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College of Arts and Sciences

Petersheim Academic Expo Honors 25 Years of Innovative Spirit and Scholarship  

Photo of President's HallThe 25th Annual Matthew Petersheim Academic Exposition 2021: "Share, Honor, Unite" will take place virtually Monday, April 26 – Friday, April 30, 2021. This celebration of scholastic accomplishments features research symposia, poster sessions, presentations, panel discussions, theatrical performance, art exhibits, debates and more for the entire Seton Hall University community as it involves undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, administrators, and staff from among the various disciplines. All sessions will be offered online.

The week-long digital gathering honors the vision and legacy of Matthew Petersheim, Ph.D., associate professor of biochemistry, who passed away in 1998. Nearly 200 abstracts for creative presentations have been submitted and a multitude of events continue to be added as well as links to attend each event live via Microsoft Teams. Please check the Petersheim Event Schedule for further updates as the Exposition approaches.

"We are pleased that we are able to attract hundreds of members of the University community to share their work and celebrate the innovative spirit and scholarship that is Seton Hall. We encourage everyone to participate through this technology, which makes it convenient for parents, alumni, family and friends to attend our events and experience the research and scholarship that our students and faculty have accomplished at Seton Hall," shared Petersheim Co-Chairs Sulie Lin Chang and Jose Lopez.

In honor of this 25th anniversary milestone, President Joseph E. Nyre will present the keynote address during a special Virtual Opening Ceremony from 12 p.m. - 2 p.m. on Monday, April 26, 2021.

A Multitude of Events

  • Peoples and Cultures of America Symposium I and II presents undergraduate and graduate students' work that will range from racism, sexism classism and religious bigotry. A special presentation on the history of Asian migration into the United States and anti-Asian, Asian Pacific Islander (AAPI) bias will occur. (Tuesday, Thursday, 11 a.m.–12 p.m.)
  • First Year Symposium, hosted by the Office of the Provost and the Center for Academic Success has first-year students, representing various programs throughout the University, taking part in a student panel. They will respond to questions based on the National Study of Student Engagement, which was conducted on the quality of education beyond academics in the classroom for college students. (Friday, 9-10:30 a.m.)
  • Mandela-King Symposium on Global Justice presents Martin Luther King Scholars offering a review of Catholic saints who made contributions in the realm of social justice. Faculty will present research, or review directions in their disciplines or their personal perspectives on diversity, equity and inclusion directions devoted to the visions and energies of Mandela and King Jr. They will also discuss what advocacy efforts the men might collaborate on in today's society. (Friday, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.)
  • Bioethical Issues in Community Contexts: Perspectives from Philosophy, Theology, and Law invites the community to a multidisciplinary session with experts from religion, philosophy and law discussing issues of health and ethics within communities and community-based approaches, including KC Choi: Does Racial Recognition Matter in Bioethics? The Case of Covid and Asian Americans; Carl Coleman: Bioethical issues in global infectious disease outbreaks; Kirk Johnson: Covid, Ethics, and Perspectives from the Black Church; and Bryan Pilkington: Debts to Location: A Community-Based Bioethics. (Thursday, 11a.m.-12 p.m.)
  • Brownson's Messages of Advocacy: Getting to the Heart of the Matter illustrates how the nationally ranked Brownson Speech and Debate Team students perform original orations of diversity, equity and inclusion for on and off campus audiences. (Wednesday, 3-4 p.m.)
  • The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Petersheim Symposium: Targeting NF-kB in B Cell Malignancies features keynote speaker Johannes Zakrewski, M.D., Hackensack Meridian Health Center for Discovery and Innovation. (Tuesday, 5:45-7 p.m.)
  • OMICs Course-based Research Program students and their faculty collaborators will demonstrate the use of cutting-edge metagenomic software to investigate human conditions, including lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, allergies, addiction, concussion, autism, diabetes and more. (Tuesday, 3:30-6 p.m.)
  • The 13th Annual Biological Sciences Symposium: Observe, Explore, Achieve features Dr. Samuel H.H. Chan, who will be sharing his knowledge live from the Institute for Translational Research in Biomedicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Republic of China. (Thursday, 3:30-6:30 p.m.)
  • The Law School invites the community to attend In Pursuit of Community: Perspectives on Law and Theology, Lessons from History, the Work of Housing Justice and The Impact of the Department of Justice's China Initiative. The program will feature presentations by David Opderbeck from his book, Law and Theology, Andrea McDowell from her book, We the Miners, Paula Franzese and Angela Carmella from the book, Christianity and Private Law and Margaret Lewis from her article Criminalizing China. (Wednesday, 12:30-1:30 p.m.)
  • Mathematics and Computer Science and Data Science Petersheim Day commences with the Charles H. Franke Memorial Lecture featuring Robert Fine, who will present a lecture on cybersecurity and virtual and augmented reality in the healthcare field. Related events include the Pi Mu Epsilon Honor Society Induction Ceremony, John J. Saccoman Graduation Awards Ceremony, and Research Poster Presentation. (Friday, 1-5 p.m.)
  • Grand Challenges for Social Work and Society: A Critique of Current Public Policies and Recommendations for the Future analyzes public policies aimed to ensure healthy development for all youth, close the health gap, stop family violence, advance long and productive lives, eradicate social isolation, end homelessness, create social responses to a changing environment, harness technology for social good, promote smart decarceration, achieve equal opportunity and justice, reduce extreme economic inequality, build financial capability for all, and/or eradicate racism. (Thursday, 8 a.m.-1:30 p.m.)
  • Provost Katia Passerini is the featured keynote speaker for the Virtual Closing Ceremony of Celebration at 3 p.m. on Friday, April 30, which will honor all presenters. A select number of student presentations will be recognized and those chosen will receive Student Travel Award Reimbursements to help enable them to attend conferences and symposia, where they can gain important presentation experience and network with other scholars.

To learn more about the entire program and activities, please visit the Petersheim Academic Exposition website.

Categories: Arts and Culture, Nation and World

For more information, please contact:

  • Laurie Pine
  • (973) 902-8060