Celebration of Excellence Day
Hastings College is celebrating excellence with Academic Showcase and the Honors Convocation!
On Wednesday, April 29, 2026, classes are cancelled for the day so the entire campus community can participate.
Academic Showcase
Each spring, members of Alpha Chi, the collegiate all-discipline national honor society, coordinate Academic Showcase.
During Academic Showcase, students, faculty, staff, parents and community members enjoy and learn from fascinating student presentations about individual research projects, experiential learning, study abroad experiences and creative endeavors.
Academic Showcase is a chance for students to share their passions and to show off their impressive work. It also gives students a chance to engage in dialogue and discussion as they answer questions about their project.
Honors Convocation
Honors Convocation is at 3:30 p.m. in French Memorial Chapel.
The event will be livestreamed on our YouTube channel.
2026 Academic Showcase Schedule
The abstract book is available here.
9:00-9:20 a.m.
Morrison-Reeves 219
How Language Helps to Shape and Foster Identity for College Students Within the LGBTQIA+ Community
By Lilac Ramsey
Morrison-Reeves 148
Our 3 Year Design Sprint: When Moving Forward is No Longer an Option
By Lucy Reid and Story Talbert
Morrison-Reeves 213
Monuments, Memories, and Intercultural Learning: A Journey to Germany
By Emma Morelli, Maddie Kamler, Clark Boettger, Xander Urmacher, Grace Hartman and Isis Abou El Ghiet; with additional students from Germany
Morrison-Reeves 131
Angles on Angels
By Maxwell Blankenship
9:30-9:50 a.m.
Morrison-Reeves 219
From Inmate to Artist: Reconstructing Rhetorical Identity Through Quilting
By Hailey Gifford
Morrison-Reeves 148
White Horse: A Horse of All Tropes
By Brooke Brockman
Morrison-Reeves 213
Previous session continues (Monuments, Memories, and Intercultural Learning)
Morrison-Reeves 131
From HeLa to HIPAA: The Evolution of Ethics and Equity in Healthcare
By Katyn Kappler
10:00-10:20 a.m.
Morrison-Reeves 219
Until Everyone Can Read: Practical Takeaways from the 2025 International Dyslexia Association Convention
By Annalise Doorlag
Morrison-Reeves 148
Accessible Wilderness: Notes Towards a Disabled Ecotheology
By Claire Fuqua
Morrison-Reeves 213
Development Towards a MOT for Single-Laser Cooling of Rubidium-87
By Ashton Vukson
Morrison-Reeves 131
From Bonaerense to Benefic: An Analysis of the Buenos Aires City Police in the Community Policing Context
By Carrie Brosman
10:30-10:50 a.m.
Creative Thoughts in Action
Morrison-Reeves 219
Serving Beyond Borders
By Wyatt Ryan, Molly Kammerer, Catie Reed, Andrew Heckman, Sara Malcom, Delaney Rodgers, Rebekah Reynolds, Sam Acosta, Brody Fleischman and David Gaisford
Morrison-Reeves 148
The Predatory Effects of Medical Credit Cards
By Abby Klatt
Morrison-Reeves 213
AI’s Contribution on Declining Literacy Rates
By Madison Holman
11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Poster Session
Morrison-Reeves Science Center Atrium
Minority Stress, Future Time Perspective, and Goal Prioritization: An Examination of Socioemotional Selectivity Theory Among LGBTQIA+ College-Aged Adults – Lilac Ramsey
View of Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development through a Collegiate Lens – Julia Bernard
Disposition and Disinterest: The Origins of Ineffective Intelligence Oversight – Carrie Brosman
Competing for the Latino Vote: How Religion, Economic Policy, and Candidate Appeal Shape Partisanship – Victoria Mallory
Anion Exchange on Ionic Liquids – Story Talbert
Synthesis of Amineboranes – Odyssey Wentz
Impact of PTSD on Volume of the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis (BNST) – Marcus Dustin
A Spoonful of Seeing: Reviewing Sharon Through an Ethnographic Lens – Langley Riha
A Quilt Woven with Love, Faith, and Family: Understanding the Life and Legacy of Grandma Marie Taggart – Danielle Sitts
Acute Effects of Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation Versus Static Stretching on Range of Motion in Healthy Adults – Brock Buresh and Carson Parde
Criterion-related Validity of the TrueForce Technologies Force Measurement Platform – Sara McCarraher & Larissa Kaz
AI in Healthcare: Remote Patient Monitoring – Makenna Lockhart
AI in Health Care: Mental Health – Caitlin Bolton
AI in Healthcare: The Application of AI to Nursing Practices – Isabella Keesee
AI in Healthcare: Surgical Applications – Miranda Kelly
AI in Healthcare: Clinical Trials – Sydney Mills
AI in Healthcare: Diagnosis and Predictions – Marcus Pulbratek
AI in Healthcare: Perceptions of Healthcare Workers and Patients – Jacob Lambert
Comparative Assessment of Coral Mortality Response and Restoration Strategies in the Rosario Islands and The Bahamas – Alejandro Prada
Effects of Climate Change on Polar Bears – Hunter Gilbertson
Determining Fertility of Male Sea Turtles by Assessing Anti-Müllerian Hormone Levels in Blood Samples – Nicky Georges
Comparative Analysis of Lichen on Trees at Diverse Locations – Larissa Salmans
Inequities in Water Fluoridation Exposure Among Underserved Communities – Jenna Sterling
Mammalian Cadavers Increasing Growth of Field Corn – Draya Benson
Microbial Bioremediation as a Clean Solution to Heavy Metal Pollution in Soil – Ornis Barry
Mechanisms of Telomere Maintenance and Shortening in Cellular Aging – Jaida Rowe
Social Determinants of Health and the Crisis on Black Maternal Health – Mahalia Jones
Invasive Mudsnail Populations Compared to Native Invertebrates in the Chesapeake Bay – Paige Neel
A Fight in the Big City – Israel S. Manriquez
Distance Dragonflies Travel – Grace Scamehorn
The Collection and Taxidermy of Chiropteran Specimens – Venn Wood
An Exploration of the Anti-Mullerian Hormone in Female Olive Ridley Sea Turtles – Marissa Ruiz
Macronutrient Preference in Free-Living Squirrels Under Equal Calorie Conditions – Trinity Doublin
Variability and Conservation of Coronavirus Spike Protein – Kyla Humphreys
Polyandry as a Superior Breeding System – Madeline Kamler
Static Stretching, Dynamic Stretching, or No Warm-Up: Impact on Shoulder Force Production and Racket Speed in Tennis – Lauren Lee and Ethan Mins
1:30-1:50 p.m.
Morrison-Reeves 219
Pity, Privilege, and Propaganda: Narratives of Soviet Womanhood and Reinforcing American National Identity
By Michaela White
Morrison-Reeves 148
Is Music Important?
By Dylan Shaw
Morrison-Reeves 213
Examining the Impact of Pre-Competition and Post-Competition State Anxiety in Collegiate Golfers
By Michael Medina
Morrison-Reeves 131
Collective Tissue: Animals, Religion, and the Interwovenness of Theology
By Lilac Ramsey
2:30-2:50 p.m.
Morrison-Reeves 219
Sanctified by Suffering, Scarred by War: Queer Protest in ‘The Well of Loneliness’
By Bri Narick
Morrison-Reeves 148
Getting Stoked on Jesus: The Commodification of the Jesus People Movement in the 1970s
By Emma Morelli
Morrison-Reeves 213
From Sanctuary to Schoolroom: Promoting Global Perspectives via Children’s Literature
By Hannah Sears, Hailey Kirchhevel and Fallow Barnes
Morrison-Reeves 131
“That’s So Cute!”: The Impact of Cuteness on Flavor Perception and Savoring Experience Among Undergraduate Women
By Isis Abou El Ghiet