Eastern Student Sierra Colon of Wethersfield Gives Oral Presentation at CREATE Conference

2016 May 5

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.

Sierra Colon '17 of Wethersfield, who majors in Political Science, gave an oral presentation at the event. Her oral presentation was titled "Environmental Policy and Ideology."

"Environmental policy and issues have been a tremendous concern to the science community and environmental activists after the overwhelming evidence of climate change, its effects on our planet, and human's role in it," said Colon. "Whether it has been caused by humans or a natural event sped up by humans, scientists say action needs to be taken to curb carbon emissions and put a halt to the many environmental concerns our planet is facing. The majority of Americans, about 70 percent, believe in the solid evidence of climate change, and 40 percent believe it is due to human activity, however, the partisan divide over this issue remains wide. The question posed is, how do Republicans, Democrats and Independents conceptualize the need for environmental policy differently? There has been very little research done to study the direct effect that political ideology has on environment ideology, however, there are sufficient studies on how contextual factors play a role in how politicians and citizens view environmental policy."

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.