Office of Student Scholarship Creative Activities and Research (OSCAR)

Student researchers show their work at OSCAR Celebration of Research and Impact

Colleen Rich — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 18:44:28 +0000

Student researchers show their work at OSCAR Celebration of Research and Impact Colleen Rich Mon, 09/15/2025 - 14:44

Foreign languages major Yamileth Hernandez-Becerra and community health major Melody Campos received a Best Poster award for their research, “Community Roots, Linguistic Equity: The Power of Outreach in Dual Language Immersion,” during the Summer 2025 Office of Student Creative Activities and Research (OSCAR) Celebration of Student Research and Impact in August.

Yamileth Hernandez-Becerra with the award-winning poster she created with Melody Campos. Photo provided

Their research was conducted as part of a George �鶹��Ƶ Summer Team Impact Project (STIP) that was led by Ellen Serafini and Jihye Moon, associate professors in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS).

The symposium, held at Dewberry Hall in the Johnson Center, offered undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to showcase their research to �鶹��Ƶ community.

For the STIP program, faculty make a proposal to the Office of Undergraduate Education in the Provost’s Office. Projects are then selected for funding. Serafini and Moon’s summer project focused on language, educational access, and social equity in local bilingual schools.

The team observed teachers at dual language immersion programs at two Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) elementary schools—Laurel Ridge Elementary School (Spanish) and Colin Powell Elementary School (Korean)—and interviewed teachers, school administrators, parents, FCPS board members, and state administrators.

George �鶹��Ƶ students Sarah Choudary and Sukyoung Yoon presented their Summer Impact project research on language immersion programs at the OSCAR Celebration. Photo provided

“This is a student-led project,” Moon said. “The students started from scratch coming up with the research questions and designing the research. They identified who the major stakeholders were in this program and interviewed them.”

Graduate teaching assistant Teo Rogers Mendizabal, who is working on a degree in Cultural Studies, worked on the project with eight undergraduates: Campos, Hernandez-Becerra, English and foreign languages major Sarah Choudhary, global affairs Sukyoung Yoon, foreign languages major Chloe Davis, global affairs and foreign languages major Avery Rhoden, mathematics and foreign languages major Giselle Concepcion, and foreign languages major Roslyn Brown.

“It has been an eye-opening experience for me to learn about these programs.… I’ve learned a lot,” said Hernandez-Becerra, who attended nearby Robinson High School. “It feels great to give back to my community and see what I can do to help them.”

In addition to the STIP research, a handful of CHSS students also presented at the symposium as part of research conducted through the Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP) from OSCAR.

English major Amaiyah-monet Parker presented on “Multi-generational Experiences of Structural Racism and the Denial of Innocence in the Lives of Black Girls in Philadelphia.”
Psychology majors Mehmood Shajih and Minasi H. Kaluappuwa presented research titled “Parents’ Beliefs �鶹��Ƶ Child Development and Child Executive Functioning.”
Psychology major Keyanna Jackson presented a study on “Researching Self Actualization: How Queer POC Integrate their Intersectional Identities.”
Aileen Fezzie, a psychology and criminology, law, and society double major, researched “Differential Susceptibility to Social Influence Across Cultural Orientations.
Integrative studies major Alessaundra Shallal conducted an oral history study titled “Living Between Labels: An Oral History on Race, Religion, and Recognition Among MENA Students at GMU (1960 to 2025)."

“I’m so honored to have received this funding and this platform to share something that I believe deserves more visibility,” Shallal said. “The fact George �鶹��Ƶ offers this is incredibly telling of its values.”

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�鶹��Ƶ Korea students present research at top international conference

Katarina Benson — Tue, 12 Aug 2025 19:19:57 +0000

�鶹��Ƶ Korea students present research at top international conference Katarina Benson Tue, 08/12/2025 - 15:19

For �鶹��Ƶ Korea students Dayeon Shin and Taeyeong Kim, what started as a moment of curiosity in class turned into something much bigger—a chance to present their research on a global stage.

It began with a classroom discussion on urban flooding, which inspired a research project on “sponge cities,” or urban areas designed to absorb and reuse rainwater, and their potential in Seoul’s Gangnam district.

Shin, a junior majoring in global affairs, applied for and received funding through �鶹��Ƶ’s Undergraduate Research Scholars Program, part of the Office of Student Creative Activities and Research (OSCAR). She teamed up with Kim, a sophomore, and together, under the mentorship of �鶹��Ƶ Korea professor Dakota McCarty, they brought the project to life.

Shin and Kim present their research. Photo provided

Their research was accepted for presentation at the 2025 Association of European Schools of Planning (AESOP) annual congress in Istanbul, one of the largest and most competitive conferences in the field. Out of the thousands of participants and more than 1,000 presentations, they were one of the very few, if only, undergraduate participants and likely the only undergraduate presenters.

Their presentation, “Exploring the Feasibility of Sponge City Solutions for Flood Resilience in Gangnam, Seoul,” was well received by a room full of academics and planning professionals from around the world.

“Presenting my research and engaging in discussions with professionals from various countries was an incredible experience,” said Shin. “Attending different sessions allowed me to think about my specific interests and motivated me to keep going—it felt like the first real step in my academic journey.”

But the experience wasn’t just about showcasing a project—it was about stepping confidently into the world of research and seeing themselves not just as students, but as emerging scholars.

“I’ve always wanted to make a difference through academic research, and this experience helped me find my ‘why,’” said Kim. “I learned so much about urban planning and really valued the chance to connect with researchers from all over the world.”

For McCarty, the journey was just as rewarding to witness. “It all started with a great question after class,” he said. “That moment of curiosity turned into a research journey that brought Dayeon and Taeyeong to one of the top planning conferences in the world.”

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Students present research at Inaugural Undergraduate Research Showcase in Richmond

Katarina Benson — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 14:27:27 +0000

Students present research at Inaugural Undergraduate Research Showcase in Richmond Katarina Benson Thu, 03/27/2025 - 10:27

In February, �鶹��Ƶ students attended the first Undergraduate Research Showcase held by the Network for Undergraduate Research in Virginia (NURVa) in Richmond. The event was an opportunity for students to present their research as well as share their work with state legislators.

Undergraduates Luciano Byrd, Angela Rojas, and Fatima Majid, all researchers working with faculty through George �鶹��Ƶ’s Office of Student Creative Activities and Research (OSCAR), were selected for the event.

“The showcase was monumental for me as a student. It was exhilarating to engage in real intellectual sparring with professionals in my field,” said Majid, a senior cyber security engineering major.

Majid worked on her project in a George �鶹��Ƶ Summer Impact research group, “Addressing the International Artificial Intelligence Cyber Question with the United States Cyber Command,” led by Professors Brian Ngac and Nirup Menon of Costello College of Business. This was her first time presenting research.

Majid (left), Byrd (center), and Rojas Rivera (right) at the showcase. Photo provided

Working with fellow students Brian Lemus, Bella Nguyen, and MinhQuan Vo, Majid studies how countries are using artificial intelligence (AI) for national cybersecurity. “The incorporation of AI into cybersecurity is not only revolutionizing the way these countries defend against cyber threats but also serves as a catalyst for strengthening their strategic alliances with the United States,” she said.

Sophomore government and international politics major Luciano Byrd’s research focuses on presidents’ use of executive power and executive orders. His project, “The Evolution of U.S. Presidential Executive Orders from 1936 to 2024: Historical Trends and New, Modern Changes,” could have important implications for the political science field.

He credits his mentor, psychology professor Adam Winsler, for encouraging him to pursue his research. “Without him, I would not have gotten as far as I have. [This] project started off as a simple literature review for my Honors 110 [Principles of Research and Inquiry] class and has turned into a multi-year research project.”

Angela Victoria Rojas Rivera, a junior majoring in medical laboratory science, has been working on her research since she was a freshman. Her research, “Primary Breast Cancer Communication with the Sentinel Lymph Node via Extracellular Vesicles Regulates Distant Metastasis,” addresses triple-negative breast cancer. Her work with Lance Liotta, Marissa Howard, and PhD student Purva Gade in the Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine could lead to new approaches to combat the disease.

For Rivera, the most meaningful part of the showcase was the confirmation that her research could help people in the future. After graduation, she plans to pursue a PhD in proteomics or cancer biology.

During the 2023-24 academic year, 428 undergraduates were funded by several OSCAR programs, including the OSCAR Federal Work Study Research Assistant Program, the Undergraduate Research Scholars Program, and the Summer Team Impact Projects.

“The importance of events like the Inaugural Showcase at the Capitol is twofold: first, for students, sharing the results of research or creative projects is part of the whole experience. Second, this particular event allowed students to show what amazing work they have done to members of the General Assembly and their staff, who might not have any other opportunity to see what undergraduates can accomplish,” said Karen T. Lee, associate director of OSCAR.

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�鶹��Ƶ research takes a SMART approach to tactical athlete fitness

Sarah Holland — Tue, 09 Apr 2024 20:31:59 +0000

�鶹��Ƶ research takes a SMART approach to tactical athlete fitness Sarah Holland Tue, 04/09/2024 - 16:31

From dietitians to personal trainers, it takes a team of experts and specialists to keep professional athletes strong and healthy throughout their careers. But Joel Martin, associate professor of kinesiology in �鶹��Ƶ’s College of Education and Human Development, thinks there’s one group of athletes missing that same level of support: tactical athletes.

Joel Martin, right, tests ROTC cadet grip strength. Photo provided.

“Tactical athletes are those in professions where physical fitness is a critical component, but who aren’t sport athletes,” Martin explained. This includes military, law enforcement, and first responders. Through the Fit2Serve program, Martin hopes to give tactical athletes the support and resources they’re missing.

Fit2Serve began through an Office of Student Scholarship, Creative Activities, and Research (OSCAR) summer impact grant. Martin works with student researchers in �鶹��Ƶ’s Sports Medicine Assessment Research and Testing (SMART) Lab on the SciTech Campus to provide fitness testing and wellness resources for tactical athletes and looks for solutions for their specific challenges.

“I think a lot of us know someone involved in military or emergency response,” Martin said, “and we don’t always appreciate the challenges those professions experience, both day-to-day and long term.”

Fitness, Martin said, is more than exercise—sleep, diet, mental wellness, and everyday physical activity all play a role. By improving overall fitness, Martin hopes to improve tactical athletes’ ability to complete occupational tasks and their health and longevity, as well as prevent injuries. For firefighters especially, there is a critical need for better resources, education, and research in these areas.

“Post-retirement mortality rates for firefighters are, on average, much higher than the rest of the population, due to the high physical demands of their jobs, high potential for injury, and consequences of poor sleep and wellness while on active duty,” Martin said. “We want to improve that statistic.”

His research team uses tools such as sleep surveys and real-time fitness monitoring during training exercises to make holistic recommendations for first responder wellness strategies.

“It’s useful for them to understand the physical demands of what they’re doing in order to make more informed decisions that will hopefully prevent extreme fatigue and injury in the long run,” Martin explained.

Their work is already making an impact. After a controlled burn training with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department, for example—where Martin and his team examined the extreme physical load placed on the individuals setting up the burn using wearable biosensors—they were able to provide objective data to support a command decision by the fire department to reduce the length of the training from full days to half days. Martin hopes that an upcoming load monitoring study will lead to firefighter schedule adjustments to prevent extended sleep deprivation; many work 24-hour shifts, which leads to disrupted sleep cycles and degraded fitness. This study will be the dissertation for PhD student Mike Toczko.

Another arm of Martin’s work is closer to home—right on the Fairfax Campus, in fact: �鶹��Ƶ’s Army ROTC program. He credits current PhD student Megan Sax van der Weyden for rebuilding the bridge between the SMART Lab and ROTC through their incorporation into the Fit2Serve program.

Sax van der Weyden applied for �鶹��Ƶ’s PhD in Education with a specialization in kinesiology because of the department’s established research with tactical athletes. As both a former student-athlete and ROTC cadet, she hopes to reduce the disparities between the available resources for these groups.

“[As a student-athlete] I had dietitians, sports doctors, mental health counselors, and specialists creating our fitness plans and giving us pre- and post-workout routines,” she said. “For ROTC, you only had the upper-level cadets giving out whatever advice they had gotten from their upper-level cadets.” More formal education backed by research would help to prolong cadets’ military careers and reduce risk of injury, she said.

Megan Sax van der Weyden, seated on the bleachers, measures ROTC cadets' jump ability. Photo provided.

After graduating, Sax van der Weyden will serve in the Army, where she hopes to put this experience to use.

“It’s been a really good learning experience figuring out how to work with large groups of research subjects and even larger data sets. And it’s good practice for distilling complicated theories and information into digestible components for an uninformed audience,” said Sax van der Weyden.

Along with providing fitness testing and health surveys for the battalion each semester, Sax van der Weyden delivers presentations on the importance of diet, fitness, and sleep, and is currently working on an online learning database for tactical athletes that she hopes will last long beyond her time at �鶹��Ƶ.

Martin said many students find the Fit2Serve program provides them with a new outlook on how they can make an impact.

“I see a lot of students come into the kinesiology program thinking they want to do sports medicine, and then transition to tactical athlete research after working with emergency responders,” Martin said.

“It makes me smile watching them learn that they can make a difference in this field.”

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�鶹��Ƶ anthropology professor receives NSF grant to excavate Israeli cave site

Shayla Brown — Wed, 04 Oct 2023 19:31:19 +0000

�鶹��Ƶ anthropology professor receives NSF grant to excavate Israeli cave site Shayla Brown Wed, 10/04/2023 - 15:31

�鶹��Ƶ anthropologist Jamie Clark and two undergraduate students spent part of the summer on an archaeological expedition in Sefunim Cave, Israel.

Clark, an associate professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, received a grant of $44,745 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to conduct research at the site. The grant goes through early 2025.

The research team in the Sefunim Caves. Photo provided.

“Getting this grant to focus on the analysis was important, and it's so exciting to have three years of funding,” said Clark. “We've had several excavation seasons since 2013, and with archeology you oftentimes spend more time doing analysis in the lab than you do in the field."

The research for this expedition focuses on the transition from the Neanderthals, which is associated with the Middle Paleolithic period, to modern humans, which is associated with the Upper Paleolithic, and the role of climate change throughout, she said.

Clark's NSF funded research is in collaboration with Gideon Hartman at the University of Connecticut. The excavations were led by Andrew Kandel of the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, University of Tübingen and Ron Shimelmitz of the Zinman Institute of Archaeology, University of Haifa.

The site they are excavating has deposits going back about 70,000-21,000 years ago, essentially the height of the very last ice age when glaciers were at their greatest extent, Clark said.

“During the last glacial maximum, there's also extreme variability in climate, which is something else we're seeing today with climate change,” said Clark.

Two undergraduate anthropology students who work alongside Clark in the zoo archeology lab in David King Hall were also able to work on the dig.

Jamie Clark (left) and Jett Liska doing field work. Photo provided.

“One of the things that is most important to me is giving undergraduates paid research opportunities, so the grant also pays for the work that I'm having students do,” said Clark.

She said there is a potential barrier to entering the archaeology field for students of limited means. The jobs on digs are often volunteer or unpaid, which isn’t possible for many students.

“It's very hands-on, which is especially cool if you're still an undergrad. Not a lot of students can say that they have that kind of experience,” said Kelly Wilkerson, a senior anthropology major and one of Clark’s lab assistants. “We would be up early to hike one or two kilometers to get to the site around 7 a.m. We dug through the sediment that we uncovered and carried it down [to the lab] at the end of the day.”

Jett Liska, another one of Clark’s lab assistants, received an Undergraduate Research Scholars program grant from �鶹��Ƶ’s Office of Student Scholarship, Creative Activities, and Research (OSCAR) program, which helped him participate in the expedition.

“The best part to me was really taking pride in my work and realizing that I was knowledgeable enough about the site to help incredibly smart people,” Liska said.

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^{“One of the things that is most important to me is giving undergraduates paid research opportunities, so the grant also pays for the work that I'm having students do.”}

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Undergraduate research conference energizes attendees

Colleen Rich — Wed, 10 May 2023 17:22:17 +0000

Undergraduate research conference energizes attendees Colleen Rich Wed, 05/10/2023 - 13:22

There was something different about this year’s National Conference on Undergraduate Research, and it had nothing to do with the quality of the presentations, which, as always, was high.

Forensic science major Haruka Mori presenting her research at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research. Photo provided

It was, though, the first time since 2019 that the conference was held in person, after its cancellation in 2020 because of the pandemic and two subsequent years as a virtual event.

“The energy at the conference was pretty high,” said Karen T. Lee, assistant director of �鶹��Ƶ’s Office of Student Scholarship, Creative Activities, and Research (OSCAR). “The students seemed really enthusiastic.”

Thirty-nine �鶹��Ƶ students attended the April conference at University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, where they made new friends, networked, and gained experiences that will help them in their studies and careers.

The annual conference is a valuable addition to the rich research environment at �鶹��Ƶ that allows students to follow their life ambitions.

“It was pretty great,” said senior biology major Gwendolyne Fields, a member of �鶹��Ƶ's Honors College who presented her research into the growth rates of Namibian and Somaliland cheetah cubs. “Definitely a lot going on, and so many people. It was cool to see all these other incredible projects that people were doing.”

The word “great” was used by several �鶹��Ƶ students to describe the event, including Kayleigh Newman, a junior kinesiology major, and Haruka Mori, a senior forensic science major.

“The conference is interdisciplinary, and I was able to see a lot of different presentations in a lot of different fields,” Mori said. “I feel like if I know a lot of different information from different fields, I can also use that for my research. It makes it possible to see it from a different perspective.”

Added Newman: “I was surprised how much I liked looking at the posters outside my major. It also was interesting to hear the keynote speakers and hear what they were talking about in terms of their research and professional experience.”

Mori’s research, turning centrosymmetric compounds into non-centrosymmetric compounds, was extraordinary, said �鶹��Ƶ chemistry professor Xiaoyan Tan.

Non-centrosymmetric materials are crucial for non-linear optics and spintronics, but are much less prevalent than centrosymmetric materials. So when Mori changed a centrosymmetric barium-iridium-oxide compound to non-centrosymmetric by replacing half of the iridium with titanium, it was worth lauding.

“She did more than great,” said Tan, an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. “Most undergraduates cannot make this. She has very high standards. She was very careful and a good scientist.”

Kinesiology major Kayleigh Newman with her poster. Photo provided

Mori said she enjoyed the give-and-take with her audience during her presentation.

“The audience was specifically from the chemistry field, so the questions they asked were specific to the field,” she said. “It wasn’t general questions. It was why did you use this method instead of this? I was able to see where those questions were coming from and use that for future research.”

Newman’s research was to analyze data from a recent three-year period in which fire department personnel engaged in a mandatory fitness program. The result: personnel made gains in pushups, pull-ups, and curl-ups, but did not gain much in cardiovascular fitness.

“We recommended that cardiovascular fitness be focused on more, and then we let the fire department look at the data and interpret that to maybe make some changes,” Newman said.

Add Fields’ research that showed Namibian cheetah cubs have a higher growth rate than Somaliland cheetah cubs, and you have an idea of the breadth of research at the conference and at �鶹��Ƶ, Virginia’s largest and most innovative public university.

“It’s a chance to see what other students are doing at other places, the sense of community,” Lee said of the conference. “Even if it’s different subjects, they’re all doing the same thing you’re doing.”

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Graduate can’t deny an animal attraction

Colleen Rich — Mon, 08 May 2023 18:40:52 +0000

Graduate can’t deny an animal attraction Colleen Rich Mon, 05/08/2023 - 14:40

Gwendolyne Fields will have many career options once she graduates from �鶹��Ƶ.

During the summer of 2022, Gwendolyne Fields interned at the Cheetah Conservation Fund outside the town of Otjiwarongo in Namibia. Photo provided

Should she go for her master’s degree and PhD? Should she go to veterinary school and work with endangered species? Should she work with wildlife at a zoo?

“I don’t know, I’m still figuring it out,” said Fields, a senior biology major and member of �鶹��Ƶ’s Honors College who is set to graduate this month. “But I do know I want to work with animals, and specifically conservation.”

Fields has a great head start, having just finished an internship at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C., where she did behavioral analysis of two Asian elephants. She has also lined up a summer internship at Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom as a conservation education presenter.

But closest to Fields’ heart was her internship during the summer of 2022 at the Cheetah Conservation Fund outside the town of Otjiwarongo in Namibia. That’s where she worked with the animal that has been her favorite since age 5, comparing the growth rates of Namibian and Somaliland cheetah cubs.

Fields recently presented her data from that internship at the National Conference for Undergraduate Research at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. It was the cap to a �鶹��Ƶ experience that not only fed her interests but gave her the hands-on experiences she needs to take her next steps.

�鶹��Ƶ was there with funding for her internships through the Office of Student Scholarship, Creative Activities, and Research. Fields also attended the Endangered Species Conservation program at the Smithsonian-�鶹��Ƶ School of Conservation in Front Royal, Virginia.

“I’m so grateful I came here,” Fields said of �鶹��Ƶ. “I learned so much and made so many connections with people; great friends and memories.”

“She’s motivated, she’s self-reliant, she is naturally curious, and interested in exploring the world around her, in every sense of it,” said David Luther, assistant professor in �鶹��Ƶ’s Biology Department and Fields’ mentor. “And she actually knows when to ask the right questions. That’s important for not stopping progress in whatever she is trying to achieve.”

Fields is from Arlington, Virginia, but with her dad constantly on the move at the State Department, the family also lived in Ethiopia, Argentina, Nepal, Luxembourg, and Germany. Fields speaks fluent French, is conversational in German, and can speak some Spanish.

Her love of cheetahs began when a wildlife veterinarian with whom her father worked in Ethiopia showed her some rescued animals. Fields called the Cheetah Conservation Fund herself to set up her internship. Though her research focused on monitoring and analyzing the growth rate of cubs up to 6 months old, Fields also worked with cheetahs throughout the facility, feeding them, cleaning their enclosures, and giving talks to tourists.

The baseline result that Namibian cheetah cubs had better growth rates than Somaliland cubs is important, Fields said, because “some cubs don’t have their mothers or the skills to survive in the world. So it’s important for zoos and other places that have cheetahs to really take care of them as best as possible. How much food should we give them at a certain age or weight? And if they are at a certain weight, we can estimate their age.”

Fields said she worked with about 30 cheetahs and learned they have personalities much like people.

“Some might seem a little grumpy,” she said. “Others are all lovey-dovey and want to come up to you to get your attention. Every day I was reminded how beautiful and majestic they are. I’d love to go back eventually and finish the research.”

Count it as another of her career options.

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Graduate’s best advice: ‘Take advantage of as many opportunities as you can’

Colleen Rich — Mon, 12 Dec 2022 16:09:07 +0000

Graduate’s best advice: ‘Take advantage of as many opportunities as you can’ Colleen Rich Mon, 12/12/2022 - 11:09

Emily Synoski has had an interest in the medical field since high school. She said she chose to be part of a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) program, and now works in a rehabilitation center, where she also has the opportunity to shadow doctors.

Emily Synoski. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services

The Honors College student from Dover, Delaware, who graduates this month from �鶹��Ƶ with a biology degree, has also participated in Georgetown University’s competitive CORE pre-med program, where she and her team pitched an idea to deliver opioid overdose treatment to houseless populations via drones.

At �鶹��Ƶ, she participated in Office of Student Scholarship, Creative Activities, and Research’s Undergraduate Research Scholars Program and Associate Professor Ramin Hakami’s Biomedical Research Lab to research Yersinia pestis, the pathogen that causes the plague. Synoski has also been a College of Science learning assistant for Calculus II.

What is your best memory from your time at �鶹��Ƶ? It was a culmination of things. I’ve met so many good people and have so many friends and fond memories here. I’m so happy that I applied for the Honors College. They’re just really interesting classes and you get a whole other layer of support with your advisor, and with the opportunity to live in the Honors College learning community.

How have you grown while at �鶹��Ƶ? �鶹��Ƶ has helped me grow a lot. Career-wise, I feel like I'm actually really prepared to go into the real world. Even though I’m going to leave �鶹��Ƶ, I know I can still connect with the [University Career Services], and with faculty. It almost feels like you have lifelong support if you need it, and you make connections that really help you. Not a lot of schools would you be able to reach out to a professor and ask to do research in their lab and they’ll actually respond. That’s one of the things I liked about �鶹��Ƶ so much.

What is your best piece of advice for incoming students? Take advantage of as many opportunities as you can. Of course, going into it you can't do everything. You could do a little bit at a time, a semester at a time, but just take advantage whether it’s trying your hand at research, student organizations.

What's next for you? I’m going to keep working as a CNA to get clinic hours for my application to medical school. I want to keep shadowing doctors and retake the MCAT. I’ve been studying for that every single day.

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Off the Clock: Karen Lee, singing bass in a barbershop chorus for more than 30 years

Colleen Rich — Thu, 17 Nov 2022 13:27:42 +0000

Off the Clock: Karen Lee, singing bass in a barbershop chorus for more than 30 years Colleen Rich Thu, 11/17/2022 - 08:27

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Life is much more than time spent on the clock. In this series, we highlight the unique hobbies and volunteer activities of �鶹��Ƶ's talented faculty and staff.

Karen Lee performing in New Orleans in 2019. Photo provided

Karen Lee, assistant director of the Office of Student Scholarship, Creative Activities, and Research (OSCAR) at �鶹��Ƶ, helps coordinate funding for undergraduates to conduct research or explore creative projects. Working one-on-one with �鶹��Ƶ students, Lee connects them with mentors and opportunities.

Outside of work, Lee sings bass in a women’s barbershop chorus called the Vienna-Falls Chorus, a chapter of Sweet Adelines International. She has been a part of the Sweet Adelines since 1991 and has performed with the Vienna-Falls Chorus at events and competitions for six years, since arriving at �鶹��Ƶ.

How did you first get started singing in a women’s barbershop chorus? What made you get into this hobby?

My last year of graduate school, I was looking for something to do besides writing my thesis and job hunting, to get a break from all that. I saw an ad in the paper for a small women’s barbershop chorus looking for singers. I had done some singing in college and played in the high school band. Barbershop sounded like just what I was looking for. I have a pretty low singing voice for a woman, and I love harmonizing, so the bass part in women’s barbershop is perfect for me.

I joined the Island Grove Chorus of Sweet Adelines International in fall of 1991 and have been a member of Sweet Adelines ever since.

What is the time commitment? Does it vary at different times of the year?

The joke is that it’s only one night a week. We rehearse once a week, but we don’t hold music, so we spend some time outside of rehearsal learning the music on our own. If we are preparing for a show or contest, we might have an extra rehearsal here and there, and some times of the year we have more performances than other times. In December, we have several holiday performances, and in the summer, we often sing for Honor Flights. We have weekend-long retreats once or twice a year and regional education weekends, which are voluntary. If you’re in a quartet as well as a chorus, then you have separate commitments for quartet.

What has been the most meaningful or memorable experience you’ve had singing for a barbershop chorus?

There are so many. One year, my former chorus, the Greater Harrisburg Chorus, qualified for the Sweet Adelines International contest in Honolulu, and we spent 10 days in Hawaii.

We also competed at World Choir Games in Cincinnati. It was the first time barbershop was included. We decided to give it a try, and we won the category. They set up the awards ceremony like the Olympics and even played the national anthem. We met singers from all over the world. One of the children’s choirs from China ended up having lunch near us a couple of times and insisted on taking a picture with us on the last day.

And, singing for Honor Flights with Vienna-Falls is a great honor and privilege.

What lessons have you learned through this experience?

That you must have something in your life that is not an obligation, that allows you to be “you” away from work and other responsibilities. Some of the best friends you’ll ever make are when you share a hobby. I have so many friends who I sang with that I would never have met if it wasn’t for Sweet Adelines. It has kept music in my life and given me a place to call home every time I have changed locations for a new job. I have been in six choruses over my 31 years as a barbershopper, and having a chorus nearby is a requirement whenever I think about a move.

Do you have a favorite song you enjoy performing?

I have many songs that I really like, but it would be kind of like asking people who is their favorite child or favorite friend, to ask me to pick just one. I like songs for a variety of reasons. But a melodic bass line in the meat of my range, or a song with a great message, often rise to the top for me, especially if it’s well suited to the chorus. The joy of making music as an ensemble is the point.

What else do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

I walk a lot, travel (especially to the beach), make jewelry, and watch way too much TV.

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Off the Clock

Office of Student Scholarship Creative Activities and Research (OSCAR)

Finding middle ground across the sea

Colleen Rich — Mon, 03 Oct 2022 16:54:26 +0000

Finding middle ground across the sea Colleen Rich Mon, 10/03/2022 - 12:54

�鶹��Ƶ student Nadya Steare recently completed a two-month residency at the Akureyri Art Museum in Iceland where she worked full time on a new series. Photo provided

At only 20 years old, artist Nadya Steare has held her first solo exhibition abroad.

Steare, nicknamed Bella in her department, is in her senior year at �鶹��Ƶ’s College of Visual and Performing Arts. She recently completed a two-month residency at the Akureyri Art Museum in Iceland where she worked full time on a new series.

“Much of my artwork focuses on human interaction with the natural world,” said Steare. “I work with a mix of recycled, natural and manufactured objects in the realms of painting and small-scale installation.”

“Working with these materials has sparked several questions on the relevance of found objects and earth-based media in the contemporary art field as well as its place in coming to terms with globalization and inevitable environmental change,” she said.

Steare, a self-proclaimed environmental enthusiast and activist, traveled to Akureyri after discovering its proximity to one of Iceland’s most successful reforestation projects, Kjarnaskogur. The body of work Steare created explores the influence of reforestation on distance perception and landscape identity.

“I would like to use my skills to help with the development of more sustainable practices in the visual arts industry,” said Steare.

At the end of her residency, Steare had a solo exhibition at the Deiglan Gallery in Akureyri titled Middle Ground. Photo provided

At the end of her residency, she had a solo exhibition at the Deiglan Gallery in Akureyri. Her exhibit was titled Middle Ground to “reflect the exploration of landscape identity and depth perception in the work,” she said. “It was briefly fulfilling to see all of the paintings displayed together and how well they were received by the community.”

Steare said that her �鶹��Ƶ professor and mentor, Erik Sandberg, guided her through the residency experience.

“His straightforwardness and sincerity when discussing artwork consistently challenged me to grow as a critical thinker and has always motivated me to advance in my studies and personal investigations,” she said.

Steare has taken many classes with Sandberg including Figurative Painting this fall.

“My main objective is to help students refine their technical skills and to encourage better paths to expressing their ideas,” said Sandberg, who is an adjunct professor in �鶹��Ƶ’s School of Art. “I think that being able to manage both form and content in your work as an artist is essential.”

“Bella is quite talented and has a gift of aesthetic sensibilities and maturity. She is one of the most driven students I have encountered in some time,” he said. “Bella is way ahead of the curve in terms of artistic experiences, and she shows no sign of slowing.”

Steare’s residency was sponsored by �鶹��Ƶ’s Office of Student Scholarship, Creative Activities, and Research (OSCAR).

“We have six programs through our office,” said Karen T. Lee, assistant director of OSCAR. “The Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP) fit Nadya’s interest the best.”

After graduating with her BFA in art and visual technology, Steare plans to pursue an interdisciplinary master’s degree in art and ecology. “In addition to continuing my exploration of landscape identity, hopefully involving a return to Iceland, I’d also like to further investigate natural alternatives to manufactured artist products.”

A second and more elaborate version of Steare’s exhibition, re-titled Víðsýni, will be displayed on the lower-level gallery of the Art and Design Building on the Fairfax Campus from October 31–November 13.

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