Undergraduate students from 47 City University of New York and State University of New York colleges and universities showcased more than 100 research projects across a broad range of academic disciplines as part of the “Innovation Exploration Forum.”

Organized by the CUNY and SUNY university faculty senates, the event is held annually in the well of the Legislative Office Building, Albany, N.Y., as a way of educating the members of the state Legislature about student research.

“Ecological/Environmental Effects from Hurricane Sandy,” by Lori Mould, and “The Impact of Intrinsic Spirituality on Sexual Minorities,” by Suzanne Stern, were the two projects selected to represent Empire State College.

Stern, who lives in Astoria, N.Y., and studies at the college’s Manhattan location, decided to leave a career in the music industry to study psychology. Empire State College was recommended by a friend, who had had a positive experience.

In speaking about her own education with the college, Stern said, “The mentor the college paired me with is just fantastic. I’m taking a lot of classes.”

She plans on applying to doctoral programs in clinical psychology this fall.

Mould, the president-elect of the Student Assembly of the State University of New York, incorporated her art into her research project.  She said that integrating art into the project helps stimulate new ways of thinking. Mould studied at the college’s Rochester location and is a resident of that city. She graduates this spring and begins graduate studies with the college in the fall.