This year, ten students engaged in a range of scholarship and research have been awarded the 2022 Worcester State University Library Awards, which are given to recognize the Library’s commitment to students and their research, and to enable the growth of scholarly and creative activities on campus.
“Our students are amazing and most worthy of accolades,” said Matt Bejune, executive director of the Library. “It was stunning to see the breadth and depth of projects presented across the spectrum of academic disciplines. Each year we are truly impressed by the hard work and dedication of our students and their faculty advisors and the impact they make on the lives of others. We appreciate the generous support of members of the Worcester State Community who provide opportunities to celebrate and acknowledge student accomplishments with financial stipends.”
Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs Henry Theriault, who organizes the annual celebration, agrees: “Every year, we have great posters, oral presentations, and exhibitions. This year, the bar was raised yet higher. The energy and intelligence of students was exciting and contagious.” He added, “The addition of the Library awards is not only a great way of recognizing this wonderful work, but supporting students in their research and creative work in a really concrete way. We are thankful to the Library and University Advancement for these awards.”
The students were selected from more than 100 presenters who shared their research and creative works at the annual Celebration of Scholarship and Creativity on April 27. A panel of 30 judges reviewed the projects to make the awards. Each project received a $500 prize divided equally between presenters for projects with more than one author.
Here are this year’s awardees:
Oral Presentations Award
Gurmitt S. Dhalliwal: The Catherine T. Novick Library Research Award for Worcester and I-290, a research project on Geospatial Information Science with project advisor Dr. Alexander R. Tarr. This award is named in memory of Catherine T. Novick, alumna Class of 1971 and former WSU library assistant, to a student who demonstrates extraordinary dedication and perseverance to research. This award was established by Cathie’s loving family in 2021 with the additional financial support of William Shakalis, former WSU librarian.
School of Science, Technology, and Health Awards
Communications Sciences and Disorders majors Julienette J. Rivera and Emily M. Dupont: Science, Technology and Health Award for their poster A Study of Patient Experience and Satisfaction with Hearing Aids that Contain Deep Neural Network (DNN) Technology with advisor Dr. Keith Darrow.
Biotechnology major Quinn C. Bradley: Science Technology and Health Award for the poster Instrumental Analysis Experiment Design with Dr. Kathleen Murphy as project advisor.
Environmental Science major Cailtin D. Dellert: Science, Technology and Health Award for the poster, Measuring Organic and Inorganic Carbon from a Coastal Lake in Washington State with project advisor Dr. Laura Reynolds.
The four awards for the School of Science, Technology, and Health posters were made possible by the generosity of an anonymous alumna of Worcester State.
School of Humanities and Social Sciences Awards
Sociology major Catherine R. Forde: School of Humanities and Social Sciences Award for the poster Socialization in the Midst of COVID-19 with project advisor was Dr. Alex Briesacher.
Psychology majors Brian C. Cerow and Cheryl K. Donahue: School of Humanities and Social Sciences Award for their poster Communication and College Preparedness with project advisor Dr. Colleen J. Sullivan.
The three awards for the School of Humanities and Social Sciences were made possible through the financial support of the WSU Library.
Graduate Student Awards
Occupational Therapy major Devin Burns, for the poster entitled Older Adults’ Perception of Active Games in Assisted Living Facilities with project advisor Dr. Joanne Gallagher Worthley.
Occupational Therapy major Victoria Lemire, for the poster entitled The Impact of Telehealth on Occupational Therapy Services for Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic with project advisor Dr. Joanne Gallagher Worthley.
The two awards for graduate student posters were made possible through the financial support of the WSU Library.
Achievers
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