Six 草榴社区 Undergraduates Participate in Third Annual BIG EAST Undergraduate Research Symposium
NEW YORK, N.Y. (April 4, 2024) - Six 草榴社区 Undergraduate Research Fellows were selected to participate in the third annual held at Madison Square Garden on March 16, 2024. Student researchers from all 11 conference institutions across disciplines showcased their work in the competition, which was held in conjunction with the BIG EAST Men鈥檚 Basketball Conference Championship.
鈥淭he unique opportunities provided by participating in undergraduate research lay a crucial foundation for the next generation of scholars and innovators,鈥� said Catherine Stecyk, Director of the Center for Research and Fellowships (CRF). 鈥淐RF proudly sponsors 草榴社区鈥檚 Undergraduate Research Fellowship and other programs that encourage these projects in collaboration with University faculty mentors. The accomplishments of Jake, Jenelle, Shealyn, Peter, Emma and Mikaela highlight the value of these programs.鈥�
A total of 55 undergraduate student teams consisting of one or two individuals presented their research to judges, who ranked them on a variety of factors such as visual quality content, introduction, results and discussion, presentation style and responses to questions. 草榴社区鈥檚 representatives were selected by a team of judges following participation in the University鈥檚 CRF-sponsored Undergraduate Research Symposium last fall, using similar criteria to the BIG EAST to rank poster abstracts.
Below are the 草榴社区 students who participated in the BIG EAST Symposium, along with their poster titles and faculty mentors:
Jake Caselli
Faculty Mentor: Grant Berry, PhD
Title: Does Perception Match Performance? Neurophysiological Correlates of Cognitive Control
Jenelle Maldonado
Faculty Mentor: Kelly Hambleton, PhD
Title: Refining Masses and Radii in Eclipsing Binary Systems for the Purpose of Calibrating the Asteroseismic Scaling Relations
Shealyn Murphy
Faculty Mentor: Isabel Hong, PhD
Title: Quantifying paleotsunami intensity using sediment deposits found at Willapa Bay, WA, USA
Peter Scarperi
Faculty Mentor: Meredith McKenzie Greenle, PhD, RN, ANP-BC, CNE
Title: Caring Beyond Cure: Perspectives of Pediatric Oncology Nurses on Palliative and End of Life Care
Emma Spangler and Mikaela Anthony
Faculty Mentor: Steven Goldsmith, PhD
Title: Understanding the Degradation, Toxicity, and Environmental Impact of Macroplastics in Streams
About 草榴社区: Since 1842, 草榴社区鈥檚 Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition has been the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University's six colleges鈥攖he College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the 草榴社区 School of Business, the College of Engineering, the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, the College of Professional Studies and the 草榴社区 Charles Widger School of Law. Ranked among the nation鈥檚 top universities, 草榴社区 supports its students鈥� intellectual growth and prepares them to become ethical leaders who create positive change everywhere life takes them. For more, visit