SUNY Canton STEM Scholar and Alumnus Selected for Summer Neuroscience Internship

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SUNY Canton student Diana Norman was chosen as a SUNY Brain Summer Scholar.

CANTON, NY (05/27/2014)(readMedia)-- A SUNY Canton Mechanical Technology major has been selected by the SUNY Research Foundation to participate in the first SUNY Brain Summer Scholars Program.

Diana Norman, from Honey Brook, Pa., will conduct research at Upstate Medical Center to support President Obama's Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative, which aims to increase understanding of how the brain works in order to develop new ways to treat, cure and even prevent brain disorders.

"The SUNY Networks of Excellence allow us to offer students unique opportunities like the Summer Scholars Program, where they will be on the cutting edge of new research and innovation that has the potential to transform highly-specialized fields such as neuroscience," said SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher. "Congratulations to this first class of Summer Scholars and thank you to the SUNY faculty across New York who will work alongside our students and ensure the program's success."

Norman is one of only 13 students who were chosen for the internship. Selection criteria included faculty recommendation, academic transcripts and a personal statement of interest. Other selectees will conduct research at the University at Albany, Binghamton University, University at Buffalo and Stony Brook University.

"This is a wonderful opportunity to contribute to brain research at Upstate Medical University this summer," Norman said. "I'm thrilled that the mechanical concepts and computer programs that I am learning at SUNY Canton are applicable to helping advance research in the life sciences."

Norman earned her Bachelor of Technology degree in Graphic and Multimedia Design in 2011. She returned to SUNY Canton with a National Science Foundation funded scholarship for science, technology, engineering and mathematics curricula. She is one of 18 students selected annually to receive this award.

The SUNY Brain Network of Excellence is designed to maximize interdisciplinary and collaborative neuroscience research across SUNY campuses and facilitate partnerships with academia, industry, and the community.

"As a leader in neuroscience study, SUNY can play a primary role in building the pipeline of future researchers," said Dr. Timothy Killeen, RF president and SUNY vice chancellor for research. "The SUNY Brain Summer Scholars Program provides a necessary and focused platform to attract undergraduates with aptitude in physics, computation, engineering and mathematics to the rapidly expanding field of neuroscience."

About The Research Foundation for The State University of New York

The Research Foundation for SUNY (RF) is the largest, most comprehensive university-connected research foundation in the country. The RF manages SUNY's research portfolio providing essential sponsored programs administration and innovation support services to SUNY faculty and students performing research in life sciences and medicine; engineering and nanotechnology; physical sciences and energy; social sciences, and computer and information sciences. The RF moves SUNY ideas and inventions to the marketplace collaborating with business and industry to create new opportunity and new jobs for New York State. To learn more about the RF visit www.rfsuny.org.

About the State University of New York

The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive university system in the United States, educating nearly 463,000 students in more than 7,500 degree and certificate programs, and more than 1.8 million NYS citizens in professional development and personal enrichment programs, on 64 college and university campuses, and online through Open SUNY. There are nearly 3 million SUNY alumni worldwide. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunity, visit www.suny.edu.

About SUNY Canton

SUNY Canton is Northern New York's premier College for career-driven bachelor's degrees, associate degrees and certificate programs. The College delivers quality hands-on programs in engineering technology, health, management, and public service to students in the North Country, New York State, and beyond. Faculty members are noted for their professional real-world experience in addition to their academic credentials. SUNY Canton OnLine offers hundreds of flexible and convenient courses as well as eight exclusively online bachelor's degrees. The College's 14 athletic teams compete in state-of-the-art facilities as provisional members of the NCAA Division III and the USCAA.

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