MARCH 4, 2011

"The Multidisciplinary Research Day is a wonderful opportunity to showcase doctoral student scholarship from the three schools. The event creates an intellectual space and time for students and faculty to make new acquaintances, share ideas through dialogue, and raise questions about a variety of research topics."
—Danny G. Willis, PhD, Multidisciplinary Research Day co-chair, Connell School of Nursing

Boston College's doctoral students were in the spotlight at the University's Annual Multidisciplinary PhD Research Development Day on March 4, 2011, in the Heights Room of Corcoran Commons.

The event featured PhD research from the Graduate School of Social Work (GSSW), Lynch School of Education (LSOE), and Connell School of Nursing (CSON), in paper and poster formats. Projects presented included:

• "Development of an Agitation Scale for Use with Acute Presentation Behavioral Management Patients" by Tania Strout (CSON)
• "Exploring the Development of Self-Efficacy Beliefs of Widowed and Deserted Women through Self-Help Microcredit Groups: The Case of Rural South India" by Chrisann Newransky (GSSW)
• "Parent Educational Involvement and Student Achievement: Disentangling Models of Parent Socialization and Child Evocative Efforts Across Development" by Christine Ciprano (LSOE, CDEP)
• "Early Maternal Employment and Childhood Obesity: Long-term Effects of Timing and Child Care" by Caitlin McPherran (LSOE, CDEP).

Kicking off the event was a keynote address by Rocio Calvo, PhD, GSSW doctoral program graduate and adjunct faculty member. Dr. Calvo has extensive experience in Ecuador working with migrant and refugee populations, and her research focuses on how social welfare policy influences the integration of immigrants into host populations. She completed her dissertation in 2009, entitled: "A Cross-National Examination of the Welfare State as an Agent of Immigrant Incorporation." She is currently doing post-doc work at the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies. Dr. Calvo will join the GSSW as an Assistant Professor in Fall 2011.

Abby Schwartz, MGS, MSW from the Graduate School of Social work said, "The conference allows us to learn about other students' work but also just to meet other graduate students outside of our own school, which doesn’t happen frequently. By meeting other students in different disciplines, not only do we share our ideas, but also learn how to expand them in an interdisciplinary manner."