Students present, perform at 2017 CREATE Conference

WILLIMANTIC » The Third Annual CREATE Conference at Eastern Connecticut State University took place on April 21. CREATE stands for “Celebrating Research Excellence and Artistic Talent at Eastern,” and is the University’s premier conference showcasing student research and creative activity. The one-day conference featured more than 300 Eastern undergraduates who presented talks, professional posters, live music, dance performances, art and photography exhibits, documentary films and panel discussions.

Among the participants were:

Lauren Atkinson ‘19 of Harwinton who majors in biology, presented a poster titled “Analysis of the Microbiome of Scorpion Guts for Antibiotic Production.”

Abigail Caselli ‘17 of Woodbury who majors in psychology, presented an oral presentation titled “Relationship Between Attitudes Towards Casual Sex, Gender Roles and Condom Advocacy.”

Megan Deacon ‘17 of Litchfield who majors in biology, presented a poster titled “Population Genetic Analysis of the Declining North American Black Tern, Chlidonias Niger Surinamensis.”

Jillian Gonchar ‘17 of Burlington who majors in Computer Science, presented photography.

Mikaela Hillsberg ‘17 of Burlington who majors in Health Sciences, presented an oral presentation, “Alcohol Addiction in Willimantic, Connecticut.”

Evan Ortiz ‘17 of Bethlehem who majors in Communication, presented a documentary titled “Samuel Huntington: The Humble Statesman.”

Alexa Potter ‘17 of Torrington who majors in History, participated in a panel discussion, “Overcoming Obstactles in Undergraduate Research.”

Kristyn Ryan ‘17 of Barkhamsted who majors in Health Sciences, presented an oral presentation, “Cigarette Smoking in Willimantic, Connecticut.”