BY SHAWN PROCTOR

Welcome to part 4 of a 7-part series featuring the 2021 Falvey Scholars. Read more about them every Monday and in the upcoming issue of Mosaic: the Library’s bi-annual publication.

Falvey Memorial Library is honored to announce the 2021 Falvey Scholar award winners. We will showcase the research of our eight young alumni on the blog and in the fall issue of Mosaic.

Sponsored by the Library and the Center for Research and Fellowships, the Falvey Scholars program recognizes outstanding undergraduate research at Villanova University. Award winners are selected from a pool of candidates generated by applications submitted by a senior Villanova University student or a group of students working on a senior project together with the recommendation of the advisor to the senior thesis or capstone project completed for academic credit.

Researcher Brief

Falvey Scholar: Audrey Lawrence

Hometown:  Ellicott City, Md.

Other Honors: Villanova Presidential Scholar, Freshman Match Grantee, VURF Grantee (2018 and 2020), CRISSP Recipient (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute Summer Scholars Program)

Project Title: “Use of an Orally Delivered Oxidized Cholesterol to Relieve Inflammatory Bowel Disease Symptoms in a Mouse Model”

Faculty Mentor: Anil K. Bamezai, PhD, Professor, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Learn about Audrey’s research in her own words:

Tell me about your Falvey Scholar Award-winning research project.

I studied a new way to relieve symptoms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), an autoimmune disorder of the gut, via oral delivery of an oxidized cholesterol. The treatment method I studied in vivo targets T cell proliferation and knocks down the pro-inflammatory response associated with IBD.

IBD includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis and affects over 10 million people worldwide. This is an exciting example of progress towards a more universally successful treatment option for a patient population suffering from a disease in need of a cure.

How did Falvey Memorial Library support your research?

The staff at Falvey Memorial Library have been an incredible support system through my undergraduate research experience.  The very idea that help was always available through the Library staff was incredibly strengthening. It gave me confidence as I learned a new field.

The extensive scope of the Falvey database library has been essential to my success as a researcher.  Immunology was a new field to me—it’s one of those fields that you can’t really grasp superficially…you have to delve deep before it makes sense. The Interlibrary Loan program along with Falvey’s extensive list of accessible journals provided me with every tool that I needed to teach myself a new language of science.

What impact did this project have on you?

I absolutely will continue in the field of Immunology as a physician scientist and could see myself focusing on IBD in my career. I love the philosophical side of immunology and care deeply about this patient population, and I am so excited to be a part the research advances that will be made in the coming years.

What’s next for you?

I am doing my gap year at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, working in a Genetics clinical research lab. I plan to apply to MD/PhD programs in the upcoming cycle.

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

BY SHAWN PROCTOR

Welcome to part 3 of a 7-part series featuring the 2021 Falvey Scholars. Read more about them every Monday and in the upcoming issue of Mosaic: the Library’s bi-annual publication.

Falvey Memorial Library is honored to announce the 2021 Falvey Scholar award winners. We will showcase the research of our eight young alumni on the blog and in the fall issue of Mosaic.

Sponsored by the Library and the Center for Research and Fellowships, the Falvey Scholars program recognizes outstanding undergraduate research at Villanova University. Award winners are selected from a pool of candidates generated by applications submitted by a senior Villanova University student or a group of students working on a senior project together with the recommendation of the advisor to the senior thesis or capstone project completed for academic credit.

View the 2021 Falvey Scholars Awards virtual booklet.

Falvey Scholar: Annelise Laughlin

Hometown:  Reno, Nevada

Other Honors: Phi Beta Kappa, Alexander Von Humboldt Medallion for Excellence in Geography, Gamma Theta Upsilon (Geography Honors Society), Faith and Learning Scholars

Project Title: “Spatial and Temporal Study of Drought and Violence Incidence in Darfur, Sudan”

Faculty Mentor: Francis A. Galgano, PhD, Associate Professor, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Learn about Annelise’s research in her own words:

Tell me about your Falvey Scholar Award-winning research project.

I researched the connection between climate change, specifically drought, and violent conflict in Darfur, Sudan. It can be hard to prove causality because so many other elements factor into conflict, but an extreme climate event like long-term drought could intensify or catalyze conflict by straining competitive resources, and that’s what I wanted to study in Darfur.

How did Falvey Memorial Library support your research?

I was developing my final research project into an ArcGIS Storymap, and Erica Hayes, Digital Scholarship Librarian, taught me how to use the software to make a Storymap. She helped me take my project from a plain poster to an interactive, multimedia presentation that could be hosted online.

Storymaps can be a little finicky, so Erica was a great resource in helping me choose a platform that would suit my project well, as well as troubleshoot any issues I had with my project.

What impact did this project have on you?

The climate/conflict connection is an interesting thing because it can play out differently around the world. One place might experience drought, another might have an extreme hurricane or tornado, and all those things could disrupt security or social structures in a way that causes conflict. I think if I kept studying climate and conflict, I’d be interested to apply similar methods to other climate-related events around the world.

What’s next for you?

I’m going to be working as a business analyst at a civil engineering firm after graduation.

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

BY SHAWN PROCTOR

Welcome to part 2 of a 7-part series featuring the 2021 Falvey Scholars. Read more about them every Monday and in the upcoming issue of Mosaic: the Library’s bi-annual publication.

Falvey Memorial Library is honored to announce the 2021 Falvey Scholar award winners. We will showcase the research of our eight young alumni on the blog and in the fall issue of Mosaic.

Sponsored by the Library and the Center for Research and Fellowships, the Falvey Scholars program recognizes outstanding undergraduate research at Villanova University. Award winners are selected from a pool of candidates generated by applications submitted by a senior Villanova University student or a group of students working on a senior project together with the recommendation of the advisor to the senior thesis or capstone project completed for academic credit.

View the 2021 Falvey Scholars Awards virtual booklet.

Researcher Brief

Falvey Scholar: Chloe Benson

Hometown: North Charleston, S.C.

Other Honors: Fulbright Alternate for Global Wales, Villanova Presidential Scholar, Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholar 

Project Title: “The (Dis)Invention of Black Womanhood: A Rhetorical Analysis of Intersectional Oppression within Cosmetics Practices”

Faculty Mentor: Billie Murray, PhD, Associate Professor, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Learn about Chloe’s research in her own words:

Tell me about your Falvey Scholar Award-winning research project.

My research focuses on the cosmetics industry, specifically examining foundation shade products to better understand how intersectionally raced and gendered discourses are deeply embedded within the products.

I utilize a Black feminist approach to analyze the rhetorical practices within six different artifacts. Through my research, I have found four key themes that speak to the intersectional oppression that Black and brown women experience. The most revealing theme analyzes how cosmetics brands reproduce the discourse of Black female unrapability. What I mean by this is that Black women have consistently been rendered exotic, hypersexual beings. The assumption that Black women are inherently sexual in nature implies that Black women are perpetually available to sexual partners—that they are always wanting. Making this assumption allows for violence against Black women to be taken less seriously.

Ultimately, my research challenges this flat characterization of Black women and looks to see where areas of subversion can occur within everyday aspects of our life, even seemingly ordinary activities like that of applying our foundation.

How did Falvey Memorial Library support your research?

Working with librarians like Jutta Seibert, Director of Research Services & Scholarly Engagement, helped me hone my key search terms that I may not have thought of on my own. She also helped me think outside of the box and capture some pieces of literature I wouldn’t have happened upon otherwise.

I could not have gotten a full understanding of the literature and academic scholarship surrounding my topic without the e-library and databases available at Falvey. I was able to look across disciplines to get a full picture of my topic. I used Falvey’s resources so much that for the first time in four years, I ran out of printing money!

What impact did this project have on you?

I’ve always had a love for cosmetics, and perhaps one day I will work within the cosmetics industry to improve upon the Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) practices and policies within this area of focus. For now, this project has challenged me to consider what is banal and seemingly “normalized” in our daily lives and to interrogate those unacknowledged aspects of life that work to harm marginalized groups.

What’s next for you?

I am moving to New York City to work full-time at Bloomberg LP in Human Resources where I will be building out early engagement D&I programming within the D&I Recruiting Team.

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

BY SHAWN PROCTOR

Welcome to part 1 of a 7-part series featuring the 2021 Falvey Scholars. Read more about them every Monday and in the upcoming issue of Mosaic: the Library’s bi-annual publication.

Falvey Memorial Library is honored to announce the 2021 Falvey Scholar award winners. We will showcase the research of our eight young alumni on the blog and in the fall issue of Mosaic.

Sponsored by the Library and the Center for Research and Fellowships, the Falvey Scholars program recognizes outstanding undergraduate research at Villanova University. Award winners are selected from a pool of candidates generated by applications submitted by a senior Villanova University student or a group of students working on a senior project together with the recommendation of the advisor to the senior thesis or capstone project completed for academic credit.

View the 2021 Falvey Scholars Awards virtual booklet.

Researcher Brief

Falvey Scholar: Jacqueline Thoet 

Hometown: Sea Cliff, N.Y.

Project Title: “How Effective Were COVID-19 Lockdown Policies? Mobility Changes After Reopening Industries in Four States”

Faculty Mentor: Zeynep Yom, PhD, Assistant Professor

Learn about Jacqueline’s research in her own words:

Tell me about your Falvey Scholar Award-winning research project.

I am studying how effective state’s policies were at reducing mobility during the COVID-19 pandemic. I am using the number of locations open to represent states’ policies in eight industries and focus on these industries in four states: New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Maryland. We track people’s mobility through their smartphones, using data from a company called SafeGraph that tracks people’s mobility and groups them by zip code.

How did Falvey Memorial Library support your research?

I could not have completed this research project without Falvey’s databases. They allowed me to filter my subject, which led me to economics journals that I had not heard of before. Falvey also gave me access to a variety of databases and articles that enriched my paper.  I also found Falvey’s How-To guides helpful to me as I completed my research project, especially the citation guide.

It was reassuring to know that there were librarians available at my disposal in case I ever had trouble finding or accessing documents or needed any questions answered about the materials I was collecting.

What impact did this project have on you?

The exciting thing about COVID-19, from a research perspective, is that it is so new, so there are so many different things to research, especially as more data becomes available in the coming months and years. I anticipate researching more about the public sector and public policy in my new role after graduation.

Tell me more about this new position and what’s next for you.

After graduation, I am moving to New York City to work as a Public Sector Consultant for Crowe LLC, a public accounting, consulting, and technology firm with offices around the world. Consultants spend a lot of time researching, so I think that this experience will translate well. In a few years, I plan to go to graduate school.

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

Falvey Memorial Library and the Center for Research and Fellowships are proud to present the first-ever virtual Falvey Scholars Award booklet. The virtual booklet offers the opportunity to learn more about the outstanding work of the 2020 Falvey Scholars: Lauren Garofalo, Gabriella Bliss Giordano, Timothy Andrew Long, Josephine Papotto, Madison A. Puleo, Samantha Sandler, and Brett Schratz.

These award-winning senior students were nominated by their faculty mentors for their work in completing remarkable undergraduate capstone/senior-level research projects. They submitted applications and were selected from a pool of candidates by a committee consisting of representatives from Falvey Memorial Library and the Center for Research and Fellowships.

Typically, award winners are recognized at an in-person awards presentation and reception ceremony where they are asked to present a brief overview of their winning projects in which they emphasize the use of Falvey resources in the overall research process. Unfortunately, this year an in-person ceremony was not possible due to the impact of COVID-19, including the physical campus closure, so we decided to honor the scholars in this new way.

View the virtual Falvey Scholars Awards booklet here.

The virtual booklet will be permanently housed in the Digital Library, along with Falvey Scholars’ final project papers, which will soon be available here. As you will see, the pages to the virtual booklet contain links to the Falvey Scholars’ presentation videos, information about the scholars and their respective faculty mentors, details about the origins of the Falvey Scholars program, and much more.

In addition to the virtual booklet, the 2020 Falvey Scholars were highlighted on the Library blog, where brief digital presentations by each scholar were featured during the week leading up to commencement. Winners will be featured on the Falvey website and in an upcoming edition of the Library’s newsletter Mosaic.

Congratulations again to the 2020 Falvey Scholars!

Regina Duffy is Communication and Marketing Program Manager at Falvey Memorial Library.

Lauren Garofalo

Samantha Sandler

Falvey Memorial Library is honored to announce the 2020 Falvey Scholar award winners. Celebrating Villnaova’s Senior Week, we will be showcasing the research of seven seniors each day this week (May 11-16). An annual program, sponsored by Falvey Library and the Center for Research and Fellowships, the Falvey Scholars program recognizes outstanding undergraduate research at Villanova University. The winners of the Falvey Scholar award are selected from a pool of candidates generated by applications submitted by a senior Villanova University student or a group of students working on a senior project together with the recommendation of the advisor to the senior thesis or capstone project completed for academic credit.

While we are saddened to have canceled this year’s in-person awards ceremony, the health and safety of the community in response to the global outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) is paramount. As we cannot gather on campus, the 2020 Falvey Scholars have generously prepared short video presentations on their scholarship. Learn more about Falvey Scholar award winners, Lauren Garofalo and Samantha Sandler, in the clip below, and stay tuned for an in-depth profile on Garofalo and Sandler in the coming weeks.

Falvey Scholars: Lauren Garofalo and Samantha Sandler

Project Title: “Evaluation of a Snake Jaw Robot to Teach Integrated Biology, Mathematics, and Engineering”

Mentor: Dr. Deeksha Seth

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Memorial Library. Regina Duffy is Communication and Marketing Program Manager at Falvey Memorial Library.

Falvey Memorial Library is honored to announce the 2020 Falvey Scholar award winners. Celebrating Villanova’s Senior Week, we will be showcasing the research of seven seniors each day this week (May 11-16). An annual program, sponsored by the Library and the Center for Research and Fellowships, the Falvey Scholars program recognizes outstanding undergraduate research at Villanova University. The winners of the Falvey Scholar award are selected from a pool of candidates generated by applications submitted by a senior Villanova University student or a group of students working on a senior project together with the recommendation of the advisor to the senior thesis or capstone project completed for academic credit.

While we are saddened to have canceled this year’s in-person awards ceremony, the health and safety of the community in response to the global outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) is paramount. As we cannot gather on campus, the 2020 Falvey Scholars have generously prepared short video presentations on their scholarship. Learn more about Falvey Scholar award winner, Brett Schratz, in the clip below, and stay tuned for an in-depth profile on Schratz in the coming weeks.

Falvey Scholar: Brett Schratz

Project Title: “Rawls on “The Hard Question” for LGBTQ Rights: Are Religious Exemptions Just?”

Mentor: Professor Sally Scholz, PhD

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Memorial Library. Regina Duffy is Communication and Marketing Program Manager at Falvey Memorial Library.

Falvey Memorial Library is honored to announce the 2020 Falvey Scholar award winners. Celebrating Villanova’s Senior Week, we will be showcasing the research of seven seniors each day this week (May 11-16). An annual program, sponsored by the Library and the Center for Research and Fellowships, the Falvey Scholars program recognizes outstanding undergraduate research at Villanova University. The winners of the Falvey Scholar award are selected from a pool of candidates generated by applications submitted by a senior Villanova University student or a group of students working on a senior project together with the recommendation of the advisor to the senior thesis or capstone project completed for academic credit.

While we are saddened to have canceled this year’s in-person awards ceremony, the health and safety of the community in response to the global outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) is paramount. As we cannot gather on campus, the 2020 Falvey Scholars have generously prepared short video presentations on their scholarship. Learn more about Falvey Scholar award winner, Josephine Papotto, in the clip below, and stay tuned for an in-depth profile on Papotto in the coming weeks.

Falvey Scholar: Josephine Papotto

Project Title: “Temporal Variability and Spatial Controls on Sediment Chemistry in Three Puerto Rico Watersheds”

Mentor: Associate Professor Steven Goldsmith, PhD

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Memorial Library. Regina Duffy is Communication and Marketing Program Manager at Falvey Memorial Library.