Emma Avery Presents at 2017 CREATE Conference

2017 May 2

The Third Annual CREATE Conference at Eastern Connecticut State University took place on April 21. CREATE stands for "Celebrating Research Excellence and Artistic Talent at Eastern," and is the University's premier conference showcasing student research and creative activity.

Emma Avery '18 of Bristol presented an oral presentation titled "A Chronological Study of Congressional Hearings: The Evolution of the Environmental Debate." Avery majors in Environmental Earth Science and Political Science.

"My project focuses on the evolution of the environmental debate in Congress," said Avery. "I accessed 15 congressional hearings from the 18-year period between 1997 and 2015 and conducted a qualitative analysis in which I looked at the rhetoric surrounding the climate change debate in these hearings. I found that the debate originally questioned the legitimacy of climate change, it then evolved to acknowledging the legitimacy of climate change but questioning the primary causes behind it, and now, it's agreed that climate change is caused by humans, but the debate surrounds what Congress and the U.S. government should do to solve the issue."

The one-day conference featured more than 300 Eastern undergraduates who presented talks, professional posters, live music, dance performances, art and photography exhibits, documentary films and panel discussions.

"This conference gives me experience presenting my research in front of others, which is an important skill to learn, in order to convey my ideas effectively and to back them up with facts, as well as to gain public speaking experience," said Avery. "From here, I hope to move on to even bigger conferences off campus. I'm a sophomore, and this was my first chance to present my research."

"CREATE is a reaffirmation of Eastern's commitment to undergraduate research as Connecticut's only public liberal arts university," said Niti Pandey, business administration professor and conference co-chair. Reflecting on this year's record number of participants, she added, "There is a wonderful variety of presentations and performances for people to see. CREATE 2017 showcases the hard work and talent of our students and demonstrates the dedication of their faculty mentors. We look forward to an excellent event!"

From art to zoology, Shakespeare to social media, tax law to terrorism, Eastern students of all majors explore important concepts and produce exemplary research and creative work; the culmination of their work for the 2016-17 academic year was on display at CREATE.

Patricia Szczys, biology professor and conference co-chair, added: "CREATE is a superb learning experience for all who participate and a true celebration of our student's achievements."