September 9, 2023
All day
Campus
Lyndon Campus
Academic Excellence at Vermont State University
Vermont State University is excited to host its first annual Academic Excellence Conference on September 9, 2023, at its Lyndon campus.
More than 40 faculty from across all five Vermont State campuses, representing nearly every academic department, will deliver presentations. The conference will include three sessions, lunch, and a concluding social hour featuring live music.
Conference Schedule
Plenary Session – 10:15 a.m.-11:20 a.m.
Academic and Student Activities Center (ASAC) 100
10 a.m.: Arrival and Coffee
10:15-10:20 a.m.: Introduction from Provost, Dr. Nolan Atkins
10:20-10:50 a.m.: First Plenary Speaker, Dr. Paul Searls, Professor of History. Department of Social Sciences
10:50-11:20 a.m.: Second Plenary Speaker, Dr. Ross Lieblappen, Associate Professor. Department of Natural Sciences.
VTSU Teaching and Learning Opportunities Panel
ASAC 106
Chair/Moderator: James Noyes
- James Noyes: The Learning, Working, Community Project-Based Model
- Philip Lamy: Cannabis Studies: A New Era in Higher Education
- Brad Moskowitz: Aligning with the AMGA: Providing Exceptional Opportunities Through Accreditation and Ongoing Professional Development
History Panel
ASAC 216
Chair/Moderator: Taylor Tobias
- Edinson Oquendo: Herodotus and the Transformation of the Ancient World
- Andre Fleche: The American Civil War and the Shaping of the Western Hemisphere
- Alexandre Strokanov: GULAG during World War Two
Technology in Education Panel
ASAC 214
Chair/Moderator: Jacob Park and Brian Warwick
- Monica McEnerny: The SHOW/TELL/ASK Video Pen Pal Initiative: A Collaboration Among US and Kazakh Students and Teachers
- Brian Warwick: A Necessary Evil: An Overview of the Pitch Correction Course Offered at VTSU
- Carl Brandon: It IS Rocket Science: Vermont Technical College’s CubeSat Lab Since 2004
Environmental Sciences Panel
Library and Academic Center (LAC) 400
Chair/Moderator: Alan Giese
- Alan Giese: The Environmental Impact of Mountain Bike Trails
- Ari Preston: Utilizing Geostationary Lightning Mapper for Severe Storm Warnings in Vermont
- Lisa Zinn: Shifts in the Timing of Songbird Nesting and Fledgling in Response to Climate Change
Health and Human Development Panel
ASAC 319
Chair/Moderator: Emily Tarleton, Kate Ledoux
- Emily Tarleton: Perceived Supports and Barriers to Optimal Nutrition and Physical Activity in a Cohort of Vermont Older Adults
- Michael Reeves: Research with the Homeless: The Lived Experience of Adolescents in Homeless Families and New Research into the Experience of Homelessness during the Pandemic
- Grae Verner, Ethan Kile, Peyton Hathaway: Understanding How Infants Differentiate Humorous from Magical Events
Lunch
12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m.: Lyndon Dining Hall
Technology and Computer Science Panel
ASAC 106
Chair/Moderator: Brad Miller, Bradley Beth
- Bradley Beth: Using Game-Based Learning in Computing Courses
- Scott Sabol: Conversion of Historic Stowe Electric Department Facility to New Use
- Jose Luzardo: Towards the Real-Time Implementation of the Adjustable Neural Network Controller
Education and Pedagogy Panel
ASAC 214
Chair/Moderator: Michaela Stone
- Lisa Hayward: Embrace the Power of Belonging: Community Building in Online Teaching and Learning at VTSU
- Anne Slonaker: Taking a Literacy Listen Tour to Explore the Ways Teachers Situate Their Understandings of Reading Instruction
- Hannah Miller: TeachOut Vermont: Studying the Process of Transformational Social Change With and For LGBTQ+ Educators in Vermont
Art, Literature, and Theater Panel
ASAC 216
Chair/Moderator: Alexandre Strokanov
- Elena Strokanova: Doctor Zhivago’s Yuryatin and Varykino: Their Prototypes and the Mystery of Names and these Places
- Katherine Renner: Illuminating Ireland’s History: Cartoon Saloon’s Secret of Kells
- Laura Roald: Boundaries Make Us Braver: Integrating Consent-Based Practices and Intimacy Choreography in Established Theatre Production Models
Understanding Human Behavior and Needs Panel
ASAC 319
Chair/Moderator: Janet Bennion
- Janet Bennion: Polyamory in Paris: A Social Network Theory Application
- Ethan Kile: Discrepancies Between the PCL-5 and CAPS in Individuals with Co-Occurring OUD and PTSD and the Association with PTSD and other Psychiatric Treatment Outcomes
- Lacy Skinner: Increasing the Mental Health Supports in Vermont Schools
Politics and Public Policy Panel
LAC 400
Chair/Moderator: Brandon Stroup
- David Plazek: Realist or Liberal? Canadian Foreign Policy, 2006-2009
- Jacob Park: Conducting Global Interdisciplinary Sustainability Research: Lessons and Insights from the UN Environment Program
- Brandon Stroup & Jessica Visnesky: Restorative Justice Practitioners’ Perceptions of Career Readiness: Assessing Educational Needs of an Emergent Occupation
Music & Social Hour
2:50 p.m.-4 p.m.: ASAC 100
Come join us in ASAC 100 for a social hour featuring live music provided by Ashley Jane’s Hootenanny. www.ashleyjaneshootenanny.com
Ashley Warwick: Classic Country and Western Music Review 1935 – 1970: A Celebration of Rural America Through Song
