Students in Naugatuck Valley Community College’s Honors Institute presented their research projects for the spring semester to faculty, peers and other members of the NVCC community at the Honors Institute Showcase on April 30. Research topics ranged from business communication for ESL Professionals and end of life nursing care to looking at how psychological incentives can yield different behaviors when it comes to environmental protection.

The Honors Institute is a program of study which allows academically successful students to complete their degree program with an “honors” designation. Honors students join a “community of excellence” and participate in college-level research and independent study opportunities, as well as gain direct access to faculty mentoring and networking opportunities.

The Honors Institute projects, requiring at least 20 hours of work over and above regular course work, are designed in collaboration with a faculty mentor, and represent an area of particular interest to the student. Students who successfully complete nine credits of rigorous honors work are eligible to graduate “With Honors.”

This year, five students presented their research:

•          Sara Cocivi, working with Professor Kathy Murphy, shared her research on Nursing Care at the End of Life

•          With the support of Professor Rachel Sackett, student Donna Crane presented on creating antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

•          Under the guidance of Professors Kathleen Ring and Kathy Murphy, Christopher Gordon presented on two topics: “A Psychological Study into Environmental,” and a “Study of Autistic Spectrum Disorder through Each Life Phase”

•          With the support of Faculty Mentor Jacquie Swanson, Irisa Hoxha conducted research on business communication for ESL professionals

•          Yelizaveta Tolstokoraya, working with Professors Kathy Murphy, discussed her research on the effects of Alzheimer’s disease on patients and their families.

 “The students continue to impress faculty with not only what they have learned in the course of the semester beyond the course’s syllabi, but also their ability to teach others as evident during the showcase. “ Kathy Murphy, Honors Institute Advisory Committee Chair.

New and current NVCC students are eligible to apply for the Honors Institute. Members of the Honors Institute have achieved and maintained a Grade Point Average of 3.4 after taking at least 12 credits at NVCC. More information can be found by contacting any member of the advisory committee or visiting the Honors Institute page on NVCC’s website.