Category: Rutgers University–Camden

Paul Robeson Library celebrated the sixth annual Undergraduate Research Award on April 16 as part of the official campus SPARK! week (Showcase of Projects, Art, Research, and Knowledge). Five undergraduates were awarded cash prizes ranging from $250 to $1,000 for their exemplary research projects making use of a range of library resources, collections, and services. Friends, family, and the Rutgers University–Camden community were invited to the award ceremony to hear the winners discuss their research.

There were many firsts celebrated in this award cycle. This was the first time that:

• All awardees are women.
• There was a tie for first place.
• One first-place winner is a junior.
• A poster project won an award.
• The New Researcher (first-year undergraduate) awardee scored as highly as some of the upper-level student awardees.

This was also the second award cycle in which one of our previous awardees won for a second time. Emma Bogdan, 2026 runner-up, also won an honorable mention as a first-year student in 2023.

Each year, Samantha Kannegiser, student success librarian, and Zara Wilkinson, reference and instruction librarian, facilitate the yearlong Undergraduate Research Award cycle. This year’s evaluation committee included Oscar Holmes IV, professor and director of the Rutgers University Student Executive Program and a professor and researcher in human resources/organizational behavior, School of Business–Camden; Jennifer Oberle, associate teaching professor, Department of Biology; and John Powell, reference and instruction librarian, Robeson Library.

All winning projects will be added to the Paul Robeson Library Undergraduate Research Award digital collection.

Special Collections and Digital History Class Collaboration in Camden

Over the Spring Semester, Special Collections at Robeson Library hosted Jesse Bayker’s digital history class as part of their class project commemorating Rutgers University–Camden’s centennial. Robeson librarian Bart Everts met with Bayker during the fall semester to plan how students might interpret the history of Rutgers–Camden and the region through items in the collection. When the class began in January, Everts provided an orientation including a history of the campus, best practices for handling archival items, and access and publication guidelines and restrictions.

The students worked in groups, consulting with Everts to find items that best fit their area of focus, including Queer history, athletics, Black and Latinx activism, the Bancroft School, and campus publications. They then worked to digitize the items, create metadata, describe and interpret their selections, and ultimately host them on the course website with a finding aid. The class presented their project to history and library faculty at the end of the semester. Feedback from both students and faculty bodes well for further collaboration between Special Collections at Robeson Library and the Department of History. You can view the students’ work on the Digital Camden Archive.

In Fall 2025, under the leadership of Rutgers University–Camden’s executive vice chancellor for academic affairs and provost, Paul Robeson Library—along with the Office of University Online Education Services (UOES) and Rutgers–Camden IT—opened a Media Recording Studio on the second floor of the library (Room 290). This is the first recording studio of its kind at Rutgers–Camden.

Current faculty and staff with a valid Rutgers NetID can use the studio to create video content for teaching and learning. Whether for short lectures, course introductions, updates, or hosting live sessions with students, the studio offers a simple and professional-quality production experience. No prior video experience is required—just bring your content and press a button.

Individuals who need support can book a consultation with the Office of University Online Education Services (UOES). If no assistance is needed, the space can be reserved directly.

The Paul Robeson Library Undergraduate Research Award recognizes excellence in undergraduate research projects that make use of a range of library resources, collections, and services and show evidence of critical thinking, originality, and creativity. 

All winners have their papers added to our digital collection in RUCore and presented lightning talks at the award ceremony held on April 8 as part of Rutgers University–Camden’s reimagined Research Week, now known as SPARK! 

The award winners for 2025 were: 

First Place 

Shaan Mody, “Theta/Beta-Ratio Neurofeedback Training: A Better Long-Term Solution for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder” 

Second Place 

Cindy Do, “Chronic Stress Elevates the Risk of Parkinson’s Disease” 

Jordyn Smith, “The Natural Antimicrobial Effects of Honey, Yogurt, and Pickle Juice on Escherichia coli B, Escherichia coli K-12, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Pseudomonas fluorescens” 

New Researcher (limited to first-year students) 

Kruthy Takkala, “Islamophobia and Why it is Harmful” 

The evaluation committee included Ophelia Hostetter, associate professor of English; Samantha Kannegiser, student success librarian; John Powell, reference and instruction librarian; Shauna Shames, associate professor of political science; and Zara Wilkinson, reference and instruction librarian.