Eastern Student Victoria Pisano of Plantsville 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.

Victoria Pisano '16 of Plantsville, who majors in Psychology, presented a research poster at the event. Pisano's poster presentation was titled "Early Intervention Services: Do They Work and What are the Long Term Effects?"

"Early Intervention Services are a common treatment for many children with autism," said Pisano. "These services allow children to be taught to manage their symptoms by implementing the theory of applied behavior analysis and creating individualized plans for each child. One question is how effective these services are in the long?term; do they make any significant improvements in the lives of these children after the services are finished? This paper reviews empirical research that examined the long?term efficacy of early intervention for autism. Overall, the data show that as the children get older they are more likely to improve their skills at a faster rate if they had early intervention services compared with those children who started services later."

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.