Photo by Andrew McKeough ’19

The Falvey Scholars Program, established in 2002, is an annual program by Falvey Library and the Center for Research and Fellowships to recognize outstanding undergraduate research. Award winners are selected from candidates nominated by Villanova faculty and reviewed by Library and University staff.

This year, we honor eight students for seven outstanding projects, which reflect the strength of Villanova’s undergraduate research as well as the support the Library provides through its expert staff, copious resources, and welcoming spaces.

We are introducing our scholars and covering their research in their own words. Look for additional coverage of Olivia Hall and her fellow Falvey Scholars in the fall issue of Mosaic.

Congratulations to all of our Falvey Scholars, past and present!

Olivia Hall ’23 COE

Faculty Mentor(s): Deeksha Seth, PhD, College of Engineering

Title: “Integration of Design and Interdisciplinarity in Engineering Education: Development and Assessment”

Hometown: Kennett Square, Pa.

Other Honors: Presidential Scholar

Tell me about your research.

Our work is about optimizing engineering design education to meet 21^st century industry needs. We have developed an integrative, interdisciplinary, project-based learning activity designed to improve student perception of integration and interdisciplinarity, preparing them for the modern workplace.

How did Falvey’s resources, databases, and spaces impact your research?

We exclusively used databases promoted by the library, confident in their extensive scope, for our literature review. The subject guides were especially helpful in this endeavor since we considered areas outside of engineering.

How did the Library’s staff impact your research and academic experience?

We relied on staff to coordinate inter-library loans that were integral to drafting our literature review. The subjects guides prepared by the staff were also very helpful in identifying resources to evaluate.

What’s next for you?

I will be working as a systems engineer and am considering continuing my education in the near future.

Will you continue this research direction or has it inspired you to new research interests?

I have become extremely passionate about engineering education and, should I choose to pursue further education, would seek to specialize in that area. It has also made me much more interested in engineering design work, something I hope to explore further as I enter industry.

Shawn Proctor, MFA, is Communication and Marketing Program Manager at Falvey Library.