Each year, I look forward to attending the Livingstone Undergraduate Research Awards ceremony. I am in awe of and inspired by the variety and quality of the work of our students. Although we cannot meet in person this year, I was able to view the work of the winners. Once again, I was impressed. We want our students to challenge themselves and grow as scholars. Their work is a true representation of that and I couldn’t be more proud. I congratulate each of them on receiving this wonderful honor. I also want to recognize the librarians, library staff, faculty, and supporters who encouraged the winners and worked with them to develop outstanding research, information evaluation, and writing skills. The Libraries provide an invaluable service to our students and truly advance the academic mission of our university. Together, you embody the best of the Temple tradition. Congratulations, again, to all our winners!
Temple University Libraries’ Livingstone Undergraduate Research Awards celebrate excellence in undergraduate work. This initiative addresses the depth and breadth of undergraduate research subjects, methods, and projects at Temple through six distinct categories: humanities; social sciences; science, technology, engineering, and mathematical disciplines; creative works and media production; general education courses; and diversity and social justice.
The winners are chosen based on their ability to approach the topic in an imaginative way, making an original contribution or using innovative research methods; bring together information and ideas from a variety of sources or perspectives; cite and credit sources correctly in a standard citation style, with notes as appropriate; demonstrate an understanding of format, sources, and research methods used in the discipline; and engage with selected sources in a meaningful way, evaluating them for authority and quality.
Every year, we celebrate the winners of the Livingstone Undergraduate Research Awards with a special ceremony and reception. We hear from university administrators on the importance of undergraduate research at Temple, and winners are introduced by their faculty mentors to present their research projects. In lieu of this year’s ceremony, we have collected these statements from members of Temple’s administration, the Dean of Libraries, and the awards sponsors who often speak at the ceremony. We also invite you to read about the winners and their projects on each of their pages.
A special thank you to the Livingstone Undergraduate Research Awards committee members and judges: Marcus Bingenheimer, Brian Boling, Jasmine Clark, Lara Davidson, Lauri Fennell, Andrea Goldstein, Yah-el Har-el, Anne Harlow, Carly Hustedt, Cheryl Hyde, Tom Ipri, Latanya Jenkins, Sarah Jones (chair), Jessica Lydon, Mary Rose Muccie, Vitalina Nova, Jenny Pierce, Julie Randolph, Fred Rowland, Kimberly Tully, Nancy Turner, and Alex Wermer-Colon.
Temple undergraduates engage in groundbreaking and fascinating research every semester. When students undertake sustained research in partnership with our faculty, and develop their projects into such impressive and polished products, they develop skills that help prepare them for a broad future: they become exemplars of creativity, autonomy, persistence, critical thinking, and problem solving wherever life after Temple takes them. Please join me in congratulating this year’s Livingstone awardees.
Want to know more about the rules, eligibility requirements, and application process?
Interested in viewing winners from previous years, or applying for future Livingstone Awards?