Colonial Academic Alliance

On Friday, April 4, 2008 Associate Dean of Honors College, Neil H. Donahue, drove six students from Hofstra in a rented minivan up to Boston to present their advanced undergraduate research at the Colonial Academic Alliance conference with similar groups from all the member schools (Delaware, Drexel, George Mason, Georgia State, Hofstra, James Madison, UNC-Wilmington, Northeastern, Old Dominion, Towson, Virginia Commonwealth and the College of William and Mary). The group stayed in the Copley Place Marriot at the Prudential Center in downtown Boston.

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Student presenters included:

Brianna Burke, Forensic Science, and Daniel Richford, Physics (co-researchers with Dominick Bongiovi, Kara Finzel and Melissa Garuthara, not present at CAA)
Title: “Activation Dynamics in the BZ Reaction: An Experimental and Simulation Study”
Advisor: Professors Sobel and Hastings

Meghan Simpson, English
Title: “The Vicarious Sisters: Latent Incestuous Desires in Gothic Fiction”
Advisor: Professor Fizer

Amanda Tiradentes, Journalism, Media Studies, and Public Relations
Title: “Cyber-gemeinschaft: A Change in Communication and Community”
Advisor: Professor Allison

Brandon Gorkey, Marketing
Title: “Advancement of Telecommunication and its Effects on Marketing”
Advisor: Professor Tafti

On Friday evening, the hosts welcomed all the participants at a reception, where the group was joined by Hofstra Associate Provost Ralph Polimeni, followed by an elegant banquet with a distinguished faculty lecture on John Hancock by his biographer William Fowler, Jr., a witty, dapper and eloquent historian and popular professor at Northeastern. After the lecture came special performances of a Northeastern jazz trio and an a cappella group (The Downbeats). The entertainment was orchestrated by a leading performer of a new musical brass instrument called a euphonium for its rich tones, who introduced the instrument with an array of showcase pieces.

On Saturday, everyone got down to business and the students presented their papers and posters, listed below, fielding questions and explaining their research. It was a great opportunity to gain valuable experience presenting ideas at a conference to an engaged, learned and appreciative audience. Of course, students from all the schools attended each others’ panels and posters and created a lot of good interaction. Between sessions of student panels and posters there were other distinguished faculty lectures by leaders in the fields of business (on microfinancing) and psychology (on brain imaging). It was an intellectually exhilarating experience, hearing about and talking about very diverse and interesting research topics in very different fields. It gave a vivid impression, all at once, of what university teaching and learning, writing and research are all about.

One student, Alex Moore, in her first year, was not in a position to present advanced research, but came along to represent the Students for a Greener Hofstra and its initiative to establish a Colonial Environmental Alliance among CAA schools. She made a power point presentation and explained to students from several CAA schools what Hofstra has done in the past year, and how beneficial it would be for all CAA students to work together, comparing notes and initiatives, as universities move toward the University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (which several CAA schools have already signed). The director of the CAA, Mary Frances Forcier, embraced the idea and another meeting is planned for next year’s conference.

At the end of the day, Forcier and the Provost of Northeastern hosted a reception with raffles and awards for the students. The event was very well organized with a lot of thoughtful touches; everyone felt the excitement of being away at a different school for an intellectual event, but also the warmth and welcome of being also at home in a fellow CAA school.

On the ride home, the group kept the driver alert with loud rock music, caffeine and funny conversation, and M&Ms. We had a great time, and Hofstra can be proud of its undergrads, the great mentoring they’ve received, their scientific accomplishments and the professionalism they showed in putting their ideas out into the world.