Students Present at NENHC 2023
Six students and two faculty mentors attended the 2023 Northeast Natural History Conference in Burlington, VT in April to present their senior project research.
A regional conference, the NENHC is a gathering of scientists and students from across the Northeast to share research and learn what is happening in the field of ecology and natural history.
We are so proud of our students for presenting their research and are happy to report that they all did great!
We would like to thank Lucille Werlinich who gifted the Environmental Studies department with a fund that allowed us to pay for the students and faculty mentors to attend.
The students are extremely grateful for this experience and offered these perspectives on their experience:
Skylar Cullen ’23 (ENV)
The weekend I spent at the Northeastern Natural History Conference was one of the most unique and inspiring experiences I’ve ever had. There are moments when you realize that you’re really doing what you love, and that you’re actually prepared to do so, and this was one of them. Presenting my research to other scientists and undergraduate students made me not only feel more confident in my ability to discuss and interpret what I learned, it made me feel like I was smart enough to put into practice everything I’ve been learning here at Purchase when I go job searching after graduation. I’d love to do it all again if I had the chance.
Kristen Pareti ’23 (ENV)
I am grateful to have returned to the NENHC this year as a senior to present my research. It felt like the next step of maturing as a scientist. I found it an extremely valuable experience in my own career and would absolutely recommend this conference to anyone serious and passionate about STEM. I was very proud of my fellow ENV and BIO classmates who also presented. Hearing the latest projects and research of peers and professionals was exciting and mentally stimulating. Thank you again for this opportunity!
Jillian O’Rourke ’23 (ENV)
I am so glad that I had the privilege of attending this year’s Northeast Natural History Conference. I really enjoyed getting to share my research with others and network with people that have the same (or similar) interests. I also got to learn about so many research projects that are on going in the NE. I loved that I got to see what kind of jobs & research people in my field are doing. Some presentations even mentioned that they were looking for graduate students to aid in research with I thought was pretty cool! My favorite presentation was the perfect representation of what I want to do in my career and it was really reassuring to know that it is a possibility in my future. Plus, ‘nerding out’ with my classmates & new people was so much fun! Overall, I am so glad I got to end my senior year with this conference.
Mackenzie Sky ’23 (BIO)
My senior thesis research became intense as I digged deeper and deeper into my project. However, the NENH conference lifted me up out of my specific focus and rooted my research and myself in a larger framework of scientists aiming to contribute to our understanding of natural history. I felt empowered after giving an oral presentation to a room full of unfamiliar undergrads, grad students, and professors from all different areas of the NE region. This experience has only further encouraged me to continue a path in research.