- Apply
- Visit
- Request Info
- Give
Written by Elisabeth Craig '26
Published on April 22, 2026
Eastern's cohort is photographed together at NCUR.
Senior biology major Abby Heidorn presents on bacteria in venom microbiomes of scorpions.
Aiden Sosnovich presents his visual art project, "Every Drop Counts," at NCUR.
Anton Smith presents his poster, titled "Creation of an Enhanced Germline-Specific RNAi Strain in C. elegans," at NCUR.
Dylan Chamberlin presents "Assessing Convolutional Neural Network Performance on Balanced and Imbalanced Image Datasets."
Hailey Abate presents a poster about Connecticut wine tourism in an evolving climate.
Lauren Kennedy presents her visual art project, "Overstuffed and Understuffed."
Lissie Craig presents her poster on biracial representation in portraiture.
NCUR presenters decompress with a game of "Marco Polo" in the hotel pool.
Allison Michalski (left) and Haleigh Thibodeau present their research at NCUR.
Art Professor Tao Chen takes a photograph with students at NCUR.
Computer science major Quinn Sawyer presents at NCUR, her first research conference.
Si Chanterelle presents a poster on the effects of captivity on orcas.
Eleven seniors at Eastern Connecticut State University presented their research to undergraduate scholars from across the country at the annual National Conference for Undergraduate Research (NCUR) in Richmond, VA, from April 13-15.
The group reflected a wide range of academic fields, ranging from visual arts displays and art history posters to analyses of learning patterns and complex computer operations.
“NCUR was a great experience to connect with peers across different majors and universities,” said senior biology major Abby Heidorn. “It was inspiring to engage in conversations with others who are passionate about their research and to see our hard work as undergraduate researchers recognized beyond our campus.”
"It is truly an exceptional and rewarding experience for the students, gaining valuable insights, being inspired by fresh ideas, and embracing meaningful opportunities to learn, grow, and connect," said art Professor Tao Chen, the faculty chaperone for the trip.
Early childhood education majors Haleigh Thibodeau and Allison Michalski presented on math learning difficulties in primary grades. Additionally, the pair attended presentations by fellow presenters, which allowed them to gain new insights into students' learning patterns.
“It was very exciting to see new perspectives on existing issues and the implications new research has on our society,” said Thibodeau. "One oral presentation I was able to attend discussed diversity in magnet schools and how this may impact students' education.”
She continued: “I enjoyed collaborating with students from Eastern and gaining new insights on research in different fields. I made many connections with students from different majors, which I would not have developed without this opportunity.”
Senior computer science major Quinn Sawyer attended NCUR as her first-ever conference, describing it as a great first opportunity to present her research on AI-driven analysis to a larger audience.
“I was able to have more in-depth conversations about my topic with others who were also familiar with the topics that I covered,” she said. “It was interesting to hear about other people's research as well, and I was able to learn about some very cool projects that other universities have supported.”
In addition to their studies, the students had ample time to go sightseeing in the historic city, bond over breakfast at Waffle House, visit museums, and play “Marco Polo” in the hotel pool.