DG
Damon Gray
  • Communication
  • Class of 2016
  • Portland, CT

Eastern Student Damon Gray of Portland Presents Research in Washington

2015 May 4

A total of 14 Eastern Connecticut State University students from 11 academic departments presented in Spokane, WA, this past April at the 2015 National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR).

Among the presenters was Damon Gray '16 of Portland, who majors in Communication. Mentored by Communication Professor Teri Toles-Patkin, Gray's presentation was titled "Beating the Odds," a documentary.

The documentary tells the story of Eastern student Jon DeCasanova, who was diagnosed with aplastic anemia and lymphoma and given a less than one percent chance to live, but in 2014 he beat the odds and returned to the soccer field to finish out his college career.

"Jon’s story is one of the most inspirational stories I’ve heard," said Gray. "To have the chance to present Jon’s story on a national level shows how powerful it is. It was a pleasure to be able to go to NCUR to spread the story further.”

Eastern was the top school in Connecticut for NCUR participation this year, and top two in the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC), which contains more than 30 schools.

With approximately 3,700 submissions, NCUR reported a more competitive selection process occurred this year. Eighty-eight percent of Eastern submissions were accepted for presentation. The emails notifying students of acceptance stated, "Your abstract demonstrates a unique contribution to your field of study and we are pleased to offer you the opportunity to present your work to your peers, faculty and staff from around the world."