Congratulations to Library Research Prize Winners Michelle Cawley and Paul Pearson!

On Wednesday May 4, Michelle Cawley (undergraduate) and Paul Pearson (graduate) were awarded the 2016 Library Research Prizes.

Michelle Cawley, a senior, was awarded the undergraduate Library Research Prize. Michelle's project for her Special Topics in Biology course was to develop a grant proposal to investigate an area of untapped scientific research. She drew upon her previous lab work with Professor Catherine Andersen for the subject of her grant proposal project entitled "The Role of Plant Sterols as a Potential Diet-Based Therapy for Type II Diabetes".

According to Professor Andersen, "Through this work, Michelle has generated work on par with professional scientists in the field of nutritional sciences."

The selection committee was impressed with Michelle's diligent research through which she scoured scientific literature via library databases and interlibrary loan, and even went so far as to contact international researchers to glean more information about their findings.

Paul Pearson was awarded the graduate Library Research Prize for his research in support of his project "Teaching Foreign Language to Students with Language-Based Learning Disabilities: A Review of the Literature".

Paul performed a comprehensive literature review of several educational theories in both language education and special education. His research compared and often questioned the sometimes contradictory methodologies within the two disciplines. In doing so, he challenged his own preconceived notions, and those of other experts in these fields. It was not only the depth and breadth of his research that the committee found impressive but also his skill in questioning and evaluating his sources to arrive at a highly original research project.

His professor Dr. Deborah Edelman commented, “Paul selected a complex topic that has not been investigated at length. His research will fill a gap in the research to date. Paul is a inquisitive student who enjoys the process of learning to discover."

Honorable Mentions were awarded to undergraduates Angela Sammarone for her research in support of her project entitled "'On the threshold she paused': Doors in Edith Wharton’s The Decoration of Houses and The Mother’s Recompense" and to Michael Olynick for his research in support of his project entitled "Beethoven: Synthesis of The Great Composers".

Thank you to Fairfield University's School of Nursing, the Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions, the Dolan School of Business, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the School of Engineering for their financial support of the prizes, in addition to the Library's financial commitment.

Special thank you to the selection committee - Interim University Librarian Christina McGowan, librarians Matt Bernstein, and Brooke Duffy, and professors Michelle Farrell and Colleen Arendt.