Eastern Student Danielle Robillard of Swansea Presents Research Poster at CREATE Conference

2016 May 3

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.

Danielle Robillard '16 of Swansea, who majors in Mathematics, presented a research poster at the event. Robillard presented two poster presentations. The first was titled "Projection Design of Simon Stephen's 'Pornography.'"

"In the fall of 2015, I designed the projections for the Theatre main stage production of Simon Stephen's Pornography," said Robillard. "The play is set in 2005 in London, before, during, and after the devastating terrorist bombings of public transportation. The play follows several different characters, based on real people, who all have their own subplots throughout the story. As the projections designer, part of my job was to use images to reinforce the non?traditional narrative of the play. The images also needed to carry the audience through a drastic mood change. Before the bombings, things were static, so I represented this mood by projecting still images onto the set to establish the scene for the audience. Inching closer to the time when the bombing occurred, the characters were becoming extremely uncomfortable; I underscored those moments with jerky video of the same still images. Following the bombing, all of the images were extremely chaotic; the movement was meant to make the audience feel panicked and unsure of the stability of the characters. To create media, I used sources such as Google Earth of the real bomb sites in London, and a real?time interactive map of the London Underground, in order to emphasize the director's wish to portray the fear of a period of time in which the people of London felt as if they were under constant surveillance."

The second project, conducted alongside three other classmates, was titled "Nuclear Power: Good or Bad." In a joint statement, the students said: "How safe is nuclear power? How likely is it that other countries are creating nuclear weapons? How have nuclear weapons affected people and the environment in the past? How much energy that the United States generates is from nuclear power? As a group of teaching candidates bringing our future content areas together, we created an interdisciplinary teaching unit that can incorporate mathematics, science, and English when discussing nuclear power. Each of the content areas would look at varying subtopics of nuclear power. In social studies, the students would look into the pros and cons of nuclear weapons and the effect they have had. In math the students will learn conversions to understand kilotons and pounds per square inch, which are used frequently when discussing and understanding nuclear power. They will also compare nuclear energy consumption in various countries. In English class, students will write an argumentative paper about whether they believe nuclear power is beneficial. The mini?unit is designed to address a student population of eleventh graders. This topic is a good choice for our students because relating one topic to multiple different subject areas can keep them motivated and engaged from class to class. It will keep them engaged and interested in the ongoing lessons. The current and relevant issues involved with nuclear power would also grab the students' attention, as it is something they should have an opinion on in today's world."

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.

In celebration of students' exemplary research, experiential learning and creative activity, CREATE serves to reinforce high-impact practices such as mentored research; increases the number of students presenting their work in a professional forum; raises public awareness of Eastern's liberal arts mission and student accomplishments; and contributes to the intellectual richness of the campus community.