Undergraduate Library Research Award winners announced

January 29, 2024

Kylie Hammack, an economics and political science major, and Gannon Kazi, a plant biology and pre-forensics major, are the 2024 winners of the Undergraduate Library Research Award. Each will receive $1,500, and their research will be deposited in Open Research Oklahoma, the university’s institutional repository.   

ULRA launched in 2014 and was designed to emphasize the importance of quality undergraduate research. Undergraduate students who complete research at Oklahoma State University, whether for a formal research program, course credit or faculty-sponsored independent study, are eligible to enter the competition. 

This year, Hammack won the upperclassman category with her research titled, “The Role of Economics in Political Unrest in Africa: Comparing Predictors from Relative Deprivation and Modernization Theory.” This research required Hammack to geocode and use statistical processing and geospatial information system software.

“If I could tell my past self one thing about the research process it would probably be: don't be afraid to try new things,” Hammack said. “I think complex tasks like working with Arc-GIS or other unfamiliar methods can be daunting, but if your research is leading you in that direction then it is important to take on the challenge. Doing so provides the most rewarding results both intellectually and personally.”

Kazi won the underclassman category with his research titled, “Who Is Angie Debo? The Inner Workings of a Monolith.” 

“Your opinion matters, even in an academic setting,” Kazi said. “If you have evidence, your point of view will have a much bigger impact than numbers and figures.”

Applications for the 2025 ULRA will open in spring 2025. For more information about ULRA, judging criteria, and past winners, visit https://bit.ly/ulraward. 

STORY BY: Maddie Rogers, Library Communications Intern

URL: https://library.okstate.edu/news/latest-news/undergraduate-library-research-award-winners-announced

Last Updated: 22 April 2024