Eastern Connecticut State University

The Honors Program at Eastern Connecticut State University recognized 14 graduating seniors at its annual reception on May 14 in the J. Eugene Smith Library. The event celebrates students who completed an honors thesis, the program's capstone requirement.

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.

Eastern Connecticut State University's Physical Education program continued its tradition of winning the annual Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE) College Bowl competition on April 21. The jeopardy-style game tests teams of students from colleges and universities across the country on health and physical education concepts. This was Eastern's third time winning the national competition in only its fourth time competing.

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.

The club cheerleading team at Eastern Connecticut State University finished in the top 10 at the National Cheerleaders Association (NCA) College Nationals this April 6-10 in Daytona Beach, FL. With more than 400 teams competing, the College Nationals is the largest collegiate cheerleading competition in the country.

The Center for Community Engagement (CCE) at Eastern Connecticut State University showcased the work of dedicated student volunteers on April 18 at its annual Service Expo and Awards. This was the first in-person expo in three years, and featured remarks by the CCE's retiring director, Kim Silcox.

The opera studio at Eastern Connecticut State University presented Engelbert Humperdinck's classic fairytale opera "Hansel and Gretel" on April 1-3 in the Fine Arts Instructional Center (FAIC) Concert Hall. The production was directed by Music Professor Emily Riggs with musical direction by David Ballena.

Twenty-two students from Eastern Connecticut State University's Chamber Singers and Opera Workshop ensembles performed in a spring tour March 12-17. Led by music professors David Belles, Emily Riggs and David Ballena, students traveled to Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington D.C., where they performed in multiple venues and participated in workshops, sightseeing and team-building exercises.

Seven Eastern Connecticut State University students presented their research virtually at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) from April 4-8. Hosted annually by the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR), the national event showcases undergraduate research projects, with more than 3,200 students, faculty and administrators in attendance.

Eastern Connecticut State University sophomore Eugene Bertrand was awarded an Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Project Grant by Eastern's Provost and Undergraduate Research Council. The grant helped fund Bertrand's history film project titled "Connecticut's Tobacco Industry and Diversity: A History."

Eastern Connecticut State University accounting major Tyler Wright has been selected to present at the annual "Posters on the Hill" conference. His research, titled "The Effect of Length of Stay and Readmission on Total Charges of Total Knee Arthroplasty and Total Hip Arthroplasty Patients," will be presented at the virtual event, which will take place April 26-27.

Twelve members of Eastern Connecticut State University's student chapter of Habitat for Humanity and advisor Peter Bachiochi recently traveled to New Bern, NC, to help build houses with the Habitat for Humanity of Craven County.

Four Eastern Connecticut State University psychology majors presented student-faculty research projects at the annual Eastern Psychological Associations (EPA) meeting in New York City on March 5. The research topics included depression among parents and children, parent-child relationships, sibling relationships and differential parental treatment.

Four sociology students at Eastern Connecticut State University presented on their experiences with "open pedagogy" on March 4 at the 2022 Connecticut OER Virtual Summit, where they spoke on a panel titled "Student Perspectives on Open Pedagogy."

Eastern Connecticut State University inducted 34 students into Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK), the national honor society for collegiate leadership, on March 6.

Eastern Connecticut State University psychology student Noelle Ciccarelli presented at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP) convention on Feb. 18. Ciccarelli's project was titled "Similarities and Differences in Mate Preferences among Parents and their Daughters," and focused on the ratings that daughters gave when seeking a male mate, compared to their parents' ratings when seeking a mate for their daughters.

Ten students from Eastern Connecticut State University's Music Program performed "Romance and Revenge: Love at the Opera" on Feb. 12 at the National Opera Center in New York City.

Eastern Connecticut State University's Theatre Program opened the spring 2022 semester with "Sweet Flag" from March 1-6. Written and directed by Theatre Professor J.J. Cobb, the story follows the lives of women living in the Nebraska Territory in 1866.

Eastern Connecticut State University's men's baseball and women's softball teams are set to begin their spring 2022 seasons. The baseball team consists of 35 players and will compete in their first game on March 5. The softball team consists of 21 players and will compete in their first game on March 4.

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.

Eastern Connecticut State University's men's and women's lacrosse teams are beginning their spring 2022 seasons. The men's team consists of 31 players and had their first game on Feb. 26. The women's team consists of 22 players and will have its first game on March 3.

Four students from Eastern Connecticut State University's Music Program recently performed in the 2022 College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) Eastern Division Intercollegiate Band. The conference took place Feb. 18 - 19 in Baltimore, MD, at Johns Hopkins University.

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."

Eastern Connecticut State University welcomed 148 new students to campus this spring 2022 semester. The new students include first-time and transfer students who are enrolled in full-time and part-time undergraduate and graduate programs.

Eastern Connecticut State University's men's and women's track and field teams are amid their spring 2022 seasons of competition with 28 athletes and 23 athletes respectively.

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 graduated 189 undergraduate and graduate students at the conclusion of the fall 2021 semester.

Eastern Connecticut State University student Anayeli Arroyo Aguilera has won a design challenge for the non-profit Eastern Connecticut Center for History, Art and Performance (EC-CHAP) in Willington. Arroyo Aguilera competed against fellow Eastern students in her graphic design class to create a visual brand for EC-CHAP.

Eastern Connecticut State University's Department of English held its annual English Night on Dec. 7. The night was dedicated to students who received scholarships, were inducted into the English honor society and gave capstone presentations.

Eastern Connecticut State University recently released its Dean's List for the fall 2021 semester, in which nearly 1,300 students were recognized for maintaining high GPAs.