Four Dickinson Seniors Travel to the University of Pittsburgh

Four fourth-year Dickinson Russian majors (Kara Elder, Kimberly Ferington, Jonathan Ontiberos, and Nina Ioannidou) were selected as part of a peer-reviewed competition to present their original research at the 10th annual University of Pittsburgh Russian and East European Undergraduate Research Symposium on March 25, 2010. The students worked to review their papers in collaboration with Dickinson faculty and University of Pittsburgh Ph.D. students. Then, on March 25 they travelled to Pittsburgh, together with Prof. Alyssa DeBlasio, to present their work at the symposium. They were evaluated by University of Pittsburgh faculty and Ph.D. students based on the quality and originality of their written work and oral presentation. All four students gave impressive, professional presentations that attested to the hard work they had put into their projects. At the closing ceremony, Kara Elder was awarded first prize for her paper “Monogoroda: Hope through the Haze?,” a section of her senior thesis project. 

“The Russian and East European Undergraduate Research Symposium was definitely a beneficial experience. It helped me prepare for further similar work that is expected in academia.”  Jonathan Ontiberos ' 11

“The Pittsburgh Symposium gave me more experience presenting my research and the judges' feedback was very useful for continuing to develop my initial paper into my senior thesis.”  Kara Elder '11

"Participating in the Pittsburgh Symposium helped me realize the immense courage it takes to expose oneself to constructive criticism; furthermore, this exposure offered an opportunity to assess not only my academic skills but also my public speaking abilities." Nina Ioannidou '11