Mary Ann Bolton Undergraduate Research Award
Rod Library annually awards Undergraduate Research Awards to recognize and celebrate the extraordinary research, scholarship and creative work of UNI’s undergraduate students thanks to a generous donation by Mary Ann Bolton (Class of 1970).
- Eligibility
- Award Amounts
- Important Dates
- Application Form, Evaluation Rubric, & Additional Information
The awards are given to students who demonstrate excellence in research using library resources conducted in support of an undergraduate paper or project carried out under the guidance of a UNI faculty member or approved mentor.
Three awards will be given:
-
First Place - $1,200
-
Two (2) Runners-up - $800
Eligibility
- Full-time, undergraduate students at UNI from any major at the time of project completion are eligible to participate. This includes students who graduated in 2022.
- Projects must have been completed for a UNI credit-bearing course OR for a faculty-mentored project, in any format or medium (e.g., print, video, painting, photograph, website, mobile application, 3D models, construction).
- Projects must have been completed no earlier than spring semester 2022.
- Projects must be original work and not previously published.
- Individual and group projects are eligible. Applications must come from individual students, and the essay must reflect the work of that student. However, the project may be individual or group / collaborative work.
- A completed application includes a personal essay, a final version of the research paper or creative work (except for honors theses), a faculty-completed form of support, and a copy of the assignment or project requirements. All four parts must be included for the project to be eligible for evaluation.
- If a student submits more than one project to be considered for an award, each project must be complete and distinct, and each requires a separate faculty-completed form of support. Each student will only be eligible to win one award during an award year.
- Eligible applicants from the past year are encouraged to apply again.
Submission Process and Guidelines
Applicants are required to complete and submit the following:
- An online application form, including a short abstract describing the project
- Upload the following through the application form:
- A personal essay of 800 to 1,200 words (not including citations). The essay can be used to inform the committee about the research process, research tools used, project, and/or other criteria spelled out in the rubric linked below.
- A final version of the research project/creative work including a complete bibliography of resources. (In the case of honors theses, a Complete Rough Draft may be submitted, but will be judged as a final product.) The award winner will be encouraged to have their essay and project made publicly accessible through UNI ScholarWorks.
- A copy of the assignment or project requirements.
Please note: All final projects and other application materials must be submitted electronically in order to be considered. The committee will solicit a faculty support form from the faculty member(s) you have listed in your application.
View the complete evaluation rubric.
Past Winners
2023 Winners
- Lydia Berns-Schweingruber, "An Analysis of the Relationship Between K-12 Public Education Spending and Student Academic Achievement in Iowa"
- Elizabeth Tulley, "Breaking the Marble Ceiling: The Construction of Athena in Greek Thought"
- Samantha Ehler, "Language Development and Poverty: Considerations and Applications for Speech-Language Pathologists"
2022 Winners
- Natalee Lyons, “A Descriptive Analysis of Intuitive Eating on the UNI Campus”
- Witt Harberts, “Made in China: Decline of Unions and Stagnant Wages in the U.S.”
- Sandra Thiman, “The Gender Bias Burden on Business: Women's Access to Credit in Bahrain”
2021 Winners
- Frances Elizabeth McDermott, “Understanding the Lived Experiences of Asian American Transracial Adoptees in College”
- Madison Motz, “Assessing the Implicit Curriculum in Social Work Education: An Examination of the University of Northern Iowa Students' Experiences”
- Shyanne Faith Sporrer, “The Moderating Role of Mindful Awareness in the Associations of Adverse Childhood Experiences and Coronavirus Exposure with Sleep Patterns”
To see more information about past award winners, visit the Mary Ann Bolton Undergraduate Research Award page in ScholarWorks.