WORCESTER, MA – January 30, 2026 – Students in Quinsigamond Community College’s Commonwealth Honors program presented their research findings at a recent Honors Colloquium Student Showcase. The Honors Colloquium is an interdisciplinary course required for students completing designated honors pathways. Designed to foster intellectual curiosity and collaboration, the course brings together faculty from multiple disciplines to explore a central theme from diverse perspectives.
Each student develops a thesis related to the semester’s theme, conducts in-depth library research and produces a research paper. The experience culminates in a poster presentation, shared both in class and at the Honors Colloquium Student Showcase, where students present their work to the broader QCC community. Many participants also take their research beyond campus, presenting at the Undergraduate Research Conference at UMass Amherst.
One section of the Honors Colloquium course, co-taught by Associate Professor of Biology Opeyemi Odewale and Professor of English John Stazinski, employed the theme “The Small Engines of Humanity: Germs, Cooties, and Diseases – Microbial Impact & Societal Transformation."
“The Honors Colloquium is unique among classes at QCC in that the students, every single semester, become very close and end up forming a true learning community," said Stazinski. "They're genuinely engaged by each other's projects and tend to keep each other on track.”
At last month's showcase, students presented their research on how microbes influence contemporary societal challenges.
Student Luis Cruz investigated the gut-eye axis, inspired by his background in ophthalmology and future plans for graduate school and a Ph.D. His project explored early eye treatment options to prevent surgery. Another student, Emma Dattis, examined how music and social networks influence the gut microbiome, uncovering links between cultural factors and microbial health.
Other sections of the Honors Colloquium included “The World in 2050: A Certain Uncertainty,” “(Hi)stories of American Violence” and “Truths or Consequences: Examining Movements for Change.”
For more information on QCC’s Commonwealth Honors Program, visit qcc.edu/learn-qcc/commonwealth-honors-program.