Eastern Connecticut State University

Eastern Connecticut State University's men's and women's cross-country teams have begun their fall 2022 season. The men's team consists of 14 runners and competed in its first meet on Sept. 2. The women's team consists of 10 runners and competed in its first meet on Sept. 2.

This summer, several students at Eastern Connecticut State University gained real-life experience and learned about themselves through internships. They left their internships in fields such as sales, sports management and insurance with greater knowledge of their prospective professions and of themselves.

Seventeen Eastern Connecticut State University students experienced the trip of a lifetime over the summer: six weeks in Florence, Italy, studying creative writing. Led by seasoned Italian visitor and professor Christopher Torockio, the Creative Writing Abroad course allowed students to explore Italian culture while writing a short story and completing a workshop with peers.

Eastern hosted three Summer Research Institutes (SRIs) at the conclusion of summer break. Occurring from Aug. 22 - 26, the weeklong institutes engaged 29 students in the fields of English, business/marketing and political science. The SRIs culminated on Aug. 26 with presentations in the Webb Hall auditorium.

Two Eastern students spent their summer's completing research fellowships under close faculty mentorship. In order to receive the Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Fellowship, students must carry a 3.0 GPA. In addition to the one-on-one mentorship, students receive a $1,000 stipend and $250 for project expenses.

Honors Biology major Megan Piechowicz presented at the recent American Society of Plant Biology (ASPB) conference in Portland, OR, from July 9 -13.

The Latin American and Caribbean Studies program recognized three students in its 2022 annual Student Paper Awards.

Biochemistry major Sydney DeNoncour accompanied Biology Professor Joshua Idjadi on a research trip in The Bahamas to study a rapidly spreading disease that is affecting Caribbean coral reefs. Stationed at the Gerace Research Center from June 8-17, the researchers conducted eight underwater surveys around the small island of San Salvador.

Four Eastern students are spending their summer working with Willimantic children through the early childhood program known as "Jumpstart." Through the Center for Community Engagement (CCE), Eastern's Jumpstart students are completing 300 hours each from June through August at the Windham Regional Community Council (WRCC) Early Childhood Program.

Hundreds of students graduated from Eastern Connecticut State University at the conclusion of the spring 2022 semester. The University's annual Commencement Exercises occurred May 17 at the XL Center in Hartford, CT. The graduate-level ceremony occurred May 14 on Eastern's campus.

A cadre of Environmental Earth Science (EES) students from Eastern Connecticut State University set out on a 12-day expedition this May exploring some of the United States' great mountain landscapes. Led by Professors Dickson Cunningham and Peter Drzewiecki, 15 EES students embarked on a clockwise route out of Salt Lake City, visiting such geological wonders as Craters of the Moon National Monument, Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park.

Eastern Connecticut State University recently released its Dean's List for the spring 2022 semester, in which more than 1,200 students were recognized for maintaining high GPAs.

Three Eastern Connecticut State University students have co-authored an article with professor emeritus Jeffrey Trawick-Smith and Julia DeLapp, director of the Center for Early Childhood Education, that was recently published online in a peer-reviewed journal. The article "The Influence of Teachers, Peers and Play Materials on Dual Language Learners' Play Interactions in Preschool" appears in the May 2022 edition of the "Early Childhood Education Journal."

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.

Health Sciences major Nancy Gonzalez '22 presented research at the Northeast Decision Science Institute's (NESDI) 51st annual conference in Newark, NJ, this past April. Representing a four-student team of researchers from Eastern, Gonzalez presented the group's project, "Vaccine Supply Chain (VSC) Systems: An Analysis Using Operations Management Perspective."

Eastern Connecticut State University students participated in both on- and off-campus internships during the spring 2022 semester. Internship locations ranged from Eastern's Office of Alumni Affairs and Center for Early Childhood Education, to Hartford Healthcare, elementary schools and more.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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."

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.