25th CREATE conference highlights undergraduate excellence

The scholarly and artistic aptitude of Eastern students was proudly exhibited at the 25th annual CREATE conference on April 25. Standing for "Celebrating Research and Creative Activity at Eastern," more than 200 participants from all academic disciplines and departments presented a wide variety of research talks, poster presentations, artwork, music, and filmmaking.

"From research and visual art to performances, photography, video, dance, theater, and music, CREATE stands as a testament to the creativity (and scholarship) of Eastern students," said sociology Professor Nicolas Simon, chair of the CREATE committee.

Dean of Arts and Sciences Emily Todd agreed: "Students from all disciplines --  the arts, humanities, social sciences, STEM, education, business -- present their work at CREATE, a real testament to the breadth of the liberal arts education offered at Eastern."

Students within the Department of English had a major presence at the conference, ranging from comparative analysis in fantasy literature to finding literary parallels in popular cartoons. Senior English major Laila Wilson presented on the stereotypical representation of minorities in young adult romance novels.

She noted that a small percentage of these novels published in the past few years contained BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) characters and even fewer of these were LGBTQ+. “My research has led me to further support the idea that more books need to be created to accurately depict culturally and sexually diverse characters in romantic settings,” said Wilson. 

Sophomore English major Shannon Carbonell's research compared the plot lines of “Over the Garden Wall” with Dante’s “Divine Comedy.” “My research was started at last year’s Summer Research Institute and was presented last semester at CCSU’s English Undergraduate Conference,” said Carbonell.

She commented on the diversity of research topics at CREATE and the intermixing of subject matter on panels. “We had a presenter talking about an art exhibit which she curated, a discussion on themes between a musician’s collections of work, how the mind works with dreams, and a group’s ideas on how to help a local business boost their membership.” 

In addition to reading an excerpt from an original story, junior English major Ian Harrington presented alongside his peers on “The Lord of the Rings,” assessing the work alongside fantasy series that followed its example.

“‘The Lord of the Rings’ laid the groundwork for the fantasy genre, while ‘Mistborn’ by Brandon Sanderson is one of many books that showed how that groundwork could be expanded upon,” said Harrington. “I thought the conference was an excellent opportunity to share my work and to engage in the work of other disciplines and fields I am less familiar with.” 

Junior history major Emma Schafer’s poster presentation included documents and information she researched on Native Americans. Her job at the University Archives motivated her research, and she provided her observers with motivation to access these resources and preserve Native American history. 

“I am interested in general stories of Native groups and how they've been sidelined throughout history,” said Schafer. “I think being removed from their ancestral lands and being shunted to reservations is especially harrowing for Native Americans, considering they were here first. There’s a current push for the revitalization of Native languages and culture that I find really fascinating.”

In addition to riveting talks, participants also showcased their creativity through a sneak-peek performance of the Department of Communication, Film, and Theatre (CFT)’s “Women’s House of Detention” in the Fine Arts Amphitheater, and in a live sewing event led by CFT Professor Anya Sokolovskaya. 

President's Awards

During the lunchtime remarks, President Karim Ismaili commended all of the participants for their groundbreaking research. He personally awarded two of the outstanding presenters: senior history major Emma McCormack for her poster presentation on the cultural impact of McDonald’s in the Soviet Union, and senior music major Aidan Reiss for his talk on the composer Erik Satie’s legacy. Additionally, biology Professor Kurt Lucin and education Professor Sudha Swaminathan were also awarded for their faculty mentorship.

"These presidential awards were created to recognize outstanding contributions in scholarship and creative activity by Eastern students,” said Ismaili. “We always emphasize scholarly and creative activity at Eastern because we think that creativity takes lots of different forms. ... These students (McCormack and Reiss) are doing work that went above and beyond what they were assigned for a class.” 

“CREATE is an amazing opportunity for Eastern students to showcase their work – with many of us on our way to being scholars, it’s great to sit in on one another’s presentations and support each other’s research,” said Reiss. “I truly enjoyed my session this year, which was all about art, culture, and philosophy. As a scholar and musician, it is vital to see representation of these vulnerable humanities.”

“My research focused on globalization in post-Soviet Russia through the lens of McDonald’s, which served as a powerful microcosm for the country’s post-Soviet political, economic, and social transformation,” said McCormack. “Presenting at the conference was an amazing way to conclude my undergraduate research journey, and I was truly honored to receive the President’s Award. It was especially meaningful to have my final undergraduate conference take place at Eastern and to see the incredible work being done by fellow students.” 

With 270 student submissions and more than 80 faculty mentors, CREATE was an opportunity for students to refine their communication skills, demonstrate their creativity, and receive feedback from the wider university community.

"CREATE's 25-year commitment to prioritize faculty mentoring of student research and creative activity has been a defining moment of the undergraduate experience for thousands of students," said CREATE co-founder Amy Coffey, associate dean of arts and sciences.

Conference co-founder and environmental earth science Professor Drew Hyatt spoke of the impact of the conference over the years. "CREATE reflects many years of celebrating the research experience for students at Eastern that has benefitted from many people's contributions over the years, including many faculty, numerous committees, and most importantly the students who gained confidence through their exposure to CREATE," he said.