90 students present academic research at Assumption’s Annual Academic Symposium

WORCESTER — Ninety students were selected to present an original academic research project at Assumption College's 23rd Annual Undergraduate Symposium, held April 24-25 on the College's Worcester Campus. Local students include:

Lauren Bretanha, of Chepachet, a senior, presented “Emerging Adults’ Expectations of Longevity in Romantic Relationships.” This study investigated the optimism bias held by emerging adults toward their perceived likelihood of having a romantic relationship that will last for a lifetime. Factors that may underlie their high optimism-such as attachment orientation, commitment to relationships, and self-efficacy-were also studied..

Ryan Durand, of Cumberland, a member of the Class of 2017, presented "Determination of Microorganisms in Different Aquatic Environments.” Bacteria can be found in a variety of conditions. In this laboratory experiment, which Durand worked on with a classmate, a variety of microorganisms were identified and quantified in a water sample from the pond on Assumption College's campus and a water sample from the stream that empties into the pond. Samples were taken from each of the two environments and analyzed.

Jonathan Geromini a junior from Franklin, presented “The Changing of Writing Styles of German Exile Erich Maria Remarque.” At the beginning of World War II, Erich Maria Remarque, author of one of the most famous war novels of all All Quiet on the Western Front, time fled from his homeland of Germany to the United States. While in exile in America, Remarque fought back against the Nazis by writing his two emigre novels Flotsam and Arch of Triumph. This project examines the different ways in which Remarque, through his two emigre novels, portrayed the ruthlessness and tyrannical actions of Nazi Germany.