Submitted on behalf of the James J. Whalen Academic Symposium Steering Committee
On behalf of the committee, we would like to congratulate all the presenters, mentors and award winners for participating in the Whalen Symposium and celebrating the amazing work being done here on our campus. On the 27th Anniversary of the James J Whalen Academic Symposium 230 student presenters showcased their work in the form of performances, talks, and poster presentations. Every presentation depicted the passion in the students and their mentors. The energy throughout the day was motivating, and was capped off by the inspiring closing speaker, Professor Tim Reynolds and the celebration of the award winners. Thank you also to all in the campus community who took time out of your busy day to come out to support the students and hear about the exciting projects going on all over this dynamic campus.
We would like to extend a special thank you to the faculty moderators, abstract reviewers, judges, and the staff and student volunteers who were a critical part of the event. Key individuals who worked tirelessly for a whole year planning and executing were the members of Whalen Steering Committee (Kimberly Wilkinson, Eber Beck, Abby Juda, Vikki Levine, David Bayne, Ian Woods, Peter Alario, Deborah King, Kelly Stern, Reed Pollard, Michelle Foster, MaryAnn Taylor). The symposium wouldn’t have been possible without the students, the mentors and everyone else behind the scenes.
Thank you all for your energetic assistance and participation.
The following were the Whalen Symposium 2024 Award Winners:
ORAL PRESENTATIONS:
Best Overall Oral Presentation (Highest Score)
1968 to 2016- A Comparative Analysis of Media Response to Athlete Protest
By: Jess Moskowitz
Faculty Sponsor: Ellen Staurowsky
Best of the School of Business
Understanding CPAs' Hesitancy in Serving the Growing Cannabis Industry
By: Matthew Naveran
Faculty Sponsor: Margaret Shackell
Best of the School of Communications
Coin Flip
By: Kaitlyn St. Hilaire, Nathan Zimmer, Keenan Jackson
Faculty Sponsor: Chrissy Guest
Best of the School of Health Sciences and Human Performance
Detection of Vancomycin Resistance Gene in the Gut Microbiomes of Endangered Wild Mantled Howler Monkeys of Costa Rica
By: Cassidy Gallivan, John Pirone, Olivia Waguespack
Faculty Sponsor: Kari Brossard Stoos
Best of the School of Humanities and Sciences
Rebecca Makkai’s The Great Believers: A Homogenized Thanatological Queerness
By: Andrew Poma
Faculty Sponsor: Katharine Kittredge
Best of the School of Music, Theatre & Dance
British Media Case Study: Sherwood
By: Casey Ingraham
Faculty Sponsor: Phil Melanson
POSTER PRESENTATIONS
Best Overall Poster (Highest Score)
Comparing the Efficacy of Melodic Intonation Therapy and Constraint-Induced Language Therapy on Increased Expressive Language in Adults with Aphasia
By: Shannon Johnston
Faculty Sponsor: David Hajjar
Best of the School of Communications
Suicide Awareness and Prevention Among 18-24 Year Olds
By: Emma Boisvert
Faculty Sponsor: Lisa Farman
Best of the School of Health Sciences and Human Performance
Playing Like a Child: The Importance of Play in Occupational Therapy
By: Kendra Atstupenas, Ella Meoli
Faculty Sponsor: Amie Germain
Best of the School of Humanities and Sciences
Investigating Autoinducer Synthase Binding With JKR-1, a Transition-State Analog Inhibitor
By: Noah Strathmann, Rishab Sen
Faculty Sponsor: Scott Ulrich
Best Visual Presentation
From Commission to Performance: Working with Living Composers
By: Timothy Coffey, Noemi Bender
Congratulations to all Award Winners!