
The annual Academic Conference provides an opportunity for Saint Vincent College students to publicly present their research and creative works. At the Saint Vincent College Academic Conference, students present, in oral or poster format, on their senior thesis research, significant class projects, service learning activities, internships and study abroad experiences. Students and faculty also organize sessions of musical performances and poetry readings and many visual arts students display paintings and sculptures.
This event showcases the magnificent work our students do and celebrates their accomplishments. In addition, the Academic Conference accentuates much of what makes Saint Vincent a special place, providing evidence of close student-faculty relationships, highlighting research opportunities and representing the many facets of the liberal arts.
In light of the coronavirus pandemic and the shift to remote learning for the remainder of the spring semester, this year's presentations were completed virtually. Despite the circumstances and in true Saint Vincent fashion, our students embraced the challenge and delivered fantastic presentations. The sections below contain information and links to view a number of this year's presentations, and more will be added throughout the remainder of the spring semester.
Project Title: The Effects of Food-Related Stress and Food Insecurity on College Students
View Presentation Here
Abstract: Over the past few years, researchers have measured food insecurity, a limited access to nutritious foods, on college campuses and the reasons student face this issue. The colleges and universities that were studied for this research were large urban schools and community colleges. At Saint Vincent College, a rural college, food insecurity is not as prevalent, since most students live in the dormitories. While food insecurity is still present at Saint Vincent, students who live on and off campus face food-related stress, which can vary between snacking and missing meals, to not having the financial stability to purchase food. This research is to understand why food-related stress happens on campus
Primary Advisor: Dr. Elaine Bennett
Primary Discipline: Anthropology
Project Title: Fibonacci Project Poster Description
View The Project Here
Project Title: Comparing Photolytic Repair Mechanisms Between the Tardigrade Species Milnesium tardigradum and Ramazzottius varieornatus
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Abstract: Recently, the study of tardigrades has gained increasing popularity. Of particular interest is the process in which tardigrades can survive, called cryptobiosis, since they can potentially be used to bolster survivability of crops and other organisms. Each tardigrade species has differing levels of tolerance to different environmental stressors. Milnesium tardigradum is known to be considerably well rounded in survivability to different environmental extremes. Ramazzottius varieornatus, on the other hand, has been noted to survive high levels of radiation. We sought to find explanation for the difference radiation resistance between these species by analyzing their photolytic repair genes. Analysis revealed the presence of a complete Type II CPD photolyase present in R. varieornatus. However, M. tardigradum only had a partial Type II CPD photolyase domain in the sequence leading to inconclusive evidence for determining the cause of different resistance levels between the two species.
Primary Advisor: Dr. Michael Sierk
Primary Discipline: Bioinformatics
Project Title: Half Torus-Shaped Clear Apartment Enclosure
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Primary Advisor: Br. David Carlson O.S.B.
Primary Discipline: Engineering
Project Title: Designing the B.E.S.T. Bag Tying Device
View The Project Here
Abstract: This project involved working with the Bearcat B.E.S.T. (Building Excellence through Skills Training) program, to create a device which assists disabled individuals with tying multiple types of trash bags while being discrete and easy to learn. Our work involved engaging stakeholders through staff meetings and observing different Bearcat B.E.S.T. student’s bag tying techniques. These observations helped illustrate each student's disability and its impact on this component of their vocational training. After doing some market research, we came up with a few initial design concepts and presented them to our stakeholders during a progress meeting and presentation. Stakeholder feedback influenced the House of Quality analysis which helped direct a more effective brainstorming session. The COVID-19 Pandemic presented many obstacles to prototyping and testing our device. Our final report includes the newest SolidWorks design and schematic drawing as well as suggestions for prototyping and testing procedures conducted by next year’s design team.
Primary Advisor: Dr. Derek Breid
Primary Discipline: Engineering Science
Project Title: An Analysis on Power Generation and Cost Effects from Solar Panel Arrays Installed at Westmoreland County Food Bank
View The Project Here
Abstract: Westmoreland County Food Bank (WCFB) is a non-for-profit organization which supplies food and household necessities to 16,500 disadvantaged residents of Westmoreland County per month. All donations are stocked at the food bank’s 40,000 square-foot facility. Utility costs in running refrigeration and lighting systems continue to diminish yearly profits. Recently, WCFB board of directors proposed an investment in solar panel arrays to reduce monthly utility expenses and the total electricity consumed from local power grids. This project scope focused on a cost-benefit analysis comparing the array’s total cost with its yearly electrical output. This analysis should help the board of directors decide on the value of an alternative energy investment. Research was conducted on solar panel mechanics, inverter effectiveness, product and installation costs, safety protocols, and design drafting to rationalize the investment. Agreed decisions on a sufficient array system remain inconclusive.
Primary Advisor: Dr. Derek Breid
Primary Discipline: Engineering Science
Saint Vincent College established the Threshold Series in 1981 when the Kennametal Foundation of Latrobe made a substantial grant to the College for the creation of an ongoing series of lectures and cultural events.
Saint Vincent College’s Threshold Lecture Series will continue on Thursday, April 23, with a presentation by Douglas Dodds, senior curator of the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London.
Dodds’ lecture will focus on the vital role an academic institution plays in encouraging intellectual inquiry, cultural creation and the preservation of artistic legacies.
In his role as senior curator in the Word and Image Department at the V&A, Dodds is responsible for developing its digital art collections, which range from early computer art to recent born-digital works. He has curated a variety of exhibitions and displays at the V&A, including “Chance and Control: Art in the Age of Computers (2018),” “Barbara Nessim: An Artful Life (2013)” and “Digital Pioneers (2009-10),” as well as an expanded version of the Nessim exhibition in the Bard Graduate Center in New York City.
Dodds has spearheaded the digitalizing of the V&A’s Word and Image Department’s prints, drawings, paintings and photograph collections. This includes leading the museum’s “Deciphering Dickens” project, aimed at making its extensive collections of Charles Dickens’ manuscripts accessible online.
Dodds has been instrumental in raising awareness of the significance of early computer-generated art on a global stage, particularly that of Roman Verostko, a former member of the Saint Vincent Benedictine community who went on to a distinguished art career and is now professor emeritus at Minneapolis School of Art and Design. Dodds’ interest in Verostko’s work has prompted the V&A to amass an impressive collection of the artist’s work, second only in size to Saint Vincent’s holdings.
Admission is free, but reservations are required and may be made by clicking the registration button or calling 724-805-2177.
Dodds’ presentation is part of a daylong celebration of art at Saint Vincent College. From 3-4:30 p.m., he will be joined by Verostko and art scholars Charissa Terranova, Ph.D., Grant Taylor, Ph.D., and Kerry Morgan, Ph.D., for a panel discussion on Verostko’s influence on the history of digital artmaking, interest of cross-cultural exchange in the electronic age and his impact on the contemporary artists who employ generative processes in their work. The panel is free and open to the public and will take place in the Robert S. Carey Student Center’s Performing Arts Center. Reservations can be made online at https://www.stvincent.edu/gallery.
Following Dodds’ Threshold Lecture, attendees will be invited to view three exhibitions in the new Verostko Center for the Arts located inside the Dale P. Latimer Library. “Roman Verostko and the Cloud of Unknowing: From Ideas in Mind to Ideas in Code” will feature more than 70 works by Verostko from Saint Vincent’s holdings, including his early video pieces, pen-plotted drawings, mural projects, artist books and newer editioned prints. “Royal Patronage: Selections from King Ludwig I of Bavaria Gift” features artwork, musical instruments and books gifted by King Ludwig to Saint Vincent College upon its founding in the mid-19th century. “Arrayed in Gold: Icons from the Anna and Tadeusz Kozminski Collection” will display 19th and 20th century Coptic, Byzantine and Orthodox iconography collected on behalf of the Kozminskis over a 40-year span.
Previous Threshold speakers have included: