DANBURY, CONN. — Western Connecticut State University student research spanning more than a dozen academic disciplines and a keynote lecture by a WCSU alumna now engaged in pioneering neurobiology research will be featured at the fifth annual WestConn Research Day (WRD) on Thursday, May 14.

WRD 2009 will present a poster exhibition of 38 research projects conducted by WestConn undergraduate and graduate students during the current academic year. The exhibition will be open for public viewing from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Science Building Atrium on the university’s Midtown campus, 181 White St. in Danbury.

The public portion of the WRD 2009 program will begin at 2:30 p.m. in Science Building Room 125 with opening remarks by WCSU President James W. Schmotter and a keynote lecture by Dr. Ana Ribeiro, a 1995 WestConn graduate who holds a Ph.D. in cell and molecular biology from Fordham University. Currently a postdoctoral fellow in the Laboratory of Neurobiology and Behavior at The Rockefeller University in New York, Ribeiro will offer perspectives on a career in research and science in her talk titled, “Your Life as an Experiment: The Challenges and Rewards of a Professional Career.”

Dr. Linda Rinker, WCSU provost and vice president for academic affairs, will deliver remarks and present the annual Provost’s Prize at the WRD closing session at 5 p.m. in Science Building Room 125. The prize, funded by the Office of the Provost and awarded for an exemplary project by a student or students who will be continuing their studies at WestConn in the 2009-10 academic year, will contribute $1,000 toward student expenses for presentation of an original research project at a professional conference. Admission will be free to the WRD poster exhibition, keynote lecture and closing session.

Dr. Susan Maskel, cochairman of the WRD 2009 organizing committee and professor of biological and environmental sciences, noted that Ribeiro’s talk marks the first time since the founding of the annual Research Day event in 2005 that a WestConn graduate has been selected to deliver the keynote address, offering a role model for present students at WCSU. Ribeiro, who earned a bachelor’s degree in biology at WestConn, developed tests of water quality in the Housatonic River for her senior thesis under the supervision of Professor of Biological and Environmental Sciences Dr. Frank Dye.

Ribeiro’s current research activities at Rockefeller have contributed to important breakthroughs in scientific understanding of the relationship between biochemical factors affecting the brain and changes in behavioral patterns. She was a lead investigator in the Rockefeller team directed by laboratory head Dr. Donald Pfaff whose recently published study of mice behavior established a direct link between a key cellular component of the immune system and levels of anxiety in response to stressful environments. “The two most complicated and highly integrated systems in the body, the immune system and the nervous system, have been shown to be linked at the level of behavior,” Pfaff observed.

Ribeiro’s research explores biochemical mechanisms by which estrogens affect behavioral arousal and vigilance control, as well as elements of the brain’s anatomy and chemistry that influence behavioral changes in response to the availability or scarcity of basic resources. These studies have broad relevance in understanding human behavioral responses and public health issues, ranging from the impact of estrogen level changes during menopause to the relationship between neural chemistry and sleep disorders.

Ribeiro has presented findings of her studies at more than 20 scientific conferences in the United States and abroad, published numerous articles and reviews in professional journals, and written book and encyclopedia chapters on research subjects. She has received the Young Investigator Award from the American Sleep Disorders Association, as well as grants from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and many other foundations and professional organizations supporting scientific research.

A native of Danbury who also spent part of her childhood in her parents’ homeland in Portugal, Ribeiro noted that students’ surest path to a successful career “rests on a solid foundation of knowledge. To attain this, you must capitalize on the many opportunities that you are presented with in the classroom, laboratory and professional settings. The key is to always stay focused on your goal, and to be ready to seize the opportunities when they arise.”

A WRD seminar and luncheon in Warner Hall immediately preceding the public program will feature six research projects selected for student presentations to invited guests from the WCSU faculty and staff and the Greater Danbury business and civic community. Students chosen to present their projects in the seminar session include Stephanie Ardizzone, of Shelton; Jamie Cantoni, of West Cornwall; John Lee, of Ridgefield; Mayur Patel, of Shelton; Ornella Sathoud, of Watertown; and Steven Schmidt, of Sandy Hook.

Research projects to be presented in the seminar and poster sessions represent 14 academic disciplines spanning a diversity of science, humanities, business and professional curricula at WestConn. In addition to projects in biology, chemistry and psychology, student research will be displayed in a wide range of fields including management, information systems, computer science, mathematics, history, meteorology, education, nursing, communication, Spanish and social science.

Dr. Emilio Collar, cochairman of the WRD 2009 committee and assistant professor of management information systems (MIS), said the continued expansion in the number of academic programs participating in the WRD exhibition reflects the emphasis that is placed on student research as an integral part of a WestConn education.

“Research Day brings this out into the open for everyone to see,” Collar observed. “There is so much going on at this university that you can’t really appreciate until you have the chance to see these projects right in front of you.”

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for students to be introduced to a presentation setting similar to a professional meeting, and to share their research with people not only in their own discipline, but in other fields as well,” Maskel said. She noted the rigor of research study and the skills acquired in presenting that research will benefit the students in their future careers, and could pay unexpected dividends — two exhibitors in the 2008 WRD program received job offers from visiting representatives of local businesses.

Maskel credited the faculty participants in the WRD 2009 committee for successfully organizing the annual event. In addition to Maskel and Collar, members of the committee include Assistant Dean of the Ancell School of Business and Associate Professor of MIS Dr. Richard Bassett, Assistant Professor of Nursing and Chairperson of the Nursing Department Dr. Karen Crouse, Assistant Professor of Mathematics Dr. Samuel Lightwood, Associate Professor of Art Marjorie Portnow, and Associate Professor of Nursing Dr. Catherine Rice.

For more information, contact Maskel at (203) 837-8799 or maskels@wcsu.edu, or the Office of University Relations at (203) 837-8486.

Western Connecticut State University offers outstanding faculty in a range of quality academic programs. Our diverse university community provides students an enriching and supportive environment that takes advantage of the unique cultural offerings of Western Connecticut and New York. Our vision: To be an affordable public university with the characteristics
of New England’s best small private universities.