Professional Notes: Commencement Edition

05/16/2019

A round-up of awards, presentations, papers and the other professional achievements of SLU students.

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS

Symposia

On May 1, the University community gathered to celebrate the accomplishments of a select group of graduating seniors as part of the Senior Legacy Symposium, SLU’s annual celebration of undergraduate research.

The event, sponsored by the Division of Academic Affairs, marked the twelfth consecutive year for this signature event of the commencement season. University Honors Program staff planned and executed the event.

“For an institution like ours, it is essential that our students gain experience with the research enterprise, regardless of their field of study,” Robert Pampel, Ph.D., Director of the Honors Program, said. “SLU prides itself on being an institution committed to the pursuit of truth. During the Legacy Symposium, over 180 students from over 50 academic departments or programs exhibited this spirit of inquiry.”

As part of the event, students, who were nominated by faculty members in their departments or programs, showcased their research as an oral or creative presentation or in the form of a poster presentation.

In addition to the formal presentation of research projects, the event also included a reception to recognize the accomplishments of all participants. Chester “Chet” Gillis, Ph.D., interim provost, delivered the keynote address, during which he lauded participants' intellectual curiosity and encouraged them to continue their excellent work in their post-SLU career. Following the Provost's remarks, students received medallions to be worn during commencement.

Awards and Fellowships

The Honors Student Association held its annual formal celebration on Monday, April 29, marking another successful year in the University Honors Program, and honoring students and faculty.

The evening began with remarks from Robert Pampel, Ph.D., director of the Honors Program, who recounted the many notable achievements of the Program and its students this academic year. Honors students and staff then enjoyed food and fellowship, as well as brief remarks from Mona Hicks, Ed.D., associate vice president and dean of students.

The evening also celebrated the program’s 100 graduating seniors, all of whom completed a rigorous curriculum and a culminating research project in their respective academic fields to earn the honors distinction. The students received their Honors Program graduation cords and were recognized by Pampel, who shared data on students’ post-graduation plans.

Honors Grads’ Highlights

• This year’s graduating class represents 35 different majors, boasts a 3.86 cumulative grade point average and includes leaders from across the campus, including eight winners of the James D. Collins Award, 35 Senior Legacy Symposium presenters and two recipients of a Fulbright U.S. Student Program grant to teach English overseas.
• At least 52 graduating honors seniors are attending graduate or professional school next year, 31 of whom will remain Billikens as they continue their studies in accounting, aerospace engineering, biology, law, health care ethics, medicine, engineering physics, business, occupational therapy, physical therapy, physician assistant studies and social work.
• Others will attend prestigious institutions include Arizona State University, Baylor University, Columbia University, Emory University, Harvard University, Louisiana State University, Midwestern University, Penn State University, Rocky Vista University, Southern Illinois University, Iowa University, University of Missouri, University of Missouri-St. Louis, University of Nebraska, University of Notre Dame, Vanderbilt University, and Washington University in St. Louis.
• They will seek degrees in biochemistry, microbiology, and molecular biology, clinical psychology, education, global environmental health, health law, law, medicine, museums, heritage, and public history, nutrition and dietetics, physician assistant studies and public health.
• Sixteen students have accepted professional or volunteer positions with organizations around the world, including at the Archbishop Hannan High School, Barnes Jewish Hospital, Deloitte Consulting, SLU, Ernst and Young, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, FleishmanHillard, GenAssist, Mercy Hospital South, the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, the Peace Corps, the Saint Louis Zoo, SteadyMD, the and Walt Disney Company.

The evening also included the presentation of the second annual Honors Program Faculty Member of the Year Award. Anthony "Tony" DeCesare, Ph.D., of the School of Education, received the honor. Students who nominated DeCesare cited his inspirational teaching and commitment to social justice. As part of his honor, DeCesare will deliver the first “Fireside Chat” of the 2018-2019 school year.

The University News, SLU's student newspaper, won eight awards at the 2019 Missouri College Media Association (MCMA) Conference held Saturday April 13 through Sunday, April 14 at Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri. The newspaper competes in the Division 1 Category, representing the nine largest four-year universities in the state.

SLU’s student paper drew notable recognition for its visual communication efforts, earning first, second and honorable mention awards for photographers Emma Carmody, Trenton Almgren-Davis and Riley Tovornik.

The paper also received two honorable mentions and a third-place award for Ashlee Kothenbeutel's editorial illustration work.

The newspaper was also recognized with an honorable mention for a staff editorial on the importance of voting and a third-place prize for opinion editor Fiona Clair's column challenging the proliferation of popular entertainment glamorizing serial killers.

In addition to the awards, photo editor and rising senior Carmody was elected as the next University News editor in chief for the 2019 - 2020 academic year.

Scholarships

Three graduate students from the College of Public Health and Social Justice’s Health Management Policy Program have received the David A. Winston Health Policy Scholarship.

Dee Harleston, Allyssa Stevens and Nicole Strombom were awarded the scholarship, which recognizes student excellence and achievement based upon the student’s record, recommendations from faculty and colleagues and evidence of their interest in and commitment to health policy.

Posters and Presentations

Cara Baez, a senior geophysics major in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, participated in the American Geophysical Union’s 2019 Spring Virtual Poster Showcase and received first place for her presentation, “Aftershock Sequences of Intermediate-depth Earthquakes Beneath Japan.” Baez’s research is mentored by Linda Warren, Ph.D. The showcase included students from countries around the world presenting their original research in the fields of earth and space science.

Community Engagement

SLUs Fraternity and Sorority Life community celebrated a successful Greek Week 2019. Each year the chapters of the University’s Greek organizations unite through fun filled activities to encourage unity, fraternal siblinghood and philanthropic efforts.

This year, the Greek Week Committee chose to partner with Habitat for Humanity St. Louis and raised more than $3,900 throughout the week to help St. Louis residence build safe and affordable houses that they call home.

At the week’s opening event, Can-struction, Greek Week teams donated more than 2,100 non-perishable items to Billiken Bounty.

Competitions

A team of junior students, Justin Dulay, Skylar Howe, Dong Ho Kang, Cemil can Ali Marandi, and Vahdeta Suljic, from Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology participated in the Global Grand Challenge Scholars competition on Tuesday, April 23, at the Beckman Center of National Academies in Irvine, California. Thirteen teams from across the country participated in the event. SLU's team presented, “AI extended Common Alert Protocol.”

Conferences

The Micah Program held a student conference focused on addressing urban poverty on Monday, April 29. Twenty SLU junior and senior students presented projects during five conference sessions.

The student speakers were completing an interdisciplinary minor in urban poverty studies, which is administered by the Micah program and is open to all students Through coursework tied to students’ future career interests and service in struggling neighborhoods near the university, students explore effective solutions to issues related to urban poverty.

Presentations

• Abigail Doweiko, “Youth Involvement in Gangs.”
• Alana Janssen, “Impacts of Isolation on Permanent Supportive Housing Residents.”
• Alex Hernandez, “Mexicans in St. Louis: A Brief Overview of a Long and Untold History.”
• Amy Hennessy, “Incarcerating America's Youth: Analyzing the Broken System and Moving Towards Community-Based Interventions.”
• Andrew Smith, “Local Specific Trends of Concentrated Poverty in St. Louis: 1980-2018.”
• Caitlin Kelley, “I Don’t Hate You ‘Cuz You’re Fat, You’re Fat Because I Hate You: An Intervention on the Disparities of Childhood Obesity Based on Physical Activity and Nutrition in St. Louis.”
• Clare Hennessy, “Black Representation in Children’s Literature: Literacy Development Initiatives in St. Louis.”
• Emma Flanagan, “Home is Where You Belong: Does St. Louis Create a Culture of Belonging in Immigrant Populations?”
• Joseph De Lorimier, “Technology and displacement among vulnerable populations.”
• Julia Murphy, “The Detrimental Effects of Immigration Detention and Immigration Enforcement on Central American Women Seeking Asylum in the United States.”
• Kate McDonough, “Meeting the Needs of At-Risk Youth in St. Louis: An Occupational Therapy Perspective.”
• Katie Cassidy, “An Analysis of the Racial Disparity in Infant Mortality in Saint Louis.”
• Katlyn Martin, “Standardized Tests as a Barrier to Higher Education And Why Saint Louis University Should Consider Test Score Optionality.”
• Maria Garcia, “The Influence of Bosnians in the St. Louis Region.”
• Mary Adcock, “Dignity: Revitalizing Food and Environmental Justice with Urban Agriculture.”
• Mercedes Salazar, “An Analysis of Food Insecurity in North St. Louis.”
• Michael Winters, “Immigration and the Myth of Economic Burden: An Opportunity for Growth in St. Louis.”
• Shalini Raichur, Caitlin Smith, and Tremayne Watterson, “Gateway to Ending Gun Violence: A Public Health Approach.”
• Taylor Schleisman, “‘It’s a maze lined with hurdles out here’: Navigating Barriers to Abortion Health Care in Missouri.”

The Cultures of American Religion working group hosted a half-day conference event, “La Fe: Latino Catholicism in the Midwest,” on Tuesday, April 30, in Adorjan Hall. The event was a special project of Carlos Ruiz, a doctoral student in the Department of American Studies, and was organized in close collaboration with the Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Ferguson.

The conference included a keynote address by Sergio González, Ph.D., of Marquette University, on “Practices of Hospitality: Latinos, Faith, and Community in the Midwest.”

A panel discussion explored diverse aspects of Latino Catholicism in St. Louis, and featured:

• Sr. Cathy Doherty, pastoral associate at Our Lady of Guadalupe parish
• Sofia Gonzalez, a parishioner at Our Lady of Guadalupe
• Kris Walentik, attorney at St. Francis Community Services
• Rubén Rosario Rodríguez, Ph.D., associate professor of systematic theology at SLU

“La Fe” included a dinner reception, during which Our Lady of Guadalupe parishioners, SLU students, staff, faculty and other St. Louis community members came together to enjoy fajitas provided by El Agave, a restaurant run by a member of the Our Lady of Guadalupe parish, and Our Lady of Guadalupe’s Matachines dancers performed and answered questions following the performance.

It was made possible by support from the American Studies department, the Office of Graduate Education, and a Mellon Faculty Development Grant award.

Five SLU undergraduate students, majoring in the Investigative and Medical Science and Magnetic Resonance Imaging programs within the Department of Clinical Health Sciences (CHS) in the Doisy College of Health Sciences, presented their research results at the 2019 Experimental Biology Conference in Orlando, Florida, in April.

The five students are DeNardo scholars and their research has been funded by a grant from the DeNardo Education and Research Foundation.

The students were among 260 undergraduate students from across the country. As members of SLU’s undergraduate chapter of the American Society for Molecular Biology and Biochemistry (ASBMB), they participated in ASBMB events, including an undergraduate research competition, and presented research posters at this national conference.

Presenters

Victoria Mak and Vishnu Kaverimanian, mentored by Rita Heuertz, Ph.D.

Megan Horita and Megan Reed, mentored by Uthayashanker Ezekiel, Ph.D.

Austin Lee, mentored by Tim Randolph, Ph.D.

Kaverimanian and Lee also received ASBMB provided travel awards to attend the conference.

Formals

While recreating the perfect Moonlight Masquerade, Housing and Residence Life’s Learning Community Activities Board (LCAB) successfully hosted the second annual spring formal for 300+ Learning Community residents on Friday, April 12.

Last year the Learning Community Activities Board (LCAB), a group made up of 40 first-year students representing each of the nine learning communities, put together a research-driven business proposal for a spring formal to celebrate the conclusion of midterm season and transition into Holy Week.

On Friday April 12, the Busch Student Center Wool Ballroom was transformed into a Moonlight Masquerade. Décor and lighting transformed the typical SLU colors into a ballroom of interwoven patterns of gold, black, and silver. Some of the highlights of the night included DJ Kenneth “DJ Stretch” Jones, an assortment of themed appetizers, an exclusive screening of Learning Community LC Ya Later videos, and the group digital photo booth that printed souvenirs to last a lifetime.

The Learning Community Program at Saint Louis University is a highly collaborative program that offers nine residential Learning Communities for first-year students. The mission of the Learning Communities Program at Saint Louis University is to create intentional, inclusive communities formed around common academic interests where students live and learn together.

Engaging the Jesuit traditions of intellect and reflection, Learning Communities invite students to integrate their learning in and out of class.

About half of Saint Louis University freshmen find social and academic support in one of the nine on-campus learning communities. These communities cultivate holistic student growth and enhance learning by fostering collaborative and enduring connections among students, faculty and staff.

Learn more about Learning Communities at SLU here.