The inaugural Western New York Undergraduate Political Science Conference was held at the Rochester Institute of Technology on Saturday, February 28. Around 20 students in total from SUNY Geneseo, RIT, SUNY Brockport, Nazareth University, and St. John Fisher University presented papers in five panel sessions on topics such as political theory, foreign policy, and American politics.
A total of five undergraduate students from Geneseo’s Department of Political Science and International Relations presented their research. Students Alyssa Dawson, Jonah Epps, Malachy Jensen, Lea Mancarella, and Ryan Seudbert each served on panels focused on specific topics ranging from domestic politics to foreign policy. Professor Anand Rao from Geneseo’s Department of Political Science & International Relations served as one of the faculty members who helped organize the conference and provided feedback.
Issues of the American government like Congress, the Presidency, and the Courts as well as problems and flashpoints in international relations such as conflict, foreign policy, international law and organizations, and international security were discussed. Students and faculty were encouraged to share and discuss their personal ideas on these situations. The conference gave students the opportunity to raise questions and share their perspectives about these varying issues. The conference was a great success and plans are now in the making to hold a second annual gathering in 2027.
Conference participants will have the opportunity to publish their papers in The Political Realm, a journal of undergraduate research in political science and international relations that has been published by Geneseo for over 30 years.
Written by Victoria Coppola ’27