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Weinberg Memorial Library 2019 Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize Winners

The Weinberg Memorial Library is pleased to announce the winners of the 2019 Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize.

Graduate Prize

Kerry Ann Randall and Megan Schane are the winners of the 2019 Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize in the Graduate category.

Kerry Ann and Megan are graduate occupational therapy students from Farmington, Connecticut and Cresco, Pennsylvania, respectively, who submitted to the competition completed in the course OT 501: Leadership in Occupational Therapy, taught by Dr. Rita Fleming-Castaldy. For this project, Kerry Ann and Megan made heavy use of library resources which they accessed through the online library research guide for this course. Resources used include the library’s databases including ProQuest Health and Medical Complete, CINAHL, and PubMed; books including those that were held on print reserve and at the Research Services desk, books from the circulating collection, and ebooks; journals both in print and online; and periodical literature only available in microfilm. In , Kerry Ann and Megan conclude, “We could not have completed our paper without the library, the online and physical data, and the space to use its computers, scanners, printers, and quiet spaces. The library is an irreplaceable resource on campus with wonderful staff which has shaped us into better students and researchers as we prepare for our professional careers.”

Honorable Mention awards in the Graduate category were presented to Jenna Gulics and Lisa Crivelli, graduate students in the Occupational Therapy program from Hopelawn, New Jersey, and Avon, Connecticut, respectively, who submitted their project, “A Historical Review on Early Intervention in Occupational Therapy,” completed in the course OT 501: Leadership in Occupational Therapy taught by Dr. Rita Fleming-Castaldy; and to Lindsey Hayde, a graduate student in the Doctor of Nursing Practice program, who submitted her project, “Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist to Post-Anesthesia Care Unit Registered Nurse Handoff Using a Standardized Screen,” completed in the course NURS 790: DNP Scholarly Project II taught by Dr. Margarete Zalon.

Undergraduate Upper-level Prize

Elizabeth McManus is the winner of the 2019 Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize in the Undergraduate Upper-level category, which is awarded to the winning project completed in a 200- to 400-level course.

Liz is a senior Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology (BCMB) major with a minor in Computer Science from Brookfield, Connecticut, who submitted completed in her capstone course BCMB 490, taught by Dr. Joan Wasilewski. For her research, Liz used the library’s curation of disciplinary resources to research and prepare a project culminating in a 35-minute presentation on the topic of vaccines to prevent and therapeutically treat cancer. At first reporting she was “overwhelmed” by the amount of information out there on this topic, Liz realized she needed to adapt her research strategy by using the database MEDLINE/PubMed to seek out review articles; her goal in doing this was to develop “a more substantial understanding of the topic” by filling in “the gaps in [her] knowledge.” In , Liz eloquently summarizes the research strategies she learned through this project when she says, “By first establishing a wide breadth of knowledge on the topic, I prepared myself for the depth of research that followed.”

Honorable Mention awards in the Undergraduate Upper-level category were presented to Anna Maria Giblin, a junior History major with a Philosophy minor and a Legal Studies concentration from Berwyn, Pennsylvania, who submitted her paper, “The Jungle,” completed in the course HIST 350: An Environmental History of the United States taught by Dr. David Dzurec; and to group partners Catherine Moloney, Gabriela Lins, and Kaitlin Kenyon, senior Occupational Therapy majors who submitted their paper “The Efficacy of Virtual Reality in Upper Extremity Rehabilitation Post-Stroke,” completed in the course OT 494: Evidence Based Research taught by Dr. Julie Nastasi.

Undergraduate Foundational Prize

Isaiah Livelsberger is the winner of the 2019 Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize in the Undergraduate Foundational category, which is awarded to the winning project completed in a 100-level course.

Isaiah is a first-year International Studies and Philosophy major from New Oxford, Pennsylvania, who submitted to the competition completed in Prof. Dawn D’Aries Zera’s WRTG 107: Composition course. To complete his research, Isaiah relied on initial instruction in brainstorming topical keywords, database searching, and information evaluation provided by both his professor and a faculty librarian who visited his class, as well as support at the Research Services desk. What sets Isaiah’s research apart, however, is the way his initial position on his topic changed through the research process, developing a more critical stance on the topic of the effects of humanitarian aid on recipient countries as a result of the new information he found. As Isaiah shares in , through researching and writing this paper he “learned that research is a dynamic, intense process” and “discovered the seemingly unlimited information [he] can use as a university student through the library to develop educated opinions.”

An Honorable Mention award in the Undergraduate Foundational category was presented to first-year Biology major Justine Duva from Glenmoore, Pennsylvania, for her essay “An Investigation into the Effects of Skin to Skin Contact with Newborns” completed in her WRTG 107: Composition course taught by Dr. Billie Tadros.

Prize winners were honored at a on Thursday, May 9, 2019 in the Heritage Room of the Weinberg Memorial Library.

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