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Molly Geary (left) and Jessica Suraf, junior Speech Pathology majors, display their award-winning research poster.

Students at SUNY Fredonia swept the research poster competition at the 47th annual New York State Speech Language and Hearing Association conference, scooping up top awards at both undergraduate and graduate levels.

Molly Geary and Jessica Suraf, both juniors, won first place for their research and poster presentation, “Where is Bilingual Education Going in the U.S.?” Dr. Nancy Herd Hepting serves as the students’ mentor. In addition to being formally recognized at the association’s conference, held April 13 in Buffalo, the two award recipients each receive a $1,500 scholarship. The competition drew entries from both public and private institutions from across the state.

Graduate student Deborah Matheron was awarded first place for her project, “The Effects of Respiratory Retraining on Ventilation in a Patient with Paradoxical Vocal Fold Dysfunction (PVFD).” Her mentor is Dr. Bridget A. Russell.

Another grad student at SUNY Fredonia, Tanya Lake, received honorable mention for her project, “University Students’ Perceptions of a Professor who Stutters: Comparison of Undergraduate and Graduate Students.” Had judges considered a third place award, Ms. Lake would have been at the top of their list. Serving as Ms. Lake’s mentor is Dr. Paul Blanchet.