UCSB Library is pleased to announce the recipients of the seventh annual Library Award for Undergraduate Research (LAUR). The six awardees demonstrated deep engagement with the Library’s collections, resources, and services while producing a scholarly or creative work. First-place winners will receive an award of $750 and second-place winners $500. The recipients will be recognized at a public awards ceremony and reception on May 29, 4 PM.
To be eligible for the award, students had to submit not only a final research or creative project, but also a bibliography showing the range and depth of their research materials and a reflective essay describing their research process. The submissions were reviewed by a panel of judges made up of UCSB librarians and faculty from across disciplines. The judges looked for how the students described their search strategies, evaluated sources, persevered through research obstacles, and demonstrated growth in their knowledge about Library resources, collections, and services. The Library received an impressive number of submissions this year, especially in the Humanities & Fine Arts category. In the Social Sciences category, judges awarded two first places because the quality of the winners' research and their use of library materials was equally outstanding. The quality and quantity of submissions this year demonstrates that LAUR has become a highly desired recognition for UCSB undergraduate researchers.
The 2025 Library Award for Undergraduate Research was made possible with generous support from Dr. Jenny Cook-Gumperz, faculty emerita.
Winners of the 2025 Library Award for Undergraduate Research
Humanities & Fine Arts
1st Place – Cece Chao
Senior | Major: History
I Look in People’s Windows: Exploring Women’s Experiences in Victorian Consumer Culture
2nd Place – Blake Allen
Junior | Major: Art
Beauty from Within: Mickalene Thomas’ Self-Love of Black Femininity
Social Sciences
1st Place – Isabel Chang
Senior | Major: Environmental Studies
"And Then I Got Angry": Why Black Feminist Thought is Critical to Movements for Environmental Justice
1st Place – Joseph Ekpo
Senior | Major: Psychological and Brain Sciences and Political Science
Evaluating Racial Match and Concordance in ASD Interventions: Preliminary Findings from a Multidisciplinary Scoping Review
Science & Engineering
1st Place – Schuyler Capita
Senior | Major: Environmental Studies
Charting The Winds of Fate - Exploring the Role of Wind Stress as a Driver of Coastal Sage Scrub Plant Community Assemblage
2nd Place – Jasmine Ispasoiu
Sophomore | Major: Biopsychology
The Effects of Discussing Race on Racial Bias and Health Attitudes
