Tess Candler
  • Political Science; Economics
  • Class of 2018
  • Ledyard, CT

Eastern Student Tess Candler Presents at Prestigious NCUR Conference

2018 Apr 19

A record-breaking 41 Eastern Connecticut State University students presented their research at the 2018 National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) from April 4-7 at the University of Central Oklahoma.

Among the presenters was Tess Candler '18 of Ledyard, who majors in Political Science. Candler's research was titled "Determining the Distributional Effects of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative."Candler's research was completed under the supervision of Professor of Economics Jennifer Brown.

Eastern encourages its students to present their research on a national scale, which has resulted in recognition by the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) for Eastern's impressive number of presenters.

Last year CUR included Eastern on a list of campuses that are "leading the way," a list Eastern was featured on at the conference this year. In the past four years, Eastern has sent more student researchers to NCUR than all of the other public universities in Connecticut combined.

"Learning to conduct research is a major component of a liberal arts education," said Eastern President Elsa Nunez. "That is why Eastern is committed to supporting our undergraduate students so they can conduct research and present it at regional and national conferences. To know that every Eastern student's proposal was accepted at this year's NCUR is a testament to the support students receive from our faculty.

"The fact that Eastern had more student representatives than any other college or university in Connecticut shows that we are serious about giving as many of our students opportunities to conduct meaningful, scholarly research as possible," continued Nunez. "We know that undergraduates at larger institutions don't get these opportunities, but we also know that students who are engaged in applied learning activities such as research projects get better grades and graduate at higher rates."

Carlos Escoto, psychology professor and Eastern's coordinator of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity, chaperoned students on the NCUR trip. "The students got a lot out of the conference. The trip had a great sense of comradery and students showed up to support one another."

Chosen from more than 4,000 submissions, students were accepted if their research demonstrated a unique contribution to their field of study. Established in 1987, NCUR offers undergraduates the opportunity to present their research findings to peers, faculty and staff from colleges and universities across the nation, providing a unique networking and learning opportunity.