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More than 200 51Ʒ��undergraduate students took part in the 20th annual College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) Spring Research Symposium.

The symposium, held on May 3, 2019, was composed of 70 posters, 45 oral presentations and three art displays, and included representation from all 13 CAS departments. Student presenters ranged from first year students to seniors, and over 50 faculty mentors oversaw the work.

Faculty and staff selected ten projects to be recognized as outstanding work. A certificate and a $50 award were presented for each of the ten honored projects.

Abigail Hayne (Marine Science, ’19) was recognized for her project, “A Reassessment of Age and Growth of the Atlantic Sharpnose Shark (Rhizoprionodon terraenovae) in the Gulf of Mexico.”

Kaitlin Thibeau (Art and Design Media, ’19) was recognized for her outstanding artwork presentation titled “Things of the Past.”

The following students were selected for their outstanding oral presentations:

Brendan Sharp (Political Science, ’19) “Is Donald Trump a Fascist?” 

Mira D’Amato (English, ’19) and Drew York (Biological Sciences and English, ’19) “Altered Alice and Medicalized Magic: Cultural Representations of Children’s Literature.”

The following students were selected for their outstanding poster presentations:

Hannah Ciarametaro (Marine Science, ’20) “Development of an eDNA assay to detect the invasive tunicate Ascidiella aspersa”

Makaela Rice (Neuroscience, ’19) “The influence of neonatal pain on maternal behavior”

James Welch (Animal Behavior and Environmental Science, ’19), Christina Torlone (Medical Biology, ’20), Alina Mauthe (Animal Behavior, ’19) and Brooke Shea (Animal Behavior, ’19) “Animal foraging and disgust: Effects of pathogen cues and pathogen risk on scavenging behavior”

Mackenzie Deveau (Psychology, ’19), Kana Colarossi (Psychology,’20) and Ashley Karpowicz (Psychology, ’22) “Sexism and Female Consumer Behavior”

Nicole Martin (Psychology, ’21), Ellie Leighton (Psychology, ’19) and Aubrey Sahouria (Neuroscience, ’22) “Can font change how you read? Exploring font types’ effect on comprehension and reading speed”

Conor Wiley (Marine Science, ’21) “Polar Bears and Climate Change: Comparing the Inuit and Scientific Perspectives.”

The symposium included a keynote address from two distinguished alumni, Anda Panaitiu, Ph.D. (Biochemistry and Neuroscience ’11) and Ioana Panaitiu (Political Science, ’15), who spoke of the value of a liberal arts education and how their 51Ʒ��experience has shaped their educational and career paths.