
Schedule of Events
The schedule and event locations for the 30th Annual Petersheim Academic Exposition, which will take place from Monday, April 20 – Saturday, April 25, 2026, can be viewed below.
Monday, April 20, 2026
Petersheim Academic Exposition Opening Ceremony and Keynote Lecture
Organizers: Sulie L. Chang, Jose L. Lopez
Noon – 2 p.m. | Bethany Hall, Rooms B and C, and Virtual (Opening Ceremony Livestream »)
Attendees will receive a complimentary lunch following the event; however, pre-registration is required. Register to save your seat »
Tuesday, April 21, 2026
Introduction to Geology Case Based Sharing
Organizer: Martha Schoene
9:30 – 11 a.m. | McNulty Hall, Room 111
Students will share the information they have gathered for their Case Based Study
research projects. The Intro to Geology Students presentations will be grouped into
three general topics: Beach Erosion and Winter Storms; Beach Erosion and Rip Currents;
and Water Issues.
Environmental Studies Senior Capstone
Organizer: Jacob Weger
2 – 3:30 p.m. | Arts and Sciences, Room 101
Environmental Studies majors in the Senior Capstone course will present the "strategic
communication" component of their group research projects, based on engaged research
conducted over the course of the semester in collaboration with a local partner.
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Symposium
Organizer: TBA
5:45 – 7 p.m. | McNulty Hall, Room 101
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Poster Session
Organizer: Cosimo Antonacci
7 – 9 p.m. | McNulty Hall, Atrium
Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Diplomacy Project Senior Poster Session
Organizer: Martin Edwards
1:30 – 3:30 p.m. | McQuaid Hall, Diplomacy Room
Students in DIPL 4101/5101 will be running a poster session in which they will be
presenting their research.
Fostering Faith, Building Community: A Parish Women’s Ministry in the Spirit of Monsignor
Edward Ciuba
Organizer: Mary Koonz
3 – 6 p.m. | Virtual (Click to join the event on Microsoft Teams »)
This presentation showcases the development and early impact of a new parish women’s
ministry designed to foster spiritual growth, community support, and active engagement
in the life of the Church. Responding to a clear pastoral need, the initiative deepens
the faith and prayer life of women through Scripture study, Lectio Divina, and shared
spiritual practices grounded in the Catholic tradition. It cultivates a supportive,
intergenerational environment where women accompany one another in their vocations
as disciples, mothers, professionals, and leaders in parish life. Through acts of
charity, parish service, and evangelization, the ministry strengthens communal ties
and empowers lay leadership.
This initiative directly embodies the mission of the Edward Ciuba Fellowship, which seeks to place Catholic scholarship at the service of the local Church. Inspired by Msgr. Edward Ciuba’s conviction that “life is about relationships” and that God continually calls us to deeper conversion, the ministry unites theological insight with practical pastoral formation. By bridging academic resources with parish life, it advances a model of renewal that is relational, Scripture-centered, and mission-driven.
Department of Physics Research Symposium
Organizer: Weining Wang
6 – 8:30 p.m. | McNulty Hall, Room 101 and Virtual (Click to join the event on Microsoft Teams »)
Undergraduate and Graduate students (Masters Thesis) will present their research;
Kims Medal recipient will be announced and presented.
Thursday, April 23, 2026
DataLab: Advancing Research Through Student-Faculty Collaboration
Organizer: Samah Alshrief, Ph.D.
11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. | Walsh Library, 2nd Floor Common Area and Virtual (Click to join the event on Microsoft Teams »)
This DataLab session highlights interdisciplinary student research supported by Research
Data Services in collaboration with faculty mentors across multiple departments. Students
will present projects demonstrating the application of data analysis, computational
methods, and research technologies to address real-world research questions. The following
presentations showcase the work of DataLab student researchers and their faculty mentors
across participating departments.
- "Themes in Diverse vs. Non-diverse Jury Deliberations"
Student Researcher: Nadia Aboukaram, Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Amanda Bergold, Department of Psychology
RDS Representative: Dr. Samah Alshrief, Michael Murphy, Emily Cerri
Abstract: This project analyzes conversations from juries deliberating in a mock criminal trial to identify themes in decisionmaking across diverse and nondiverse juries using qualitative coding methods in Atlas.ti. - "Testing a New Sphere Packing Algorithm"
Student Researcher: Chris Henderson, Physics
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Peter Morse, Department of Physics
RDS Representative: Dr. Samah Alshrief, Natalie Lau, Victor Carrillo
Abstract: This project evaluates a recently developed sphere packing algorithm by testing its performance in lower physical dimensions through computational modeling using Python, C++, and MATLAB. - "Testing a New Sphere Packing Algorithm"
Student Researcher: Daniel Gilliland, Physics
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Peter Morse, Department of Physics
RDS Representative: Dr. Samah Alshrief, Natalie Lau, Victor Carrillo
Abstract: This research investigates the efficiency of a new sphere packing algorithm in lower dimensions using computational simulations to understand scaling behavior and potential applications in data storage and cryptography. - "CyberSmart"
Student Researcher: Marco Ponce, Computer Science
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Shajina Anand, Department of Computer Science
RDS Representative: Dr. Samah Alshrief
Time Machines Symposium
Organizer: Sarah Ponichtera
2 – 4 p.m. | Walsh Library, 2nd Floor Silent Study Room
Final presentations of our Time Machines scholars: Brooke Hurrell, Agostina Pieri,
Ariel Espinoza, Amelia Olson, and Justin Lotito.
Engaging Families to Strengthen Student Success and Philanthropy
Organizer: Sandro Tejada
3 – 4 p.m. | Location to be announced.
Engaging Families to Strengthen Student Success and Philanthropy explores how intentional,
values-driven family engagement can deepen student support, enhance belonging, and
build long-term philanthropic partnerships. Drawing on best practices and real-world
examples, this presentation highlights how Seton Hall University can move beyond transactional
communication toward authentic partnership with families aligning student success
priorities with meaningful engagement, stewardship, and giving opportunities that
advance institutional mission and impact.
ELMP Research Colloquium
Organizer: Santiago Castiello
5 – 8 p.m. | Jubilee Hall, Room TBA
The ELMP Research-in-Progress Colloquium is a department-wide scholarly forum featuring
graduate students from the Higher Education (HRED), PK-12, and Law Enforcement Executive
Leadership (LEEL) programs.
In alignment with the 30th Anniversary theme of the Petersheim Academic Exposition
“Share, Honor, Unite” this colloquium provides a space for students to showcase works-in-progress
including course-based research projects, pilot studies, dissertation proposals, conceptual
papers, and applied leadership initiatives.
Presentations will be strictly timed, we envision 10-minute research talks followed
by brief Q&A. The goal is not for students to present completed/polished studies,
but rather to provide a space for intellectual exchange, interdisciplinary exposure,
and scholarly community-building across all of our programs.
The colloquium will include:
- Faculty welcome remarks
- 2–3 themed research sessions (depending on submissions) that include cross-program dialogue
- Closing reflections and networking
This initiative aims to establish an annual ELMP research colloquium/symposium under the Petersheim Exhibition umbrella to celebrate and elevate student scholarship across our programs.
Friday, April 24, 2026
Department of Mathematics and Computer Science Petersheim Day
Organizer: Tara Wager
1:15 – 3:45 p.m. | Arts and Sciences Hall, Room 107 and 110
The Department of Mathematics and Computer Science Department presents a daylong event
for the 30th Petersheim Academic Exposition. Events of the day will begin in Arts
and Sciences Hall, Room 107 (1:15 - 2:30 p.m.), and will include the Charles H. Franke
Memorial Lecture, Pi Mu Epsilon Honor Society induction ceremony, and the John J.
Saccoman Graduation Award ceremony. The day will conclude with the mathematics, computer
science and data science students’ poster presentations (2:45 – 3:45 p.m., Arts and
Sciences Hall, Room 110).
Our Charles H. Frank Lecturer will be Peter Winkler, Ph.D. from Dartmouth College.
His research spans from discrete mathematics, theory of computation, and probability
theory. He hold patents, ranging from cryptography to marine navigation. This lecture
will start at 1:15 p.m. All are welcome to attend.
Social Work Advocacy: Fighting Back and Building Bridges!
Organizer: Dawn Apgar
2:30 – 3:30 p.m. | McNulty Hall, Atrium
The poster session on policy research highlights the critical role social workers
play in shaping, challenging, and advancing public policy. This session underscores
how policy research connects micro experiences to macro change, translating client
and community realities into actionable advocacy. In doing so, it reinforces social
work’s dual mission of direct practice and systemic change, demonstrating how research-informed
advocacy strengthens the profession’s ethical commitment to equity, inclusion, and
social transformation. Senior social work majors will be presenting their capstone
policy research which has been presented at a statewide policy symposium.
Distinguished Guest Speech – Artificial Intelligence in Policing: International Evidence,
Ethical Challenges, and the Future of Law Enforcement
Organizer: Luye Li
3 – 6 p.m. | Jubilee Hall, Auditorium
The Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice invited Dr. Ivan Sun,
a world-known criminal justice scholar and a global leader in empirical AI research
in policing as a distinguished guest speaker. In 2025, he launched two major international
research programs—AI in Policing and AI in Higher Education—that are shaping scholarly
and policy debates worldwide. These projects examine frontline police officers’ and
judges’ assessments of AI technologies, including humanoid police robots, algorithmic
decision-making, and AI-assisted enforcement, using innovative simulation videos and
experimental vignettes across multiple countries, including the United States, the
United Kingdom, Australia, China, Argentina, Colombia, and Croatia.
2026 Petersheim Academic Exposition Closing Celebration and Awards Ceremony
Organizer: Edward Tall
3:30 – 5 p.m. | McNulty Hall, Amphitheater and Virtual (Closing Ceremony Livestream »)
The formal close to our week of events, featuring a keynote lecture from Reverend Joseph Laracy, S.T.D. of Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology.
Saturday, April 25, 2026
Event schedule coming soon!
Connected Events
Exhibit: Ukraine's People Revealed! Early Eighteenth-Century Paintings of Ukrainian
Society
Organizer: Nathaniel Knight
February 25 - May 1 | Walsh Library, Silent Study Room
An exhibit of ethnographic images from the Swedish National Museum in Stockholm.
2026 Interprofessional Health Sciences Campus Research Symposium
Organizer: Michael LaFontaine; Gloria Williams
Thursday, April 30 | 3:30 – 6:30 p.m. | IHS Campus, Rooms 1314, 1314, 1315, 1316,
1317
Faculty and students at the Interprofessional Health Sciences campus will share their
scholarly endeavors through several structured activities.
Presentations of Honors in History Senior Thesis Research
Organizer: Kirsten Schultz
Friday, May 1 | 10 – 11:30 a.m. | Fahy Hall, Room 307
Students writing Honors in History senior theses will present their research findings
to faculty and guests, with time for questions and discussion. Topics this year include
Roman writing on conquest, the US Nullification Crisis of the 1830s, the moral panic
around video arcades in U.S. suburbia, and the Srebrenica Massacre in 1995.
Psychology Honors Student Presentations
Organizer: Meghan Caulfield
Friday, May 1 | 1:15 – 2 p.m. | Jubilee Hall, Room 383
Students in the psychology honors program complete a research project with a faculty
mentor. At this event students will present the results of their projects.

