Zachary Stiles admitted that he made some mistakes when he started working on his research paper for a history class. But as the second-year history major worked through the process, he not only earned a great grade but $1,000 — the top prize in the University of Georgia Libraries Undergraduate Research Awards.
For the award, Stiles reflected on his research process by creating an online course module that can teach other students about how to understand historical methodology, dive into the archives for resources, and build an exemplary essay.
“Zac leveraged his own research experience into a teaching tool, describing his own successes and failures so that future researchers could learn from his experience,” said Chandler Christoffel, the head of the UGA Libraries’ academic engagement unit and co-chair of the evaluation team. “All of the award winners this year showed a high degree of creativity and personal reflection in their projects, and we’re proud of how our librarians and our resources aided them in their research journeys.”
Second-place finisher Mann Chung Hak Sy Tha, a fifth-year student majoring in English and comparative literature, won a $750 prize for his interactive fiction reflection. In third place, Raquel Beatriz Caldas Laranjeira, a third-year international affairs and political science major, created a comic to illustrate her research on Brazil’s humanitarian visa program for Haitian migrants. She will receive a $500 prize.
The winners of the Libraries Undergraduate Research Award will be recognized April 7 during the Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities Symposium.
In addition, the ceremony will recognize two $250 honorable mention winners: Sophia Nguyen, a second-year international affairs and art history major who created a choose your own adventure game; and Hanif Zaman, a second-year biochemistry and molecular biology major who described his “journey from a student to a protein biochemist” by creating a website.
“The UGA Libraries updated the award criteria this year, and the submissions did not disappoint,” said Beth Woods, director of the UGA Libraries research and computational data management unit, and co-chair of the evaluation team. “We asked students to leverage their creativity, sharing reflections on what they learned from the research process through any desired format. We were pleased to receive nearly 50 submissions this year!”
In addition to Christoffel and Woods, the Libraries’ Kellie Templeman, research data management coordinator and Elizabeth White, humanities and social sciences librarian, served as judges. The Libraries would also like to thank Lindsey Harding, director of the UGA Writing Intensive Program, and Holly Bik, associate professor of marine sciences, for serving on the evaluation committee.