1:34 p.m., April 26, 2010----The University of Delaware Department of Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) held its silver anniversary Marion H. Steele Symposium on Friday, April 23, with over 100 people in attendance. The symposium features academic work by both undergraduate and graduate students in the fields of human development, consumer and family sciences, family studies, fashion and apparel studies, and nutrition.

THIS STORY

E-mail

Print

Twitter

Donald Unger, department chairperson, greeted the students, their families, faculty and staff, saying that this was a landmark event focusing on excellence in the fields supported by Marion Steele during her 23-year tenure as editor of The Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences.

Also in attendance at the symposium were Marion Steele's namesake and great, great grandniece, six-year-old Marion Steele, and Dr. Bonnie Steele, who emphasized that this 25th edition of the symposium was a reflection of the importance of excellent scholarship in the fields highlighted by the students' work. The Steele family has financially supported the symposium since 1985.

The audience was also greeted by Rita Hovermale, president-elect of the Delaware Association of Consumer and Family Sciences, one of the cosponsors of the symposium.

The symposium consisted of 12 scholarly papers presented by both undergraduate and graduate students from the Departments of Human Development and Family Studies and Fashion and Apparel Studies. In addition to the papers, eleven posters were also presented. The papers and posters were judged by a panel of faculty and professional staff.

The top graduate paper, “Adolescents with Non-residential Fathers: The Importance of Cooperative Co-parenting,” was by James W. Hull of Newark, Del. The first-place undergraduate paper, “International Adoption: An Overview,” was by Stephanie Povirk of Carlisle, Pa. Both students presented short talks reviewing their papers and answered questions from the audience.

The top poster winners were undergraduate Jennifer Krebs of Wilmington, Del., for “Siblings of Children with Autism: The Forgotten Family Member” and graduate student Sara Bergamo of Claymont, Del., for “Does Involvement in Extracurricular Activities Predict Alcohol Use During Adolescence?”

A new award was added to the symposium this year, the Chair's Theme of the Year Paper. The winner of this new award was Karen Mancini of Bear, Del., for her paper “Understanding the Role of Family Support in the Lives of Emerging Adults with Disabilities.”

In addition to the announcements of the winners of the scholarly paper and poster competition, the Department of Human Development and Family Studies announced a number of honors.

Among them, it was announced that Kylie Melvin of Bear, Del., is this year's recipient of the Swank Human Services Disabilities Scholarship. The announcement was made by Jacqueline Rachel McCulley, the 2009 Swank Scholarship winner. This award goes to a student studying human services with a minor in disabilities studies and includes a scholarship for tuition, books, student fees and related expenses for the student's junior and senior year.

The symposium ended with 10 other award presentations to graduate and senior and junior students.

The 25th Steele Symposium was cosponsored by the College of Education and Public Policy and the Delaware Association of Family and Consumer Sciences.