Winesett Awards Show Off Radford University Excelence

By Keiko Klisiewecz

Radford University has announced the winners of the prestigious Winesett Awards for Library Research, an annual recognition of outstanding student scholarship that showcases creativity, originality and deep engagement with library resources. The award celebrates projects across academic levels and disciplines, reflecting the vibrant intellectual curiosity of Radford students. Winners are selected by an interdisciplinary panel of judges, which this year included Alyssa Archer and Barbara Tait (Co-Chairs, Libraries), Erica Looney (Libraries), Dr. Michael Marberry (School of Writing, Language and Literature) and Dr. Sung Eun Park (Department of Art). Prizes are given every spring to the students whose submissions “illustrate exemplary use of resources through Radford University Libraries, as well as the development of information literacy skills.” For the spring 2025 awards, six $750 prizes were awarded in the following divisions.

At the graduate level, two students were recognized for exemplary research. Kati Batten received honors for her proposal, “Population Health Project Proposal: Ensuring Follow-Up Care for Patients Presenting to an Emergency Department with Suicidal Ideation,” completed for NURS 623 and sponsored by Dr. Karen Valcheff. Michelle Lynn King was also awarded for her project, “Hypermobility and Injury Among Instrumental Musicians: A Scoping Review,” conducted under the mentorship of Dr. Jennifer McDonel for MUSC 699.

Upper division winners included Matthew Gary, who explored “Police Officers’ Attitudes Towards the Public: A Literature Review” for CRJU 385, sponsored by Dr. Lindsay Semprevivo. Stefani Rodriguez investigated environmentally conscious innovation in “Advancing Sustainable Food Packaging Polymers through Green Chemistry Innovations” for CHEM 375, guided by Dr. Tim Fuhrer.

In the lower division category, Forest Berry was recognized for the essay “Abortion Bans Are Murder” written for ENGL 111 with Dr. Courtney Watson, and Trinity Roberts was rewarded for a detailed biology project, “A Species Account of Nerodia clarkii for the Animal Diversity Web,” developed in Dr. Karen Powers’ BIOL 232 class. Also featured were eight separate finalists who received $100 prizes: Nina Aidam, Nicholas Beach, Sharon Carroll, Courtney Cline, Madison Drees, Natalie May, Madison Rader and Tiannah Shifflet.

The Winesett Awards are supported by the Winesett Endowment, established to encourage and reward high-quality student research at Radford University. Winning essays and projects are published in the university’s online journal, preserving students’ work while allowing them to retain all rights for future publication. The awards honor Hazel Grove Winesett, whose legacy of generosity continues to inspire academic excellence across the university community.