Six students from the Russell Sage College Honors Program were selected to present their research or creative work at the 2020 Northeast Regional Honors Council Conference, originally scheduled for April in Albany with Russell Sage College as the co-host.
While the conference had to be canceled, we are pleased to recognize the students here.
“Entrapment, Disability and the British Country Estate”
Kathryn Ashworth ’20, English and Childhood Education double major
Faculty Mentor: Associate Professor of English Tonya Moutray, Ph.D.
Kathryn Ashworth was slated to present a poster examining how disability was perceived and represented in the Victorian period and what social service options or treatments were available for the disabled compared to today. Her research also delved into how families avoided social stigmas by hiding disabled relatives rather than integrating them into family life.
“A Theatrical Look into the Mind of an Artist for Millennials”
Xavier Aleman ’20, Theatre and English double major
Faculty Mentor: Professor of Theatre David Baecker, MFA
Xavier Aleman was scheduled to share excerpts of their play, Impressions: A Self-Portrait, and discuss their artistic process. They wrote Impressions, which explores the place of the millennial artist in contemporary society and the intersections between mental health and the artistic temperament, in a capstone Honors seminar.
“The Lost Stories of Civil War Musicians”
Abigayle Greier ’22, Health Sciences major
Faculty Mentor: Associate Professor of English and Modern Languages Elizabethe Kelley, Ph.D.
Abigayle Greier’s research into the musicians who brought attention to the Civil War and exposed its inhumanities came out of an Honors seminar, War Stories, taught by Professor Kelley. She developed a poster presentation to introduce new audiences to the work and lives of diverse musicians during this crucial period in United State’s history.
“African Americans and A Culture of Resistance”
Asiyah Moore ’21, Nursing major
Faculty Mentor: Professor of History & Society Andor Skotnes, Ph.D.
Asiyah Moore’s accepted research paper examines the means by which African Americans have succeeded in accomplishing Civil Rights gains, speaking truth to power in an effort to obtain equality. Her work repositions the historical trajectory of African American Civil Rights in the United States as one of progress through resistance.
“A Book of Poems Inspired by the Analysis of William Blake’s Poetry,”
Chloe Bliss Snyder ’20, English major
Faculty Mentor: Lecturer in English Matthew Klane, MFA
Chloe Bliss was scheduled to present a collection of poems that she wrote in an Honors seminar and discuss her writing process. Her poems explore the dramatic interplay between opposites and how they inform and illuminate one another.
“The Silent Killer: How Water Contamination Affects Communities in Sub-Saharan Africa”
Joanne Tavolaro ’20, Applied Biology major
Faculty Mentor: Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Emilly Obuya, Ph.D.
Joanne Tavolaro collaborated with classmates on a new water purification method utilizing plastic bottles and sunlight. She was slated to present the results of that work and discuss the dire need for water sanitation methods in sub-Saharan Africa.
