The fall Capstone presenters, foreground from left, Galya I. Iankova, Yaroslavina K. Kadulina, Jaspreet S. Shahpuri and Olatokunbo Olaleye. Associate Provost Hans van der Giessen, moderator, is in background.

It was the first Capstone Plenary of the year. It is more than a showcase for student talent. UB’s global attraction has given it the largest percentage of international students of any college in America. So these same students are, in effect, the future leaders not just of America but of the world.

The Capstone theme this year is civilization. The presenters came from three continents and four countries: Bulgaria, Nigeria, India and Russia. But if there was a thread to their presentations, it was the essential elements of humanity that bind us so tightly together that we are one.

The titles of their talks were awesome, but the students spoke directly to their points and let their emotions show, to underscore how much they care.

Olatokunbo Olaleye assessed the social and cultural distances between blacks here and in Africa in his presentation "No Longer Brothers."

Yaroslavna K. Kadulina took listeners back to her native Russia and the tragedy of a nuclear plant meltdown in "Biological, Social and Economic Effects of Human-Caused Radiation."

Jaspreet S. Shahpuri looked at the toll growth and development is taking on virgin forests and mountains in "Environmental Impact on the Himalayan Mountains."

Galya I. Iankova told how our perceptions can be distorted in "A Vision of Human Nature Distorted by Perceptions of Dualities."

Four other students received honors for their work in Capstone, though they did not make presentations. They are: Boyan Andreev for "The Ethics of Human Cloning," Courtney Hibbard for "Should Gay and Lesbian Couples Have the Right to Marriage?" Melissa Hill for "Parental Leave: To Save the American Family," and Francis Okonkwo for "The Civilizations of Ugarit and the Bible Compared."

Capstone is the name of the seminar all UB students must take to complete requirements for an undergraduate degree. They usually take it as seniors. Everyone in Capstone focuses on the same general theme. The students research some aspect of, or influence on, the topic, and produce a 20-page research paper on their work.

The plenary presenters are selected on the basis of their scholarship in Capstone. There’ll be more chosen for a presentation later in this semester. And in May, the end of the school year, the very best of the Capstone participants will be awarded the Capstone Writing Prize.
Stephen E. Healey, director of general studies, is chairman of the Capstone Seminar. Jennifer F. Sanchez, professor of science and mathematics, chaired the Plenary. Hans van der Giessen, associate provost, led the discussion.

It was standing-room only at December’s Capstone Plenary as the crowd filled the gallery to hear the student presentations.