Top class research projects reflecting effective use of library resources earned three Lone Star College-CyFair Honors scholars this year’s Student Research Award and nearly $1,000 in prize money.
Faculty nominate students for this annual award, which is funded through the Friends of the Library at the LSC-CyFair branch of the Harris County Public Library system. Part of this volunteer group’s mission is to provide “a fuller understanding of the role of the library in education.”
“Taking into account the tremendous student effort put into their research, writing and presentation material for class, this award goes a step further to recognize how effectively students communicated information found in library books and online databases in their research projects,” said LSC-CyFair Director of Library Services Susan Green. “We are so proud of the quality and thought-provoking projects our students produce each year.”
Business major Diana Tran won first place for her Environmental Science project titled “Creating a Cost-Benefit Analysis Guideline from Ecological Economics: How Can this be Applied to Landfill Mining?”
“This award has validated my efforts in improving my work ethic and writing skills,” said Tran. “When Professor Aurora Lugo gave me the opportunity to work on an interdisciplinary topic, she also gave me the opportunity to explore another aspect of business that led to my decision to switch majors.”
Previously in pursuit of a medical science career, Tran is now interested in being part of, or building, a sustainable business that gives back to the community and provides a service that would allow her to help more people.
“(This past academic year) I learned that clear communication is key to working together and is an essential skill, especially in the current virtual world,” she said. “Wording choice is extremely important and can affect the tone of the whole written communication passage.”
The second-place winner was Joseph Flores with his English paper titled “Submit to Sin: Contextualizing the Roman Empire in Augustine’s Detailing of Sexuality in Confessions.”
“Trust your faculty! My mentor, Professor Laura Taggett, pushed me to improve drastically,” said Flores, who was last year’s first-place award recipient. “Librarians, including those who helped me extensively, Professor Rose Botkin and Professor Jane Stimpson, are also focused on making you a better researcher.”
Headed to Rice University this fall as a political science major with plans to become an appellate lawyer, Flores said such awards are signs he is headed in the right direction. However, what matters most to him is knowing he has become a better researcher and good writing skills will help to articulate his thoughts more effectively in his law career.
Future mechanical engineer John Lentz took third place this year with his English/Philosophy Learning Community research project titled “The Moral Engineer: Applying Kantian Deontology to Engineering Ethics Within the Scope of Identity.”
“To see my research that I worked hard on and lost sleep over make it this far is very fulfilling,” said Lentz. “Because of the lessons learned and receiving this award, I have not only gained confidence in my research abilities, but I have come to love the research process.”
He had fun exploring his research topic while improving writing skills, developing his own approach to researching and finding his voice in scholarly conversation. Lentz also expresses appreciation to peers who helped refine his research and to his Learning Community professors, Laura Taggett and Mark Thorsby, for their constant support and feedback.
LSC-CyFair is currently registering for the summer session starting July 15 and the fall semester starting August 30 at LoneStar.edu/registration.