Brianna Kilker '24 and Kathleen Morton ’20, DNP’24, were each awarded $1,000 and recognized as the 2024 Library Research Prize Winners during a reception at the library on April 30.

The committee also presented two honorable mentions and $250 each to graduate student Bliss Kern '24 and undergraduate student Karla Castro '24.

The Library Research Prize recognizes exemplary scholarship through effective research strategies and demonstrated use of the DiMenna-Nyselius Library’s resources, services, and staff expertise. The award winners demonstrated sophistication, originality, and significant personal learning in utilizing library collections and services to conduct research projects with the potential for original contributions to their respective fields.

At the awards ceremony, undergraduate awardee Brianna Kilker '24 and graduate awardee Kathleen Morton ’20, DNP’24 spoke about their projects and their research process.

Kilker’s research was titled “The Relationship Between Natural Disaster and Gender Inequality: The Case of Haiti" (INTL 4999: Senior Capstone Seminar, Dr. Janie Leatherman). She employed various databases from the library's International Studies research guide to find sources, and used many library resources and services to research the impact of Haiti's 2010 earthquake on women, and more broadly, on inequality in Haiti.

Morton's investigation focused on the practical application of healthcare protocols, specifically targeting sleep quality in adults with insufficient rest. Her research was titled “The Effect of the Healthy Sleep Protocol on Sleep Quality in Adults With Inadequate Sleep Duration” (NURS 7687: DNP Immersion, Dr. Diana Mager). She used all of the library’s health databases to do a comprehensive review of studies related to sleep quality and protocols, and collaborated with librarians.

"This [research] journey has instilled within me a profound appreciation for the iterative nature of research and the critical importance of methodological rigor," Morton said.