W. Donald Bowles Award

Endowed by Professor Emeritus Bowles, papers submitted for this award should reflect his interest in wealth inequality, poverty, and other topics related to the consequences of economic disparities. Students may have explored these topics within a course in any subject area.

Eligibility: current undergraduate or graduate students in Spring 2025 semester

Award amounts*

• 1st Place Graduate $750
• 1st Place Undergraduate $750

*Funds may be taxable and may impact financial aid.

Best Writing Studies Paper Award

Given that all undergraduate students participate in the Writing Studies program during their first year at American University, this award seeks to highlight the best papers that blend the writing and research skills learned through the WRT 100, 101, and 106 courses.

Eligibility: papers submitted during a 2023 or 2024 Writing Studies course in Spring 2025 semester

Award amounts*

• 1st Place $750
• 2nd Place $500
• 3rd Place $250

*Funds may be taxable and may impact financial aid.

Best Undergraduate Paper Award

Interesting research and high-quality writing are found across disciplines at American University. All undergraduate students are invited to submit their best research paper, from any class, on any subject, to be considered for this award.

Eligibility: current undergraduate students in Spring 2025 semester

Award amounts*

• 1st Place $750
• 2nd Place $500
• 3rd Place $250

*Funds may be taxable and may impact financial aid.

Best Graduate Paper Award

Interesting research and high-quality writing are found across disciplines at American University. All graduate students are invited to submit their best research paper, from any class, on any subject, to be considered for this award. Papers must be no longer than 30 pages, double spaced, 12 point font.

Eligibility: current graduate students including all notes, bibliography or works cited, appendices, etc.

Award amount*

• 1st Place $750

*Funds may be taxable and may impact financial aid.

• Resource Usage:  Substantial use of library resources and collections in any format, including but not limited to printed resources, databases, primary resources, and materials in all media.
• Original Thought:  Ability to locate, select, evaluate, and synthesize library resources and to use them in the creation of a project that shows originality and/or has the potential to lead to original research in the future.
• Learning: Evidence of significant personal learning through the research process.
• Research Habits:  Development of a habit of research and inquiry that shows the likelihood of persisting in the future.
• Quality:  Mastery of content appropriate to class level, clear writing, and an overall high quality of presentation.
• W. Donald Bowles Award:  Undergraduate level papers demonstrate thoughtful approaches to the identification, description, and discussion of wealth inequality, poverty, and/or other topics related to the consequences of economic disparities, in addition to above criteria. Graduate-level papers demonstrate deep, original thought and research into wealth inequality, poverty, and/or other topics related to the consequences of economic disparities, in addition to above criteria. **Please note, this category is weighted more heavily than other evaluation criteria for the Bowles awards.
• Rubric: This document is the rubric that will be used to evaluate applications.

Submit your Application or Faculty Referral Letter

All applications for the 2025 award cycle are due by March 31, 2025.

Papers written by individual students from Spring 2024 – Spring 2025 are accepted for consideration. Students are able to submit up to one paper for each competition category. Only one award will be granted per individual no matter the number of categories entered.

Submissions are required to meet the following requirements:

All documents must be submitted as Microsoft Word or PDF files. Submissions are only accepted from individuals with individual work - no group work will be evaluated. Papers from study abroad courses taken for AU credit and supported by the faculty member who taught the course are eligible.

Students

To apply, students must submit the following by March 31 using the submission form:

1. Completed application with title of paper, title of course, semester the course was taken, name of professor, and email of professor. Upon submission, the professor will be notified of your submission.
2. A brief reflective essay of up to 500 words describing library research strategies, and the application of library tools, instruction, and resources in completion of the project. Some questions you may wish to address can include but are not limited to:
   • How did you determine your topic?
   • What was your library research process?
   • What role did library research play throughout the research process?
   • How did you build or evaluate your list of sources?
   • Did you consult with a librarian or use a library subject guide and how did they influence your process?
   • Which databases did you employ, and how they did help you in your library research process?
   • Did you include books, journal articles, and/or other types of sources, and why?
   • Did you use materials from other libraries and why?
   • Did library instruction on how to find, evaluate, and use resources inform your library research process, and if so, how?
3. A bibliography or other listing of sources consulted, if not already included in the paper.

Projects that are in formats other than papers are eligible if a significant research component is present.  For information about other project formats, please contact LibAward@american.edu.

Applicants must also solicit a referral from the faculty member who taught the course for which the paper or project was prepared. Applicants must request the referral, and the professor must use the submission form to submit the referral. Applicants will be notified referrals are submitted.

All winning research projects will be added to AU’s institutional repository. By submitting a project for review, applicants agree to having their project added to the institutional repository.

Faculty

Applications must be accompanied by a referral from the faculty member who taught the course for which the paper or project was prepared. Faculty must submit the referral through the submission form including the applicant’s name, email address, and semester the student was enrolled in the course. The applicant will be notified when the letter of recommendation is submitted.

Faculty will receive notification when an applicant submits an application listing them as the faculty member.

The following faculty members will be evaluating applications based on the criteria and rubric. The library wishes to thank all of the reviewers for their service!

W. Donald Bowles Award Committee Members

• Katie Hut, University Library (chair)
• Carol Ido, University Library
• Demonica Jones, CAS Health Studies
• Mahmud Yesuf, CAS Economics

Best Writing Studies Paper Award Committee Members

• Clarissa Ihssen, University Library (chair)
• Alayne Mundt, University Library
• Kelly Joyner, CAS Writing Studies
• Jocelyn McCarthy, CAS Writing Studies

Best Undergraduate Paper Award Committee Members

• Melissa Becher, University Library (chair)
• Stella Hudson, University Library
• Shaunda Vasudev, University Library
• Cindy Bair van Dam, Writing Studies
• Michael Clayton, Kogod Marketing

Best Graduate Paper Award Committee Members

• Sarah Gilchrist, University Library (chair)
• Jessica Breen, University Library
• Amaarah Decuir, SOE
• Scott Bass, SPA Public Administration and Policy

Best Bowles Undergraduate Research Award

Isabella Long

Decreasing Healthcare Disparities Among Undocumented Populations through Medicaid Expansion

Professor Celeste Davis

Best Writing Studies Research Award

1st Place: Luis-Bill Perez

The Fragmented World of the Owl Species: Case Study on the Northern Spotted Owl and the Barred Owl Removal Experiment

Professor Kate Wilson

2nd Place: Lila Barron

Thoughts and Prayers Are Not Enough: A Comprehensive Guide to Reducing Gun Violence in Michigan

Professor Angela Geosits

3rd Place: Eleanor Ragle

Partisan Power: The System Behind The Polarization Of Congress

Professor Kate Wilson

Best Undergraduate Research Award

1st Place: Chaitanya Venkateswaran

Moderates, Radicals and the Making of Indian Anti-Colonial Narratives in post-World War 1 United States

Professor Sarah Cleeland Knight

2nd Place: Katherine Greenstein

Intersecting Histories: A Critical Discourse Analysis of AP US History Textbook Coverage of the Black Panther Party and Disability Rights Movement

Professor Timothy Titus

3rd Place: Madyson Brown

The Instagram AI Algorithm as a Pathway to Radicalization

Professor Brian Hughes

Listen to the students present their research at the 2024 library research awards ceremony:

 

W. Donald Bowles Award

Undergraduate Winner

Tyler Godding

TANF [Temporary Assistance for Needy Families] Spending on Basic Assistance and State Poverty Rates

Professor Kimberley Cowell-Meyers

Graduate Winner

Amy Cross

Signaling Women's Entry into Male-Dominated Occupations: Evidence from the Gender Desegregation of the U.S. Army

Professor Mary Hansen

Best Writing Studies Paper Award

1st Place: Yvette Nau

A Systematic Reset: How TikTok is Changing the Path to Musical Fame

Professor Jeremy S. Wade

2nd Place: Natan Kimelman-Block

Chanting for Change: The Musical Origins of Revolutionary Change During the Arab Spring

Professor Glenn Moomau

3rd Place: Calista Schloessmann

No-Knock Warrants as Death Warrants: Threatening Constituent Lives

Professor Tod E. Jones

Best Undergraduate Paper Award

1st Place: Robby Jones

Conditioned Taste Avoidance and Conditioned Place Preference Induced by the Third Generation Synthetic Cathinone Eutylone in Female Sprague-Dawley Rats

Professor Anthony Riley

2nd Place: David Brostoff

Politics Among Realists: Morgenthau, Kissinger, and the Problem of Vietnam

Professor Gregory Aftandilian

3rd Place: Molly Loprete

Mixed Method Research Design: The Human Cost of Democratic Backsliding Using the Integration of Qualitative and Quantitative Data

Professor Horace Bartilow

Watch presentations from the 2023 award winners here:

 

• Rachel Boose, 2021 Writing Studies Award for “Looking to Civil Rights to Save the Planet.”
• Niamh Burns: 2021 Library Undergraduate Research Award for “Astrophysical Contributions to the Great Filter: A Shakespearian Tragedy.”
• Jonah Kaufman-Cohen: 2021 Library Undergraduate Research Award for, “They want not only to hand over the bricks but also to lay them in place themselves: Expectations and Experience of Women in the Labor Zionist Movement.”
• Owen McCoy: 2021 Library Undergraduate Research Award for “The Impact of Government Type on Global Digital Activism Targets: A Comparison of Digital Activism in Authoritarian and Democratic Regimes.”

Faculty sponsors, Professors Kate Haulman, CAS - History, William T. Parsons, CAS - Physics, Kimberly Cowell-Myers, SPA and Kate Wilson, CAS - Literature.