Temple University Libraries Announce Library Prize Winners

Temple University Libraries have announced the winners of the fourth annual Library Prize for Undergraduate Research.

As this prestigious award entered its fourth year, 63 outstanding applications were received. Applications represented disciplines, schools and colleges across Temple’s campus.

Congratulations to our winners:

Peter LeibenspergerMusical Ambiguity as Poetic Reflection: Mahler’s Kindertotenlieder, No. 1, “Nunn will die Sonn’ so hell aufgeh’n!” – (Music Studies 4782) Faculty Sponsors: Dr. Edward Latham, Dr. Cynthia Folio

Natalia SmirnovBefore and After Photography: The Makeover Method of Discipline and Punish – (Film and Media Arts 4671) Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Paul Swann

Maureen WhitsettFenianism In Irish Catholic Philadelphia: The American Catholic Church’s Battle for Acceptance – (History 4997) Faculty Sponsors: Dr. Petra Goedde, Dr. Elizabeth Varon

And our honorable mentions:

Robyn Baylor“We the Kinda Cats Like to Turn Hegel Upside Down Just to See the Pennies Fall Out”: Yugen, The Floating Bear, and the Avant-Garde Poetry Community of the Lower East Side, 1958-1963 – (American Studies 4097) Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Lisa Rhodes

Brian ChambersConsolidating Dictatorship: The Pinochet Regime in Retrospect – (History H4997) Faculty Sponsors: Dr. Petra Goedde, Dr. Elizabeth Varon, Dr. Art Schmidt

Cynthia GingrichThe Schola Cantorum and Le Chat Noir Juxtaposed in Paris, 1880-1914 – (Music Studies 4782) Faculty Sponsor: Dr. David Cannata

Sarah Van AndenThe Collection of Charles I: A Symbol of Royal Power from Formation to Rejection – (History 4997) Faculty Sponsors: Dr. Petra Goedde, Dr. Travis Glasson

For interviews with the 2008 Library Prize for Undergraduate Research winners, and full text of their papers please visit the Library Prize site.

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Winner Peter Leibensperger at the podium

Thumbnail image for 050108_LibraryPrizeForUndergraduateResearch024.JPGBack, left to right: Professor Edward Latham, 2008 Winner Peter Leibensperger, Professor Travis Glasson, Professor Elizabeth Varon, Professor Petra Goedde, Professor Art Schmidt, 2008 Honorable Mention recipient Brian Chambers, 2008 Honorable Mention recipient Cynthia Gingrich

Front, left to right: Library Prize sponsor and SBM ‘49 alumnus Jack Livingstone, Professor Lisa Rhodes, Honorable Mention recipient Robyn Baylor, 2008 Winner Natalia Smirnov, Professor Paul Swann, 2008 Honorable Mention recipient Sarah Van Anden, 2008 Winner Maureen Whitsett, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Affairs Peter Jones, Dean of University Libraries Larry P. Alford, and Professor David Cannata

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Deputy Provost and Dean of University College Richard M. Englert, Professor Elizabeth Varon, Professor Petra Goedde, 2008 Library Prize winner Maureen Whitsett, and Dean of University Libraries Larry P. Alford

Professors Strike Back

What do university faculty think about Rate My Professor and what their students are saying about them at that site? Well, the folks at MTVU recently gave a group of faculty members a chance to react – on camera – to comments their students posted about them at RMP. The videos found at “Professors Strike Back” make for compelling drama, entertainment and even a few “stop and think about that” moments.

Even better, two professors from Temple University are among those featured.Terence Oliva, of the Marketing Department, and Laura Shinn, of the Economics Department, share thoughtful comments about Rate My Professor. But I have to say that one of my favorites comes from Professor David Linton at Marymount Manhattan College. I’d like every student to spend 20 seconds to hear what he has to say about college. In short he says, it’s not about getting a degree – it’s about getting an education. If you approach it as a consumer experience, like buying a car, you are bound to be disappointed.

– Steven Bell, Associate University Librarian

Start Better Study Habits By Avoiding All-Nighters

With the spring semester starting soon it may be a good time to share with students, and their instructors, some timely tips for better study habits. The Study Hacks blog recently featured a post titled “Five Bad Study Habits You Should Resolve to Avoid in 2008“. Well, it is the time of the year for resolutions. Their five bad habits to eliminate include: (1) studying without a plan; (2) skipping classes; (3) rote review; (4) studying after midnight; and (5) not taking notes while reading. Read the post for more details on how and why to eliminate these bad study habits.

And speaking of staying up late to study (item 4), particularly at exam time, a researcher at St. Lawrence University studied the correlation between student sleep time and their grade-point averages. Students reported that they had pulled at least one all-nighter during a semester and that those who did it regularly had lower GPAs. Sounds like avoiding all-nighters is a good way to begin improving study habits in 2008.

-Steven Bell, Associate University Librarian