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All UO students have opportunities to conduct original scholarly research as part of their coursework. And with the help of skilled professors and librarians and access to thousands of resources via UO Libraries, how far students can take their research is nearly limitless.
This year, two stellar student researchers took their work to Columbia and Spain, respectively:
PAPER: “Colombia Counterpoint: Transculturation in Sibundoy Valley Ethnohistory”
URL: scholarsbank.uoregon.edu/xmlui/handle/1794/27820
FACULTY SPONSOR: Assistant Professor Maria Fernanda Escallón, Department of Anthropology, College of Arts and Sciences
MAJOR: Anthropology (Class of ’23)
CLASS STANDING: Senior
Rowan Glass received a $1,500 award for his Research Process and Scholarly Growth Essay and research bibliography for his paper, “Colombia Counterpoint: Transculturation in Sibundoy Valley Ethnohistory.”
Glass’s research investigates the interdependent relationship between Kamëntsá social movements for territorial autonomy (e.g., land rights, expansion of reservations, resistance to extractive development projects) and expressions of cultural autonomy (e.g., traditional arts and handicrafts, dance, music, and the preservation of the Kamëntsá language).
This paper is an extension of a previous paper titled “Power and Resistance in the Ethnohistory of the Sibundoy Valley of Colombia,” which won the Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Project. It establishes the historical background for the contemporary ethnographic summer fieldwork Glass developed in the Sibundoy Valley in summer 2022 for the McNair Scholars Program. Together, the projects provide the basis for his honors thesis in anthropology coming in 2023.
Associate Professor Reuben Zahler, Department of History, and Professor Maria Fernanda Escallón, Department of Anthropology, served as Glass’s mentors and advisors on these papers.
“The final paper Rowan produced on indigenous resistance and transculturation in Colombia was extremely well written and well researched. He made excellent use of the library resources he learned to manage. The extensive bibliography included in his work serves as evidence of his thorough use of library resources to develop his thinking and arguments,” Professor Maria Fernanda Escallón,” said in her letter of recommendation for Glass.
In his LAURE application, Glass said, “I could not have successfully developed my research project without the assistance of the UO Libraries staff and research specialists. I am particularly grateful to Bronwen Maxson, whose expertise in the library science of Latin American studies was of enormous help.”
Glass is also exploring possibilities for research in Argentina and the UK. “As grad school applications are fast approaching, I am also thinking ahead to future scholarly work in other regions and working on different themes. I have the research I submitted for LAURE and the library research skills I learned through it to thank for allowing me to pursue these aspirations,” he shared.
Find more of Glass’s research on display now in a Tiny Gallery exhibit in Knight Library, a project for which he won another award.
PAPER: “Investigating Variations in Unemployment Between North and South Spain and Associated Implications”
URL: scholarsbank.uoregon.edu/xmlui/handle/1794/27819
FACULTY SPONSORS: Professor Dennis Galvan, Departments of Political Science and Global Studies, College of Arts and Sciences and dean and vice provost, Division of Global Engagement; and Professor Glen Waddell, Department of Economics, College of Arts and Sciences
MAJOR: Global Studies
CLASS STANDING: Alumna ‘22
Emily Kraschel received a $1,500 award for her Research Process and Scholarly Growth Essay and research bibliography for her paper, “Investigating Variations in Unemployment Between North and South Spain and Associated Implications.”
Kraschel shared in her application essay that the process of her research gained her many skills in physical research, database management, and digital scholarship.
“Through the resources and opportunities provided to me by the UO Libraries, I was able to learn skills such as data analysis, database use, and citation management, which helped me not only in my research, but in my classes and in the process of beginning my career. I hope to continue my education with a graduate degree in a few years so I can participate in more research and expand upon my skills,” Kraschel said.
Krashel’s advisors shared their enthusiasm for her in their letters of recommendation.
“Emily Kraschel is simply one of the top 10 students I have worked with and mentored in some 28 years of teaching as a professor,” said Dennis Galvan, dean and vice provost, Division of Global Engagement.
Professor Glen Waddell said, “Emily is hard working and independent, and in trying times has demonstrated a doggedness that will serve her well going forward and is deserving of reward.”
Ten University of Oregon students have been announced winners in the 2020 Undergraduate Research Awards(URA) competition for their excellent research papers and theses. The Undergraduate Research Awards is an annual program sponsored by the University of Oregon Libraries that serves to recognize and honor undergraduate students for their extensive research and authorship while using the UO Libraries’ resources.
“UO Libraries is very proud to honor the outstanding scholarship of UO students,” said Interim Dean of Libraries Mark Watson. “Winning an Undergraduate Research Award represents a high level of academic achievement demonstrated by the completion of a research project that involves the substantive use of library materials.”
Access to the winners’ scholarly work will be available electronically in Scholars’ Bank, the library’s digital archive for UO research and publications.
The Research Award is funded by the Milton C. and Barbara B. Sparks and Jon and Lisa Stine endowments, as well as gifts from Walter and Gretchen Barger.
Cheyenne Dakota Collins
Major: Anthropology
Faculty Sponsor: Jeanne McLaughlin, Anthropology
Cameron R. Davis
Major: Communication Disorders and Sciences
Faculty Sponsor: Samantha Shune, Communication Disorders and Sciences
Jordan Kalani Harden
Major: English
Faculty Sponsor: Kirby Brown, English
Nelson A. Perez-Catalan
Major: Biology
Faculty Sponsor: Chris Doe, Biology
Siena Polk
Major: International Studies
Faculty Sponsor: Galen Martin, International Studies
Eleanor Rochester
Major: General Science
Faculty Sponsor: Melissa Graboyes, Clark Honors College
Miriam Thielman
Major: Spanish and Religious Studies
Faculty Sponsor: Deborah A. Green, Religious Studies
Eleanor Hart Williams
Major: Environmental Studies
Faculty Sponsor: Mark Carey, Environmental Studies
Gracia Dodds
Major: Sociology and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS)
Faculty Sponsor: Judith Raiskin, Women’s Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Taylor Griggs
Major: Media Studies
Faculty Sponsor: Gretchen Soderlund, SOJC Media Studies
Eight University of Oregon students who authored outstanding research papers and theses during the 2018 calendar year have been named winners in the university's Undergraduate Research Awards competition, sponsored by the University of Oregon Libraries.
Now in its 15th year, the annual program recognizes students who produce exceptional original research and scholarship using UO Libraries collections and resources. Award winners received $1,000-$1,500 and the recognition of having their work digitally archived in Scholars' Bank, the UO's institutional repository.
"These awards honor our students' oustanding research and scholarship, work which requires a deep engagement with the literature of various disciplines, with critical thinking and with the technical act of strong writing itself," said Susan Breckenridge, assistant dean of libraries, at the May 22 award ceremony in the Knight Library Browsing Room. "Research papers and articles like the ones we honor today help us expand our stores of the knowledge of humankind."
Benner, Rachel. Brand Activism: Working Toward Progressive Representations of Social Movements in Advertising
Bieker, Jacob. Using Deep Learning for FACT Source Detection
Jones, Ellie Sophie. Plastic Debris in Deep-Sea Canyon, Estuarine, and Shoreline Sediments
Louie, Elmira. Sa’di and the Safavid: The Material Culture of a Treasured Persian Manuscript Now at UO
McClain, Sierra. When Worlds Collide: Manichaeism and Christianity in Late Antiquity
McGee, Samantha. Portrayals of Power: The Local Identity of Three Cypriot Sarcophagi from the Fifth Century BCE
Nouboussi Nkenfack, Nelly M. The Ethics of Developing New Treatments: A Case Study of the West African Ebola Outbreak and the Use of Randomized Control Trials
Wilms-Crowe, Momo. Challenges to Democratic Inclusion and Contestation of Space: Contemporary Student Activists in Transforming South Africa
Winners in the multiterm thesis category were marine biology major Ellie Sophie Jones and three students who graduated in spring of 2018: Rachel Benner, who studied media studies and advertising; Jacob Bieker, who studied physics and computer and information science; and Samantha McGee, who studied anthropology.
Honorees in the term paper category were comparative literature major Elmira Louie, biology major Nelly Nouboussi Nkenfack and political science major Momo Wilms-Crowe, plus Sierra McClain, who completed her undergraduate work in history in spring 2018 and currently is enrolled in a master's degree program in the School of Journalism and Communication.
Winners were selected by a committee of UO librarians and members of the teaching faculty. Criteria for the awards included the quality of applicants' research papers or projects as well as their bibliographies and application essays articulating the use of library resources and services. Each nominee for the Undergraduate Research Award must also secure letters of recommendation and the sponsorship of a faculty member.
Dean Walton, the Lory Lokey Science and Technology Outreach Librarian, has served on the awards committee for the past five years and hosted this year's awards ceremony.
"Faculty members help students submit the papers that they think are the best of the best," he said. "Working on the committee is wonderful because we get to read not just the best, but the best of the best of the best. The winners here today are at that level."
Librarians and library staff members Carolina Hernandez, Jennifer O’Neal, Clara Piazzola, Jeff Staiger and Bruce Tabb received special ackowledgement from the awardees for their help and contributions to the students' research projects.
Breckenridge noted, "I hope that all the students at the University of Oregon will think of librarians as their partners and guides as they navigate this complex world. The library can be a catalyst for your research and writing practice."
The Undergraduate Research Awards are funded by the UO Libraries' Milton C. and Barbara B. Sparks and Jon and Lisa Stine endowments, as well as gifts from Walter and Gretchen Barger.
Rachel Benner
Rowan Patrick Tabor ’18 was honored in the term paper category.
Tiffany Couch ’17 was recognized in the thesis/multi-term category.
Sandra Dorning '17 won awards for both her term paper and thesis projects.
Seven University of Oregon students who authored outstanding research papers and theses during the 2017 calendar year have been named winners in the university's Undergraduate Research Awards competition.
Sponsored by the University of Oregon Libraries, the annual program honors UO students who produce exceptional original research and scholarship using UO Libraries collections and resources.
Marine biology major Sandra Lynn Dorning, a 2017 graduate of Clark Honors College, was recognized for both single-term and multi-term/thesis projects, becoming the first student since the awards' inception to earn awards in both categories in the same year.
Angela Rothman '17, a history and political science major who was honored for her term paper in 2017, also doubled up by winning an award in the multi-term category this year.
Also taking home 2017 honors in the multi-term category were linguistics major Drew McLaughlin ’17 and Clark Honors College students Tiffany Couch ’17, a political science major, and Hannah Rose Steinkopf-Frank ’17, who majored in journalism and international studies.
Honorees in the term paper category also included Breanne Schnell ’17, who majored in English, journalism, and media studies, and Rowan Patrick Tabor ’18, who majored in history.
Couch, Tiffany. WE THE PEOPLE: Populism and Party Realignment in the United States
Dorning, Sandra. From Voluntary to Monitored: The Development of the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna
Dorning, Sandra. The Ecology and Demography of the Invasive Ascidian Botrylloides violaceus in the Coos Estuary
McLaughlin, Drew J. Individual Variation in the Perception of Speech in Multiple Types of Adverse Listening Conditions
Rothman, Angela. Well-Intentioned but Ineffective: A Legislative History of the California Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, 2001
Schnell, Breanne. Stop Comparing Nollywood to Hollywood: Reorienting Western Understanding of Nigerian Cinema
Steinkopf-Frank, Hannah Rose. La Sape: Tracing the History and Future of the Congos' Well-Dressed Men
Tabor, Rowan Patrick. “The Plague Ship:” Examining the Arrival and Controversial Quarantine of the J.W. Taylor at The Port of New York in 1899
“These students exemplify the best in academic achievement, scholarship and research,” said UO Provost Jayanth Banavar. “They have trained to be the scientists, the historians, the authors and writers of the future. We are all proud of their accomplishments.”
Winners were selected by a committee of UO librarians and members of the teaching faculty. Criteria for the awards included the quality of each applicants’ research paper or project, as well as their bibliography and an application essay articulating the use of library resources and services. Each nominee for the Undergraduate Research Awards must secure the sponsorship of a faculty member, and their letters of recommendation also are reviewed by the awards committee. Each award winner received $1,000 and the recognition of having their work digitally archived in Scholars' Bank, UO's institutional repository.
Barbara Jenkins, the outreach and special programs coordinator with UO Libraries and chair of the Research Award Committee, noted that 42 applications were received in 2017 -- the most submitted in any year since the awards’ inception.
"Seven schools and colleges and 23 majors and programs were represented in the pool of applicants," Jenkins said. "The papers and projects showcase the rich intellectual diversity of student research and give testament to the vital roles that librarians and library resources play in helping to ensure students' success."
The Undergraduate Research Awards are funded by the UO Libraries' Milton C. and Barbara B. Sparks and Jon and Lisa Stine endowments, as well as gifts from Walter and Gretchen Barger.
Five University of Oregon students who authored outstanding research papers and theses during the 2016 calendar year have been named winners in the university's Undergraduate Research Awards competition. Sponsored by the University of Oregon Libraries, the annual program honors UO students who produce exceptional original research and scholarship using UO Libraries collections and resources. A reception honoring the recipients was held in the Knight Library Browsing Room on Friday, May 13, 2016.
“All of us in the UO Libraries are proud to honor these outstanding students and the faculty members who mentored them during their research projects,” said Adriene Lim, dean of libraries and Philip H. Knight Chair. “The celebration of this exemplary work allows us also to highlight the crucial role that librarians and library resources and services provide in the University’s efforts to ensure undergraduate student success.”
Barbara Jenkins, the library's coordinator of outreach and special programs, serves as chair of the Undergraduate Research Awards Committee. "Each year the committee enjoys seeing papers and projects that showcase the rich intellectual diversity of student research on campus," she said. "It is exciting to see the students’ passions, growth as scholars, and their special relationships with their faculty mentors."
Electronic copies of all winning students’ work will be deposited in Scholars’ Bank, the library’s open access digital archive for UO research, publications, and supporting materials.
The Undergraduate Research Awards are made possible by endowments established through the generous support of Gretchen and Walt Barger, Lisa and Jon Stine, and Barbara Blinco Sparks.
Claire E. Aubin 
Major: International Studies and Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies
Faculty Sponsor: Julie Hessler, History
The Internationalization of Atrocity: John Demjanjuk and the Politics of Post-War Justice
War crimes trials have always been the subject of both political and legal controversies, and are often highly reflective of the changing nature of justice. One such set of trials centered on the case of Ivan “John” Demjanjuk, the first naturalized U.S. citizen to be denaturalized twice, the first accused Nazi extradited from the U.S. to Israel, and the accidental poster boy for the didactic capacity of the international legal system. The Demjanjuk case calls into question the efficacy of a global legal system so tied to external political realities, as well as highlights the failures and strengths of that system as the arbiter of justice. Using existing literature and archival materials, this thesis examines the effects that political and social circumstances have on the development of a specific war crimes trial, while offering contextual information on the broader nature of post-war justice for the victims and perpetrators of atrocity.
Augustine Beard 
Major: History and Environmental Studies
Faculty Sponsor: Mark Carey, Robert D. Clark Honors College
“Enemy in the Forests: Narratives and Fires in the Pacific Northwest”
Contemporary historians, ecologists, and foresters agree that the policy of all-out suppression of forest fires was misguided and that it led to the proliferation of highly flammable fuels contributing to larger, more frequent fires over time and up to today. While historians have examined the role of science, the state, and capitalism in fire suppression policies, there is a need to turn to the use of narrative and discourse to better understand the motivation behind fire suppression. Using the Pacific Northwest as a case study, this article draws on sources from fire prevention campaigns that developed out of World War II and the fear that forest fires would threaten the war effort. It shows how organizations such as Keep Oregon Green, Keep Washington Green, American Forest Products Industries, Inc., and the Cooperative Forest Fire Prevention campaign made fire a “foreign enemy” through racialized iconography and associating fire prevention with national defense. The timber and wood products industries were portrayed as the heroes in the fight against fire, normalizing the presence of capitalism in the forests. In the end, the fire-enemy narrative that saw fires as foreign and detrimental to forests was as much concerned with protecting timber capital as it was with extinguishing flames.
Tate James 
Major: Comparative Literature and Creative Writing
Faculty Sponsor: Alisa Freedman, East Asian Languages and Literatures
"Magical Girl Martyrs: Puella Magi Madoka Magica and Purity, Beauty, and Passivity"
This paper discusses whether Akiyuki Shinbo’s anime, Puella Magi Madoka Magica (2011), is an effective critique of the magical girl genre. Many critics have claimed that the show is progressive. They cite the fact that the show blurs the line between innocent young girls and evil old women, which have historically been dichotomized in magical girl shows, as well as its handling of complex female characters as evidence for a positive reading. While Madoka Magica does make important headway in the realm of dismantling harmful female archetypes, the moral judgments the show assigns to those archetypes problematizes such a positive reading. This paper examines the magical girl genre’s history as well as Madoka Magica’s treatment of nonlinear storytelling, female agency, and purity in order to assess the effectiveness of its critique. The conclusion that is argued is that Madoka Magica is not especially progressive compared to other magical girl shows.
Michael McIntosh 
Major: Economics and Political Science
Faculty Sponsor: Ron Mitchell, Political Science
"International Agreement Effectiveness: A Case Study Using the 1985 Pacific Salmon Treaty"
With global environmental problems reaching an all-time high, international cooperation in addressing them becomes ever more important. The widely agreed-upon key to facilitating this cooperation is international environmental agreements. However, many agreements that have already been reached to solve environmental issues have been impotent thus far (e.g., the Kyoto Protocol, the Basel Convention). There are a number of factors that determine the potential effectiveness of an international environmental agreement. This piece discusses several of those factors and applies them in the case of the 1985 Pacific Salmon Treaty between the United States and Canada to explain what constitutes a compelling international environmental agreement.
Angela Rothman
Major: History and Political Science
Faculty Sponsor: Ellen Herman, History
"Revolutionary Theatricality: Dramatized American Protest, 1967-1968"
Protests against established power in the United States grew between the years 1967 and 1968 when dramatic aspects of political and cultural rebellion manifested in theatrical methods. Prominent examples include the early radicalism of the San Francisco Mime Troupe, the production of Paradise Now by the Living Theatre, the Broadway cast production of the musical Hair, and the Festival of Life by the Yippie movement outside the Chicago Democratic National Convention. During this intense period of domestic conflict, these activists embraced radical theater as a visible form of protest. This visibility was necessary to engage a complex and erratic American public who, inundated by conflicts of the era, could better understand the movements’ beliefs and intentions through the groups’ theatrical methods. This study uses the scripts of plays, the writings of the movements’ leaders, and secondary analysis of the conflicts in which these groups participated to argue that each borrowed tactics from one another to bolster the effectiveness of “revolutionary theatricality.” Because of such tactics, the United States in the late 1960s was a domestic theater of war: the home front of the Vietnam War was almost as turbulent a society in its own way as was the conflict in Vietnam itself.
Graduating Seniors: Papers and theses written in the Winter and Fall Terms of 2017 are eligible for next year's Undergratuate Research Awards. Apply before you leave campus!
Deadline: Friday, June 16, 2017
Luciano Dolcini-Catania
Dawn Le
Caellagh Morrissey
Claire Weil
David Brunk 
Paulla Santos
Brandon Parry
Zach Bigalke
Ayantu Megerssa
Mairin Peck
Lisa WilsonSix University of Oregon students who authored outstanding research papers and theses during the 2013 calendar year have been named winners in the university's Undergraduate Research Awards competition sponsored by the University of Oregon Libraries.
The annual competitive program honors UO students who produce exceptional original research and scholarship using resources available through the UO Libraries.
A reception honoring the winners is planned for April 25, 2014.
Electronic copies of all winning students’ work will be deposited in Scholars’ Bank, the library’s open access archive for UO research, publications, and supporting materials in digital form.
The Undergraduate Research Awards are made possible by endowments established through the generous support of Barbara Blinco Sparks, Lisa and Jon Stine, and Gretchen and Walt Barger.
Psychology Major in the Clark Honors College
“Motionese: Subject to Preference?” (Thesis)
Faculty Sponsor: Dare Baldwin, Department of Psychology
Library Recognition: “The library aided my thesis process by providing countless peer-reviewed journals. … I also used free scanning in the library and software on the computers to edit my videos. … I did most of the analysis and writing in the library, spending countless hours over several months.”
Student Quote: The planning, data collection, data analysis, and writing process spanned over two years of my undergraduate career at the UO. It is by far my proudest accomplishment and one that I could not have achieved without the help of the library. … I feel like a true researcher now. I am fortunate that the library is still available to me even after I have graduated. …. I will continue to credit the University of Oregon Libraries as an instrumental part of my success as a developmental psychology researcher.
Anthropology Major in the McNair Scholars Program
“Cetacean Hunting at the Par-Tee Site (35CLT20)?: Ethnographic, Artifact, and Blood Residue Analysis Investigation” (Thesis)
Faculty Sponsor: Jon Erlandson, Department of Anthropology
Library Staff Recognized: Miriam Rigby, Jennifer O’Neal
Student Quote: The library was essential to this project because it allowed me access to primary sources, including those in Special Collections. Research experts, including Miriam Rigby and Jennifer O’Neal, among others, prepared me for effectively processing information at the Smithsonian during the week I spent doing research there. I worked extensively with the written works from the Southwest Oregon Research Project (SWORP) for researching Oregon Native American history. … My research experience has motivated me to continue researching within academia. … In all aspects of my research I had support from the UO Libraries through its knowledgeable and approachable staff and its academic resources.
Political Science Major
“Freedom from Guantánamo: How the Court Curtailed Prerogative Powers and Increased Civil Liberties for Detainees” (Thesis)
Faculty Sponsor: Daniel Tichenor, Department of Political Science
Library Staff Recognized: Victoria Mitchell
Student Quote: I discovered the immense reach of the library by requesting books through Summit and ILLiad, the library’s interlibrary loan systems, when the books were not physically present in our campus libraries. I also made extensive use of the academic journal databases to which the university subscribes. … Victoria Mitchell helped me discover ProQuest and CQ Weekly, which I relied upon along with the Library of Congress and Government Printing Office websites for presidential and congressional documents. … The entire process of targeted reading, writing succinct case analysis, and compiling sources can hopefully lay the groundwork for other related research, and it has drastically improved the way I now read, research, and edit, skills which have been vital in my current study of the law.
Women’s and Gender Studies Major in the McNair Scholars Program
“Exotic Sexuality: Examining the Effect of Exotic Dancing on Women’s Sexuality” (Single-Term Paper)
Faculty Sponsor: Lamia Karim, Department of Anthropology
Library Staff Recognized: Miriam Rigby, Terry McQuilken, Reference Services Staff, Knight Library Computer Help Desk Staff
Student Quote: The helpful staff at the library has played a huge part in my advancement in navigating both the online system and the resources within the library itself. Without the dedicated library staff, I am confident I would still be lost on the Internet searching aimlessly for articles while trying to figure out how to afford the cost of gaining access to them. As a result of using the library, I was able to write a research project that has been accepted for presentation at a conference and will form the basis of my graduate school writing sample. … Gone are the days of sifting through countless websites; now I simply log on to the UO Libraries website and search for the information I need.
Biology Major in the Clark Honors College
“A History of Racism and Prejudice: The Untold Story of the Northern Paiute” (Single-Term Paper)
Faculty Sponsor: Kevin Hatfield, Department of History
Library Staff Recognized: Jennifer O’Neal
Student Quote: The UO Libraries Special Collections provided vital resources needed to complete my research paper. Without the help of Jennifer O’Neal, University Historian and Archivist, I would have been unaware of the information housed in the library that allowed me to write a paper with a strong primary source base. Another valuable source of information came from scouring microfilm collections. The McKay Papers Microfilm collection provided supporting details in my paper. Before working on this project, I had never utilized microfilm, conducted research in Special Collections, or used discussion and interviews in a paper. Oral histories provided a valuable source in my research. … This paper would have been impossible without the information I collected from the UO Libraries, especially within Special Collections and University Archives and the Document Center.
Art History Major in the Clark Honors College
“Deconstructing the Novel: The Critical Function of the Artist’s Book” (Single-Term Paper)
Faculty Sponsor: James Harper, Department of Art History
Library Staff Recognized: Cara List and Architecture and Allied Arts Library Staff
Student Quote: My research paper would not have been possible had it not been for the assistance I received from the UO Libraries, including its librarians, resources, and search tools. I now feel much more comfortable using library collections and am currently in the process of conducting thesis research through Special Collections and University Archives. … I now have a much stronger understanding and command of the variety of resources that are available through the library.