Whalen Award Winners 2023

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 26th Anniversary of the James J Whalen Academic Symposium 198 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, Dean Linda Petrosino 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 (David Hajjar, Kimberly Wilkinson, Eber Beck, Abby Juda, Doreen Hettich-Atkins, Deborah King, Sean Linfors, Kelly Stern, Reed Pollard, Michelle Potter, Melanie Reyes).  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 2023 Award Winners:

ORAL PRESENTATIONS: 

Best Overall Oral Presentation​ 

2 Suitcases, 100 Pounds 

By: Baneet Pukhrambam, Cinema Photography ​

​Faculty Sponsor: Janice Levy ​

Best of the School of Humanities and Sciences 

Depression and Anxiety Over COVID: The Role of Personality?​ 

By: Lin Chen, Nathan Moone, Nicole Wheeler, Psychology ​

​Faculty Sponsor: Hugh Stephenson ​

Best of the School of Health Sciences and Human Performance 

Implementing Asthma Management Programs for School-aged Children ​ 

By: Jaiden Mason, Finley Edmonds, Kristen Brodie ​

​Faculty Sponsor: Kari Brossard Stoos​

Best of the School of Business 

Antecedents to Gender Equity in the U.S. Workplace​ 

By: Rachel Ng, Business Administration​

​Faculty Sponsor: Christine Bataille ​

Best of the School of Music, Theatre & Dance

The Application of Tapering in Periodization to Instrumental Music Skill Acquisition​ 

By: Nathan Oczkowski ​

​Faculty Sponsor: Matthew Clauhs ​

Best of the School of Communications 

When a Boy Tells You He Loves You​ 

By: Kylie Schultz, Television and Digital Media ​

​Faculty Sponsor: Chrissy Guest ​

Poster Presentations 

Best Overall Poster 

High Intensity LASER Therapy Improves Pain and Functional Disability in Those with Musculoskeletal Pain Disorders: Filtering the Signal from the Noise​ 

By: Dehron Smith, Athletic Training  ​

​Faculty Sponsor: Patrick McKeon​

Best of the School of Humanities and Sciences 

Russian Subversion of Western Institutions​ 

By: Jason Trafton, Politics ​

​Faculty Sponsor: Chip Gagnon

Best of the School of Health Sciences and Human Performance 

Investigation of Antibiotic Resistance in Wild Mantled Howler Monkeys: Implications for Wildlife Health and Conservation​ 

By: Blathnaid Iosso, Allison Dell Orto, Cassidy Gallivan, John Pirone, Veronica McCarthy, Oliva Waguespack, Health Promotion and Physical Education ​

​Faculty Sponsor: Kari Brossard Stoos​

Best of the School of Communications 

Sustaining Sustainability: How Are You Making Sure Your Event Leaves the Community Better than You Found It?​ 

By: Camille Brock & Taylor Callis, Communication Management & Design ​

​Faculty Sponsor: Diane Gayeski ​

Presenters

Presentation 

Department
Lin Chen, Nathan Moone, Nicole Wheeler Depression and Anxiety Over COVID: The Role of Personality? Psychology 
Jaiden Mason, Finley Edmonds, Kristen Brodie,  Implementing Asthma Management Programs for School-aged Children Health Promotion and Physical Education 
Rachel Ng Antecedents to Gender Equity in the U.S. Workplace Business Administration 
Nathan Oczkowski The Application of Tapering in Periodization to Instrumental Music Skill Acquisition Music Education
Kylie Schultz When A Boy Tells You He Loves You Television-Radio 
Baneet Pukhrambam 2 Suitcases, 100 Pounds  Cinema and Photography
Blathnaid Iosso, Allison Dell Orto, Cassidy Gallivan, John Pirone, Veronica McCarthy, Olivia Waguespack  Investigation of Antibiotic Resistance in Wild Mantled Howler Monkeys: Implications for Wildlife Health and Conservation Health Promotion and Physical Education 
Jason Trafton Russian Subversion of Western Institutions Politics
Camille Brock, Taylor Callis  Sustaining Sustainability: How Are You Making Sure Your Event Leaves the Community Better than You Found It? Communication Management and Design 
Dehron Smith High Intensity LASER Therapy Improves Pain and Functional Disability in Those with Musculoskeletal Pain Disorders:  Filtering the Signal from the Noise Athletic Training