Many students have the opportunity to present original research at professional conferences worldwide during their college days at McDaniel. The presentations are frequently the culmination of independent study and faculty collaborations. Recently students in the departments of Art History and Psychology took their presentations to conferences.

Students Patrick Bonaduce ’08, Stuart Clarke ’09, Andrew Dillehay ’08 and Timothy (Pat) O'Toole ’07 were selected to present research papers April 22 at the West Virginia University Art History Society Undergraduate Symposium. Their reports were originally class projects for the Honors’ Art and Art History course “Japanese Art.”

At the 11th Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research on Adolescence in San Francisco, Psychology students Cassandra Allen ’06, Colleen Gray ’07, Ellen Inverso ’07 and Rachel Schmidt ’06 co-presented with Assistant Psychology Professor Stephanie Madsen on the subject: "Aussie Elders Ask and Yankee Youth Yak: Parent-Adolescent Communication About Dating in Australia and America."

“I know not many undergraduates at other colleges can say that they were offered the opportunity to do research as a freshman and some may not even be able to say that they were ever offered the opportunity to work closely on research with a member of the faculty,” says Gray.

Madsen chaired and organized the session “Is Three a Crowd?: Cultural Variations in Parental Involvement in Adolescent Romantic Relationships.”

“In an addition to the opportunity to present their research, this gave them the opportunity to network and introduce themselves to graduate schools,” says Madsen.

“I am proud that they have represented the College so well at a professional meeting,” says Provost Tom Falkner. “I will be surprised if this does not inspire them to think seriously about a career in higher education.”