Eastern Student Kelsey Fuller of Scotland 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 Kelsey Fuller '15 of Scotland, who majors in Music. Mentored by Performing Arts Professor Richard Jones-Bamman, Fuller's presentation was titled "Cultural Cohabitation: Swedish Jazz and the Folk Revival."

"Having studied and played jazz and folk music independently of each other in the United States, it was not until I found myself studying nationalistic expression through the arts in Sweden that I began to see these two genres relate in ways I had never before experienced," said Fuller.

"My faculty mentor has been incredibly helpful and supportive, keeping me on track and helping me weave multiple topics into one coherent paper," concluded Fuller.

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."