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In the photo above, from left, Kathleen Stein, Erin Miller '10, Joanna Fassett '10, Amelia Bell '10 and Cathy Crosby-Currie.

The Fourth Annual William O'Brien First-Year Research Prizes have been awarded to three students whose projects for the 2006-2007 academic year were judged to "best reflect the goals of the First-Year Seminars."

First prize of $250 went to Joanna Fassett, of Adams Center, NY, for her paper entitled, "Buddism: Holistic Medicine from a Holistic Philosophy"; her instructor was Professor of Anthropology Ali Pomponio, on sabbatical this year, having been awarded a Fulbright grant for study in Italy.

Erin Miller, East Aurora, NY, won second prize, $100, for her paper entitled, "The Evolution of the American Teenager in Film"; her instructor was Visiting Instructor in Fine Arts Kathleen Stein.

The $50 third prize went to Amelia Bell, of Portland, OR, for her paper entitled, "Cruel and Unusual Punishment: An Analysis of Corporal Punishment in Public Schools"; her instructor was Associate Professor of Psychology and Associate Dean of the First Year Cathy Crosby-Currie.

All three gave presentations of their work at Family Weekend.

The William O'Brien First-Year Research Prizes were created in honor of O'Brien, a member of the Class of 2006 who was killed in an accident the summer after his first year at St. Lawrence. His family and friends created a fund in his memory, specifically to benefit the First-Year Program and students participating in the program. The research prizes and the First-Year Cup are supported by the fund.

Each spring, the faculty and administrators of the First-Year Program select three students whose research in their First-Year Seminar best reflects the goals of the seminar. Those three students receive cash awards and present their research to the campus community upon their return to campus in the fall of their sophomore year. Students are nominated by their seminar advisors, and submissions are judged on their "creativity, originality, the quality of their written or oral presentation and, especially, their ability to meet the research goals of the First-Year Seminar," which are:

- To assess the research requirements of a particular assignment and to meet those requirements by using library collections, electronic databases and Web-based sources.
- To be able to choose amongst these sources to determine which are most appropriate for a particular assignment.
- To assess and represent the complexity of a particular line of inquiry and to enter responsibly into the conversation about the issues it raises.

More information: First-Year Program

Research Opportunities at St. Lawrence

Posted: October 4, 2007