Final Talks and Panels Schedule 2026

Mount David Summit 2026 Schedule

The 2025 Mount David Summit will be held in-person. Our programming is covered over three sessions throughout the day.

Summit SessionTimeJump to Schedule
Session 11:45 – 3 PMJump to Session 1
Session 23:15 – 4: 30 PMJump to Session 2
Session 34:45 – 6 PMJump to Session 3

Complete Schedule

The complete schedule below allows for searching of names and keywords as well as filtering Summit session.

Session Session Time Location Student Name/Moderator Title Advisor
Heidi Taylor, SociologyContemporary Social Issues: Sociological Perspectives
11:45 PM – 3:00 PMPettengill G52Lucy Green ’26Contemporary Social Issues: Sociological PerspectivesHeidi Taylor, Sociology
11:45 PM – 3:00 PMPettengill G52Kylie Musante ’26Contemporary Social Issues: Sociological PerspectivesHeidi Taylor, Sociology
11:45 PM – 3:00 PMPettengill G52Molly Allison ’26Contemporary Social Issues: Sociological PerspectivesHeidi Taylor, Sociology
11:45 PM – 3:00 PMPettengill G52Nathaniel Zuckerberg ’26Contemporary Social Issues: Sociological PerspectivesHeidi Taylor, Sociology
11:45 PM – 3:00 PMPettengill G52Kate Rentzepis ’26Contemporary Social Issues: Sociological PerspectivesHeidi Taylor, Sociology
Stephen Engel, PoliticsWhat’s Law Got To Do With It? Politics Senior Theses that Explore Law and Legal Questions
 
11:45 PM – 3:00 PMPettengill 116Matthew Peeler ’26What’s Law Got To Do With It? Politics Senior Theses that Explore Law and Legal Questions
 
Stephen Engel, Politics
11:45 PM – 3:00 PMPettengill 116Reese Hillman ’26What’s Law Got To Do With It? Politics Senior Theses that Explore Law and Legal Questions
 
Stephen Engel, Politics
11:45 PM – 3:00 PMPettengill 116Sammy Freeman ’26What’s Law Got To Do With It? Politics Senior Theses that Explore Law and Legal Questions
 
Stephen Engel, Politics
Erik Bernardino, HistoryResearch in Latin American and Latinx Studies I
11:45 PM – 3:00 PMPettengill G65Fatima Rojas Nunez ’26Research in Latin American and Latinx Studies IBaltasar Fra-Molinero, Hispanic Studies and Latin American and Latinx Studies
11:45 PM – 3:00 PMPettengill G65Marin Ackermann ’26Research in Latin American and Latinx Studies IBaltasar Fra-Molinero, Hispanic Studies and Latin American and Latinx Studies
11:45 PM – 3:00 PMPettengill G65Leslie Jimenez ’26Research in Latin American and Latinx Studies IBaltasar Fra-Molinero, Hispanic Studies and Latin American and Latinx Studies
11:45 PM – 3:00 PMPettengill G65Lucy Batres Rodriguez ’26Research in Latin American and Latinx Studies IBaltasar Fra-Molinero, Hispanic Studies and Latin American and Latinx Studies
Mark Tizzoni, Classical and Medieval StudiesThe Roman Empire, Interdisciplinary Approaches
11:45 PM – 3:00 PMPettengill 162Zoe Schaedle ’26The Roman Empire, Interdisciplinary ApproachesMark Tizzoni, Classical and Medieval Studies
11:45 PM – 3:00 PMPettengill 162Tosca Neumann ’26The Roman Empire, Interdisciplinary ApproachesMark Tizzoni, Classical and Medieval Studies
11:45 PM – 3:00 PMPettengill 162Evan Boxer-Cook ’26The Equinoctial Hour in Antiquity: Which Hour is Ours?
Mark Tizzoni, Classical and Medieval Studies
TBDResearch in English and Psychology
11:45 PM – 3:00 PMPettengill G10Katie Fahey ’26Literature, Politics, and Place: Exploring the Political Life of Latin American Fiction through the Works of Roberto BolañoSusan Stark, Philosophy
11:45 PM – 3:00 PMPettengill G10Audrey Cole ’26Literature, Politics, and Place: Exploring the Political Life of Latin American Fiction through the Works of Roberto BolañoSusan Stark, Philosophy
11:45 PM – 3:00 PMPettengill G10Grace Yonchak ’26Financially Contingent Self-Worth as a Moderator of the Relationship Between Social Class and Well-BeingHelen Boucher, Psychology
Stephanie Kelley-Romano, Rhetoric, Fillm and Screen StudiesRhetoric, Film, and Screen Studies Thesis Extravaganza
11:45 PM – 3:00 PMPettengill 257Connor Gerraughty ’26“In case I don’t see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and goodnight!”Synoptic Surveillance and Contemporary Viewer-Audience Relationships in The Truman Show  Stephanie Kelley-Romano, Rhetoric, Fillm and Screen Studies
11:45 PM – 3:00 PMPettengill 257Samantha Manogue ’26Samantha Learns a Lesson: Neoliberal Feminism and the Individualist Narratives of American
Girl Dolls
Stephanie Kelley-Romano, Rhetoric, Fillm and Screen Studies
11:45 PM – 3:00 PMPettengill 257Ava Elghanayan ’26Pinkwashed Progress: Queer Representation and Corporate Strategy in Netflix’s Ginny & GeorgiaStephanie Kelley-Romano, Rhetoric, Fillm and Screen Studies
11:45 PM – 3:00 PMPettengill 257Alexis Gonzalez ’26Representation and Exploitation: The Tension Between Dignity and Commodification in Willie Chavarría and Carlos Jaramillo’s Heart of the Valley

Stephanie Kelley-Romano, Rhetoric, Fillm and Screen Studies
Raluca Cernahoschi, GermanInvestigating Geographies and Life Worlds: German Theses at Bates
23:15 PM – 4:30 PMPettengill G10Blessing Ajayi ’26From One Reality to Another: An Analysis of Four Short Films from the GDR
 
Raluca Cernahoschi, German
23:15 PM – 4:30 PMPettengill G10Shenandoah Waugh ’26Reconstructed Spaces: Memory Discourse Through Ostalgie in Post-Reunification German CinemaJakub Kazecki, German
23:15 PM – 4:30 PMPettengill G10Luciana Zaiet ’26From the Ruhr to Santa Catarina: A 20th Century Genealogical Case Study of Germans in Brazil  Raluca Cernahoschi, German
Tim Dugan, TheatreTHEA 299: Process & Production-Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ EVERYBODY
23:15 PM – 4:30 PMPettengill G21Marcel Nagy ’28THEA 299: Process & Production-Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ EVERYBODYTim Dugan, Theatre
23:15 PM – 4:30 PMPettengill G21Sarah McOsker ’28THEA 299: Process & Production-Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ EVERYBODYTim Dugan, Theatre
23:15 PM – 4:30 PMPettengill G21Ruby Marden ’27THEA 299: Process & Production-Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ EVERYBODYTim Dugan, Theatre
23:15 PM – 4:30 PMPettengill G21Nicole Rossilli ’27THEA 299: Process & Production-Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ EVERYBODYTim Dugan, Theatre
23:15 PM – 4:30 PMPettengill G21Elaine Wang ’27THEA 299: Process & Production-Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ EVERYBODYTim Dugan, Theatre
23:15 PM – 4:30 PMPettengill G21Mo Al-jabry ’28THEA 299: Process & Production-Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ EVERYBODYTim Dugan, Theatre
Darby Ray and Morgan Kinney., Harward Center for Community PartnershipsResearch and the Public Good: Multidisciplinary Explorations
23:15 PM – 4:30 PMPettengill G52Hope Stafford ’26Research and the Public Good: Multidisciplinary ExplorationsJonathan Cavallero, Rhetoric, Film, and Screen Studies
23:15 PM – 4:30 PMPettengill G52Katie Heumann ’26Research and the Public Good: Multidisciplinary ExplorationsJonathan Cavallero, Rhetoric, Film, and Screen Studies
23:15 PM – 4:30 PMPettengill G52Paige Bilich ’26Research and the Public Good: Multidisciplinary ExplorationsJonathan Cavallero, Rhetoric, Film, and Screen Studies
23:15 PM – 4:30 PMPettengill G52Leah Belber ’26Research and the Public Good: Multidisciplinary ExplorationsJonathan Cavallero, Rhetoric, Film, and Screen Studies
23:15 PM – 4:30 PMPettengill G52Catalina Passino ’26Research and the Public Good: Multidisciplinary ExplorationsJonathan Cavallero, Rhetoric, Film, and Screen Studies
23:15 PM – 4:30 PMPettengill G52Ariya Tayal ’26Research and the Public Good: Multidisciplinary ExplorationsJonathan Cavallero, Rhetoric, Film, and Screen Studies
Caroline Shaw, HistoryEmpire, State Power, and Resistance in 20th Century History
23:15 PM – 4:30 PMPettengill 116Sam Skinner ’26Empire, State Power, and Resistance in 20th Century HistoryFrances Bell, History
23:15 PM – 4:30 PMPettengill 116Eloise Wyatt ’26Empire, State Power, and Resistance in 20th Century HistoryFrances Bell, History
23:15 PM – 4:30 PMPettengill 116Isabel Fronzaglia ’26Empire, State Power, and Resistance in 20th Century HistoryFrances Bell, History
23:15 PM – 4:30 PMPettengill 116Whitney Miller ’26Empire, State Power, and Resistance in 20th Century HistoryFrances Bell, History
Rafael de Mello, PoliticsResearch in Latin American and Latinx Studies Student II
23:15 PM – 4:30 PMPettengill G65Elizabeth Holcombe ’26Research in Latin American and Latinx Studies Student IIBaltasar Fra-Molinero, Hispanic Studies and Latin American and Latinx Studies
23:15 PM – 4:30 PMPettengill G65Elizabeth Gallegos Rodriguez ’26Research in Latin American and Latinx Studies Student IIBaltasar Fra-Molinero, Hispanic Studies and Latin American and Latinx Studies
23:15 PM – 4:30 PMPettengill G65Ty Stearns ’26Research in Latin American and Latinx Studies Student IIBaltasar Fra-Molinero, Hispanic Studies and Latin American and Latinx Studies
23:15 PM – 4:30 PMPettengill G65Aaron Martinez ’26Research in Latin American and Latinx Studies Student IIBaltasar Fra-Molinero, Hispanic Studies and Latin American and Latinx Studies
Carolina González Valencia, Art and Visual CulturePart I: 2026 Studio Art Thesis Presentations
23:15 PM – 4:30 PMPettengill 257Ella Hannaford ’26Part I: 2026 Studio Art Thesis PresentationsCarolina González Valencia, Art and Visual Culture
23:15 PM – 4:30 PMPettengill 257Maia Schifman ’26Part I: 2026 Studio Art Thesis PresentationsCarolina González Valencia, Art and Visual Culture
23:15 PM – 4:30 PMPettengill 257Bissan Kablawi ’26Part I: 2026 Studio Art Thesis PresentationsCarolina González Valencia, Art and Visual Culture
23:15 PM – 4:30 PMPettengill 257Aratrika Ghosh ’26Part I: 2026 Studio Art Thesis PresentationsCarolina González Valencia, Art and Visual Culture
TBDResearch in STEM
23:15 PM – 4:30 PMPettengill 162Gemma DeCarolis ’26Post-Hurricane vegetation Coverage Impacts on Sea Turtle Nesting BehaviorAndrew Mountcastle, Biology
23:15 PM – 4:30 PMPettengill 162James Hillers ’26Agent-Based Modeling of Sponge and Algae EndosymbiosesApril Horton, Biology
23:15 PM – 4:30 PMPettengill 162Sarah Tyebkhan ’26Odor ‘Faces’? A Latent Space for Olfactory MapsJason Castro, Neuroscience
23:15 PM – 4:30 PMPettengill 162Verina Chatata ’26What the Smell!?: Predicting Glomerular Topography from Glomeruli Tuning  Jason Castro, Neuroscience
23:15 PM – 4:30 PMPettengill 162Yifan Gu ’26Reweighting Approach to Sign Problems in Quantum Heisenberg Spin SystemsCasey Berger, Physics
TBDResearch in Econnomics, Hispanic Studies, and Politics
23:15 PM – 4:30 PMPettengill G50Drew Nyhus ’26Reinforcement Learning for Optimized Portfolio AllocationXinhao Wang, Economics
23:15 PM – 4:30 PMPettengill G50Megan Billings ’26A Tea Party at the Prado: Reintroducing Isabella de Farnesio Through Children’s LiteratureDavid George, Hispanic Studies
23:15 PM – 4:30 PMPettengill G50John Hull ’26Partisanship on Foreign Policy During the Trump Era: Examining Donald Trump’s Polarizing Impact on American Attitudes Toward the War in UkraineJohn Baughman, Politics
23:15 PM – 4:30 PMPettengill G50Poppy Marsh ’26Across the Border: National Identity and Refugee Accommodation in Greece and KenyaSenem Aslan, Politics
Karen Melvin, HistoryRace, Power, and Belonging in American History
34:45 PM – 6:00 PMPettengill G65Jonah Yaffe ’26Race, Power, and Belonging in American HistoryFrances Bell, History
34:45 PM – 6:00 PMPettengill G65Tristan Seavey ’26Race, Power, and Belonging in American HistoryFrances Bell, History
34:45 PM – 6:00 PMPettengill G65Sarah Lieber ’26Race, Power, and Belonging in American HistoryFrances Bell, History
Jonathan Cavallero, Rhetoric, Film, and Screen StudiesComing Soon To a Theater Near You: The 2026 Bates Film Festival
34:45 PM – 6:00 PMPettengill G52Eli Greenwald ’26Coming Soon To a Theater Near You: The 2026 Bates Film FestivalJonathan Cavallero, Rhetoric, Film, and Screen Studies
34:45 PM – 6:00 PMPettengill G52Kira Yanagi ’27Coming Soon To a Theater Near You: The 2026 Bates Film FestivalJonathan Cavallero, Rhetoric, Film, and Screen Studies
34:45 PM – 6:00 PMPettengill G52Nate Shore ’27Coming Soon To a Theater Near You: The 2026 Bates Film FestivalJonathan Cavallero, Rhetoric, Film, and Screen Studies
34:45 PM – 6:00 PMPettengill G52Maverick Selementi ’26Coming Soon To a Theater Near You: The 2026 Bates Film FestivalJonathan Cavallero, Rhetoric, Film, and Screen Studies
34:45 PM – 6:00 PMPettengill G52Isabella Sandoz ’26Coming Soon To a Theater Near You: The 2026 Bates Film FestivalJonathan Cavallero, Rhetoric, Film, and Screen Studies
34:45 PM – 6:00 PMPettengill G52Aoi Ozone ’26Coming Soon To a Theater Near You: The 2026 Bates Film FestivalJonathan Cavallero, Rhetoric, Film, and Screen Studies
34:45 PM – 6:00 PMPettengill G52Claire Orfield ’26Coming Soon To a Theater Near You: The 2026 Bates Film FestivalJonathan Cavallero, Rhetoric, Film, and Screen Studies
34:45 PM – 6:00 PMPettengill G52Sam Mallon ’26Coming Soon To a Theater Near You: The 2026 Bates Film FestivalJonathan Cavallero, Rhetoric, Film, and Screen Studies
34:45 PM – 6:00 PMPettengill G52Noah Katz ’27Coming Soon To a Theater Near You: The 2026 Bates Film FestivalJonathan Cavallero, Rhetoric, Film, and Screen Studies
34:45 PM – 6:00 PMPettengill G52Shelter Gimbel-Sherr ’27Coming Soon To a Theater Near You: The 2026 Bates Film FestivalJonathan Cavallero, Rhetoric, Film, and Screen Studies
34:45 PM – 6:00 PMPettengill G52Siena Bird ’26Coming Soon To a Theater Near You: The 2026 Bates Film FestivalJonathan Cavallero, Rhetoric, Film, and Screen Studies
34:45 PM – 6:00 PMPettengill G52Aidan Bergeron ’27Coming Soon To a Theater Near You: The 2026 Bates Film FestivalJonathan Cavallero, Rhetoric, Film, and Screen Studies
34:45 PM – 6:00 PMPettengill G52Parker Benningfield ’26Coming Soon To a Theater Near You: The 2026 Bates Film FestivalJonathan Cavallero, Rhetoric, Film, and Screen Studies
Ryan Cole, PhysicsResearch in Physics
34:45 PM – 6:00 PMPettengill G21Zhaoyi Liu ’26Precision Spectroscopy of 13CH4 near 1645 nmRyan Cole, Physics
34:45 PM – 6:00 PMPettengill G21Sean Gilliam ’26Diffusion-Based Signal Reconstruction for Silicon Photomultiplier DetectorsWesley Gillis, Physics
34:45 PM – 6:00 PMPettengill G21Sakina Saidi ’26Complex Langevin Approach to the Sign Problem in the 2D Heisenberg ModelCasey Berger, Physics
Baltasar Fra-Molinero, Hispanic Studies and Latin American and Latinx StudiesResearch in Hispanic Studies, Russian, and Sociology
34:45 PM – 6:00 PMPettengill 116Ellie Millard ’26Hispanic Studies Portfolio OverviewBaltasar Fra-Molinero, Hispanic Studies and Latin American and Latinx Studies
34:45 PM – 6:00 PMPettengill 116Lena LaPierre ’26“‘The Children’s Republic’: Bulgarian Soft Power, Cultural Politics, and the 1979 Banner of Peace Assembly” Cheryl Stephenson, Russian
34:45 PM – 6:00 PMPettengill 116Adam Matos ’26Not a Lot of Fish in the Puddle: How Family Relational Modeling and Campus Culture Shape Romantic Relationships at Bates CollegeEmily Kane, Sociology
Carolina González Valencia, Art and Visual CulturePart II: 2026 Studio Art Thesis Presentations
34:45 PM – 6:00 PMPettengill 257Jeremy Felton ’26Part II: 2026 Studio Art Thesis PresentationsCarolina González Valencia, Art and Visual Culture
34:45 PM – 6:00 PMPettengill 257Simon Klompus ’26Part II: 2026 Studio Art Thesis PresentationsCarolina González Valencia, Art and Visual Culture
34:45 PM – 6:00 PMPettengill 257Grace Thomas ’26Part II: 2026 Studio Art Thesis PresentationsCarolina González Valencia, Art and Visual Culture
34:45 PM – 6:00 PMPettengill 257Audrey Esteves ’26Part II: 2026 Studio Art Thesis PresentationsCarolina González Valencia, Art and Visual Culture
Nathan Faries, Asian StudiesResearch in Asian Studies
34:45 PM – 6:00 PMPettengill G10Franco Miele ’26Faith in Silence: Medium, Persecution, and God’s RepresentationKeiko Konoeda, Japanese
34:45 PM – 6:00 PMPettengill G10Emmon Blackburn ’26Botany and Tradition: China’s Ongoing Relationship with the Plant SciencesZhenzhen Lu, Chinese
34:45 PM – 6:00 PMPettengill G10Alex Takeyh ’26Thinking About Extinction in Wu Ming-Yi’s the Clouds are 2000 Meters UpZhenzhen Lu, Chinese
34:45 PM – 6:00 PMPettengill G10Kate Schulze ’26From Silk Roads to City Streets: Chinese Migration and the Making of a Multicultural City-State
 
Nathan Faries, Asian Studies