MCLA to Hold Annual Undergraduate Research Conference

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) will host its 23rd annual Undergraduate Research Conference (URC) on April 24. The conference is intended to acknowledge students' academic work.

This year's keynote speaker is MCLA alumnus Bentley S. Munsell '15, a registered nurse and nursing leader who advocates for social justice and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) in healthcare.

Munsell, who identifies as a queer, transgender man, has been involved in advocating for LGBTQIA+ inclusion in healthcare since 2016. He co-founded the Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) DEIB committee, where he has directed outreach and implemented inclusive healthcare training programs. Munsell is currently the clinical nurse manager for SVMC’s ExpressCare and is pursuing a Master of Science in Nursing at Colby-Sawyer College.

The URC is described as an event that highlights MCLA's commitment to inquiry, exploration, and mentorship. The campus-wide event showcases undergraduate research and creative activity across various academic disciplines. Students collaborate with faculty sponsors to develop academic projects, which are presented through oral presentations, poster sessions, or performances.

The full-day event is scheduled to begin at 8:00 a.m. with iced coffee on the quad and conclude at 7:00 p.m. with a student performance. A poster session is planned for 11:00 a.m., and the keynote speaker and lunch are scheduled for noon. Further details regarding the event schedule and locations will be announced.

Students are expected to deliver 15-minute presentations, display posters, and present artistic works, with specialized sessions and performances throughout the day. Media representatives are invited to cover the event, attend presentations, and conduct interviews with students and faculty.

North Adams Becomes a Purple Heart Community

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
05:16AM / Tuesday, August 11, 2026

Veterans Service Officer Kurtis Durocher, a Purple Heart recipient, tells his own story of how he was wounded in Iraq.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — City leaders last week held a ceremony marking the city as a Purple Heart Community to honor local military service members wounded or killed in combat.

 

"This designation is much more than a sign that will stand at the entrances to our city," said Kurtis Durocher, Northern Berkshire veterans service officer at City Hall on Friday. "It is a lasting commitment and a promise to this community. We'll never forget the sacrifices made by those who are wounded or killed while serving our nation. It is a public declaration of the courage and sacrifices of combat wounded. Veterans will always have a place of honor here in North Adams."

 

As a Purple Heart Community, North Adams will place signs throughout the city acknowledging the designation. The city will also hold a ceremony every Aug. 7 on National Purple Heart Day.

 

During the inaugural ceremony, Durocher said he was asked by the Military Order of the Purple Heart to find a keynote speaker for the event, preferably a Purple Heart recipient. But he was unable to find someone willing to speak. With the date approaching, he decided to tell his own story.

 

"I don't like standing up and telling my own personal story ... But I realized, in my position as a VSO, I get so many ... children of veterans who will say, 'I didn't know anything about my father until after he passed because he just didn't talk about it,'" Durocher said. "... I have been that way until I've gotten into this position, and so, now, I try to tell my story as much as I can when it is brought to me."

 

Durocher served in the Army for 20 years and retired as a master sergeant. On Friday, he recalled a time early in his career while serving in the 82nd Airborne Division deploying to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. On Sept. 12, 2003, his squad was conducting a patrol on Route Irish in Baghdad. He was serving as a gunner on an LMTV when it was struck by a 155-millimeter artillery shell. He said the explosive had been hidden behind a guardrail and detonated using nothing more than a washing machine timer.

 

"In an instant, everything changed. The blast knocked me unconscious. When I regained consciousness, I instinctively was removing my helmet," he said. "Almost immediately my training took over. We had been taught repeatedly that attacks like this were often followed by a secondary attack or an ambush. I quickly put my helmet back on and began searching for my machine gun."