BY AYESHA KAZMIStaff Writer
Undergraduate students from all 28 Massachusetts public higher-ed institutions gather annually to present independent, creative, and scholarly research at the Undergraduate Conference sponsored by the Massachusetts Public System of Higher Education and the Commonwealth College at UMass Amherst.
This year, UMB’s Campus Center will provide the conference venue on Monday, April 25, from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
The annual conference began in 1995 and originally showcased the work of students within the UMass system. In 1998, the conference expanded to include students from all public higher-ed institutions throughout the state.
The conference provides a learning experience for students to present original work in a formal, professional, and academic setting. Students also have the opportunity to network and receive feedback.
Students showcase their work through oral or poster presentations. All presentations are grouped according to topic. Oral presentations are conducted in a panel-discussion format of three to four students where each student presents for 10 minutes followed by a 15-minute question and answer session.
Approximately 300 students presented their work at last year’s conference. This year, 45 students will be presenting from UMB alone. 21 of those students are from UMB’s Honors Program.
Honors student and Art major, Emily Taranto-Kent, will exhibit original prints in her poster presentation entitled “Transfiguration.”
In Taranto-Kent’s abstract, she states, “The title refers to the naturally changing biological form alluding to the passage of time and the process of physical growth.”
Under the faculty direction of Professor Shoshanna Ehrlich, 11 CPCS students will present “Connecting to Our Past: Women and Social Reform in Boston.”
The 11 students describe that their research “explores the life of 10 women active in the abolitionist and/or suffragist movement in Boston.” The students’ end product is a booklet they hope will be distributed by the Boston Women’s Heritage Trail.
Senior Psychology major and Honors Program student, Roxann Harvey, presented at last year’s conference and also plans to present this year. Her poster presentation is titled “Schizotypal Personality Features and Theory of Mind Skills.”
In her abstract, Harvey states, “Several research groups have reported theory-of-mind deficits in patients with schizophrenia. The social isolation and diminished emotional responsiveness displayed by schizophrenic patients may reflect, at least in part, theory-of-mind deficits…Individuals with schizotypal personality disorder exhibit a neurocognitive test profile that resembles the profile of patients with schizophrenia. Therefore, it is predicted that performance deficits on an advanced theory-of-mind task would be associated with the presence of schizotypal personality features.”
Campus contact for the conference Joyce Morrissey, from UMB’s Honors Program, states, “The conference is sponsored by the Honors Program, but we don’t own it.” 24 students from outside the Honors Program will be presenting this year. “We want people to participate to present their work. We also want to be as inclusive as possible.”
Morrissey also states, “I am happy to have the conference in an academic environment. I am happy to have it in this building because it is ideally suited for this type of event.”
In the meantime, the staff at the Honors Program is looking forward to the upcoming conference. Molly Geidel, the senior thesis advisor, has been busy helping students to prepare for their upcoming presentations on April 28.
“The students have been working really hard,” states Geidel. “They have exciting papers. There is an incredible diversity of ideas and research methods-it should be a great event.”
With the conference just barely two weeks away, students have been busy practicing at mock presentations. “I think most of the students have worked so hard that they are ready to show off their work,” says Geidel.
The conference has been a positive experience for students who have attended previous conferences since it is largely celebratory of academic excellence, students have the opportunity to be in the spotlight and receive recognition for their achievements.
“Everyone’s so busy here so we don’t always get the opportunity to talk about our work,” states Geidel. “This conference will be a good opportunity to finally listen to what the students have been doing.”