PARSIPPANY — Jaya Minhas, an Albright College senior French/Spanish major presented research at the Higher Education Council of Berks County’s 18th annual Undergraduate Research & Creativity Conference, held at Penn State Berks on April 22. She is a a graduate of Parsippany Hills High School, Class of 2012.

Minhas presented “The Condition of Indigenous Women in Bolivia.”

This year’s conference theme was sustainability.

The conference highlights undergraduate research from the five Berks County colleges and universities in the sciences, humanities, social sciences and arts. Students present papers, posters, performances and artwork.

The Higher Education Council of Berks County includes Albright College, Alvernia University, Kutztown University, Penn State Berks, and Reading Area Community College.

The Condition of Indigenous Women in Bolivia
This project explores the condition of women and their rights within the indigenous communities of the Andean Region. Within such communities, issues of domestic violence stress the presence of a patriarchal rule, contributing to the present situation of female inferiority and a lack of access to human rights. Domestic violence and sexual abuse, most commonly from male relatives and employers, is normalized for indigenous women. A gap in research in this area results in the status quo and calls for further studies to highlight injustices. Prior to the 16th century arrival of conquistadors, Andean communities were egalitarian, and women held positions of power. The present research references articles exploring the gender identity in Andean society,and patriarchy, which creates financial dependency of the victim on her abuser. Conclusions reflect the condition of indigenous women as a lasting effect of Spanish colonization. The present study analyzes and connects various resources as an impetus to positive social change impacting women’s rights in indigenous communities, as they suffer from cycles of injustice without political or social representation.

PARSIPPANY — The following local residents made the Dean’s List at Rochester Institute of Technology for fall semester 2016-2017:

Harsh Joshi, a 2014 Graduate of Parsippany High School, who is studying in the computer science program.

Jeffrey Karger, a 2014 Graduate of Parsippany Hills High School, who is studying in the game design and development program.

Elena Wolfe, a 2013 graduate of Parsippany High School, who is studying in the chemical engineering program.

Degree-seeking undergraduate students are eligible for Dean’s List if their term GPA is greater than or equal to 3.400; they do not have any grades of “Incomplete”, “D” or “F”; and they have registered for, and completed, at least 12 credit hours

Rochester Institute of Technology is home to leading creators, entrepreneurs, innovators and researchers. Founded in 1829, RIT enrolls about 19,000 students in more than 200 career-oriented and professional programs, making it among the largest private universities in the U.S.

The university is internationally recognized and ranked for academic leadership in business, computing, engineering, imaging science, liberal arts, sustainability, and fine and applied arts. RIT also offers unparalleled support services for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. The cooperative education program is one of the oldest and largest in the nation. Global partnerships include campuses in China, Croatia, Dubai and Kosovo.

PARSIPPANY — Fairleigh Dickinson University students who have been inducted into FDU’s Phi Zeta Kappa and Phi Omega Epsilon honor societies for the Fall 2016 semester.

Marisa Guragac, a 2013 Graduate of Parsippany High School, has been inducted into the Phi Omega Epsilon honor society. Eligibility for membership in the University’s senior honor society is established by completing at least 90 earned credits toward an undergraduate degree with a CGPR of 3.50. Of these 90 credits, the last 58 must have been taken at the University, and a CGPR of 3.20 must have been maintained for all of them. All the preceding requirements must have been fulfilled prior to the accumulation of 112 credits. Transfer students who are unable to fulfill the prerequisite 58-credit requirement will be able to establish eligibility if they have taken at least 32 credits prior to the accumulation of 112 credits and if they have maintained a CGPR of 3.50 during their entire career at Fairleigh Dickinson.

Lina Estrada, a 2014 Graduate of Parsippany Hills High School, has been inducted into the Phi Omega Epsilon honor society. Eligibility for membership in the University’s senior honor society is established by completing at least 90 earned credits toward an undergraduate degree with a CGPR of 3.50. Of these 90 credits, the last 58 must have been taken at the University, and a CGPR of 3.20 must have been maintained for all of them. All the preceding requirements must have been fulfilled prior to the accumulation of 112 credits. Transfer students who are unable to fulfill the prerequisite 58-credit requirement will be able to establish eligibility if they have taken at least 32 credits prior to the accumulation of 112 credits and if they have maintained a CGPR of 3.50 during their entire career at Fairleigh Dickinson.

Selene Godinez of Parsippany, has been inducted into the Phi Omega Epsilon honor society. Eligibility for membership in the University’s senior honor society is established by completing at least 90 earned credits toward an undergraduate degree with a CGPR of 3.50. Of these 90 credits, the last 58 must have been taken at the University, and a CGPR of 3.20 must have been maintained for all of them. All the preceding requirements must have been fulfilled prior to the accumulation of 112 credits. Transfer students who are unable to fulfill the prerequisite 58-credit requirement will be able to establish eligibility if they have taken at least 32 credits prior to the accumulation of 112 credits and if they have maintained a CGPR of 3.50 during their entire career at Fairleigh Dickinson.

Devoted to the preparation of world citizens through global education, Fairleigh Dickinson University is New Jersey’s largest private university and features more than 100 liberal arts and professional degree programs, two international campuses, dozens of partnerships with internationally renowned institutions and special programs and status within the United Nations. For more information click here.