Proceedings of GREAT Day 2020

Geneseo Recognizing Excellence, Achievement & Talent (GREAT) Day is a college-wide symposium celebrating the creative and scholarly endeavors of Geneseo students. In addition to recognizing those achievements, the purpose of GREAT Day is to help foster academic excellence, encourage professional development, and build connections within the community.In 2020, GREAT Day, like most academic events, could not happen on Geneseo’s campus due to the novel coronavirus and ensuing pandemic. Nevertheless, the undergraduate symposium was successfully held in an unprecedented virtual format. This volume of Proceedings of GREAT Day is a representation of the diversity of scholarship presented at GREAT Day, from disciplines ranging from education, sociology, and math, to astronomy, history, and dance. It reflects the challenges of 2020 with articles addressing the novel coronavirus strain, propaganda, policing, and populism, and the resilience and wonder of GREAT Day presenters. Other research reflects a growing dependence on technology in advancing astronomy and mathematical research, as well as in secondary education classrooms. This volume also includes research on oppression and self-preservation, with articles addressing evolutionary behaviors, a critique of capitalism, water in South Africa, domestic violence, and French cultural identity. In addition to these articles, this issue contains interviews with College faculty and students heavily involved with GREAT Day. In all its content, this volume of The Proceedings of GREAT Day is reflective of the world around us, as it challenges us to consider new perspectives on a variety of topics that affect a diverse population.Now in its twelfth year, The Proceedings of GREAT Day continues to publish creative and scholarly student work presented at GREAT Day. The journal is available online, with additional content, at go.geneseo.edu/greatjournal