The 22nd annual James J. Whalen Academic Symposium gave Ithaca College students the chance to present a diverse array of research. From analyzing streaming trends of local music artists, to analyzing the mechanical and conductive properties of caramel, to a study of female pirates, students from every discipline were able to showcase their work and celebrate collaboration with faculty. This year’s symposium featured nearly 400 student presenters and 100 faculty mentors.
To kick off the event, keynote speakers April Carroll ’19 and Belisa Gonzalez, associate professor of sociology and director of the Center for the Study of Culture, Race and Ethnicity, gave a presentation titled “Black Girl Black Girl What is Your Song: and other confessions from centering blackness at a PWI.”
The presentation was based off a play that Carroll, who is majoring in writing for film, television and emerging media, began working on during her first year at IC. It focuses on four black women attending a predominantly white institution and their experiences at the college. Eventually, these women find out that not only are they constantly being confused with one another, but everyone at the school thinks that they are one another.
