MCKEESPORT, Pa. — The Teaching International and Honors Research Conference was held at Penn State Greater Allegheny (PSUGA) on April 19, which showcased honors student's research on a topic that is important to them.
“We started the Teaching International program in 2004,” said Verónica Montecinos, professor of sociology at PSUGA. “After a few years we initiated this conference every semester as a way of showing the results of the student’s research.”
Greater Allegheny students were standing at every corner waiting for the opportunity to explain their topics further, helping the attendees understand where the students stood on their research.
Yasmine Degnan, a second semester freshman at PSUGA, prepared research on climate change. She discussed how this subject affected her, and what concerned her during the research of this topic.
“One of the biggest things that affected me researching about climate change is the fact that there are so many people who do not understand this subject matter, and there is a lot of grey area between science education and the general public,” said Degnan. “It is really important that we bridge that gap.”
A fellow student presenter, Hunter Hawke, expressed how this conference aided him in utilizing the knowledge he gained from this semester's studies.
“It really reinforced what I was learning in my classes. For example, for my French poster, I had to learn how to write everything out,” said Hawke. “It forced me to go more in-depth in my studies.”
These students are laying the groundwork for the continued success of the conference, and ensuring that future PSUGA students will have the opportunity to participate in this event every semester.
“It has been very successful,” said Montecinos. “The work that is selected for the conference is really good, and it is a great experience for the students to be able to present and explain their results for their research.”