Students from universities across the country who spent the summer working in Cornell or Syracuse University research labs presented their work at an Aug. 10 symposium in Hollister Hall.

The event, which included a poster session and 14 individual presentations, capped this year's Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) undergraduate research scholars program.

Supported by the National Science Foundation, LSAMP aims to increase the number of underrepresented minority students earning doctorates in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. Cornell's LSAMP program is sponsored by Diversity Programs in Engineering.

One student, Dustin M. Gallegos, described working with Antje Baeumner, Cornell professor of biological and environmental engineering, on developing an improved version of a device called the MiniEC that can electrochemically detect the presence of pathogens. Gallegos is a rising junior at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

The Upstate LSAMP Alliance comprises seven upstate New York institutions, including Cornell, to increase recruitment and graduation rates of both freshmen and transfer students. Cornell and Syracuse offered paid summer research opportunities to allow students to work with distinguished faculty and staff.