Eastern Connecticut State University

Each spring, Eastern recognizes two outstanding graduating seniors as winners of the Henry Barnard Distinguished Student Award, the top academic honor in the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) system. For this year's winners, biology major Abby Heidorn '26 and English major Julianna Concepcion '26, the award is emblematic of a journey toward personal and academic success.

A psychology major at Eastern may be able to help you understand how physical exercise influences your diet and financial decisions. Senior Gabriel Williams earned recognition for his honors thesis research at the Connecticut Association for Behavior Analysis (CTABA) annual conference on Feb. 27 at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, CT.

Nursing majors enrolled in the Class of 2028 took their oath of service at Eastern Connecticut State University's second annual White Coat Ceremony on Jan. 22 in the Fine Arts Instructional Center Concert Hall. The event was held in accordance with the historic Arnold P. Gold Foundation, which was established in 1993 and whose namesake began the tradition of the ceremony.

Walter Scudder '25, a four-year starting midfielder and two-year captain on Eastern Connecticut State University's men's soccer team, was named one of three recipients of the Little East Conference (LEC) Student Athlete-of-the-Year Award for the 2024-25 academic year.

The J. Eugene Smith Library's 2025 Library Research Awards honored four students for outstanding scholarship on May 16. Their projects span globalization in Russia, depression, revisionist history, and pre-term birth.

Eastern Connecticut State University has named its two 2025 recipients of the Henry Barnard Distinguished Student Award, the most prestigious undergraduate honor given by the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) system. This year's honorees are senior mathematics major Ryan Toomey and senior English and psychology double-major Dana Arroyo Infante. Eastern selects two graduating seniors for the Barnard Award each spring, contributing to an annual total of 12 across Connecticut's four state universities. Recipients of the award are nominated for their commitment to academic excellence, campus involvement, and community engagement.

Eastern Connecticut State University's Department of English hosted an awards ceremony and capstone presentations on Dec. 5 to celebrate student achievements. The event recognized five scholarship recipients, 39 inductees into the Sigma Tau Delta International English Honor Society and featured five capstone presentations.

More than 250 students from Eastern Connecticut State University showcased their academic and creative achievements at Eastern's annual CREATE Conference on April 19. They shared their work with friends, family and faculty. During the conference, two students and one faculty member received awards.

Two history students and a professor at Eastern Connecticut State University recently took a national stage to share their work on the sociopolitical impacts of three cornerstones of American culture: fast food, alcohol and tobacco. Senior Emma McCormack and Professor Thomas Balcerski presented at the American Historical Association (AHA) conference from Jan. 3-5 at the New York Hilton hotel in New York, NY. Junior Emma Schafer attended and was inspired by the breadth of historical topics being discussed at the conference.

Students from the Business Information Systems - Information Technology Students of America (BIS-ITSA) Club at Eastern Connecticut State University won top awards at the recent U.S. IT Collegiate Conference in Louisiana.

Two recent graduates from Eastern Connecticut State University each received the 2024 Henry Barnard Distinguished Student Award, the top academic honor for undergraduates in the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system. The award is given annually to 12 graduating seniors from Connecticut's four state universities.

Three Eastern Connecticut State University students were presented with awards this spring 2024 semester for their commitment to promoting equity and social justice on campus and in the community.

Three Eastern Connecticut State University students have won Equity and Social Justice Awards for their work promoting civil rights, resources for undocumented students and mental health services on campus.

A political science major at Eastern Connecticut State University was recently accepted into a scholarship program that will enrich her law school application. Isabelle Lastrina '24 was accepted into the Connecticut Bar Association (CBA) Future of the Legal Profession Program on Sept. 13.

More than 300 Eastern Connecticut State University students were recognized for scholarly excellence at the conclusion of the spring 2023 semester. Given by academic departments across the University, the recognitions included induction into more than a dozen academic honor societies, scholarship awards and departmental distinctions.

Two Eastern Connecticut State University seniors are recipients of the 2023 Henry Barnard Distinguished Student Award, the top academic honor for undergraduates in the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities System (CSCU).

Eastern Connecticut State University junior Sara Green is one of five student poets selected for the Connecticut Poetry Circuit. Students were selected based on entries they submitted to the Connecticut Poetry Circuit and will tour with their writings across the state from Feb. 6 to March 11.

Isabel Butterick has been named the recipient of this year's annual J. Eugene Smith Library Research Award at Eastern Connecticut State University. The award recognizes exemplary undergraduate research projects that use library resources.

Eastern Connecticut State University students Nelson Javier Santos Ferrer '22 of Westfield, MA, and Natalie Devlin '22 of Somers, CT, have been named recipients of the 2022 Henry Barnard Distinguished Student Award. The Barnard Award is the premier academic recognition of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities System (CSCU) and is sponsored by the CSCU Foundation. Each year it recognizes 12 outstanding undergraduates from Connecticut's four state universities - Central, Eastern, Southern and Western.

Junior biology major Kate Arildsen has been selected as a research intern for the Fulbright Canada Mitacs Globalink Program. The program grants recipients up to $7,800 (Canadian) in funding and enables exceptional undergraduate students from the United States to spend 10-12 weeks at a Canadian university conducting research with a faculty mentor.

More than 300 Eastern Connecticut State University students were recognized for scholarly excellence at the conclusion of the spring 2022 semester. Given by academic departments across the University, the recognitions included induction into 15 academic honor societies, scholarship awards and departmental distinctions.

Biology student Megan Piechowicz was awarded the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) travel award to attend the Worldwide Plant Biology Summit from July 9-13 in Portland, OR. While at the conference, Piechowicz will present her research project titled "Phenotypic characterization and mutation analysis of mutants defective in anthocyanin and proanthocyanidins in the model legume plant medicago truncatula."

Nancy Gonzalez '22 was recently named a fellow by the Pfizer Research and Development Rotation Program. After she graduates, Gonzalez will join more than 2,000 scientists in this highly selective paid fellowship to explore new knowledge in health care. She will rotate in multiple Pfizer research and development offices and laboratories over the next two years.

Eastern Connecticut State University student Aicha Ly has been named a recipient of the prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the competitive scholarship will fund Ly's field studies in Costa Rica in the winter of 2022.

Eastern Connecticut State University has awarded two students with the annual President's Award as part of the CREATE (Celebrating Research Excellence and Artistic Talent at Eastern) Conference. Each year, two students are given this award for outstanding scholarly work, such as research or performance.

Eastern Connecticut State University held its Eighth Annual Inclusive Excellence Student Awards Ceremony on May 6. The ceremony honors the academic achievements of African, Latino, Asian and Native American students, and also presents 11 special awards to students who have demonstrated excellence in community, volunteering, social justice and more.

Two students and one faculty member from Eastern's Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education (KPE) received awards at the Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE) Eastern District Awards this April.

Two graduating seniors from Eastern Connecticut State University are recipients of the Henry Barnard Distinguished Student Awards this 2020-21 academic year. The award is the highest undergraduate distinction presented by the Connecticut State Universities (CSU) system, which annually honors 12 students from the four state universities--Eastern, Central, Southern and Western.

Two graduating seniors from Eastern Connecticut State University are recipients of the Henry Barnard Distinguished Student Awards this 2020-21 academic year. The award is the highest undergraduate distinction presented by the Connecticut State Universities (CSU) system, which annually honors 12 students from the four state universities.

Eastern Connecticut State University alumna Melat Assefa recently received the Past Presidential Award from Delta Mu Delta (DMD), the national business honors society. Assefa, who majored in finance, graduated in spring 2020 and was a member of the University's honors program. She is now attending the University of Denver to continue her studies in quantitative finance.