Courtney Welch Presents at 2017 CREATE Conference

2017 May 2

The Third Annual CREATE Conference at Eastern Connecticut State University took place on April 21. CREATE stands for "Celebrating Research Excellence and Artistic Talent at Eastern," and is the University's premier conference showcasing student research and creative activity.

Courtney Welch '18 of Farmington presented an oral presentation titled "Issues and Challenges with Palliative Care in Connecticut" and a poster titled "Recycling Behaviors of Fitness Center Attendees." Welch majors in Health Sciences.

"I am engaged in two research projects," said Welch. "One is a poster presentation in which we examined the recycling behavior of attendees of the Fitness Center. We implemented a behavior change plan that provided visual prompts through signs with items that are recyclable. After collecting data, we incorporated feedback with the visual prompts. We concluded that through visual prompting and providing feedback, we were able to increase the behavior or recycling in the Fitness Center at Eastern. My second research project was participating in a group presentation on the prevalence of palliative care programs in Connecticut," added Welch. "In our initial study we reviewed how one's quality of life is affected in palliative care programs. We presented an overview of our interviews and the findings and recommendations we discovered regarding palliative care programs."

The one-day conference featured more than 300 Eastern undergraduates who presented talks, professional posters, live music, dance performances, art and photography exhibits, documentary films and panel discussions.

"This conference is a very valuable opportunity as it allows for not only myself but other students to be able to display their research," said Welch. "Not only am I involved in research through both of my create presentations, both oral and poster, but I am also involved in a research lab with Dr. Joe Dracobly, in which I am conducting my own research on the effectiveness in assessment and implementation for assessment and treatment of problem behavior. These opportunities have allowed for me to gain valuable real word applications in these subject areas, in addition to expanding my understanding of not only health science concepts but also psychological perspectives as well."

"CREATE is a reaffirmation of Eastern's commitment to undergraduate research as Connecticut's only public liberal arts university," said Niti Pandey, business administration professor and conference co-chair. Reflecting on this year's record number of participants, she added, "There is a wonderful variety of presentations and performances for people to see. CREATE 2017 showcases the hard work and talent of our students and demonstrates the dedication of their faculty mentors. We look forward to an excellent event!"

From art to zoology, Shakespeare to social media, tax law to terrorism, Eastern students of all majors explore important concepts and produce exemplary research and creative work; the culmination of their work for the 2016-17 academic year was on display at CREATE.

Patricia Szczys, biology professor and conference co-chair, added: "CREATE is a superb learning experience for all who participate and a true celebration of our student's achievements."