UB School of Management undergrads present research, social innovation and experiential learning projects

By Kevin Manne

BUFFALO, N.Y. —  Converting snow to renewable energy, marketing strategies in Costa Rica, and the intersection of ethics and technology — these were among the subjects on display during the University at Buffalo School of Management’s Undergraduate Management Poster Competition, held virtually on April 1 and 2.

Over the two days, business administration, data analytics and accounting undergraduates presented posters highlighting their research, social innovation and applied learning activities to a panel of judges over Zoom.

On the research side, data analytics junior Zay Ya Min Yin took top honors and a $750 prize for his project “Codes and Kingdoms: Ethical Consciousness Behind Emerging Technologies,” which detailed a book Min Yin wrote about the intersection of ethics and emerging technologies.

Two students tied for the Best Social Innovation Poster Category. Business administration junior Cam Hotto for “A Perspective of Sustainability,” which showcased his experiences with sustainability at UB and the importance of sustainable development; and accounting sophomore Katriel Agregado for “Covered from Polar to Solar,” a proposal to develop snow into renewable energy. 

“The idea was the first step—the challenge was to put that idea into precise numbers backed by science,” says Agregado. “My teammate Malcolm and I did hours of research to prove that it’s scientifically possible to make snow energy, and we took our findings and packaged them into our poster and presentation. After this win, our next step is to refine the logistics and specs of our product with hopes of competing again next year.”

A team of students won the Global Experience category and a $750 prize for their poster “Food and Farms in Costa Rica,” in which the team developed a digital marketing strategy for organic fertilizer from El Tablazo farm. The winning team members were business administration juniors Josiah Jones and Haven Hguyen and accounting senior Andy Zheng. 

Best Applied Experience Poster went to business administration senior Gabrielle Silverstein for her presentation “Strategizing with Sports, Sun and Service.” After landing her dream internship at marketing firm MediaCom, Silverstein worked with four other interns from across the country to strategize future tactics for the company’s out-of-home advertising, which experienced major disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic.