The University of Texas Libraries has announced the recipients of its annual Signature Course Information Literacy Award, which recognizes undergraduates who have excelled in library research. Each year, faculty members and teaching assistants nominate projects from a series of Undergraduate Studies (UGS) classes known as the University’s Signature Courses, which introduce first-year students to college-level learning in unique learning environments.
A panel of judges including librarians from Teaching and Learning Services selected the winning projects based on use of library resources and collections in any format; effective application of information literacy and fluency principles; appropriate and accurate citations and credits; and originality of thought, mastery of content appropriate to class level, clear writing, and overall quality of presentation.
First Place: Robert He
Robert He, a biomedical engineering major, was nominated by Associate Professor Jonathan Kaplan for his paper “Connection in a Divided City: The Jerusalem Light Rail” from UGS 303: Jerusalem. “Robert craft[ed] an excellent paper that advanced a clear and contestable claim about the articles, comparing and contrasting their arguments, evidence and methods,” wrote Kaplan in his nomination. “In addition, the paper was extremely well written. Truly exemplary work." The panel of librarians who read this project were also impressed by He’s thorough analysis of his sources and his description of his research process.
Second Place: Rohan Shankar
Rohan Shankar, a physics major, was nominated by Associate Professor Adam Rabinowitz for his paper “Determining the Construction Feasibility of the Fortifications of Troy using Architectural Energetics” from UGS 302: Tales of the Trojan War. “I feel like I'm nominating a journal article under review for a first-semester undergraduate award,” said Rabinowitz in his nomination. “It was really the engagement with the sources on the Bronze Age archaeology side that knocked me down. You'll have to read for yourselves, but I challenge you to do so and then place this in the frame of a 10-to-12-page research paper in an unfamiliar field for a first-semester freshman seminar." The librarians who judged this year’s nominations were also impressed by Rohan's unique research question and the breadth of sources he compiled to support his original analysis.
Third Place: Anika Rajagopal
Anika Rajagopal, a biology major, was also nominated by Rabinowitz for her paper “Racism in Antiquity: Slavery and Ethnic Perceptions in Classical Athens” from UGS 302: Tales of the Trojan War. “In a thoughtful and dedicated process of revision between her first and second drafts, she narrowed the paper again to a topic of just the right scope, involving the notion of race (in terms of physical characteristics) in Greek slavery and its translation to race-based slavery in the U.S.,” said Rabinowitz in his nomination. “The result is a finely argued paper that intervenes in a mature and sophisticated way in a debate that is very much ongoing in Classical scholarship." The judging panel of librarians was similarly impressed by her ability to refine her research question, informed by ancient and contemporary sources.
Each winner received a cash prize and a certificate of recognition. Their award-winning papers, along with those from previous years, are available through Texas ScholarWorks.