Congratulations to the 2020 Library Research Award for Undergraduates winners: Lisa Weir, Rachel Clements and Lindsey (Danielle) Horn!

The 1st prize winner of the 2020 EKU Libraries Research Award for Undergraduates is Lisa Wier. In Reality versus Fantasy: An Analysis of Emergency Management Practices Portrayed in Disaster Movies, Ms. Wier creatively employed three fictional disaster movies (Jurassic World, San Andreas, and Your Name (Kimi no Na wa)) as a way to demonstrate the emergency management techniques of mass evacuation and response, earthquake preparedness and mitigation, and near-earth impacts and protection, resulting in a project that is both engaging and accessible. Ms. Wier's research process essay further demonstrated intentional, effective, and thoughtful use of a variety of the Libraries’ collections and databases, as well as other digital, print, and human resources. Her mentor for this project was Dr. Ryan K. Baggett, Interim Associate Dean, EKU Graduate School, and Associate Professor with the Homeland Security program.

The 2nd prize winner of the 2020 EKU Libraries Research Award for Undergraduates is Rachel Clements. Ms. Clements’ research paper entitled Investigating the Proteolysis of p75NTR in Response to Oxidative Stress in Dopaminergic Neurons facilitated important insight into molecular interactions associated with neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. Her mentor for this project was Dr. Bradley Kraemer, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences.

The 3rd prize winner of the 2020 EKU Libraries Research Award for Undergraduates is Lindsey (Danielle) Horn. Her paper entitled Boo Radley: A Literary Figure with a Superhuman Learning Disability analyzed Arthur “Boo” Radley, a character in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, from the perspective of him being a person with autism. Her mentor for this project was Dr. Heather A. Fox, Assistant Professor of English.