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SMCM students present at 2019 National Conference on Undergraduate Research

Katie Gross, Alejandra Diaz, Rachel Yates, Alana Demones, and Katherine Kempton

From left to right: Katie Gross, Alejandra Diaz, Rachel Yates, Alana Demones, and Katherine Kempton

SMCM International Languages & Cultures students Kathleen (Katie) Gross, Alejandra Diaz, Rachel Yates, Alana Demones and Katherine Kempton presented their research projects at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, GA, held from April 10-13, 2019. Katie Gross and Rachel Yates were awarded the Geneva Boone Award to support presenting their St. Mary’s Projects (SMP) at the conference. The Geneva Boone Award for Outstanding St. Mary’s Projects is given annually to support students who will present work from their SMP to a wider audience beyond the College.

NCUR is an annual conference promoting undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative activity done in partnership with faculty or other mentors and is sponsored by the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR). As part of SMCM’s enhanced institutional membership with CUR, all students, staff, and faculty can become members and have access to CUR publications, webinars, and reduced rates for conferences and events such as NCUR.

Katie Gross’s SMP is titled: “Racial Discourse and Why it Matters: White Privilege, Race and Colorblindness in France and America”. Alejandra Diaz presented: “The Cultural, Economic and Educational Impact in Latin America of Technology in the Age of Globalization: Latin America as Adopter and Agent of Technology Development”. Rachel Yates’s SMP is called: “The Académie française vs. Anglicism: Franglais and the politics of language in France’s Fifth Republic”. Alana Demones is researching: “Black and White: How language reflects Colorism in China”, while Katherine Kempton’s SMP is titled: “I am from the Gutter Too”: Institutions, Power, and Identity Formation in Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables”.

Dr. Brandon Guernsey, Visiting Assistant Professor of French, stated that the International Languages & Cultures Department is very proud of these students’ accomplishments – a sentiment broadly and strongly shared across campus. Keep up the great work!!