Eastern Connecticut State University

Nadia Balassone '18 of East Hartford was named a recipient of the 2018 Henry Barnard Distinguished Student Award on April 17. The 30th annual Henry Barnard Awards Banquet, held at the Aqua Turf Club in Plantsville, CT, recognized 12 outstanding undergraduates from Connecticut's four state universities - Central, Eastern, Southern and Western.

Displays of research and creativity filled the Student Center at Eastern Connecticut State University on April 13 for the annual CREATE conference. CREATE stands for "Celebrating Research Excellence and Artistic Talent at Eastern," and is the University's premier undergraduate conference of the academic year.

A record-breaking 41 Eastern Connecticut State University students presented their research at the 2018 National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) from April 4-7 at the University of Central Oklahoma.

Eastern Connecticut State University student Liselotte Hammer '18 recently presented her cross-cultural research study "Outsiders on a US Campus: A Qualitative Study of Scandinavian Students and Their Experiences" at the annual Eastern Sociological Society in Baltimore, MD, this past March.

Eastern Connecticut State University student Taryn McCabe '18 of East Hampton was named the recipient of the History Department's Victoria Leigh Soto Memorial Fund Scholarship on April 5, at the department's Alpha Mu Alpha induction ceremony. Alpha Mu Alpha is Eastern's chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, the national honor society for the study of history. The scholarship was created in honor of Eastern Connecticut State University alumna Victoria Leigh Soto '08, an elementary school teacher, who lost her life protecting her first-grade students at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, on Dec. 14, 2012.

Themes of youth, love and enlightenment were on display in Eastern Connecticut State University's latest theatrical production, "Awakenings: 'Youth' by Thornton Wilder and 'Chitra' by Rabindranath Tagore." From April 5-8, the two one-act plays transformed Eastern's DelMonte Bernstein Studio Theatre into a tropical island and then into a lush Hindu dreamscape.

A group of Eastern history majors were recently inducted into Alpha Mu Alpha, Eastern's chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, the national honor society for the study of history.

History and Social Science majors Vanessa Hill and Ryan Bridges presented their undergraduate research projects on April 6 at "Making History," the annual conference of CSU History Departments. This year's event was held at Western Connecticut State University. The goal of the conference is to promote student research, further academic exchange among departments and celebrate common interest in history.

This year, students at Eastern Connecticut State University have shown their community dedication through efforts made with Jumpstart -- a national organization hosted by the Center for Community Engagement (CCE) that promotes quality early learning for all children and provides various types of programming for preschool students from under-resourced communities.

Eastern Connecticut State University recently had 21 students named to the Little East Conference (LEC) Winter All-Academic Team. The team is comprised of 140 students from the eight institutions of the LEC conference.

A group of talented vocalists from Eastern Connecticut State University embarked on a unique tour of post-hurricane Puerto Rico this spring break. From March 9-15, members of the Chamber Singers performed in concerts and worked on service projects in the slowly recovering island.

Among those honored at Eastern Connecticut State University's annual Ella T. Grasso Distinguished Service Awards ceremony on March 28 was student Laurel Cannon. She was honored for her work with the Cannon Project, an organization Cannon created to educate, empower and support women of color.

Eastern Connecticut State University student-athlete Connor Hillemeir '21 received the Little East Conference (LEC) men's lacrosse rookie-of-the-week award for the week ending March 18.

Eastern Connecticut State University student-athlete Anthony Choronzy '20 of Clinton received the Little East Conference (LEC) men's lacrosse defensive player-of-the-week award for the week ending March 18. This is the first LEC award he has received this season. Choronzy majors in Business Administration.

Eastern Connecticut State University student-athlete Connor Hillemeir '21 of Unionville, CT, received the Little East Conference (LEC) men's lacrosse rookie-of-the-week award for the week ending March 11.

Eastern Connecticut State University's Morgan Bolduk '21 of Vernon/Rockville received the Little East Conference (LEC) Softball Rookie-of-the-Week Award for the week ending March 11. This is the first LEC award that Bolduk has received in her career. She majors in Health Sciences.

Eastern Connecticut State University's Carlos Gonzalez '21 of Springfield, MA, received the Little East Conference (LEC) Men's Basketball Defensive Player-of-the-Year Award for the 2017-18 season. He becomes the third student-athlete in Eastern's history to receive the honor. This is not Gonzalez's first major award; as a freshman he received the LEC Rookie-of-the-Year. Gonzalez majors in Sociology.

Eastern Connecticut State University senior Tarchee Brown of Rockville, CT, received the Little East Conference (LEC) Men's Basketball Player-of-the-Year Award for the 2017-18 season. Brown becomes the third student-athlete in Eastern's history to receive the honor. Brown majors in Sociology.

Many Eastern Connecticut State University students participate in Eastern's clubs during the academic year. Student club programs range from social to educational, physical to spiritual and civic engagement programs that benefit and enrich Eastern, its students and the local community.

Eastern Connecticut State University students Caroline Perry and Morgan Winship presented research at the National Coalition of Campus Children's Centers conference in Albuquerque, NM, this March 15-17. Their presentation was titled "Authentic Experiences with Families: Impact on Pre-service Teachers' Knowledge and Dispositions."

Eastern Connecticut State University students Christianne Senechal and Jonathan Rappi are assisting Eastern Biology Professor Amy Groth with a complex research project that uses microscopic worms to study genes that are important for human development and disease, including cancer.

Five students from Eastern Connecticut State University went to the 2018 IMPACT National Student Engagement Conference in Dayton, Ohio, from March 1-4. The participants engaged in thoughtful discussion on topics ranging from mental health, to public schools, to community engagement.

A number of civic-minded students from Eastern Connecticut State University are serving the community this spring semester as Student Leaders with Eastern's Center for Community Engagement (CCE). A student leader is an experienced student volunteer who has been hired and trained by the CCE to recruit, train and manage volunteers, serve as a liaison with community partners, and plan and run service programs.

The 2017-18 Eastern Connecticut State University women's lacrosse team is looking to return to the victor's stand. With a core of eight seniors leading the team, the Warriors are hoping to secure the team's first Little East Conference championship since 2013. A strong and consistent offense will be key to the team this year. If the team can score goals at last year's rate, they well may reach their goal of a conference title.

Eastern student Mariana Serrano was one of three award recipients at the annual Martin Luther King Distinguished Service Awards ceremony at Eastern Connecticut State University on Feb. 28.

After a 2017 campaign marred with injury, the Eastern Connecticut State University baseball team is looking to return to championship form. After a disappointing 21-16 finish this past season, Head Coach Matt LaBranche is hoping this year's team will show the maturity and consistency needed to capture the program's third Little East Conference (LEC) Championship in the past five years. With a solid all-around lineup and a veteran bullpen, it will be up to the starting pitching to determine how far this year's crop of Warriors will advance in the postseason.

2017 was a year of rebuilding for the Eastern Connecticut State University softball team. The team, which had fallen to the depths of consecutive 15-25 seasons after six straight Little East Conference titles, will be looking to lean heavily on its young talent this year. Head Coach Diana Pepin says that the 12 freshmen and sophomores on the roster all have realistic chances to earn starting spots going into the season. With the team beginning its season with 10 games in Kissimmee, FL, during spring break, Pepin will learn quickly how the team stacks up this year.

The Eastern Connecticut State University men's club ice hockey team made sure their season didn't end without a good effort. Down two goals to Norwich University in the regional tournament semifinals, the team mounted a comeback and forced the game to overtime. Although Eastern lost the game, the Warriors showed the same fight that has made them a championship contender year in and year out. Ending the year at 16-6-1, the team posted the sixth-best winning percentage out of 62 teams in the northeast conference of the American College Hockey Association.

Eastern Connecticut State University student Benjamin Rumrill is the recipient of a research fellowship from the NASA Connecticut Space Grant Consortium. He is using the fellowship to support his research titled "The Effect of Microgravity on the Growth and Function of Neural Cells."

After a disappointing 2016-17 season that saw the Warriors lose 10 of 18 games, the Eastern Connecticut State University men's lacrosse team is looking to reestablish itself as a serious contender in the Little East Conference. Thanks to the return of 16 letter winners from last year, the team is looking to bounce back after only the second losing season in program history.