Five MWCC students presented at the 31st Annual Massachusetts Undergraduate Research Conference, held at UMass Amherst on April 16, 2025. The conference brought together students and their faculty mentors from twenty public colleges and universities throughout the state, and included almost 800 presenters and 1,400 attendees.
The conference halls at UMass were filled with students who gathered to offer presentations on research projects that they developed as part of their degree in a wide range of fields. While most student presenters are seniors, many community colleges participate as well, highlighting the importance of research and the development of student work early in their academic careers.
In order to be accepted for this conference, students had to submit an abstract for review, complete their research, and design a poster that summarized their work. At the conference, students explained their research and answered questions from attendees, including faculty from a large number of institutions, fellow presenters from other sessions, families, students from across the state, families, and friends.
MWCC faculty who attended were impressed with the presentations of the MWCC students, who smoothly and professionally described their research and fielded questions in the busy conference rooms. Most of the MWCC students’ presentations were based on honors projects that had been completed in addition to their regular coursework as part of their Commonwealth Honors program. Their posters will be presented on the Gardner campus as part of the Evening of Excellence this spring.
MWCC student presenters included:
- Josue Diaz Saldarriaga, “Neglected Issues Within Hispanic Community: Mental Health and Familial Attitudes Among Latinx/Hispanic Community.” Faculty sponsor: Jeremiah Riordon.
- Kent Yang, “Vision Assist.” Faculty sponsor: Kara Roche.
- Regulo Enrique Moreno, “Macroeconomic Challenges and Policy Implications in Venezuela.” Faculty sponsor: Elmer Eubanks-Archbold.
- Katie Rains, “Investigation into Potential Connections Between Countries’ GAI Score and Other Factors Surrounding Vulnerable Groups.” Faculty sponsor: Laurie Occhipinti.
- Tim Robert Trahan, “Lunar Laser Ranging.” Faculty sponsor: Peter Olzac.