Over 125 faculty, staff, students, and guests gathered in Dewberry Hall on Thursday, April 17 for the 2025 College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) Student Research Symposium. The symposium began with a warm welcome from Dominique Banville, CEHD Associate Dean for Student and Academic Affairs, and Jatin Ambegaonkar, CEHD Associate Dean for Research. Student research presentations followed for the remainder of the evening.
This year, two students were selected to give oral presentations. Luke Gilman, a graduate student in the Educational Psychology Program, presented research entitled Physical Fitness and Cognitive Performance in the Military: A Cross-sectional Correlational Study. Eunjin Han, a doctoral student in the PhD in Education Program with a specialization in higher education, presented research entitled Addressing Mental Health Barriers: Improving Counseling Services for International Students.
The symposium also included 35 poster presentations reflecting scholarship at all levels, from undergraduate through doctoral study, and disciplines across programs within our college.
As guests browsed poster presentations and engaged in research conversations, they were invited to submit feedback to poster presenters. This feedback was collected anonymously and sent directly to presenters to reflect on for further growth and refinement.
Congratulations to Hailey Zutic, the winner of the new ‘People’s Choice Award’ based on guest feedback! Hailey’s poster, entitled Seasonal Changes in Body Composition in Collegiate Women Athletes, was based on research supported by Margaret T. Jones.
Faculty in our college played a pivotal role in the success of this event. By mentoring students through the research process and integrating the symposium into their courses, faculty leveraged their experience as research professionals to enrich the CEHD student experience. Select faculty and staff also volunteered to serve as judges to aid in the professional development of our poster presenters and to select award winners across each level of study.
Congratulations to our Outstanding Poster Presentation award winners!
Salvatore Ferranti
Out of 12 doctoral poster presentations, judges selected Salvatore Ferranti as the recipient of the ‘Outstanding Doctoral Poster Presentation.’ Salvatore’s presentation, A Scale Validation of Teaching Self-Efficacy in Kinesiology Faculty, was based on research supported by Debra Stroiney.
Kelly Fitzgerald
Out of 17 master’s degree poster presentations, judges selected Kelly Fitzgerald as the recipient of the ‘Outstanding Master’s Poster Presentation.’ Kelly’s presentation, Tibial Tubercle Osteotomy: A Level 4 Case Study, was based on research supported by Amanda Caswell, Marcie Fyock, and Candace Lacayo.
Hope Falon-Mazer
Out of 5 undergraduate poster presentations, judges selected Hope Falon-Mazer as the recipient of the ‘Outstanding Bachelor’s Poster Presentation.’ Hope’s presentation, Transfer of Habituation of Cognitive Capacity after VR Intervention in Young Adults, was based on research supported by Tiphanie Raffegeau and PhD candidate Kelly Poretti.
Learn more about the CEHD Student Research Symposium judging and award criteria.
Thank you
Thank you to the following faculty and staff who volunteered their time and expertise to serve as our 2025 CEHD Student Research Symposium Judges:
Event extras
Learn more about our student research
View the digital 2025 CEHD Student Research Symposium Program for a full list of student presenters, research titles, and faculty collaborators!
Get featured on social media
Do you have photos from the event? Send them to us for your chance to be featured on our official social media channels!
Looking ahead
Interested in presenting at next year’s CEHD Student Research Symposium? Stay tuned for a call for submissions from the CEHD Office of Student and Academic Affairs in early spring. We look forward to seeing you in 2026!