Manhattan College Students Reflect on College Experiences in Washington, D.C.
Manhattan College senior Dylan Gray was a featured panelist at New American Colleges & Universities panel.
On Wednesday, Jan. 20, Manhattan College senior Dylan Gray ’16 (right) joined two other college students in a panel moderated by author William Sullivan, hosted by New American Colleges & Universities (NAC&U) at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.
Gray discussed his experience of how integrative education, including undergraduate research, improved the quality of his college experience and prepared him with real-world skills. The panel is part of a three-day series of events that will spotlight NAC&U members’ collective mission and approaches to teaching and learning. The event also honors the legacy of the late Ernest L. Boyer, former chancellor of the State University of New York and United States Commissioner of Education.
A native of Yonkers, N.Y., Gray is a physics major and philosophy minor. Currently the president of the College’s chapter of the Society of Physics, Gray is also a member of Sigma Xi, the science and engineering research honor society, and Sigma Pi Sigma, the physics honor society.
Last summer, Gray researched particle physics with the Atlas Experiment and worked alongside Manhattan College physics professor Rostislav Konoplich, Ph.D., at The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva, Switzerland. After graduating in May, Gray plans to join a physics Ph.D. program to prepare for a career as a laboratory researcher.
At the three-day convention, fellow Jaspers Emily Cutler '16, Chris Hoey '17 and John Trieste '16 presented research on topics that they have worked on during their time at Manhattan College. Cutler, who is also a captain of the Jaspers' softball team, presented on "The Role of Anticipatory Postural Adjustments in Postural Control." An exercise science major, Cutler's presentation focused on how individuals can rehabilitate from injury and maintain, achieve or restore a state of balance.
Hoey, an electrical engineering major, presented on "Sustainable Energy Sources: Information for Economic, Societal, and Environmental Impacts." Hoey focused on countries around the world that do not have fundamental access to electricity and energy sources and how that access can be increased.
A finance major, Trieste was a part of Manhattan College's best-ever showing at the New York College Fed Challenge. He leveraged that experience in front of Federal Reserve employees to present "The Impact of the Federal Reserve SOMA Holdings on Mortgage Backed Securities Rates, Treasury Rates, and Mortgage Rates" to the NAC&U panel.