WORCESTER—Students enrolled in Quinsigamond Community College’s Commonwealth Honors program recently presented original research at the college’s Honors Colloquium Student Showcase, an event designed to highlight interdisciplinary scholarship and student-led inquiry.
The showcase marked the culmination of the Honors Colloquium, a required course for students completing designated honors pathways at QCC. The course brings together faculty from multiple disciplines around a shared theme, challenging students to explore complex issues through research, writing, and public presentation.
Each student develops a thesis tied to the semester’s theme, conducts in-depth library research, and produces a formal research paper. That work is then presented in poster format, both within the class and at the broader campus showcase. Some students also go on to present their findings at the Undergraduate Research Conference at UMass Amherst.
One section of the colloquium, co-taught by Associate Professor of Biology Opeyemi Odewale and Professor of English John Stazinski, focused on the theme “The Small Engines of Humanity: Germs, Cooties, and Diseases – Microbial Impact & Societal Transformation.” Students examined the role of microbes in shaping modern health and social systems.
“The Honors Colloquium is unique among classes at QCC in that the students, every single semester, become very close and end up forming a true learning community,” Stazinski said in a press release. “They’re genuinely engaged by each other’s projects and tend to keep each other on track.”
At the showcase, students presented research addressing contemporary scientific and cultural questions. Luis Cruz explored the gut-eye axis, drawing on his background in ophthalmology and future plans for graduate study. His project examined early treatment options aimed at preventing surgical intervention. Another student, Emma Dattis, studied how music and social networks may influence the gut microbiome, linking cultural behaviors to microbial health.
Other sections of the Honors Colloquium this year addressed themes including “The World in 2050: A Certain Uncertainty,” “(Hi)stories of American Violence,” and “Truths or Consequences: Examining Movements for Change,” reflecting the program’s emphasis on connecting academic research to real-world issues.
More information about QCC’s Commonwealth Honors Program is available at qcc.edu/learn-qcc/commonwealth-honors-program.
