THE COLLEGE OF NEW ROCHELLE HOSTS 20TH ANNUAL HONORS CONFERENCE TO SPOTLIGHT STUDENT RESEARCH PROJECTS

Lacy-Ann Landell of Yonkers, NY (left) with her project on slavery
and Jennifer Davidson of Lindenhurst, NY (right) with her project on
the use of sex in American advertising at The College of New Rochelle’s
20th Annual Honors Conference held on April 28, 2005.

NEW ROCHELLE, NY, April 28, 2005 – The School of Arts & Sciences at The College of New Rochelle (CNR) recently hosted its 20th Annual Honors Conference Day to spotlight independent study student research projects done for the CNR Honors Program focusing on Media and Identity in Postmodern Society.  The subjects included: Politics and Religion; The Sexuality of Advertising; The Mythology of Star Wars; and Identity and the Internet in the 21st Century.
Each of the 17 female students who presented their research projects at the midday conference are part of the CNR Honors Program and did their research under the guidance of faculty mentors.  In order to be in this academically rigorous program, each student needs to maintain a 3.5 grade point average (GPA) by the beginning of their junior year, take honors seminars or independent study, and conduct an individual honors project in their junior or senior year.  The CNR student presenters included:

Cindy Bastien (Brooklyn, NY) -- Do pharmaceutical companies market health solutions because they are motivated by a desire to help people or because they want to make money? Cindy’s project is appropriately entitled, “Pharmaceutical Companies:  Is it about your health or their money?”

Veronica Cambria (Yonkers, NY) -- Her two projects focus on: 1) describing and evaluating spherical geometry and 2) examining the role religion plays in American politics.

Esther Carelus (Freeport, NY) -- Her two projects: 1) compared the portrayal of doctors on American television against reality and 2) examined characteristics and prognosis for people born with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, the most common type of MD that occurs today.

Rebecca Coates (East Haven, CT) -- Why do the things we associate with Star Wars seem so hauntingly familiar?  Rebecca’s project evaluated how mythology may serve an important purpose in contemporary society.

Omega Dale (Parsippany, NJ) -- Why do we have such fear and reverence for women’s ability to bleed?  Omega contrasted the menstrual rituals and taboos of ancient cultures with the mores that we have in today’s society.

Jennifer Davidson (Lindenhurst, NY) -- Her project examined how the use of sex in American advertising has changed -- and remained the same -- over time.

Shirley Del Valle (Bronx, NY) -- Appropriately entitled “Chasing the Unattainable,” Shirley’s project examines societal expectations about womens’ bodies and how women have handled the changing perception of their own body images over the past 100 years.

Nisha Feliz (New York, NY) – Her project spotlighted the emerging use of online shopping as a way for people to choose an identity.

Lacy-Ann Landell (Yonkers, NY) – Slavery is alive and well.  Lacy-Ann’s project focused on the impact the media has on child labor across the globe and what is being done to combat this alarming phenomena.

Giau Nguyen (Endicott, NY) -- Giau’s two projects focused on: 1) the applications of electrical conductivity measurements and 2) how contemporary life perpetuates the “quick fix” solution to every day problems.

Tung Nguyen (Foxboro, MA) – Her goal was to show that despite the inherent conflict between science and religion, that both seek to help people better understand the world around them.

Ruth Santiago (Sunnyside, NY) – Why are similated games so popular now?  Ruth’s project looked at whether people shape the life of their SIM (similated person) or does the SIM shape the life of the gamer?

Christina Simpson (Bridgeport, CT) -- What characterizes female viewing of pornography? How does it differ and how is it the same as male use?

Betsy Skrip (Oxford, MA) – Her project evaluated how nature has been portrayed through the evolution of art.  Betsy also addressed how the invention of the camera and computer has facilitated this process.

Megan Skrip (Oxford, MA) -- This project spotlighted the effects of exotic earthworms on forest leaf litter and its inhabitants at Marshlands Conservancy in Rye, NY.

Kathryn M. Tyranski (Mt. Vernon, NY) – Her project evaluated the correlation between gender and voting in America.

Emily Williams (Mendham, NJ) – Emily’s project examines how “gazes” influence one’s perception of art forms.

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The first Catholic college for women in New York State, The College of New Rochelle was founded in 1904 by the Ursuline Order. Today, it comprises the all-women School of Arts & Sciences, and three schools which admit women and men: the School of New Resources (for adult learners), the School of Nursing and the Graduate School.  The main campus of the College is located in lower Westchester County, 16 miles north of New York City.  The College maintains six other campus locations in New York City. Visit the College’s website at www.cnr.edu