Celebration of Excellence
The Celebration of Excellence is a month of applauding the academic and creative work by the Norwich community.
Message From the Program Director
Welcome to our 23rd spring celebration of student research! This year, we expand our celebration to the whole month of April so we can highlight even more research our students have completed in labs, studios, libraries, archives, outdoors, and classrooms, on campus and beyond. We hope you’ll make time to attend many of the events showcasing student research, from the multidisciplinary poster session on April 10 to the many program-specific events going on at other times throughout the month, because we know that student research is worth celebrating.
Research takes a lot of time and hard work: it challenges students to think creatively and critically, identifying unanswered questions and using their skills and resources to move toward an answer. Research is experiential: it lets students apply the knowledge and talents they have learned in the classroom to solving problems and expanding our collective knowledge. Research ensures that our students’ education is relevant: it helps students build workforce skills and understand cutting edge topics at the forefront of their academic or professional field.
Research also takes a community. We learn from each other and support each other throughout the research process, and it is only fitting that we come together to celebrate the products of all that hard work. So, let’s celebrate the countless hours of work that went into each of these projects and share the knowledge we have gained. Let’s thank the students for sharing their work with us, and the mentors, classmates, roommates, staff, parents, and others for the support they provided along the way. And let’s take this opportunity to learn something new from our student researchers!
Enjoy the showcase!
Allison Neal, PhD
Undergraduate Research Program Director
Student Research Showcase Competition
For a chance to win a prize, send a selfie of you at these events to undergraduateresearch@norwich.edu. Every event you attend increases your chances of winning.
Include the name of the event with your photo. We may share your selfies on social media; if you don’t want your photo shared, please let us know. Students, faculty, and staff are all encouraged to participate.
Schedule of Events
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April 8
2-3:30 p.m. | Todd Multipurpose Room, Kreitzberg Library
The Bamberg Witch Panic of 1628
HI 322: Colloquium on Crime and Witchcraft in Early Modern Europe
Questions? Contact Professor Emily Gray at egray1@norwich.edu.
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April 10
8-9 a.m. | Mack Hall 105
Criminal Justice Senior Seminar Presentations on Human Trafficking Research
Presentations by Ben Fairbanks and Maddox Reed
CJ 410 Section 2, Senior Seminar in Criminal Justice
Questions? Email Professor Connie Hassett-Walker at chassett@norwich.edu.9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. | Kreitzberg Arena
Engineering Convocation
The Senior Capstone Project Teams present and share interactive poster session.
Questions? Email Professor Karen Supan at ksupan@norwich.edu.4:30-6 p.m. | Plumley Armory
Student Research Showcase Poster Session and Award Ceremony
Sponsored by the Undergraduate Research Program
Questions? Email Professor Allison Neal at aneal1@norwich.edu.
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April 11
2-6 p.m. | Mack Hall Auditorium
Department of Health and Human Performance Senior Capstone Presentations
HHPR 450 Evidence Based Healthcare
Questions? Email Professor Lucas Van Horn at lvanhorn@norwich.edu.This symposium highlights evidence-based research and applied projects from students in the Health and Human Performance program. Topics span a range of interests in clinical exercise physiology, athletic training, strength and conditioning, biomechanics, and public health. All are welcome — faculty, students, staff, family, and community members. Come support our students and learn about their innovative work!
Topics include: Performance & Recovery, Clinical Exercise Physiology, Injury Prevention & Rehabilitation, Biomechanics, and Public Health & Wellness.
Keynote Presentation by Major Brandon Roberts at 5 p.m.
MAJ Roberts is a Research Physiologist in the Military Performance Division at the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine. Using a combination of cell culture, animal models, clinical trials, and field studies he investigates how the body responds to exercise, injury, extreme environments, and the effects of pharmaceutical and nutritional interventions. His mission is to optimize Warfighter health and performance.Summary: This presentation will explore how research in exercise and health science has shaped doctrine, policies, strategies, and performance optimization in military, athlete, and tactical populations. We will cover how research has driven updates to body composition standards, ration formulations, drug and supplement usage, cognitive enhancement, and occupational safety. This discussion will also highlight the critical role of research in shaping readiness and sustaining peak performance in austere environments.
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April 17
1-2 p.m. | Location TBD
HI 404 Later Roman Empire Senior Capstone Presentations
HI 404 History Capstone Seminar — A Roundtable on the Roman Military & End of the Roman Empire
Discussants/presenters: Thomas Besser, History; Ian Borton, Studies in War & Peace; Jackson Maxwell, Studies in War & Peace
Questions? Email Christine McCann at cmccann@norwich.edu.
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April 18
Noon-1 p.m. | Science Complex U195
The Westy Symposium for Undergraduate Research in Earth and Environmental Sciences
Questions? Email Laurie Grigg at lgrigg@norwich.edu.Presentations by:
- Shannon Driscoll: Nutrient Levels and Prey Density: Drivers of Carnivory in Aquatic Utricularia
- Xanthus Elliott: Seasonal Changes in the Plankton of Twin Pond
- Cole Funk: Kinemechanics of the Dog River Fault Zone
- John Hall: Creating a Hazard Map of Landslides, Honey Brook Valley, East Barre, Vermont
- Ryan Hocker: The Impacts of Post-Flood Human Reconstruction on Great Brook and the Winooski River
- Trevor Lancto: Pests and Pathogens in Norwich University Trees
- John Lemos: Origin of Felsic Igneous Rocks Trapped in the Dog River Fault Zone, Central Vermont
- Tyler Phipps: An Investigation of Structural and Mechanical Tree Defects at Norwich University, Vermont
- James Smith: Manganese Contamination in Home Wells of Central Vermont: A Local or Regional Source
- Olivia Smith: Paleoproductivity and Erosion Indicators Since Pre-European Settlement of Four Vermont Lakes
- Ted Tonna: Comparison of Water Infiltration Rates of Alluvial and Glacio-Lacustrine Sediments in Central Vermont
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April 22
9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. | South Instruction Room, Kreitzberg Library
Nursing Capstone Leadership Poster Presentations
The Nursing Capstone Leadership Poster Presentations are associated with NR 441 Nursing Capstone.
Questions? Email Professor Llynne Kiernan at kllynne@norwich.edu or Professor Jessie Wood at jwood3@norwich.edu.
Questions? Contact Us
Questions about student research? Contact us at undergraduateresearch@norwich.edu.
