LEWISTON – Second-year students in the Master of Occupational Therapy program at the University of Southern Maine’s Lewiston-Auburn College will demonstrate their research skills and advanced knowledge at the annual Student Poster Presentations of Original Research from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 28, in the OT Lab. It is open to the public.

The students have invested at least two semesters preparing, researching and analyzing fields related to occupational therapy practice and development.

The topics will include Kindergarten Teachers’ Experiences with Computer Use and Play in the Classroom; Prayer as a Valid Intervention for OT; Impact of Participation in Wellness Programs on Occupational Performance of Critical Care Nurses and Paramedics; Determining a Need for Educating OTs about Service Dogs; Intensity of Therapy in Post-Acute Brain Injury Rehabilitation; and Paranoid Schizophrenia and Sensory Integration: A Correlational Study.

Dr. Roxie M. Black, program director, said, “The importance of engaging in and understanding research has been identified and encouraged by the OT profession as a means of advancing knowledge about this important field. The MOT program at LAC shares this value, and emphasizes its importance by requiring all students to develop and carry out an original research project.”

LAC’s Master of Occupational Therapy program will admit its ninth class in the fall. The program is nationally accredited and has been recognized by professional organizations for its state of the art curriculum. It is the only entry-level master’s degree OT program in Maine and boasts a 99 percent student pass rate on the national occupational therapy certification exam.

Applications to the program are being accepted. Call 753-6523 for more information or visit the Web site at www.usm.maine.edu/lac/ot.