Newtown Students Present Research Posters at CREATE Conference

From Eastern Connecticut State University:

WILLIMANTIC, CT (05/03/2016)-- More than 250 talented students at Eastern Connecticut State University presented research and creative work at the university's second annual CREATE conference this past April. CREATE stands for Celebrating Research Excellence and Artistic Talent at Eastern, and is the university's premier, academic year-end showcase. At the culminating event, students of all majors presented professional posters, live music, dance performances, artwork, photography, documentaries and panel discussions.

Austin Cirella '19 of Newtown, who majors in Secondary Education, presented a research poster at the event. Cirella's presentation, co-presented alongside three other classmates, was titled "How Effective are Gun Control Laws?"

"Are the gun control laws in America effective at protection for people and protection from people? How can we reconcile the two sides? How do America's gun control laws compare to the rest of the world?" asked the students in a joint statement. "During this election year, now more than ever, gun control laws are a significant controversy in our society. People sometimes take a stance on this issue without really examining both sides and learning about the subject. Students need to research the issue to decide if anything needs to change and if the laws protect the citizens. Our cross?curricular project consists of roughly twenty separate lessons that revolve around gun control for grades 10, 11 and 12, throughout the disciplines. The content areas of mathematics, global history, United States history, and literature all contain important information that students can use to support a particular side, even if that side does not necessarily coincide with the students' actual feelings about gun control. In mathematics, statistics and trends which examine gun violence and prevalence in our society will be discussed."

Christopher Otero '17 of Newtown, who majors in English, presented a research poster at the event. Otero's research, conducted alongside three other classmates, was titled "Students Decide: Should People be Required to Get Vaccinations?"

"Are you vaccinated? Have you ever suffered from a serious disease? Do vaccinations lead to autism?" said the students in a joint statement. "In this project we have gathered together four different secondary school subjects-English, math, social studies, and science-to create an interdisciplinary unit on vaccinations. We are asking high school students the question, "Should people be required to get vaccinations?" This question should be of importance to the students because vaccinations are required by many public school systems and universities. In the math portion of the project students will be able to identify trends, create a scatter plot, evaluate means, produce a line of best fit, and most importantly interpret different graphs. In the English portion students will be shown an episode of NOVA and examine popular articles that discuss vaccines. At the end of the unit students will demonstrate their learning by writing a persuasive/argumentative essay on whether or not vaccines should be mandatory. They will pull evidence from the text read in class as well as information learned in the other classes to support their claim. In the social studies portion students will learn about FDR and his battle with polio. They will also learn about all people's difficulties with polio through webpages and a Ken Burns documentary. Students will also be presented with histories against vaccinations. At the end of the unit students will be able to demonstrate their knowledge through an in?class debate. They will also pull evidence from their other classes. In the science portion of the lesson students will examine the process of developing a vaccine."

Remarking on the variety of presentations, Professor Dickson Cunningham, conference co-chair, said, "CREATE encapsulates the essence of the liberal arts in one afternoon. It is an intellectual smorgasbord."

Speaking to the value of CREATE, Eastern President Elsa Nunez said, "It takes a very strong and dedicated student to produce this quality of work, and it's important for other students to see this output." Praising the faculty, she added, "It takes a committed and skillful mentor to guide students to the work that is on display. Mentorship is such an integral part of undergraduate research."

During the one-day conference, the Student Center crawled with artistic and scholarly activity. Students in professional attire addressed their peers, faculty and family. In the cafe, ensembles performed; in the theatre, student-produced documentaries were shown; in the Betty R. Tipton Room, aisles of posters depicting scientific research were displayed; across the hall, a gallery-worth of paintings lined the walls; and on the ground floor, panel discussions and oral presentations about the humanities took place.

Founded in 1889, Eastern Connecticut State University is the state's public liberal arts university and one of only 29 such designated institutions in North America. Eastern is home to 5,300 students who come from 158 of Connecticut's 169 townships, from 20 states throughout the country, and from 63 foreign countries. As a predominantly residential campus, Eastern has approximately 60 percent of undergraduate students living on its beautiful campus. With more than 150 buildings and 2.3 million square feet of space, Eastern's physical plant is admired by students and visitors alike; in January 2016, a new Fine Arts Center opened, further advancing Eastern's liberal arts mission.

The university offers 38 undergraduate majors, 55 minors, and seven master's degree programs. An excellent student/teacher ratio (15.5:1) and small class sizes (average class size is 23.3) allow students to receive exceptional personal attention.