Students at the Fall Research Symposium during Fall Research Week.
The week of December 2–6, the St. °µÍø½ûÇø community celebrated the research and creative work of students, faculty, and staff with . The week encompassed 11 different showcase events in which presenters shared their projects and their passions.
On Monday, the Office of Scholarly Engagement hosted the inaugural International Research Showcase, featuring students, faculty, and staff presenting their work across the globe. The presenters and their projects were:
- Josi Aguilera ’25: Democracy and Civic Participation in Kathmandu, Nepal
- Elizabeth Allen, PhD: The impact of climate change on violence against women and girls in Kenyan agrarian communities
- Ambria Crusan, PhD: Strengthening program evaluation for children receiving surgical rehabilitation at Kafika House, Tanzania
- Neela Nandyal: Youth Climate Agency and Imagining Sustainable Futures in Coastal Ecuador
Sofia Vanderlan ’26 at her artist talk.
Sam Schroeder ’28, Community Leader intern, presenting her work.
Another highlight of the week was an artist talk from , a junior who is for St. °µÍø½ûÇø. Vanderlan displayed her stunning beadwork, discussed her artistic process, and shared how she has been inspired by the women in her family.
Throughout the week, student-specific oral presentations highlighted the outstanding research and creative work happening among the student body. Four graduate student researchers presented their final capstone projects through the Masters of Organizational Leadership program on both Monday and Tuesday. Nineteen undergraduate biology researchers presented their findings as part of the BioSymposium on Tuesday and Wednesday.
On December 3, 4, and 5, students from the Community Work and Learning (CWL) student employment programs shared their experiences in a total of 46 presentations as part of the CWL Symposium. Mentors and community partners were in attendance to help celebrate America Reads program tutors, Community Leaders interns, and Assistantship Mentoring Program (AMP) mentees. Students in each of these programs did an amazing job of showcasing their hard work, learning, and dedication to building connections in the community. A few examples of these programs are:
- Rondo Community Library Tutors, America Reads: This group of tutors assisted youth in the Rondo community with literacy, math, and general homework help.
- Incy Rojas Pina ’26, AMP: Research assistant Incy Rojas Pina presented her work on freshwater ecology on day one of the CWL Symposium. Rojas Pina also attended the 27th North American Diatom Symposium, Iowa Lakeside Lab, and received a Best Poster Presentation Award for her collaborative work with partners and researchers at Texas State University.
- Sam Schroeder ’28, Community Leaders: Schroeder is a first-year student and an intern with the CSJ Justice Office with mentor Marty Roers. As an intern, Sam learned to build connections with St. Kate’s community partners and gained confidence in her ability to contribute to justice-oriented efforts.
Faculty members returning from sabbatical discuss their work.
On Wednesday at Carondelet Village, D’Ann Urbaniak Lesch, assistant vice president for engaged learning; Kristine West, professor of economics; and alumna Victoria Delgado-Palma ’23 presented St. Kate’s Welcoming the Dear Neighbor? work and shared about their experience at Uniservitate’s global symposium in Rome in November.
On Thursday afternoon, the community celebrated the work of four faculty members who returned from sabbatical during the past academic year. These presentations illustrated the high caliber and diverse range of disciplinary scholarship produced by St. °µÍø½ûÇø faculty.
The annual Fall Research Symposium is the culminating event of research week and included 48 poster presentations and 90 student presenters — an all-time high for this annual event! The ballroom was buzzing with energy as student researchers presented their findings to alumni, faculty, and staff. Two Antonian Honors students presented their final honors projects later on Friday as well:
- Burnices Barlue ’24: How Seah Became Burnices: A Process of Becoming
- Yasmin Leandro-Mendez ’24: A Path to Wellness: Addressing Physical Activity Barriers and Promoting Health at St. °µÍø½ûÇø
Antonian Honors students Burnices Barlue ’24 and Yasmin Leandro-Mendez ’24 shared their final honors projects at the Fall Research Symposium.
Please mark your calendars for the next weeklong celebration of research and creative work as part of the annual Showcase of Academic Excellence from April 28 to May 2, 2025!
For more information about how to get involved in research at St. °µÍø½ûÇø, please contact Katherine Campbell, PhD, director of Collaborative Research at collresearch@stkate.edu or visit the Office of Scholarly Engagement in Coeur de °µÍø½ûÇø 270.