Students Present Academic Research During Annual Undergraduate Symposium 

May 04, 2021

Thirty-eight Assumption students presented their original academic research projects during the 27th Annual Undergraduate Symposium, which was held virtually on April 19.     

The University’s Annual Undergraduate Symposium showcases the academic research and scholarly achievements of Assumption students working in collaboration with dedicated faculty mentors. The Undergraduate Symposium provides the campus community with the opportunity to gain a greater appreciation of and applaud the individual and collective accomplishments of the University’s faculty and students. 

“As an institution of Catholic liberal education, Assumption prioritizes involving students actively in the search for truth and beauty. The Undergraduate Symposium promotes a collaborative teaching model and faculty-student research opportunities, as well as helps foster intellectual development and professional growth,” said Greg Weiner, Ph.D., provost and academic vice president. “These presentations, supported by faculty mentors and reviewed by their peers, showcase what students have learned and how that knowledge is applied to develop in-depth, thought-provoking research projects.”

The following is a list of student projects presented during the 27th Undergraduate Symposium:

The Exile Experience of Erich Maria Remarque: Finding a New Identity” and “‘Doing History’: Serving as a Guest Curator and Research Assistant for the Slavery Adverts 250 Project (Chloe Amour ’21, Jefferson) 

Row Reduction Algorithm in Python (Emily Armstrong ’23, Marlboro, VT)

Implementation of Strategic Predictions (Michael Asante ’21, Worcester)

Biodiversity of Green Algae from Desert Soils (Cameron Choquette ’22, Bolton)

Social Connection and the Anthropomorphization of Nonhuman Agents (Gertrude Cox ’21, South Wellfleet)

Use of a Card Sort Procedure to Teach Prompt Types for ABA Service Delivery (Carol D’Agostino ’21, Durham, CT)

The Ascension to Empire and the Fall from Grace (Alex Devolve ’23, Greer, SC)

The History and Pathogenicity of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (Marissa Doherty ’21, Lowell; Rachel Ferguson ’23, Harvard; Anne Guadalupi ’21, Augusta, ME; Jillian Hamblin ’23, Northboro)

Music in Exile (Sean Duda ’21, Trumbull, CT)

Henry Kissinger and the ‘Inevitability of Tragedy’ as a German Exile (Joseph Facteau ’21, West Brookfield)

The Age of Scientists and Women: A New Era in Detective Fiction (Kerry Farrell ’21, Raynham)

The Unusual Ventral Light Reflexes of Fairy Shrimp (Branchiopoda: Anostraca) (Raymond Furgal ’21, Oxford)

Cahun and Moore and the Representation of Gender Fluidity (Katherine Gatto ’21, Webster)

Porphyrins and Porphyrin Applications (Derek Girouard ’21, Chicopee)

Portrayals of the Poor and Working Class in Children’s Film: A Thematic Analysis (Christina Goldin ’21, Clinton)

Color, Textura y Movimiento (Paula Gomez ’22, Mahway, NJ)

Exploring the Characteristics and Diseases caused by Clostridium Botulinum (Lauren Jakobs ’22, Naples, ME; Cassandra Saniuk ’21, Assonet; Olivia Sawicki ’21, Marlboro)

ACE2 and its Involvement in Coronavirus Infections (Evan Kessinger ’21, Southboro)

Spying Companies: The Oblivious Generation (William Knoll ’21, Clinton)

Understanding the Pathobiology of Yersinia Pestis (Lauren Kuhns ’21, Homer, AK)

The Evolution of Deuterium in the Pharmaceutical Industry and Its Effect on Method of Deuterium Incorporation (Angela Martinez ’21, Avon, CT)

Rough Justice and the Delicate Art of Procedural Investigation (Maeve McDonald ’21, Quincy)

The Effect of Parenting Style on Degree of Self-Efficacy and Hardiness and Resultant Success in Adapting to College (Mikaela Newman ’21, Hillsborough, NH)

Using a Bioinformatic Approach to Determine New Genes Needed for Synapse Development in C. elegans (Sierra O’Keefe ’21, Milford, CT)

Social Connection and Anthropomorphization of Nonhuman Agents (Taylor Poland ’22, Johnston, RI; Matthew Sanchez ’22, Santa Ana, CA)

Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome in Female Military Recruits (Rachael Pulsone ’21, West Newton)

Martial Arts Therapy and Clinical Depression (Erin Smith ’21, Upton)

Mediocrity vs Monsters: Hannah Arendt’s Banality of Evil (Samantha Surowiec ’21, Tewksbury)

Advanced Machine Learning Algorithms for Preprocessing Imbalanced Datasets (William Traylor ’21, Princeton)

A Review of the ‘Flesh-Eating’ Bacterium, Streptococcus pyogenes (Deyanna Underwood ’23, Warwick, RI)

Student Voices: A Qualitative Study of Student Emotion and Motivation (Jasmin Veerapen ’21, Stoughton)

A Decade of Distrust: Why American Citizens Lost their Faith in the Government (Noah Veilleux ’21, Enfield, CT)