Eastern Student Kaitlyn Doucette of East Hartford 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.

Kaitlyn Doucette '17 of East Hartford, who majors in Psychology, presented a research poster at the event. Her poster presentation, co-presented with classmate Caitlynn Chabot, was titled "Similarities and Differences in Mate Preferences Among Women and Their Parents."

"Prior research indicates that offspring value mate characteristics connoting genetic quality while parents value potential investment in future children," said the students in a joint statement. "However, prior research assesses only offspring or parents. We assessed mate preferences among women and their parents. We hypothesized that women and their parents would agree about the most important traits for a potential mate for the offspring. Participants and their parents agreed about the most important traits in a prospective mate as well as traits that would end a relationship. Traits connoting genetic quality were valued more strongly by female offspring than their parents, however, many traits considered most important by the samples and many traits that evidenced disagreement in previous research were rated similarly by women and their parents."

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.