Petersheim Posters in the McNulty Atrium.

2022 Schedule of Events

The schedule for the 26th Annual Petersheim Academic Exposition, which took place Monday, April 25 – Friday, April 29, 2022, can be viewed below. Select presentations were recorded and can be accessed where noted.

Monday, April 25, 2022

The S.H.U. Awardees at the Inaugural BIG EAST Undergraduate Research Poster Symposium
Organizer: Sulie Chang; Jose Lopez; Dawn Apgar
At the Big-East Conference in March, five Seton Hall University undergraduate research teams represented the 2021 Petersheim Academic Exposition Travel Awardees. Their presentation at the inaugural BIG EAST Undergraduate Research Poster Symposium revealed how our 26-year-old Petersheim academic exposition has advanced beyond S.H.U. (Share, Honor, Unite) and enabled our students, via their research competition, to share and to network within the BIG EAST undergraduate family. This event is designed to celebrate the accomplishment of the S.H.U. researchers and to seek input to plan our participation/presentation in future BIG EAST Undergraduate Research Poster Symposia.
11:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. (Bethany Hall, Rooms B and C; click here to view the event recording)

2022 Petersheim Academic Exposition Opening Ceremony and Keynote Lecture
Organizers: Sulie L. Chang, Jose L. Lopez
Welcome Address from Joseph Nyre, Ph.D., Seton Hall University President
Keynote Speaker: Georita M. Frierson, Ph.D., Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences
Noon – 2 p.m. (Bethany Hall, Rooms B and C and Virtual; click here to view the event recording)
R.S.V.P. for the in-person opening ceremony and lunch »

Representations of the Body in Early America
Organizer: Mary Balkun
This session will feature an engaging series of student posters that depict various representations of the body in early America, including the gendered body, the raced body, the body in motion, and the body in transition. The presenters are currently enrolled in an Early American Literature class.
4 p.m. (Virtual)

Clare Boothe Luce Scholar Symposium
Organizer: Weining Wang
6 – 7 p.m. (Virtual)

Language Acquisition and Cultural Understanding: Interactive Oral Practices
Organizer: Dongdong Chen; Diana Alvarez-Amell
This panel addresses how to improve oral proficiency in the Chinese, Russian and Spanish classrooms. Students of these foreign languages will discuss what they have achieved with interactive oral assignments or projects such as podcasting and VoiceThread. Students will display samples of their work in the target languages. Learning a new language involves acquiring the knowledge and understanding of another culture. They will also discuss their experiences in the process of acquiring a new linguistic skill, which incorporates the understanding of diverse cultural practices.
6:15 – 7:30 p.m. (Virtual)

Tuesday, April 26, 2022

Petersheim Interdisciplinary and Study Abroad Poster Session
Organizer: Martha Schoene
Students will share their research posters and orally present their research for topics in geology, study abroad and a variety of other topics. Online forum poster presentations include:

9:30 – 11 a.m. (Virtual; click here to view the event recording)

Peoples and Cultures of America Symposium I
Organizer: Forrest Pritchett
Undergraduate and graduate students will present their work that will range from racism, sexism classism and religious bigotry. A special presentation on the history of Asian migration into the United States and anti-Asian, Asian Pacific Islander (AAPI) bias will occur.
11 a.m. – Noon (Virtual)

Interdisciplinary Education on Older Adults: A Closer Look
Organizers: Dawn Apgar; Sherry Greenberg
This session will be discussing a recently awarded Seton Hall grant focused on examining the impacts of interdisciplinary education on older adults on the attitudes and competencies of undergraduate students. The session will be moderated by Dawn Apgar, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Social Work, and the Director of Seton Hall’s undergraduate social work program. Panelists include Sherry Greenberg, Ph.D., R.N. who is a professor in nursing and undergraduate students Catherine Hawkins (nursing) and Lori Zerrusen (social work). Heather Lee, Ph.D., will also speak about teaching in Seton Hall’s Interdisciplinary Certificate on Gerontology. The moderator and panelists will discuss their own research and professional interests focused on older adults. For example:

Sherry Greenberg will describe her participation in interprofessional education programs including the senior oral health project with undergraduate and graduate nurse practitioner students as well as dental students focused on oral health and hygiene for older adults in the community.
Heather Lee will speak about the value of interdisciplinary education based on her vast social work and health care experience, as well as reflect on having students from different disciplines in the classroom for rich discussions on older adults.
Catherine Hawkins will describe her educational experience aimed at addressing functional and sensory issues in older adults which included collaboration with graduate occupational therapy students.
Lori Zerrusen will describe her recently published research article on the impacts of COVID-19 on older adults.

This session is great for those who are interested in learning more about the ways in which Seton Hall aims to enhance the competency of its students in working with older adults. It will end with brainstorming about further ways in which interdisciplinary opportunities can be expanded.
Noon – 1 p.m. (Virtual)

Petersheim Interdisciplinary and Study Abroad Oral Presentations Event
Organizer: Martha Schoene
This session will feature live and recorded presentations from students in Catholic Studies, Diplomacy & International Relations, Economic, Nursing, Education & Human Services, Political Science, and other subjects.
1 – 3:30 p.m. (Stafford Hall, Room 207 [in-person seating for 35 people] and Virtual)

Making Connections: Using Genomics to Link Genes to Human Conditions
Organizer: Jessica Cottrell
Seton Hall Human Genetics students will provide short oral poster presentations of their class genomics projects. Student projects are part of the OMICs Course-based Research Program implemented in 2018. Each project empowers Seton Hall students to utilize cutting-edge Qiage Ingenuity Pathway Analysis to identify important genetic and molecular connections of the immune system with a human condition or disease. Students will be investigating human conditions including HIV, anxiety, Parkinson disease, Schizophrenia, and more.
2:30 – 5 p.m. (Virtual)

Social Work for Social Justice: Teaching to Mission – Integrating Catholic Social Teaching into Social Work Education
Organizer: Anthony Nicotera
Seton Hall’s unique, innovative Academy, Catholic Social Thought in Action: Integrating Catholic Studies and Social Work Pedagogy and Practice, presents Barbara Shank, Ph.D., social work leader and scholar, Dean and Professor Emerita, who will share insights and recommendations for social work social justice pedagogy and practice. Shank will share lessons from her work to integrate Catholic Social Teaching into the Social Work curriculum as Dean of the University of St. Thomas School of Social Work.

Shank’s efforts were invited and inspired by Ex Corde Ecclesiae’s call to Catholic universities to include in their research and teaching agendas the study of contemporary problems such as the dignity of the human person, the promotion of justice for all, the quality of personal and family life, the pursuit of peace, a just sharing of resources, and economic justice. The Catholic university is called to study these issues, paying special attention to their ethical and religious dimensions (Pope John Paul II, 1990). Shank will also invite conversation and dialogue about how Seton Hall and other Catholic institutions might apply these lessons in what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. would call “the fierce urgency of now.”
4 – 5 p.m. (Virtual)

Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry Petersheim Symposium: Accelerating Drug Development Through Innovation for the Stereoselective Synthesis of Cyclic Dinucleotide MK-1454
Organizers: Cecilia Marzabadi, Jacob Goldsmith
Keynote Speaker: Nastaran (Naz) Salehi Marzijarani, Associate Principal Scientist, SM PR&D, Process Chemistry, Merck
5:45 – 7 p.m. (McNulty Hall, Room 101 and Virtual)

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Poster Session
Organizers: James Hanson, Cosimo Antonacci
7 – 9 p.m. (McNulty Hall, Atrium)
To access the event virtually, please R.S.V.P. to Professor James Hanson at [email protected].

Wednesday, April 27, 2022

Catholic Social Thought in Action: Integrating Catholic Studies and Social Work Pedagogy and Practice
Organizers: Anthony Nicotera; Dawn Apgar; Ines Murzaku
This presentation will feature the work and vision of the recently established unique, innovative Seton Hall Academy, Catholic Social Thought in Action: Integrating Catholic Studies and Social Work Pedagogy and Practice. Giving life to Pope Francis’ call to institutions of higher learning to be engaged in the work of shaping environments of creative thinking and dismantling structures of injustice, the Academy Leadership Team will provide updates related to their research, upcoming events, and planned courses at the intersection of Catholic Social Thought (CST), Catholic Studies, and Social Work.

Academy Leadership Team members include: Ines Murzaku, Ph.D., Director of Catholic Studies Program, Professor of Religion; Dawn Apgar, Ph.D., Director of the B.A. in Social Work Program, Assistant Professor of Social Work; Anthony Nicotera, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Social Work; Amanda Cavanagh, Assistant Director, DOVE; and Giselle Pineda, Undergraduate Student Leader.
9 – 10 a.m. (Virtual)

Community Research and Engagement in Action
Organizer: Timothy Hoffman
The Center for Community Research and Engagement (CCRE) will host a session where students who have been working with CCRE throughout the past academic year will share their research findings from projects on topics including immigration, environmental justice, and the digital divide in education during the COVID-19 pandemic.
10 a.m. – Noon (Beck Rooms – TLTC, Walsh Library and Virtual)

Success in Research and Scholarship Fair
Organizer: Dean Georita Frierson
The College of Arts and Sciences will introduce students to research opportunities and the creative fulfillment that comes from academic work. The College is inviting prominent alumni for students to network with, as well as students that are already participating in research here at the university. The event is also an opportunity to highlight the scholarly achievements of our faculty, including scholarship, research, and other creative work. The College will celebrate the books, manuscripts, creative accomplishments, grants, and awards its faculty and students have earned.
11:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. (Bethany Hall, Room A)

Virtues of Inquiry Across the Continuum: The Need for Ethics in Research at Every Level
Organizer: Bryan Pilkington
In this Petersheim Keynote Session, leading scholars in research ethics as well as researchers will discuss the importance of ethics in research at the undergraduate, graduate, and professional levels. This session will feature Ana Iltis, Ph.D., (Director of the Center for Bioethics, Health and Society and Professor of Philosophy, Wake Forest University), Rachel Annunziato, Ph.D. (Professor of Psychology and Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives, Fordham University), and Seton Hall’s own Kathy Nagle, Ph.D., (SLP) and Richard Boergers, Ph.D. (AT). A questions and answer session will follow their interactive presentations. The session will be moderated by Bryan Pilkington, Ph.D., (IHSA), with an opening welcome from Seton Hall’s President, Joseph E. Nyre.
Noon – 1:30 p.m. (Virtual; click here to view the event recording)

Bishop Bayley’s Conversion and Legacy in the Church in New Jersey
Organizer: Gerald Buonopane; Ines Murzaku
The Department of Catholic Studies at Seton Hall University is pleased to host a lecture in celebration of the 180th anniversary of Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley’s conversion to the Catholic faith. Rev. Msgr. Raymond Kupke, PhD, presenting “Bishop Bayley’s Conversion and Legacy in the Church in New Jersey,” will discuss this watershed event in the life of the Catholic Church in America—and in particular, of our state and University.
2 – 3:30 p.m. (Beck Rooms, Walsh Library and Virtual; click here to view the event recording)

Scholarly Communication Symposium
Organizer: Lisa DeLuca
Join student editors of Arts & Sciences Undergraduate Research and University Libraries to learn about how SHU's eRepository supports student scholarship and how to establish your own ejournal with SHU librarians. Sessions will include:

"Student Scholarship: Expanding our understanding of undergraduate research circulation and readership in the Locus Journal" by Samantha Bernstein and Shardai Smith
"Setting up an ejournal in the SHU eRepository" by Lisa DeLuca, Michael Murphy and Maria Barca

2:30 – 4:30 p.m. (Common Area, Walsh Library)

Bioethics: Undergraduate Research in Ethics, Health, and Medicine
Organizer: Bryan Pilkington
Following the Petersheim Keynote Session, Virtues of Inquiry Across the Continuum: The Need for Ethics in Research at Every Level, in this session undergraduate student scholars present their research on ethical issues in healthcare, medicine, and global bioethics.
3:30 – 4:45 p.m. (Virtual)

Department of Physics Student Research Symposia: Oral and Poster Presentations
Organizer: Weining Wang
6 – 8 p.m. (Virtual)

Thursday, April 28, 2022

Peoples and Cultures of America Symposium II
Organizer: Forrest Pritchett
Undergraduate and graduate students will present their work that will range from racism, sexism classism and religious bigotry. A special presentation on the history of Asian migration into the United States and anti-Asian, Asian Pacific Islander (AAPI) bias will occur.
11 a.m. – Noon (Virtual)

Faculty Research Showcase
Organizer: Norma Rubio
Moderators: John Buschman, D.L.S, Dean of University Libraries and Michael LaFountaine, Ed.D., Professor, Department of Physical Therapy
At Seton Hall University, research is a range on multiple fields of knowledge, and this implies that it derives from different disciplines. As a result of this, the findings of this research are multi-dimensional. This research showcase exhibits how scientific knowledge is generated, and how critical that knowledge is in shaping decisions in our personal lives and in the public domain. Click here to view the presenters and session agenda.
9:25 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. (Virtual; click here to view the event recording)

MLK Oratory Exhibition: Speaking with Conviction
Organizer: Forrest Pritchett
2 – 3 p.m. (Virtual)

The Ukrainian Icon: A Piece of Heaven on Earth
Organizer: Gloria Aroneo
A one-day symposium featuring two distinguished scholars from the Ukrainian Catholic Metropolitan of the Archeparchy of Philadelphia, His Grace Boris Gudziak and iconographer extraordinaire Maestro Andriy Demyanchuk, Ph.D. of Lviv. Maestro Demyanchuk will speak about the history and creation of traditional icons in Ukraine. Bishop Boris will speak about the newest iconography in Ukraine. These icons written by soldiers, veterans, and invalids of the ongoing hybrid war in Ukraine, are on the discarded boxes of war material. When he was enthroned as Metropolitan of Philadelphia in 2019, he put these heartfelt icons in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, so that the faithful can pray for the cessation of hostilities to this day.
2 – 4 p.m. (Bethany Hall and Virtual; click here to view the event recording)

14th Annual Biological Sciences Symposium: Observe, Explore, Achieve
Organizer: Edward Tall
Graduate and undergraduate students will be presenting posters of their work, sharing their knowledge and experiences with each other and with guests. Following the poster session, a prominent researcher will present some of their work and share their knowledge with us. The schedule of 2022 BioSymposium includes:

3 p.m.: Opening Remarks, Heping Zhou, Ph.D., Chair of Biological Sciences (McNulty Hall, Atrium)
3:05 p.m.: Poster Session - Research and Senior Seminar, Graduate and undergraduate student presentations *MASKS REQUIRED FOR POSTER SESSION*
5:25 p.m.: Keynote Seminar, Speaker: Barbara Mason, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist, Scripps Research Institute,“Current Status and Innovation Strategies for Medications to Treat Alcohol Use Disorder” (McNulty Hall, Lerner Amphitheater SC-101)
6:25 p.m.: Closing Remarks, Edward Tall, Ph.D., Biosymposium Committee Chair

3 – 6:30 p.m. (McNulty Hall, Atrium and Lerner Amphitheater SC 101; click here to view the event recording)

Mission Mentors Program Presentations
Organizer: Mary Balkun
Five sets of Faculty “partners” were approved as the first participants in the "Mission Mentors Program" in summer 2021. The goal of this program is to advance the Catholic mission of the university. In each case, a faculty member with experience in/with the Catholic intellectual tradition was partnered with one or two other faculty members who were interested in deepening their knowledge of that tradition. Working together, the teams developed a project—a new course, a symposium, a paper, etc.--and those will be the basis of their presentations in this Petersheim session. There will also be time for Q&A.
4 – 5:30 p.m. (Virtual)

Siombailí na hÉireann: Examples of Essential and Enduring Symbols in Irish History
Organizer: Eilish Harrington
Presentation by University Archivist, Alan Delozier, D.Litt.
Sponsored by Pirates of Irish Persuasion & Extraction (PIPE)
4 – 5 p.m. (Jubilee Hall, Room 132 and Virtual)

Friday, April 29, 2022

First Year Symposium
Organizer: Forrest Pritchett
Reflections from first year students on college life and experiences as well as resources and support offered by the university.
9 – 10:30 a.m. (Virtual; click here to view the event recording)

Core III and the Catholic Intellectual Tradition, Session I
Organizer: Eric Johnston
Student presentations arising from STHO / HSTD 6585: Creation and Science
9 – 10:30 a.m. (Virtual; click here to view the event recording)

Department of History: Honors in History Presentations
Organizer: Sara Fieldston
Students participating in the History Honors Research Program will share their research.
10 a.m. – Noon (Fahy Hall, Room 307 and Virtual)

Core III and the Catholic Intellectual Tradition, Session II
Organizer: Eric Johnston
Student presentations arising from CORE III course: Logic, the Limits to Knowledge, and the Catholic Intellectual Tradition
11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (Virtual)

Mandela King-Symposium on Global Justice
Organizer: Forrest Pritchett
MLK Scholars will present a review of Catholic saints who made contributions in the realm of social justice. Faculty will present research, or review directions in their disciplines or their personal perspectives on diversity, equity and inclusion directions devoted to the visions and energies of Mandela and King Jr. They will also discuss what advocacy efforts the men might collaborate on in today's society.
11 a.m. – 1 p.m. (Virtual; click here to view the event recording)

Mathematics, Computer Science and Data Science Petersheim Day
Organizer: Tara Wager
The Mathematics and Computer Science Department presents a daylong event for the 26th Petersheim Academic Exposition. Events of the day will include the Charles H. Franke Memorial Lecture, Pi Mu Epsilon Honor Society induction ceremony and the John J. Saccoman Graduation Award ceremony. The day will conclude with the mathematics, computer science and data science students’ poster presentations.

Starting at 1 p.m., our Charles H. Franke Memorial Lecturer will be Gurdeep Kaur, Chief Information Security Officer at PSEG. The session will cover the recent trends in cyber security and what the field has to offer for researchers and graduated. Kaur will give students understanding of different types of cyber threats, vulnerabilities and possible mitigation measures. All are welcome to attend.
1 – 4:15 p.m. (Virtual)
Click here to view the student poster presentations recording »
Click here to view the Charles H. Franke Memorial Lecture titled, "Careers in Cyber Security" »

Introductory Irish Language Workshop
Organizer: Eilish Harrington
Irish Language Instructor Regina Femminella will lead an introductory Irish language workshop. This event is sponsored by Pirates of Irish Persuasion & Extraction (PIPE).
2:30 – 4 p.m. (Jubilee Hall, Room 111 and Virtual)

2022 Petersheim Academic Exposition Closing Celebration and Awards Ceremony
Organizer: Edward Tall
The formal close to our week of events. The Closing Ceremony will feature a keynote address by Rev. Forrest M. Pritchett, Ph.D., Senior Advisor to Seton Hall University’s Provost on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, titled "Science and the Human Community."
3 – 5 p.m. (McNulty Hall, Ampitheater and Virtual; click here to view the event recording)

Core III and the Catholic Intellectual Tradition: Literature and Faith
Organizer: Eric Johnston
The session will include presenters from Core III courses by Nancy Enright, Ph.D. and Angela Weisl, Ph.D.
4 – 5 p.m. (Virtual)

Connected Events

Democracy in Crisis: A Call for Political & Social Justice for the Grand Challenges for Social Work and Society
Organizer: Dawn Apgar
This poster session features the capstone projects of students graduating with the BA in Social Work. Their research focuses on policy analyses aimed at enhanced political action to tackle the nation’s toughest social problems. Areas of focus include ensuring healthy development for all youth, closing the health gap, stopping family violence, advancing long and productive lives, eradicating social isolation, ending homelessness, creating social responses to a changing environment, harnessing technology for social good, promoting smart decarceration, and reducing extreme economic equality.
Asynchronous; Click here to view event materials

Eco-Fest on the Green
Organizer: Wanda Knapik
Earth Week Celebration on the Campus Green hosted by the Ecology Club and the Green New Deal Club.
Tuesday, April 19
12 – 4 p.m. (University Campus Green)

Psychology Research Symposium
Organizer: Fanli Jia
Graduate and undergraduate students will be presenting their research in the symposium.
Friday, April 22
1 – 2:30 p.m. (Jubilee Hall, Room 383)