Biochemistry major Patrick Buckley ’19 represented Geneseo at the recent annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
GENESEO, N.Y. – Biochemistry major Patrick Buckley ’19 from Horseheads, N.Y., represented SUNY Geneseo at the recent annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), among the most highly regarded science organizations in the world.
Buckley’s successful development and launching of the Discovery Cafe program at Geneseo and attendance at the Clinton Global Initiative Conference last fall led to the trip to the AAAS meeting. The Discovery Cafe is a series of casual science presentations by College faculty to facilitate science engagement with the public and break down barriers of mistrust. Buckley developed the program as the James Houston Ambassador in Innovation in the College’s Center for Inquiry, Discovery and Development (CIDD). He was among four last semester from the CIDD to attend the Clinton Global Initiative University, where students gathered to work on action plans to help solve some of the world’s most pressing issues.
“It was truly amazing to experience the expertise present at the AAAS meeting, to see the amazing projects these scientists are working on and the insights they brought,” said Buckley. “It was great to get a broad sense of what was going on as an observer of the proceedings.”
Among sessions Buckley attended were a mini-CASE workshop with graduate students titled “Catalyzing Advocacy for Science and Engineering” and a workshop about best practices when engaging the public with science, like the Discovery Cafe.
Buckley is in the Edgar Fellows Honors Program at Geneseo and also active on the College Task Force on Voter Registration and Engagement. His future plans include graduate studies in virology.
The next Discovery Cafe will feature Amber Charlebois from Geneseo’s Department of Chemistry, who will address “Our Contribution to the Autism Puzzle” March 27 at 7 p.m. at the Wadsworth Library lower level meeting room. The event is free and open to the public.