2024 Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize Winners

George Aulisio, Dean of the Weinberg Memorial Library, is pleased to announce the winners of the 2024 Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize competition.

This year's winning projects in the three prize categories are:
* Undergraduate Foundational Winner: Emma Torok, WRTG 107, Prof. Dawn D'Aries Zera, Project Title: "Analyzing the Effectiveness of In-person Learning vs. Online Learning"

* Undergraduate Upper-level Winner: Charles Cavin Sylvester, CHEM 390, Dr. Michael Fennie, Project Title: "Environmental Review of CFCs and their Replacements; the Montreal Protocol Plan"

* Graduate Winner: Gabrielle Allen and Julianna Lunt, OT 544, Dr. Marlene Morgan, Project Title: "The Changing Role of Occupational Therapy In Neonatal Care"

Currently celebrating its 13th year, the Weinberg Memorial Library 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.

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

Andrew Mauriello, WRTG 107, Prof. Dawn D'Aries Zera, Project Title: "Gene Therapy: An Effective Treatment for Some of the World's Deadliest Diseases"

Undergraduate Upper-level Honorable Mentions

Gabrielle Bingener, ENLT 224, Dr. Billie Tadros, Project Title: "Transposing The Wounded Storyteller"

Victoria Smulowitz, OT 250, Dr. Carol Coté, Project Title: "The Impact of Breast Cancer Survivors' Participation in Society Due to a Loss of Occupational Engagement."

Graduate Honorable Mentions

Graduate Honorable Mention: Catherine Casola and Kiera Harvey, OT 544, Dr. Marlene Morgan, Project Title: "The History of Occupational Therapy in Neurological Conditions"

Graduate Honorable Mention: Lauren Colella, Erin O'Shaughnessy, Michele Felice Rovaris, and Sydney Walters, PT 773, Dr. Anthony Carusotto, Project Title: "Mental Health Factors and Exercise Adherence in Women with Breast Cancer Interventions: A Systematic Review"

Prize winners were honored at an awards ceremony on Friday, May 17 in the Charles Kratz Scranton Heritage Room of the Weinberg Memorial Library.

A special thank you to the judges of this year's competition: Ovidiu Cocieru, Kate Cummings, Michael Landram, Bonnie Markowski, Bill Miller, Linda Mlodzienski, Corinne Nulton, Ian O'Hara, Adam Pratt, Sheli Pratt-McHugh, Jong-Hyun Son, Ashley Stampone, and Ben Willis.

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