Another strong showing for Eastern at COPLAC

Fourteen students from Eastern Connecticut State University presented their undergraduate research at the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC) annual conference from Oct. 17 to 18 at Keene State College in New Hampshire.

“It was a pleasure to be at the COPLAC conference ... interacting with students and faculty from several liberal arts schools in the region was a nice opportunity,” said biology Professor Bryan Connolly, who served as one of the faculty supervisors. “Eastern student presenters did an excellent job sharing their research from many diverse fields of study.” 

“What a joy it was to accompany Eastern’s students to the COPLAC conference," added English Professor Christopher Torockio. "Such a bright, dedicated, mature, thoughtful, and delightful group ... I can’t remember a time when I’ve learned more about so many interesting topics. I’m so proud of all of them." 

Each presentation reflected a topic or issue the presenter was passionate about. Senior art history major Carmelena Jones presented her analysis on Haitian painter Serge Geffrard, whose work she discovered in Eastern’s permanent art collection while searching for examples of surrealist art. 

“My presentation, titled ‘Understanding the Surrealist works of Serge Geffrard: Hidden Works Coming to Light,’ examines the early stages of Geffrard’s career at Arc en Ciel, a small and relatively unknown art space for Haitian artists,” she said.  

“This presentation is a platform to recognize an underrepresented artist, bringing greater awareness of the cultural richness within Eastern’s permanent art collection.”

Jones added, “The conference was a great opportunity for students to showcase their research and passions while making great connections. It was such a unique experience to see a variety of different subject matters and listen to all the talks; I’m very grateful to have been a part of such an opportunity.” 

Senior English major Julia Trainor’s research, titled “Defining the Three Types of Memories in Dystopian Literature,” dove into what she believes to be three main realms of dystopian literary narration: historical, virtual, and personal. 

“Directing attention to memory within these texts allows us to appreciate the intertextual relationship between novels past, present, and future,” said Trainor. “Reading these texts in tandem can inspire us to consider how these fictional societies mirror our own.” 

Between presentations, Eastern students had ample time to connect outside the conference. Through activities such as exploring Keene State’s campus and visiting the town’s annual jack-o-lantern festival, many of the Warriors made their first ever conference a memorable one. 

“COPLAC was my first conference, and I had so much fun,” said Trainor. “My favorite part was seeing what other majors at Eastern have worked on and researched.” 

In her presentation “I Can Read All by Myself, I Can Read Without Your Help: Analysis of Contemporary Early Reader Books,” senior English major Savannah Duursema explored the need for literary scholars to analyze children’s literature as a stepping stone to developing life skills and individual thought. 

“Learning to read is a crucial time in childhood because literacy is the basis for all future learning,” said Duursema. “Early reader books incorporate simple sentences, plot, and images to craft a text that a child can read independently, which provides their first opportunity to take in a story without an adult co-reader skewing meaning.” 

Each of the attending students highlighted how eclectic the conference panels were. The subject matter their peers divulged continually had them guessing about what the next presentation was going to be. 

"I had a great time at the conference talking with fellow Eastern students outside my own discipline and being around so many dedicated scholars across New England and from many academic backgrounds,” said Duursema.