Eastern Student Eric Cerino of Stratford Named as Barnard Scholar

2014 Jun 23

Eastern student Eric Cerino '14 of Stratford, CT, was recently named as one of two Eastern Connecticut State University student recipients of a Henry Barnard Distinguished Student Award for the 2013-14 academic year. Cerino's major is Psychology.

Cerino's main research interest is in successful aging in older adults. He is most proud of his work -- research and volunteer experiences with senior citizens at the Trumbull Senior Center and an internship with the Alzheimer's Association. He is interested in identifying the cognitive, physical and societal factors that contribute to a healthier lifestyle in older adults.

The Henry Barnard Distinguished Student Award was established in 1983 by the private foundation of the four Connecticut state universities. There are 12 awards given annually to distinguished students who are outstanding college seniors from Western, Central, Eastern and Southern Connecticut state universities; two each from Western and Eastern and four each from Central and Southern.

To be considered for a Barnard Scholar award, a student must have at least a 3.7 GPA and a record of significant community service. The students are nominated by their respective universities. The award is named for Henry Barnard, the first U.S. commissioner of education and a distinguished Connecticut educator, who was the state's first superintendent of schools and principal of what later became Central Connecticut State University.

Eastern Psychology Professors Wendi Everton, Lyndsey Lanagan-Leitzel and Jennifer Leszczynski, all highly recommended Cerino for the Barnard Scholar award. As they noted, "Eric is very talented academically, he is extremely motivated to succeed, and he has distinguished himself by getting involved in research and seeking to better the community. We strongly and wholeheartedly recommend him for the Barnard Scholar award." Cerino also credits Psychology Professor Carlos Escoto as being his biggest motivator.

Cerino has been accepted into the Ph.D. track program in Human Development and Family Studies at Oregon State University, and will be receiving a $30,000 National Science Foundation grant to support his work as an Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship fellow in Aging Sciences. Oregon State has the only such fellowship in the country, and accepts only five students into the program each year.

Cerino has presented his research at a number of national and regional conferences including the annual meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association in Boston, Connecticut State Universities' Psychology Day, and the Northeast Regional Undergraduate Research Conference of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. He also presented research in April 2014 at the 2014 Posters on the Hill event in Washington, D.C.

He was a member of Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology, Omicron Delta Kappa (vice president 2013-14), the National Leadership Honor Society, the Eastern Psychological Association, and the New England Psychological Association. He received a number of scholarships and awards during his career at Eastern and was also a member of Eastern's Psychology Club (treasurer).

According to Cerino, "One can work on a multitude of projects and dedicate endless hours to homework, but it is only through the process of making a difference in the world where I feel the true fulfillment from academia is attained. As my career research goals became more clear, I knew that I wanted to apply my work to the fatal disease that continues to have no cure. The application of my research and being able to physically see my work making a difference is what drives my passion in this field."