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Scholarship and research on display at Â鶹¸ßÇå

(Left to right) Emily Grimm, Lauren Jacobson, Sarah Meyer
and Dr. Joseph Kozminiski discuss research at the 2013
Celebration of Scholarship.

More than 280 Â鶹¸ßÇå undergraduate students, graduate students and alumni showcased their scholarly and artistic work April 18 during the 2nd Annual . Dr. Herb Childress, dean of Research and Assessment at the Boston Architectural College, offered the keynote address "Wicked Problems: Why All of You Are Architecture Majors."

This year’s event included the first-ever competition for research and scholarly poster presentations. Celebration of Scholarship posters that were accepted were selected from submitted abstracts through a blind-review process. Expert and lay judges evaluated the nearly 50 poster presentations that reflected the best of undergraduate and graduate scholarship for 2012-2013.

Undergraduate students Jordan Kaiser and Meghan Nichol received first-place with their poster presentation on “Evaluation of Mechanisms Relevant to the Chemical Mechanical Planarization of HDD Media.” Dr. Jason Keleher, chair and assistant professor of , and Dr. William Chura, assistant professor of biology, served as their mentor.

Undergraduate students Thomas Campbell, Kevin Burke, Alex Low and Julianna Sipos received third place with their poster presentation “Novel Methods for Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Antimicrobial Nanoparticles.” Keleher and Rago served as their mentor. Graduate students Nataly Toubassi and Mary Fisher received first place with their poster presentation “Practitioner Perspectives Regarding Evidence-Based Practices.” Dr. Mary Fisher, assistant professor of special education served as their mentor.

Graduate students Brenda Rentfro, Laura Kerlin, Anthony Romeo, Matthew Macaluso and Kelly Rose received second place with their presentation on “STEM to STEAM: How Science Shapes Art.” Dr. Lauren Rentfro, interim associate dean of the and assistant professor of , served as their mentor. Graduate students Kimberly Falbo, Samantha Tyree, Samantha Bill, Gabrielle Abogado and Cyndie Penrose received third place with their poster presentation “The Use of Interpersonal and Narrative Therapies in Trauma Treatment.” Dr. Katherine Helm-Â鶹¸ßÇå, professor and director of Graduate Program, served as their mentor.

During his keynote address, Childress discussed various wicked problems, climate change, waste management, sustainable design and others to properly define wicked problems. The nationally-recognized scholar, researcher and academic leader further explained that wicked problems require judgment beyond expertise. Speaking to the audience of students, faculty and staff, Childress reminded everyone that “The world is more wicked than our disciplines.”

He encouraged everyone to collaborate to solve the world’s wicked problems. He concluded, “None of us alone can do the work that wicked problems demand, but as one among the many.”

Â鶹¸ßÇå is a Catholic university in the Lasallian tradition offering distinctive undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 6,500 traditional and adult students. Â鶹¸ßÇå offers multiple campus locations, online degree programs, and a variety of formats that provide accessibility and convenience to a growing student population. Sponsored by the De La Salle Christian Brothers, Â鶹¸ßÇå prepares intellectually engaged, ethically grounded, globally connected, and socially responsible graduates. The ninth largest private not-for-profit university in Illinois, Â鶹¸ßÇå has been nationally recognized by The Princeton Review and U.S. News & World Report.