2023 Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize Winners

The winners of the 2023 Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize competition are announced.
four people holding framed awards
2023 Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize Winners, shown, from left: Ashley Dugasz, Graduate Winner; E Kerr, Graduate Winner; Allison Magee, Undergraduate Foundational Winner; and Abigail Christine Gillen, Undergraduate Upper-level Winner.

George Aulisio, Dean of the Weinberg Memorial Library, is pleased to announce the winners of the 2023 Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize competition. 

This year’s winning projects in the three prize categories are:

Undergraduate Foundational Winner: Allison Magee, for the project, Genetics in Life Insurance, completed in WRTG 107: Composition for Prof. Dawn D'Aries Zera

Undergraduate Upper-level Winner: Abigail Christine Gillen, for the project, Effectiveness of Yoga on Symptom Management for Persons Living with Breast Cancer, completed in OT 250: Scientific Writing and Information Literacy in OT for Dr. Lisa Kozden

Graduate Winner: E Kerr and Ashley Dugasz, for the project, Occupational Therapy, Medicine and Queer Identity, completed in OT 501: Leadership in OT for Dr. Marlene Morgan

Currently celebrating its 12th year, the prize was inaugurated by the Weinberg Memorial Library in 2011 to recognize excellence in research projects that show evidence of significant knowledge of the methods of research and the information gathering process, and use of library resources, tools, and services. In 2017, the prize was named for Professor Emerita Bonnie W. Oldham, who founded the prize at the University in 2011. 

The Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize was fully endowed in 2019 and consists of a prize of $500 awarded to winning projects in each of the three categories: Undergraduate Foundational (100-level projects), Undergraduate Upper-level (200- to 400-level projects) and Graduate. This year’s winning projects and descriptions of the research process submitted by student winners will be deposited into The University of Scranton Student Scholarship digital collection this summer.

The following projects were selected by the judges as Honorable Mentions:

Undergraduate Foundational Honorable Mentions:

Gabriella Greene, for the project, What Is Odinism? How Has It Developed Over Time?, completed in COMM 121X: Mythology in the Media for Dr. Howard Fisher

James William O'Malley IV, for the project, Batteries: Sustainable or Unsustainable?, completed in WRTG 107: Composition for Prof. Dawn D'Aries Zera

Undergraduate Upper-level Honorable Mentions: 

Elizabeth D. Behling, for the project, The Effect of Movement Therapy on Symptom Severity in Adults with Parkinson’s Disease: An Evidence Review, completed in OT 350: Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methods for Dr. Ann Romanosky

Jessica Tsu, for the project, Efficacy of Functional Electrical Stimulation Versus Virtual Reality in Improving Upper Extremity Function in Patients with Stroke: An Evidence Review, completed in OT 350: Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methods for Dr. Deborah Budash

Graduate Honorable Mentions: 

Kerri Breznak, Hannah Woodeshick, Jessica Book, and Karllo Pozo, for the project, Virtual Reality for Gait and Balance in Adults with Unilateral Amputation: A Systematic Review, completed in PT 773: Scientific Inquiry III in PT for Dr. Renée Hakim

Kameron Matthews, Taylor Baloga, Matthew Schreck, and Carli Tetla, for the project, Impact of Service on Social Responsibility and Cultural Competency in DPT Students: A Systematic Review, completed in PT 773: Scientific Inquiry III in PT for Dr. Dana Maida

Prize winners were honored at an awards ceremony on Thursday, May 11, 2023 in the Charles Kratz Scranton Heritage Room of the Weinberg Memorial Library.

A special thank you to the judges of this year’s competition: Dr. Ovidiu Cocieru, Kate Cummings, Dr. Roxana Curiel, Dr. Marian Farrell, Dr. Michael Landram, Bonnie Markowski, Dr. Bill Miller, Corinne Nulton, Ian O’Hara, Sylvia Orner, Brian Snapp, Dr. Jong-Hyun Son and Ashley Stampone.

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