April 21, 2004

Holy Cross Holds Fourth Annual Student Academic Conference

WORCESTER, Mass. – Holy Cross will host Academic Conference 2004 from Thursday, April 22 to Saturday, April 24. The three-day conference is designed to provide students from a broad spectrum of academic disciplines with an opportunity to present the results of their independent work. The programs, projects, and posters are the results of student work over one or two semesters under the guidance of faculty members. Approximately 250 Holy Cross students will be involved in the conference this year.

Representing a fraction of the independent and group-project opportunities of which Holy Cross students have taken advantage this year, the conference includes works from the arts, social sciences, humanities and natural sciences.

The conference will open with a lecture by this year's Fenwick Scholar, psychology major Shayne Piasta, titled “Influences on Reading Instruction in Massachusetts Public Schools: Research, Policy and Teacher Knowledge,” at 3:30 p.m. in the Rehm Library on Thursday, April 22.

According to Piasta, “The academic conference has a number of functions. Not only does it provide a great experience in terms of presentation and public speaking skills, but the Academic Conference also acts as the culminating event for the projects students have labored over for a year. It provides students an opportunity to reflect back on that year's worth of work, integrate all they have learned, and then share the knowledge and experience they have gained with the rest of the Holy Cross community.”
A reception open to the entire Holy Cross community will follow the lecture at 4:45 p.m. in the Hogan Main Lounge, with a simultaneous Poster Session in the Ballroom.

Sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Dean of the College, Academic Conference 2004 is free and open to the public.

For additional information contact Cristal Perriello at 508.793.2419