The Robert W. Woodruff Library at Emory University is pleased to announce that the 2014 Woodruff Library Undergraduate Research Award (URA) winners have been selected by its panel of judges.

The awards will be presented at the SIRE (Scholarly Inquiry and Research at Emory) Undergraduate Research Symposium on Wednesday, April 23 at the Dobbs University Center. The winners will share their work at the symposium via poster presentations from 3 to 6 p.m. The Emory community is encouraged to come out and support these students.

Prizes will be awarded to the following students:

Fiona O'Carroll — "'The Instinct of Every Real Woman': The Ideas of the Anti-Suffrage Movement in the U.S., 1868-1920." Faculty sponsor: Patrick Allitt. O'Carroll's entry was selected because the judges were impressed by the "strong research statement she submitted, her sophisticated use of a wide variety of library sources, and her beautifully written work."

Laurabeth Goldsmith — "Theresienstadt: Concentration Camp Camouflaged as the 'Model Jewish Settlement'." Faculty sponsor: Carol Anderson. The judges thought Goldsmith's work provided a "breadth of resources with depth that added to her finely structured and well written work." The judges also noted how she drew upon the librarians as a resource, and how she was motivated by her own experience visiting the site of the Theresienstadt concentration camp in her pursuit of additional resources and background material.

Ryan Sutherland — "Exoticism and Musical Appropriation: The Javanese Gamelan in Debussy's 'Pagodes' (1903) and Russian Folk Music in Stravinsky's 'Le Sacre du Printemps' (1913)." Faculty sponsor: Elizabeth Clendinning. Sutherland's work was acknowledged for "his credible and varied sources, the impressive tone and style used to communicate his work, and the originality of his analysis." The judges also appreciated the incorporation of his attendance at actual performances of the pieces he analyzed.

Each winning entry receives a prize of $500, supported by the Elizabeth Long Atwood Fund.

The judges also selected one project for an honorable mention:

Chloe Burrell—"Cruelty: The Shifting Historical Definition of Marriage." Faculty sponsor: Judith Miller. The judges appreciated Burrell's research due to her "sophisticated use of library resources to support her original and advanced work. They were particularly impressed at the caliber of her work for a first-year seminar."

This year, there were 11 entries for the URA, including two from first-year students. The winners were chosen based on their extensive research, writing skills and use of library resources.

The SIRE Undergraduate Research Symposium takes place twice a year and features the research projects of students from all fields of study. During the events, participants provide poster presentations of their work. The research presentations judged to be the best receive awards.

The URA committee extends its thanks to the judging panel:

Erica Bruchko, Woodruff Library; Lori Jahnke, Woodruff Library; Judith C. Rohrer, Art History Department; Liv Nilsson Stutz, Department of Anthropology; Valerie Summet, Department of Mathematics & Computer Science.

For additional information, contact Jennifer Doty.