Congratulations to Our Research and Writing Award Winners!

We are pleased to announce the winners of our 2024-2025 library writing and research awards. Every year the Duke University Libraries offers these prizes recognizing the original research and writing of Duke students and encouraging the use of library resources. Congratulations to this year’s winners!

Lowell Aptman Prize

Recognizing excellence in undergraduate research using sources from the Libraries’ general collections.

Third- and Fourth-year winner: Seth Kessler for “Great Trading Path and the Piedmont Environment,” completed as part of Dr. Robert Buerglener’s Information Science + Studies seminar and building on work he did in Dr. Hannah Conway’s Environmental History seminar.

Honors Thesis Winner: Robert (Bo) Aldridge for “Crowdsourcing Empire: Compliance, Autonomy and Disobedience in the Canada Company’s Planned Towns during the Second Quarter of the Nineteenth Century,” supervised by Dr. Phil Stern, History.

Chester P. Middlesworth Award

Recognizing excellence of analysis, research, and writing in the use of primary sources and rare materials held by the Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

Best Course Paper: Alex Niang for “‘We Have No Set of Ethics’: Race and the USIA in the Eisenhower Era,” nominated by Dr. Nancy MacLean

Best Undergraduate Honors Thesis: Megan O. Corey for “Custodians of the Color Line: Dallas Walton Newsom and the Black Janitors at Trinity College, 1850-1930,” nominated by Dr. Thavolia Glymph

Ole R. Holsti Prize

Recognizing excellence in undergraduate research using primary sources for political science or public policy.

Andrea Reyes Guillen for “Civil War Interventions: The Determining Conditions Behind Why States Differ in their Support Methods,” nominated Dr. Kyle Beardsley.

Hannah Auddino for “From Public Houses to For-Profit Facilities: The Creation, Regulation, and Privatization of the American Nursing Home,” nominated by Dr. Margaret Humphreys.

Rudolph William Rosati Creative Writing Award

Recognizing outstanding creative writing by first year students and sophomores.

Lillian Sturhahn for “Man on Fire”

Diego Yunchang Ge for “Letter from a Camp”

The William Styron Creative Writing Award

Recognizing outstanding creative writing by juniors and seniors.

Tonya Hu for “Corpus”

Sancia Milton for “Four White Horses”

Join Us at the Awards Reception!

We will be celebrating our winners and their achievements at a special awards reception coinciding with Duke Family Weekend . All are invited to join us for refreshments and the opportunity to honor the recipients.

Date: Friday, October 17
Time: 3:00 – 4:00 p.m
Location: The Edge Workshop Room (Bostock Library 127)