Nicholas Khan 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.

Nicholas Khan '17 of Willimantic presented artwork titled "Self Portrait With A Fur Collar" as well as an oral presentation titled "The Frame in Context and the Comtemporary Era." Khan majors in Visual Arts.

"A portrait embodies everything about a person while also leaving ambiguity," said Khan. "The usages of portraiture have varied over the centuries. Although it began as an unconcealed effort to showcase wealth and influence, it has shifted to a far simpler context, where unique facial characteristics and expressions define the sitter and capture the viewer's immediate attention."

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.

"The CREATE conference is a valuable experience because it allows for a presentational, yet intimate, environment across academic disciplines," said Khan. "This allows art students to see what biology or business students are working on and vice versa. In many cases, research would not have been presented to the public without the CREATE conference."

"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."