Academic Symposium 2023 to showcase, celebrate student work

This year’s Academic Symposium — an annual celebration of the work of Saint Michael’s College students – will take place between Monday April 24 and Saturday, April 29.

This is the cover to the program for the 2023 Academic Symposium. The large image behind the headline shows last year’s Poster Session in Dion Family Student Center.

Chief event organizer Sarah Nosek of the psychology faculty recently shared the program for the Symposium, which opens on Monday, April 24 with presentations by Criminology students in Jeanmarie Hall 366 starting at 5 p.m., under the direction of Professor Krista Billingsley of the Criminology faculty. Presentations from 10 seniors in the major will cover a broad range of topics relating to policing, the criminal justice system, crime policies in Burlington, sexual violence among Vermont College students, policing and mental illness and more.

The remainder and bulk of departmental presentations are on Friday, April 28, starting with Biology, Health Science & Neuroscience at 1:30 p.m. in Cheray 101. Some topics at this session explore meditation, childbirth, deforestation and human disease, Covid-19 pandemic effects on electronic use in elementary students, and other more technical laboratory related topics. Twenty students will present nine distinct topics, since some efforts were collaborative.

Here are the times and particulars of other Friday Symposium sessions by academic discipline, with the faculty member overseeing that session:

Four chemistry seniors will present in Cheray 211 Friday at 3:15 p.m. (Professor Lamos);
Eight computer science juniors and seniors start at 3:20 p.m. in Jeanmarie 166 (Professor Trono);
Nine creative writing students will be in St. Edmunds Hall 104 at 5:30 p.m. (Professor Delanty);
Six economics students present in Jeanmarie Hall 389 starting at 1:30 p.m. (Professor Walsh);
Six individuals and a panel from education present in the Pomerleau Conference Room starting at 3 p.m. (Professor Amy Saks Pavese).
Five from environmental Studies and science are in Jeanmarie Hall 377 at 1:30 p.m.;
Six French and Spanish students present in Jeanmarie Hall 168 starting at 2:20 p.m. (Professor Vantine).
Six students from global studies, equity studies and peace & justice present in St. Edmunds Hall 205 at 10:30 a.m. (Professor Kirby);
Four history seniors will be in St. Edmund’s Hall 104 Friday at 3:30 p.m. (Professor Purcell;
Four students (both seniors and juniors) from mathematics and statistics and data science, will be in Jeanmarie Hall 378 starting at 3:15 p.m.;
Philosophy and ethics students are in St. Edmund’s Hall 332 at 3 p.m. (Professor L’Hote, four senior presenters):
Three physics seniors are presenting in Cheray Science Hall 116 at 1:30 p.m. (Professor Brizard);
At 2 p.m. in Jeanmarie 362, 14 presentations from political science and international relations will start with five teams of five presenters apiece, based on collaborative survey work the teams did for class, followed by nine individual senior presentations;
Students from public health and graduate health equity are in Jeanmarie 365 at 3:30 p.m. (Professor Siplon);
Religious studies is in Jeanmarie 380 at 3 p.m. (Professor Patterson, with four seniors);
Sociology and anthropology are in Jeanmarie 360 at 3:30 (four senior presenters);
Study Abroad presentations are in Jeanmarie 391 at 12:30 p.m. (Peggy Imai, director of study abroad).

Following is a random sampler of widely varied presentation topics by discipline:

Chemistry: “The Dietary Effects of Various Cattle Fees on the Protein Concentrations in Milk”
Computer Science: “Constructing a Weak Memory Model”
Creative Writing: Participants will read from their original poetry or creative prose writing, both fiction and non-fiction
Economics: “Does Unemployment Affect Crime Rates?”
Education: “Teaching as a Creative, Analytic, and Reflective Endeavor” (panel presentation)
Environmental Studies/Science: “The Spread of Deer Ticks and Lyme Disease in the Northeast”
French and Spanish: “Les lecons psychosociales presentees par La pester et le coronavirus”
Global Studies, Equity Studies and Peace & Justice: “Promoting Peace and Love: Exploring Strategies for Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation between Russia and Ukraine”
History: “20^th Century Freedom in America”
Mathematics/Statistics/Data Science: “Blackjack and counting cards: How can you beat the dealer?”
Philosophy and Ethics: “Knowledge of Other Minds and Its Application in a Clinical Setting”
Physics: “Detecting the elusive muon and Validating Einstein’s Special Relativity”
Political Science/International Relations: “Friends with Benefits: The ‘Special” Relationship between the United States and Israel”
Public Health/Graduate Health Equity: “Food Security on Saint Michael’s College Campus”
Religious Studies: “The Development of Pastoral Counseling in the Catholic Tradition”
Sociology/Anthropology: “Marital Status and Cancer Survival”
Study Abroad: “The Role of Ranger on Misali Island”

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Saturday, April 29 during this year’s Academic Symposium will see more than 80 poster presentations in nine disciplines throughout the Dion Family Student Center from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Posters will be featured from Chemistry and Biochemistry, Digital Media and Communication; Fine Arts: Art & Design; Fine Arts: Theatre; Mathematics and Statistics and Data; Mobilization of Volunteer Efforts; Physics; and the greatest number from Psychology (27) and Political Science & Criminology (23).