On behalf of the students, faculty and staff of Keene State College, I am pleased to welcome you to our campus for the 2019 Northeast Regional Undergraduate Research, Scholarly and Creative Activity (URSCA) Conference of COPLAC, the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. This annual event provides the opportunity for northeastern COPLAC member institutions to celebrate the very best in faculty-mentored undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative endeavors.
The twenty-nine COPLAC member institutions are unified by their commitment to liberal arts and sciences, public education, and our student-centered missions, preparing students to be engaged citizens, lifelong learners, and adaptable to careers yet to emerge. COPLAC’s annual showcase of undergraduate research illustrates our shared commitment to high impact practices, including faculty mentorship, and establishes a broader community of peers for student networking and support.
Keene State College is proud to be a founding COPLAC institution. Our commitment to liberal arts education and the teacher-scholar-mentor model is the essence of the undergraduate experience on our campus. We are fortunate to have our COPLAC peer institutions standing with us and exemplifying the richness of the public liberal arts.
Our commitment to the liberal arts can be seen in the Putnam Science Center, where undergrads pursue research with a bio-medical focus; and in the Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery, currently exhibiting “This is Country,” a photo collection curated from Florentine Film’s most recent documentary series, Country Music, with an exhibit catalogue created by Keene State intern. In every building across campus, much like your own campuses, students and faculty are invested in collaboration, discovery, and making meaningful contributions as engaged citizens.
Thank you for being here and for supporting one another. Please join me in sincere appreciation to our colleagues at COPLAC for making all of this possible. We hope this conference provides you with inspiration, connections, and encouragement as you continue in your academic pursuits.
Sincerely, Melinda D. Treadwell, President, Keene State College
Emissary of the Void, Issue 1 Emery Bibbins Faculty mentor: Melanie Mowinski Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
Emissary of the Void is the first issue in a series of comics tackling recovery and living with mental illness. Set against a whimsical backdrop featuring mad scientists, monsters, and traveling heroes, this issue introduces two protagonists, Gilen, a traumatized monster, and the talkative “hero” who rescues him, Keshet Cohen. After Gilen’s rescue and the two’s return to Iskgorod, Gilen’s hometown, we see the results of the horror Gilen has lived through. Keshet is called to help him, his best hope despite their lack of qualifications. Painted in watercolor with bold lines and light, bright colors, Emissary of the Void depicts difficult subjects with realistic writing and a fantastical setting--going to dark places without being a dark story. Informed by my experiences with mental illness and the anxieties of recovery from suicidal ideation, Emissary is not just a story I need to write, but every story I needed to read.
Emery Bibbins is a Studio Art major from Medford, Massachusetts with a minor in Chemistry. They plan to go into art conservation as a career, and spend their free time making comics and writing fanfiction.
