Mind Over Major, an interdisciplinary student conference, kicked-off the month of S.O.A.R. programming that will showcase the outstanding artwork and research of over 100 Saint Anselm students. The program continues throughout the month of April with distinguished speakers, a music concert, the annual science poster display, and other events.

The conference “provides an opportunity for students to present their ideas and research” and “seeks to foster interdisciplinary dialogue and intellectual discourse outside the classroom.” Professors Meg Cronin of English, Joshua Tepley of philosophy, and Carmen McClish of communication organized the conference.

“Mind Over Major is a conference of student presentations that was started by English majors in 1995 (we didn’t have a communication major then), so that students in any major could present excellent work they had written for a class in any discipline,” says Cronin. “Mind Over Major is now a part of the S.O.A.R. program, which celebrates student work every year for the entire month of April.”

Since 1995, students have presented work on scientific, artistic, literary, social, political, philosophical, religious, cultural, and technological ideas. This year, 14 panels of over 40 students presented research from a variety of disciplines in panels such as “Weird Science: Studying the Past and Predicting the Future,” “Indian Religions in New England: Our Hindu and Sikh Neighbors,” “Science Fiction & Philosophy,” “España y Latinoamérica: espacios ambiguos en estudios de género,” and “Photographic Explorations.”

Freshman marketing major Sara Messler presented her research on the meaning and purpose of the “Oliphant” in medieval art and architecture. She says, “I first thought that Mind Over Major would be a good experience to present my own work in front of people, not in a classroom environment. I was also interested in presenting my work, because I had never done something like this and I was excited to share my own research on a topic that many people did not know much about.”

History major Robert Hughes ’20 presented his research on the historical persecution of the Dinka people in South Sudan as part of English professor Bindu Malieckal’s panel on African refugees.

Hughes explains, “The current and prior conflicts in Sudan have spawned numerous ethnic cleansing campaigns; I believe it is important for people to be educated about the situation in South Sudan to prevent genocides from happening elsewhere.”

As part of S.O.A.R., art work from senior fine arts majors and minors Meera Latona, Ellis Boettger, and Megan Seagrave will be on display in the Dana Center Alcove Galleries until May 21.

This year featured two distinguished speaker events: New Hampshire Poet Laureate Alice B. Fogel on April 5 and a panel “Who Cares if Your Genes Fit? Genomics and Health,” featuring Christopher Amos, Ph.D. of Dartmouth College, Colleen Dansereau, RN, MSN of Children’s Hospital, Boston, Ann Hoen, Ph.D., and Sheila Upton, MSG, both of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center on April 27.