Spotlight on Spring Research Presentations Across the University

On April 27 and 28, Assumption hosted its 32nd Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium in the Tsotsis Family Academic Center. Undergraduate students from a wide variety of disciplines, including criminology, sociology, human services, psychology, health sciences, cybersecurity, mathematics, history, management, theology, and political science, had the opportunity to present their research to those in the Assumption community. 

Some of the research presented included:

• Understanding Repeat Offending: Insights from Law Enforcement, presented by Sharlenis Arias ’26 in the criminology program
• Considerations for Working with Mandated Clients in Therapeutic Settings, presented by Madison Forton ’27 in the human services program
• Exercise on Academic Performance in Adolescents: a Review, presented by McKenna Walters ’26 in the health sciences program
• Pet Preference and Personality, presented by Alexia Steeves ’26, Leilany Vallejo ’26, and Frankie Dong ’26 in the psychology program 
• Caseworker Job Satisfaction and Fulfillment, presented by Olivia Ludy-Speight ’26 in the sociology program 
• Open-Source Intelligence as a Pre-Risk Indicator in Modern Security Programs, presented by Lucas Audette ’26 in the cybersecurity and computer science programs
• Gender, Commerce, and Political Engagement: Women in the Revolutionary American Marketplace, presented by Madison Prendergast ’26 in the history program
• Newspaper Advertisements on the Eve of the American Revolution, presented by Tayeshawn Cunningham-Pemberton ’27 in the management program
• Revelation and Revolution: Biblical Inspirations for the American Founding, presented by Ella Bradshaw ’27 in the theology and political science programs
• The Trial of Sacco & Vanzetti and its Echo into the 21st Century, presented by Thomas Lenaerts ’26 in the Italian studies program
• The Effect of Moschamine on Breast Cancer Cells, presented by Katie Adams ’27 in the biological and physical sciences department
• Evaluating the Safety of a Novel siRNA Therapy for Huntington’s Disease, presented by Joe Harrahy ’27 in the biotechnology and molecular biology program
• The Limitations and Potential of Integrating Small Modular Reactors (SMR) to Increase City Sustainability, presented by William Pessina ’27 in the environmental science program
• Resilience in Complex Systems, presented by Liam Waldron ’28 in the physics program
• Deadly Desire: Woman in Dutch Art, presented by Olivia Tocci ’27 in the art history program
• Adaptation and Migration, presented by Madeline Snow ’26 in the Spanish program
• Negotiating Home, presented by Randy Sanchez ’28 in the Latin American studies program 
• Unseen Realities: the Lived Experiences of Latin American Migrants, presented by Christopher Whittemore ’29 in the community service-learning program 
• Assumption Women’s Basketball Analytics, presented by Hailey Doherty ’26 and Cameron Felici ’28 in the mathematics program 
• The Role of Motivation on P300 Component, presented by Avi Miller ’26 in the neuroscience program 

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On April 30, Assumption hosted its 16th Annual Graduate Research Symposium in the Testa Science Center. Graduate students from many of the programs offered at Assumption, including applied behavior analysis, business administration, organizational leadership, special education, and clinical counseling psychology, presented their research. 

Some of the research presented included: 

• Macy’s, Reinventing the Department Store, presented by Aaron Pelletier & Nana Otoo in the business administration program 
• Training to Teach Staff Implementation of Token Economies, presented by Sophia Croft in the applied behavior analysis program
• Control and Structure in Parent/Child Conflict Conversations: How Parental Style Relates to Child Engagement, presented by Jalen Leonce in the clinical counseling psychology program
• Improving Educator Practice through Self-Reflection, presented by Alexandra Brand in the special education program
• Using Adaptive Leadership to Promote Responsible AI Use in Higher Education While Fostering Critical Thinking, presented by Laurie Palumbo in the organizational leadership program
• Behavior Specific Praise as a Function-Based Intervention for Students with Autism, presented by Amanda Eichholz in the autism spectrum disorders CAGS program
• Transition Planning for Students with Extensive Support Needs: Incorporating Student Input into the IEP, presented by Julienne LeBlanc-Dunnigan in the transition specialist CAGS program 

To read more about these research projects and to view all the research presented, please click here.

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This academic year, ten students enrolled in Assumption’s Honors Program defended their thesis projects in a variety of disciplines. The defense of the thesis represents the completion of the Honors Program for these students. The presentations included: 

• The Uses of Sorrow: Memoirs of Maturing from the Loss of a Parent, presented by Taylor Adduci ’26 in the department of English
• The Rise of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists and Their Effect on the American Obesity Crisis, presented by Meghan Witt ’26 in the department of biological and physical sciences
• Patient-Centered Hospital Built Environment: A Concept Synthesis, presented by Bella Perryman ’26 in the Froelich School of Nursing
• The Efficiency of the Assessment of Interverbal Repertoire (AIR), presented by Lillian Dolan ’26 in the department of psychology
• Improving Behavioral Persistence with Behavioral Momentum Theory, presented by Connor Harris ’27 in the department of psychology
• A Legal Analysis of the Gender Wage Gap: Characteristics that Influence Judgment in the Plaintiff’s Favor, presented by Mallory Bartlett ’26 in the department of sociology and criminology
• American Exceptionalism and the International Criminal Court, presented by Christopher Cox ’26 in the department of political science
• Surrealist Avant-Garde in Motion: An Attack on the Senses, presented by Peyton Leone ’26 in the department of art, music, and design
• Liberty and License: a Study of New Challenges to Liberal Theory and Old Defenses, presented by Anne Bisson Ingersoll ’26 in the department of political science 
• Ideology and Industry: Henry Ford, Ford-Werke, and the Nazi Regime, presented by Trent Sargent ’26 in the department of history