The Claremont Colleges Library has selected the winners of its 9th Annual Library Undergraduate Research Award (LURA). Students who demonstrate exemplary original research and scholarship, including remarkable skill and creativity in the use of library and information resources, receive recognition and cash prizes ranging from $500 to $1,500 for their work.
“Despite the tumultuous past couple of years, our students across The Claremont Colleges have proven their ability to adapt and overcome the challenges of the pandemic while still making valuable, relevant and timely contributions with their research and scholarship to the world of academia,” said Janet Bishop, Dean of the Library. “I’m especially thrilled to know our LURA student papers have even received a worldwide audience through our Scholarship@Claremont repository.”
A virtual awards ceremony to honor the winners will be held on Thursday, April 21, 2022 at 5 p.m. While friends, family and associated faculty of the winners are encouraged to attend, this is also a great opportunity for students across The Claremont Colleges (TCC) consortium to draw inspiration from the winners’ projects — especially as finals season approaches. All those interested in attending should register through Zoom.
The Library received a record-breaking number of student submissions in 2022. From the 55 submissions, this year’s LURA winners are:
Senior Award
- Alexandra Rivasplata, Scripps College
Paper Title: “The Economic and Social Decline of Women’s Colleges Across the United States”
Faculty Sponsor: Roberto Pedace - Ernesto Fraga, Pomona College
Paper Title: “The Formation of Protective Relationships between Service Workers and Customers”
Faculty Sponsor: Hung Cam Thai - Kylie (Hoi Cheng) Wong, Pomona College
Paper Title: “Tales of Urban Livability– Vermont Avenue in Los Angeles as Told by Tree Canopy Cover”
Faculty Sponsor: Guillermo Douglass-Jaimes
Junior Award
- Isabel Evans, Scripps College
Paper Title: “Reading as Resistance: Representations of Indigeneity in Twentieth Century American Children’s Literature”
Faculty Sponsor: Jennifer Martinez Wormser
Sophomore Award
- Bella Pettengill, Pomona College
Paper Title: “Louis Choris and Scientific Illustration: Visualizing Colonialism in New California”
Faculty Sponsor: Pey-Yi Chu - Ella Wasson, Scripps College
Paper Title: “The Periodic Table of Women of Color in STEM”
Faculty Sponsor: Gabriela Bacsan
First-Year Award
- Paloma Garcia, Pitzer College
Paper Title: “Prometheus: The Timeless Symbol of Enlightenment”
Faculty Sponsor: Michelle Berenfeld
Group Project Award
- Reia Li (Sophomore), Pomona College
Ruth Efe (Senior), Claremont McKenna College
Zintan Mwinila-Yuori (Senior), Pomona College
Project Title: “COVID-19, Crowdedness, and CMC Dining: An Agent-Based Model Approach to Reducing the Spread of COVID-19”
Faculty Sponsor: Christina Edholm
Library staff is humbled and honored to support the research efforts of all TCC students and, through LURA, recognize their outstanding work. Since its start in 2014, LURA has generated the publication of 51 student research projects which have contributed to a wide array of academic fields. As a testament to the quality nature of these projects, these winning and honorable mention papers have been downloaded nearly 28,000 times from readers around the world—from Everett, Washington in the United States, to Bangalore, India and all the way to Melbourne, Australia.
Undergraduate students from across the consortium have the opportunity to apply for LURA every year. This means that students are likely already hard at work on 2023 submissions and discovering new things to add to the world.
Visit the LURA webpage for additional information. Questions about LURA, including the awards ceremony and application process, can be directed to libraryresearchaward@claremont.edu.