Rockefeller Institute of Government Announces Future Leaders in Policy Competition Winners

State University of New York (SUNY) undergraduate and graduate students presented original policy research to a panel of judges made up of New York State leaders and experts

Winners from Binghamton University, the University at Albany, and SUNY Empire State College given opportunity to further develop research and receive $500 upon publication with the Rockefeller Institute

Albany, NY — The Rockefeller Institute of Government announced three winners for its second annual Future Leaders in Policy (FLIP) Competition, which showcases the best in the State University of New York’s (SUNY) student public policy research.

On April 29th, undergraduate and graduate student participants presented their original research to a panel of judges made up of New York State leaders and policy experts who selected three winners. The FLIP Competition winners will be given an opportunity to work with Rockefeller Institute researchers to further develop their research and will receive $500 upon publication of their research with the Institute.

“The second year of this competition featured excellent policy research across a wide range of fields,” said Rockefeller Institute Executive Director of Research Laura Schultz. “The Rockefeller Institute team looks forward to continuing to work with these student scholars to adapt their presentations for publication. We also want to say thank you to this year’s judges for contributing their time and expertise to support the participants as they continue their educational journey.”

The winners of the competition are:

  • Pamela Doran of SUNY Empire State College for her presentation, “Mitigation of Linguistic Segregation with Machine Translation Technology.” Doran is a graduate student in the Learning and Emerging Technology program and a SUNY Empire 2021-22 PRODiG Scholar.
  • Tanya McGee of Binghamton University for her presentation, “Instigating a Neighborhood Equity Impact Assessment.” McGee is a doctoral student in the College of Community and Public Affairs and an urban planner in Chemung County.
  • Kayla Rankin of the University at Albany for her presentation, “Solving Food Insecurity in Children.” Rankin is a sophomore double majoring in political science and sociology and an intern at the University at Albany’s Office of Sustainability.

The FLIP Competition provides SUNY students with a venue to adapt their research for presentation to a policy audience and encourages the development of data literacy, analysis, and delivery of clear, evidence-based policy recommendations.

The Institute would like to offer a special thank you to the judges for this competition: Kate Breslin, Camilla Campisi, Jeff Cheek, and Robert Megna.

View the winning presentations.