Research Hub Celebrates Emerson Scholarship, Creativity

Faculty, students, and staff came together to share their research and creative scholarship, and celebrate the curiosity and innovation that drives them to make new discoveries, connections, and works of art at the 2026 Celebration of Research, held Tuesday, March 31, at the Judee.

The event featured presentations, posters and displays of Emerson scholarship representing several departments across all three schools, and included formal studies and collaborative research projects, textbook chapters, and creative projects. It was sponsored by the Faculty Research Hub, under the leadership of Communication Sciences & Disorders Professor Ruth Grossman, and co-sponsored by Eric Asetta, Diana Potter, and Leah Shosteck ’25, MA ’26 from the Office of Research and Creative Scholarship.

The Faculty Research Hub was launched in Fall 2024 as part of the college’s commitment to fostering a vibrant research community and nurturing creativity at Emerson, in line with the academic innovation priority in the strategic plan, President Jay Bernhardt said in his opening remarks.

“The Research Hub is supporting and boosting our faculty’s capacity to produce exceptional research, creativity, and scholarship, all of which are fundamental to strengthening our reputation as a leading educational institution,” he said.

Among the work presented was a study of piracy and surveillance in medieval Spain, research on curiosity in children with autism, and a book about feminist performances of sleep. There were posters mapping the experiences of first-generation BIPOC students using photos, and a comparison of official vs. feminist translations of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie in China, among many others.

“As I always say, one of my favorite things about Emerson is that unlike just about any other college or university, we get to define what research means on our own terms,” Provost Alex Socarides told the crowd. “And that definition gets to be as capacious as we want to make it, as wide and nuanced and as different as the work that all of you do.”

Research Hub Director Grossman said she loved seeing community members from across campus learn about — and ask each other questions about — research happening across campus.

“The Research Hub was created to provide exactly this type of recognition and support for research across all disciplines so we can build a stronger research culture at Emerson,” Grossman said. “I’m thrilled with how empowering, inspiring, interesting and fun the event was for presenters and spectators alike.”

Presenters:

• Associate Professor Adam Franklin-Lyons (Marlboro): “Piracy and Surveillance in Late Medieval Catalonia”
• Senior Scholar-in-Residence Maryam Salehomoum (CSD): “Communication self-efficacy in college students who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing (DHH)”
• Professor Rhiannon Luyster (CSD): “Curiosity about autism and curiosity in autism”
• Professor De-nin Lee (School of Film): “The History of Art: A Global View”
• Affiliated faculty member Danielle Drees (Writing, Literature and Publishing): “Sleep with Spectators: Feminist Performance and Practice”
• Brianna Primavera ’26 (CSD/Health and Social Change): “The Disability Summer Camp Experience”
• Assistant Professor Pelin Kivrak (WLP): “In Praise of Digression”
• Associate Professor Lindsay Griffin (CSD): “Get Amped About Swallowing: The Influence of tDCS on Swallowing Function and Tongue Pressure”
• Avanika Lefcowitz ’26 (Health and Social Change): “Teacher Perceptions of Classroom Dynamics in the Age of Pervasive Screen Time”
• Lyanna Zammas ’26 (WLP): “Imagination is Not a Luxury, It’s How We Reclaim the Future”

Research Gallery Displays: Assistant Professor Malic Amalya (SOF); Tyler Cooper ’26 (Health and Social Change); Associate Professor Maria Corrigan (SOF); Max Crumley-Effinger, assistant director, International Student Affairs; Assistant Professor Kimberly Dahl (CSD); Lila Alonso Limongi ’26 (SOF); Assistant Professor Joe Maggio (SOF); Associate Professor Ougie Pak (SOF); Sheridan Robbins ’26 (Political Communication); Liying Wang ’29 (SOF).