Geneseo Recognizing Excellence, Achievement, & Talent (GREAT) Day is a college-wide symposium celebrating the creative and scholarly endeavors of our students. In addition to recognizing the achievements of our students, the purpose of GREAT Day is to help foster academic excellence, encourage professional development, and build connections within the community.
Established in 2009, Proceedings of GREAT Day compiles and publishes promising student work presented at SUNY Geneseo’s GREAT Day symposium. The projects, presentations, and research included here represent the academic rigor, multidisciplinary study, and creativity of the students taking part in the SUNY Geneseo GREAT Day symposium.
Current Volume: Volume 2021
GREAT Day & The Proceedings of GREAT Day
With the COVID-19 pandemic persisting into 2021, many of the works featured in this year’s volume of The Proceedings of GREAT Day have pandemic-focused topics, such as the shifting meaning and utility of face masks, the negative and positive effects of remote learning on members of the LGBTQ+ community, the impact of inequality on COVID-related health outcomes, and mathematical models showing the impacts of quarantine and isolation on the spread of COVID-19. Research topics were not entirely focused on COVID-19, however. Several works highlight environmental concerns, calculating the needs and costs of a sustainable rain-catching system for the campus, evaluating the effectiveness of biological controls on the spread of invasive plant species, and discussing the importance of environmental education in our rapidly changing world. Topics related to social justice are present as well, such as the effects of systemic racism on the mental health of Black women, the lack of Black geographic course content in U.S. higher education, and the influence of Black classical composers. Biological research is also showcased, examining the RNA binding properties of the R2 protein, and exploring the question of nature vs. nurture in the development of alcohol use disorder in mice. Lastly, selected works focus on the local and global in equal measure, from the comprehensive historical cataloging of SUNY Geneseo’s literary magazines, to the evaluation of immigration policies in Europe.Articles
An Interview with Adam Frank
Ethan Owens
An Interview with Anne Baldwin
Quinten Seskin
An Interview with Lytton Smith
Quinten Seskin
An Interview with Jaime DeVita
Ethan Owens
The Mental and Emotional Impact of Being a College-Aged Black Woman Amid the Current Sociopolitical Climate
Drew Brody O'Neil
Care in a College Pandemic: Masks as an Extension of the Self
Elizabeth Mac Kay
Mask Culture
Emily Vesperman
LGBTQ+ Experiences with the COVID-19 Pandemic
Isabelle Stitt-Fredericks
Samantha Ege: Revealing the Legacy of Black Classical Composers through the Work of Florence Price)
Allison North
The Geneseo Literary Magazine Project
Lara Mangino
Identifying Potential RNA Binding Domains in the Thumb Region of R2 Protein
Brooke Demetri and Jessica Palmeri
The Effect of Goats as Biological Controls on Soil Seedbanks and Long-Term Habitat Restoration in a Secondary Successional Forest
Anna Meichenbaum
Environmental Education: An Active Pedagogy to Integrate Environmentalism, Engagement, and Equity
Olivia Whitmarsh
Black Geographic Possibilities in Higher Education
Kazon Robinson
Rainwater Harvesting on Geneseo's Campus
Charlie Kenny
Full Issue

Editors
- Editors
- Ethan Owens, Class of 2022
- Quinten Seskin, Class of 2022
- Supervisors
- Daniel E. Ross, Head of Access Services
- Jonathan Grunert, Scholarly Communications Librarian
- Production Manager
- Allison Brown, Digital Publishing Services Manager