Rachel DiNatalie 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.

Rachel DiNatalie '18 of Wethersfield presented an oral presentation titled "Alcohol Addiction in Willimantic, Connecticut." DiNatalie majors in Health Sciences.

"A group of students and myself completed research on alcohol addiction within the Willimantic community," said DiNatalie. "We interviewed police officers, nurses from Windham Hospital, directors of recovery centers in the area and a recovered alcoholic. We also attended AA meetings in the area."

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 was a great opportunity to show off what we've worked on for four long months," said DiNatalie "We were excited to share this information at the conference, especially since Eastern is located in the Willimantic community. In addition, this conference gave me something to add to my resume, which will benefit me when applying to graduate school."

"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."