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

Charles E. Kratz, dean of the library and information fluency at The University of Scranton, awarded the 2019 Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize in the Undergraduate Upper-level category to Elizabeth McManus, a senior Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology (BCMB) major with a minor in Computer Science from Brookfield, Connecticut; the 2019 Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize in the Undergraduate Foundational category to Isaiah Livelsberger, a first-year International Studies and Philosophy major from New Oxford, Pennsylvania; and the 2019 Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize in the Graduate category to Occupational Therapy students Kerry Ann Randall and Megan Schane from Farmington, Connecticut and Cresco, Pennsylvania, respectively.

The Weinberg Memorial Library at The University of Scranton inaugurated the prize 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. Winning projects in each of the three categories receive a $500 prize. 

McManus, winner in the Undergraduate Upper-level category, submitted to the competition her project “Preventative and Therapeutic Cancer Vaccines,” completed in her capstone course BCMB 490, taught by Dr. Joan Wasilewski. For her research, she 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, she 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 her description of research, McManus 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.

Livelsberger, winner in the Undergraduate Foundational category, submitted to the competition his paper “Empty Aid,” completed in Prof. Dawn D’Aries Zera’s WRTG 107: Composition course. To complete his research, Livelsberger 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 set his 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. Through researching and writing this paper, Livelsberger “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.

Randall and Schane, winners in the Graduate category, submitted to the competition their project “Adaptive Equipment Through the Ages: A Historical Review of Occupational Therapy,” completed in the course OT 501: Leadership in Occupational Therapy, taught by Dr. Rita Fleming-Castaldy. For this project, Randall and Schane 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. They also took advantage of support from the faculty librarians both in class and at the Research Services desk as well as Interlibrary Loan services. In their description of research, Randall and Schane 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. 

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

For more information about the Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize, contact Donna Witek, information literacy coordinator at The University of Scranton’s Weinberg Memorial Library, at 570-941-4000 or donna.witek@scranton.edu.

Please consider giving to the Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize Endowment Fund, ensuring that the prize will be awarded in perpetuity. Make your gift directly to the fund here.