DANBURY, Connecticut — Western Connecticut State University will host its annual Western Research Day (WRD) from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, May 8, 2026, in the Science Building on the university’s Midtown campus, 181 White St. in Danbury. The event brings together students, faculty, and community members for a campus-wide showcase of research, creativity, and academic achievement across every discipline.
The day’s program will include opening remarks, a keynote address, student presentations, and an awards ceremony recognizing standout projects. The event is open to the public. Learn more at www.wcsu.edu/wrd/.
This year’s keynote speaker, Dr. Rebecca Stearns of the Korey Stringer Institute, will share insights from her extensive work in sports safety. Her presentation will cover emerging findings on exertional heat stroke (EHS), including data from hundreds of documented EHS cases at the Falmouth Road Race and a long‑term study examining four decades of high school incidents. Stearns will also highlight the national reach of the TUFSS (Team Up for Sports Safety) initiative, which has helped drive hundreds of state‑level policy changes to prevent catastrophic athletic injuries.
For more than a decade, Western Research Day has served as one of WestConn’s signature academic traditions. Students selected to participate share work developed under faculty mentorship, gaining experience in a professional, conference‑style environment. Projects span the sciences, humanities, social sciences, and the arts, offering attendees a broad look at the university’s scholarly activity.
Faculty from multiple disciplines serve as judges, including longtime participant Professor of Justice and Law Administration Dr. Hasan Arslan. His students have a strong history of success at WRD, including Homeland Security graduate student Megan Dingee, whose 2024 undergraduate presentation led to a research grant and an invitation to present at a major conference in Colorado alongside Academy of Criminal Justice students. “Western Research Day opened the door to numerous opportunities after I presented,” Dingee said. “I was awarded the Presidential Award, which funded the expansion of my project, and that extended research ultimately brought me to the ACJS conference.”
Each year, WRD strengthens academic engagement, builds connections across the university, and helps students take meaningful steps toward future research, graduate study, and professional opportunities. It remains one of WestConn’s most impactful traditions, continuing to elevate student scholarship and foster a vibrant culture of inquiry.
Western Connecticut State University changes lives by providing all students with a high-quality education that fosters their growth as individuals, scholars, professionals, and leaders in a global society. Our vision: To be widely recognized as a premier public university with outstanding teachers and scholars who prepare students to contribute to the world in a meaningful way.