Scholars' Symposium

Press release:

The Genesee Community College Undergraduate Research & Creative Activities (CURCA) Committee is excited to invite the entire college community to celebrate the outstanding accomplishments of our students at the third annual Scholars' Symposium -- a celebration of inquiry and scholarship.

GCC students and faculty pour countless hours and precise attention to their work. As a result, our academic year is full of achievement. On Thursday, March 29, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., students, faculty, staff, community leaders and friends, will gather at the symposium to educate and demonstrate their scholarly achievements which transcend all disciplines.

The presentations, poster exhibits and performances provide an opportunity to expand horizons, hone presentation skills and engage our collective brain power for all to enjoy and to appreciate. The entire event is free and open to the public.

The full schedule of events for GCC's Third Annual Scholars' Symposium is as follows:

• 8:15 - 9 a.m.: Judges' Meeting with Karen Wicka and Charles Scruggs (T104)
• 8:30 - 11 a.m.: Registration (William W. Stuart Forum)
• 9 - 10 a.m.: Oral Presentation Session A (Conable Technology Building, T102, T122, T121, T119 A & B)
• 10 - 11 a.m.: Oral Presentation Session B (Conable Technology Building, T102, T122, T121, T119 A & B)
• 11 a.m. - Noon: Poster Session (William W. Stuart Forum)
• Noon - 1 p.m.: Symposium attendees are invited to purchase lunch in the Cafeteria or Subway located in the Wolcott J. Humphrey III Student Union)
• Noon - 1 p.m.: Symposium participants, judges and mentors will enjoy a private lunch in T119A/B (RSVP required).
• Noon - 1 p.m.: Guests are invited to visit various art exhibits in the Steiner Theatre Lobby; Media Center of the Alfred C. O'Connell Library; and Penumbra Exhibition Space -- second floor hallway between B205 and B207.
• 1 - 2 p.m.: Dr. Deborah Nawoczenski, Keynote Address, "Curiosity Does Not (Always) Kill the Cat -- Extending Discovery Beyond "OK, Google" (Stuart Steiner Theatre)
• 2 - 2:30 p.m.: Award Ceremony & Reception (Stuart Steiner Theatre)

The symposium will include keynote speaker, Deborah Nawoczenski PT, Ph.D., to address the benefits of being involved in research. Nawoczenski received her BS in Physical Therapy and Master's in Education from Temple University in Philadelphia. She completed her PhD work at the University of Iowa with a specialization in Exercise Science and Biomechanics. Nawoczenski was a full-time faculty member in the Department of Physical Therapy at Ithaca College's Rochester Center for 21 years.

She cofounded (with Dr. Judy Baumhauer from the University of Rochester) the Center for Foot and Ankle Research at Ithaca's Rochester Center, and also was codirector of the Movement Analysis Laboratory. Throughout her career, Nawoczenski's research focus was directed to the study of foot and ankle pathologies and to the analysis of shoulder pain in people with spinal cord injuries.

This work was funded through a number of different organizations including the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society, the National Institutes of Health, the Arthritis Foundation and the Christopher and Dana Reeves Foundation and has led to more than 60 publications in major peer-reviewed journals.

Nawoczenski considers herself privileged to volunteer as a Physical Therapist in this country as well as in Jamaica and Poland. She recently served as a visiting professor in Kenya, India and Brazil. Her presentation at the Scholars Symposium will center on her own path to research and publishing and how others can enrich their lives through scholarly endeavor.

"We are so proud of the hard work and learning our participants have accomplished," says Director of English, Communications and Media Arts JoNelle Toriseva. "And we are very grateful for the support we received from the President's Innovation Award (PIA) in our initial launch of this program.

"The Scholar Symposium has become a legacy celebration of the collaboration between students, faculty and administration at GCC."

The Symposium will feature GCC's student Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) projects in Photographic Exhibitions on display in the Alfred C. O'Connell Library, the Penumbra Exhibition Space (second floor hallway between B205 and B207), and the lobby of the Stuart Steiner Theatre.

Under the leadership of the COIL Center, the Latin American Academy (LAA) has developed and implemented course-based partnerships between SUNY GCC and universities in Latin America, which are members of the growing Global Partnership Network (GPN).

The team-taught courses use technology to expose students in different countries to each other's cultures resulting in an enriched intercultural learning experience. The course-based partnerships emphasize experiential and collaborative student learning and help sustain long-term international teaching and learning partnerships. 

The 2019 Scholars' Symposium has been scheduled for April 11, 2019.

For further information on the Scholars' Symposium, visit: www.genesee.edu/home/events/scholars-symposium/ and please contact Director of English, Communications and Media Arts JoNelle Toriseva at jrtoriseva@genesee.edu or at (585) 343-0055, ext. 6627 with any questions.

Press release:

When Genesee Community College hosts its second annual Scholars' Symposium on Thursday, March 30, students, faculty, staff, community leaders and friends will showcase some of their most inspired work.

Presented by the Genesee Community College Undergraduate Research & Creative Activities (CURCA) Committee, the full-day event includes presentations, performances, exhibits and guest speakers -- all focused on the most inventive and bright the minds of our community. All events are free and open to the public.

"We're looking forward to exploring the creative and innovative work accomplished by our students, faculty and friends of the College," said JoNelle Toriseva, director of GCC's English, Communications and Media Arts, who is organizing the event. "The Scholars' Symposium is a day to catch your breath from the rigors of academia, and enjoy expanding the possibilities for professional and personal growth."

John Covach will deliver the event's keynote address on "The History of Rock and Roll." He is professor of Music Theory at the Eastman School of Music, as well as the chair of the College Department of Music, director of the Institute for Popular Music and a Mercer Brugler Distinguished Teaching Professor at the University of Rochester. He has published dozens of articles on topics dealing with popular music, 12-tone music, and the philosophy and aesthetics of music. As a guitarist, Professor Covach has performed throughout the United States and Europe. He remains an active performer with the progressive-rock band, Land of Chocolate.

Another highlight to the Symposium will be sharing GCC's Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) partnerships. Two Latin American Academy Fellows for the USA-Mexico Multistate COIL Program (MCP) are giving presentations after the keynote address in the Stuart Steiner Theatre. Under the leadership of the COIL Center, the Latin America Academy (LAA) is developing course-based partnerships between SUNY (State University of New York) campuses and universities in Latin America, which are members of the growing Global Partnership Network (GPN). The COIL Center selected GCC and its faculty to develop and pilot equitable, team-taught coursework to emphasize experiential and collaborative student learning and help sustain long-term international teaching and learning partnerships. Through COIL, students from different countries use web-based technology to gain a new cultural lens for an enriching intercultural experience.

GCC's Assistant Professor of Photography and Art, Joe Ziolkowski, has been working with Carlos Flores, Ph.D., from the University of Colima, while Toriseva has joined with Luis Marin-Urias, Ph.D., from the University of Veracruzana for her English 102 course. Both Flores and Marin-Urias will meet with faculty, students and administrators in addition to delivering academic talks in the afternoon.

The full schedule of events for GCC's Second Annual Scholars' Symposium is as followed:

• 8:30 – 11 a.m.: Registration (William W. Stuart Forum)

• 9 – 10 a.m.: Oral Presentation Session A (Conable Technology Building, T102, T122, T121, T119 A & B)

• 10 – 11 a.m.: Oral Presentation Session B (Conable Technology Building, T102, T122, T121, T119 A & B)

• 11 a.m. – Noon: Poster Session (William W. Stuart Forum)

• Noon – 1 p.m.: Lunch (Cafeteria or Subway) and Visit various art exhibits in the Steiner Theatre Lobby; Media Center of the Alfred C. O'Connell Library; and Penumbra Exhibition Space – second floor hallway between B205 and B207. 

• 1 – 2 p.m.: Professor John Covach, Keynote Address, "The History of Rock and Roll" (Stuart Steiner Theatre)

• 2:15 – 2:45 p.m.: "The Internet of Things: Past and Present Challenges" presented by Dr. Carlos Flores, University of Colima (Stuart Steiner Theatre) 

• 2:45 – 3:15 p.m.: "Merging Artificial Intelligence and Writing in COIL" presented by Dr. Luis Marin-Urias, University Veracruzana (Stuart Steiner Theater)

• 3:15 – 4 p.m.: Award Ceremony (Stuart Steiner Theatre)

The event is sponsored, in part, by a President's Innovation Award (PIA) which provides funding for innovative activities and projects that promote community involvement in the life of the College, stimulate student and community pride, or help establish pilot programs and initiatives with the potential for positive long-term impact. For further information on the Scholars' Symposium, visit: http://www.genesee.edu/events/scholars-symposium/

For specific information about the Scholars' Symposium contact Director of English, Communications and Media Arts JoNelle Toriseva. Her email address is:  jrtoriseva@genesee.edu, and her telephone: 585-343-0055 ext. 6627.