Four SUNY Oswego students were among the 193 system-wide honored recently with the Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence, the highest such honor for students in SUNY.

Earning the awards were: 

  • Hugh Riley Randall, a double major in physics and applied mathematics with a minor in astronomy
  • Infiniti Robinson, a double major in sociology and art (history emphasis) with a minor in arts management
  • Aziz Sarimsakov, a double major in adolescence education - grades 7-12/earth science and geology
  • Amanda Streeter, a double major in biology and chemistry

Randall has participated in six research projects in the areas of atmospheric physics, computational astrophysics and mathematical physics. He worked with the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) Capodimonte Astronomical Observatory in Naples, Italy; and the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics in Germany. 

He has presented his research on 13 occasions and co-authored a peer-reviewed paper published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. Randall is also involved in many activities both on and off campus.

Robinson was the recipient of the Grant Arnold Award and interned at the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation in New York City as an archivist and research assistant. Since her first semester on campus, she has been involved with research as an undergraduate research assistant and conducted independent research examining the impact of art from underrepresented groups on dominant groups’ understanding of culture. 

She has been extremely involved both on and off campus as a volunteer and mentor, including serving as a teaching assistant for four courses including three introductory sociology courses and an art history course,

Sarimsakov has held an extensive and diverse variety of leadership roles on campus. A sampling of these roles includes Orientation/Laker Leader captain, Admissions ambassador, resident assistant and tutor. 

Additionally, he was the president of Geology Club, vice president of College Republicans, Presidential Student Ambassador for the Oswego College Foundation, student representative on the Oswego Alumni Association Board of Directors, member of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Advisory Board and a cohort leader for Teacher Opportunity Corps.

Streeter has completed over 150 credits, including multiple graduate-level chemistry courses. She has participated in five research and internship experiences and presented her research on eight occasions. 

Streeter is the recipient of the Augustine Silveira, Jr. Chemistry Scholarship and the Dean’s Writing Award. She participated in the Utah State University bioengineering Research Experience for Undergraduate program and is the first author of a paper published in 2024 on this research in the journal Agrochemicals. Streeter has extensive involvement on and off campus and is a member of multiple honor societies.

About the awards

The 2024 Chancellor’s Awards for Student Excellence recognizes students for outstanding achievements throughout their SUNY experience in areas including academics, leadership, campus involvement, community service and the arts. 

“There is a place at SUNY for every New Yorker, and each year we come together to herald and celebrate the achievements of a diverse group of some of SUNY’s most accomplished students,” said SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. in honoring the recipients in an April 11 ceremony.

“This year’s winners include first-generation students, researchers, a single mother and grandmother, a cancer survivor, international students hailing from over 16 nations, athletes, and a student who worked with NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center — among so many more with inspiring stories of excellence in the classroom and beyond,” Chancellor King noted. “It is my honor to celebrate the achievements of the nearly 200 CASE awardees as they inspire others and illustrate what is possible with a SUNY education.”