By Zach Pajak
Through the annual Culture of Writing Awards, WIC and participating departments and schools foster a commitment to excellence in undergraduate student writing and recognize the value of writing across the disciplines. Participation in the Culture of Writing Awards has thrived since 2006 as students earn recognition and cash awards through either individual or team writing projects. This year, participation continues to be strong with early results showing 31 awardees. WIC would like to thank all participating departments for their continued desire to recognize and reward outstanding student writing. Congratulations to this year’s award winners!
| Student Name / Graduating Date | Title of Winning Paper | Department | Nominating Professor | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Madeline Benoit | A comparison of penetrating captive bolt and halal slaughter at point of slaughter in cattle – is slaughter by captive bolt more humane than halal style slaughter? | Animal & Rangeland Sciences | Claudia Ingham |
| 2 | Irene P. Cooper | The Life of the Company: Chekhov’s Borkin as Deconstructed Fool | OSU Cascades/English | Ellen Santasiero |
| 3 | Amy Harris | It’s A Man’s World | OSU Cascades/Political Science | James C. Foster |
| 4 | Amber Fulkerson | Mt. St. Helens Sediment Management System | Civil and Construction Engineering | Franklin E. Sherkow |
| 5 | Megan Hamblen | |||
| 6 | Holden Rennaker | |||
| 7 | Brett Voyles | |||
| 8 | Samuel Son Yoo | |||
| 9 | Jordan Massie | The salmon adipose fin: new evidence of a neural network implies functionality | Department of Fisheries and Wildlife | Brian Sidlauskas |
| 10 | Anthony C. Amsberry | Ion Exchange Project | School of Chemical, Biological, and Environmental Engineering | Philip Harding |
| 11 | Garrett D. Cogburn | |||
| 12 | Emily C. Flock | |||
| 13 | Victoria Price | Looking at Commoditization of Legal Services since the 1980s through U.S.-Japanese Agreements: The Position, Regulation, and Possible Effects of U.S. and Japanese Lawyers Abroad | Department of History, Honors College | Christopher McKnight Nichols |
| 14 | Julie Van Blokland | Methods 1: Research Design | Sociology Department | Mark Edwards |
| 15 | Allison Mermelstein | Emblems of Paternity: Symbolic Objects in Star Wars and Sir Degare | School of Writing, Literature, and Film | Tara Williams |
| 16 | Amy R. Schermerhorn | Pseudomonas species isolated from unpasteurized goat milk identified by polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequence analysis of bacterial ribosomal RNA genes | Microbiology Department | Walt Ream |
| 17 | Thomas A. Pitts | Euclidean Tessellations and Regular Polygons in the Taxicab Plane | Department of Mathematics | Tevian Dray |
| 18 | Alejandra Marquez Loza | Influences of an Anti-inflammatory Drug, Ibuprofen, on Spatial Memory and NMDA Receptor Subunit Expression During Aging | BioResource Research | Katharine G. Field |
| 19 | Jordan Gerding | Process Improvement Study for Brick-Laying | Construction Engineering | David Rogge |
| 20 | Tanida Chongvilaiwan | Oregon Freeze Dry Value Stream Mapping and Product Costing (project sponsored by Oregon Freeze Dray) | Industrial Engineering | Javier Calvo, John Parmigiani, & Tracy Ann Robinson |
| 21 | Megan K. King | |||
| 22 | Alexandria Lee Moseley | |||
| 23 | Benedikt Bochtler | Sand Mold Clamping: Final Report (project sponsored by ESCO Corporation) | Mechanical Engineering | Javier Calvo, John Parmigiani, & Tracy Ann Robinson |
| 24 | John Teeter | |||
| 25 | Robert Lee Helmer Thompson | |||
| 26 | Bryan Robert Cooper | Casting Filter Testing Apparatus: Final Report (project sponsored by PCC Structurals) | Mechanical Engineering | Javier Calvo, John Parmigiani, & Tracy Ann Robinson |
| 27 | Lucas Murphy Teeter | |||
| 28 | Bettina Ruth Zimmer | |||
| 29 | Emily Cade | Intake of grape-derived polyphenols reduces C26 tumor growth by inhibiting angiogenesis and inducing apoptosis – an analysis | Biochemistry and Biophysics | Indira Rajagopal |
| 30 | Courtney L. Darr | Investigating the Relationship between Affectionate Communication, Positive Emotions, and Prosocial Behavior | School of Psychological Science | Sarina Saturn |
| 31 | Sona H. Hodaie | “If you are holding this letter,” | University Honors College | Marisa Chappell |
Wisdom from Award Winners
“Minimize your ink-to-information ratio. Simply say what needs to be said.” —Anthony Amsberry, Bioengineering
“The key to quality composition starts with choosing a topic that genuinely interests you. It will stimulate thoughtful writing and result in a more coherent finished product. I suggest beginning with a solid outline based on thorough research of the primary literature relative to your field and using it as a foundation for draft construction. Starting well in advance of your deadline will leave time for multiple draft revisions, and using peer-review to gain feedback can be very helpful. By setting goals, and sticking to them, the writing process can be less painful and far more fulfilling.” —Jordan Massie, Fisheries & Wildlife
“Nothing will come of a paper you are not passionate about. You will not research as efficiently nor write as effectively. People can read your excitement and enthusiasm--it reaches a deeper emotional level. If you don't find something to love in your paper, it might be good—well written and accurate—but it will never be as fully engaging and it will never be great.” —Allison Mermelstein, School of Writing, Literature, & Film
“Exploring contentious issues is often the best fodder for writing a research paper. Be prepared to delve deep into the research to give yourself a comprehensive and complete picture of the topic before reaching any conclusions.”—Madeline Benoit, Animal & Rangeland Sciences