Four Honors Students Are Top Recipients in WSU Libraries’ Student Research Excellence Awards
PULLMAN, Wash. — Four Honors College students have landed top places in the WSU Libraries second annual Student Research Excellence Awards on the Pullman campus.
Tied for first place, and receiving $1,000, is Alison Kirpes, a senior in English. She submitted her Honors thesis as her application, entitled, “From Harlot to Human Being: The Revised Anna Karenina.” Her advisor for the project is Professor Birgitta Ingemanson, of the Department of Foreign Languages and Cultures.
The three runners-up—all from Honors–will receive $250 prizes. Molly Boers, a senior in fine arts, was recognized for her Honors thesis, “Suspicious Reception: Public Reaction to Three Portraits of Marie Antoinette.” Haley Paul, a senior in anthropology, submitted her Honors thesis entitled “Bigger, but Better? An Examination of Food System Scale and Its Connection to Long Term Sustainability.” And, Rachel Waniata, a senior in music, entered her Honors thesis, “The Choral Styles of F. Melius Christiansen and Robert Shaw: A Comparison.” Boers and Waniata recently submitted posters on their thesis research in WSU’s annual Showcase exhibit.
Undergraduate students were invited to submit a research paper they had written for a WSU class during 2007, along with an essay outlining their research strategy, use of information sources, and skills in evaluating sources, explains Beth Lindsay, Libraries’ assistant dean for public services and outreach.
A team of library faculty read all of the submitted projects and evaluated the works based on the evidence of advanced and original use of library resources and collections; of exceptional ability in locating, selecting, evaluating, and synthesizing research materials; of significant personal learning and development of a personal agenda of research and inquiry; and, of overall quality of the project, including clarity of expression, quality of writing style, and content that illustrates use of a broad range of sources and research materials and that contributes to or suggests future directions for research.
The winners will be honored at an awards ceremony at 1 p.m. April 21 in the Holland and Terrell Libraries Atrium.
CONTACT: Beverly Makhani, Communications Director, 509-335-6679, makhani@wsu.edu
Beth Lindsay, Assistant Dean for Public Services and Outreach, WSU Libraries, 509-335-6134, elindsay@wsu.edu