CO
Cynthia Ochoa
  • Biology
  • Chicago, IL

Cynthia Ochoa of Chicago presents at Lewis University's 4th Annual Celebration of Scholarship

2015 May 12

More than 300 Lewis University undergraduate students, graduate students and faculty showcased their scholarly and artistic work on April 16 during the 4th Annual Celebration of Scholarship.

Chicago resident Cynthia Ochoa is a undergraduate student studying math science at Lewis University. Ochoa presented "The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on the Human Body" under the mentorship of Dr. Erin Zimmer.

The entries representing a broad range of academic disciplines, were selected from submitted abstracts through a blind-review process. Following the keynote address, poster sessions and concurrent presentations were held spotlighting the scholarship of students and faculty from across the University. Creative works were displayed in the Oremus Fine Arts Center.

Dr. Margaret M. Mitchell, author and dean of the Divinity School at the University of Chicago, addressed the topic of "Rigor in Scholarship: Interpreting the World Around Us." She is a literary historian of ancient Christianity. Her research and teaching span a range of topics in New Testament and early Christian writings through the end of the fourth century. She analyzes how the earliest Christians wrote their way into history, developing a literary and religious culture that was embedded in Hellenistic Judaism and the wider Greco-Roman world, while also proclaiming distinctiveness from each.

Mitchell said that we as homo sapiens are sentient, wise, thinking beings. As we are thinking, we are also interpreting. She posed the question, "What does it mean to interpret the world?" This involves not only understanding, but translating and communicating which all relates to research and scholarship.

In particular as it relates to Lewis University's Mission statement, she highlighted the phrase "the interaction of knowledge and fidelity in the search for truth." Lewis has a commitment to be faithful to the quest for new knowledge as part of an ongoing Mission.

Lewis University is a Catholic university in the Lasallian tradition offering distinctive undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 6,700 traditional and adult students. Lewis offers multiple campus locations, online degree programs, and a variety of formats that provide accessibility and convenience to a growing student population. Sponsored by the De La Salle Christian Brothers, Lewis prepares intellectually engaged, ethically grounded, globally connected, and socially responsible graduates. The seventh largest private not-for-profit university in Illinois, Lewis has been nationally recognized by The Princeton Review and U.S. News & World Report. Visit www.lewisu.edu for further information.