EKU students from the College of Health Sciences traveled to Harvard University for the National Collegiate Research Conference (NCRC) in January. It marked the first time that students from EKU attended the conference to present research from their respective majors.
According to the NCRC website, the conference aims to address the need for a cohesive undergraduate research community as students are engaging in research earlier in their careers and have the ability to make significant contributions to all fields of study. The conference allows students to present their research to other undergraduate students from universities across the country without the presence of faculty. Students' presentations were composed of posters.
The following students presented research:
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Cassidy Cain, occupational science major
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Chelsea Cox, occupational science major
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Maggie Hall, occupational science major
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Katarina Porter, occupational science major
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Avery Carpenter, nursing major
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Laura Valquez, nursing major
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Hanna McQuery, nursing major
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Lisset Rosaldo, nursing major
Senior Cassidy Cain was encouraged by her honors mentor to apply to present her research. Cain’s research focused on the impact of occupational therapy for incarcerated Americans.
“It was really cool to see a bunch of students enjoying themselves and talking about what they were passionate about. It gave me a chance to have genuine conversations with people who really cared about my topic, and gave me a chance to wander around and learn from other students,” said Cain. “I loved getting to know people from all over the country with all different backgrounds and concentrations. It was a great experience to meet friends and learn how I can continue to improve as a student and a researcher.”
Dr. Mike Lane, associate professor of exercise science, and Dr. Julie Duckart, associate professor of occupational therapy, helped students prepare their research, reviewed their presentations, chaperoned the students to local historic places and took students to and from the faculty-free conference.
“This was a great opportunity for our students to not only present their research, but to get the chance to be exposed to other students' research and left many of them with ideas of where to go next with their research,” said Dr. Lane. “The students did an outstanding job of not only presenting their research, but as representatives of EKU.”
EKU’s College of Health Sciences is nationally accredited and offers award-winning programs from undergraduate to graduate studies. Students engage in hands-on learning both in and out of the classroom, through opportunities such as field work, research, conference attendance and presentations.