. He subsequently took a post-doctoral fellow position at Harvard Medical Center.

1997 Ian Fingerman
Ian received his Bachelors in Biology at New Paltz. He was an intern for a year at Wyeth-Ayerst Research where he studied methods of identifying and characterizing antibiotic resistant bacteria. Ian went on to pursue a Ph.D. at Rutgers University.

1998 Kerri Alderisio
Kerri is a graduate of SUNY Binghamton and went on to serve as the Director of Research Microbiology for Watershed Operations at the City of New York Department of Environmental Protection. Her research projects at the DEP are centered on the issue of reservoir water quality.

1999 Jason Valens
Jason received his Bachelors in Communication at SUNY Oswego and his Bachelors in Biology in New Paltz. He is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Microbiology at Columbia University. His research examines the molecular mechanisms of communication between cells of the immune system.

2000 Bernadette Morris
Bernadette received her Bachelors degree in Communication at New Paltz and her Master's degree at SUNY Albany. She is a lecturer and academic advisor in the New Paltz Communication and Media department. Her research examines the use of politeness strategies between individuals of differential status.

2001 Kathleen O'Keefe
Kathleen received her Bachelor's degree in Women's Studies (with a minor in Law and Politics) from SUNY New Paltz. She graduated cum laude and was a member of Pi Sigma Alpha, the National Student Political Science Honor Society. She received her J.D. from Rutgers University School of Law in 1994. She has extensive experience in local and state politics. Currently, Kathleen is working at as Counsel to the NYS Assembly Codes Committee. Her Keynote speech addressed: "Everyday Scholarship - or How Academia Prepared Me for Real Life.