Chemistry major Daniel Keith received the first place Undergraduate Research Award from Clemson Libraries. The award recognizes students who make use of library resources and services to produce outstanding research for scholarly or creative works.
Keith’s project was titled “Rapid Synthesis of Crystalline Cerium Polynuclear Molecular Clusters Using Acetonitrile,” and it looked at developing a method to rapidly synthesize crystals, without compromising crystal quality, that can be used by researchers to study how atoms interact with each other. This work can be useful in applications such as studying radioactive materials, which are difficult to synthesize, limited in supply, and dangerous to work with. His project started as part of a Creative Inquiry class led by Shanna Estes, assistant professor of chemistry.
In conducting his research, Keith used many library resources, such as the chemistry research guide, and consulted with subject librarians to help find sources for his literature review. He also worked with the Libraries’ Data Visualization Lab in creating the poster for his project and created buttons with images of his crystal structures in the Adobe Studio and Makerspace to use in presentations of his work.
“Through his research projects, Daniel has developed skills that will continue to grow as he advances his knowledge of inorganic chemistry,” wrote Estes in her letter supporting Keith’s nomination. “To develop these skills, Daniel has leveraged a variety of resources, ranging from scientific literature and procedural manuals provided by me, to the wide range of resources available from the Clemson Libraries … Daniel is a phenomenal student, and it is a true pleasure to watch him grow in science.”
The second-place winner was a team of architecture students who designed a community garden that could be placed in the courtyard outside the Gunnin Architecture Library to help address food insecurity among students on campus. Meg Davy, Keven Estrella and Gage McClatchey completed the project, which was titled “Cultivating Community While Reducing Food Insecurity for College Students in Clemson.” Their faculty sponsor was Andreea Mihalache, associate professor of architecture. The group used resources in the Gunnin Architecture Library, as well as peer-reviewed articles available through the Libraries’ databases, and consulted with Ann Holderfield, art and architecture librarian and director of the Gunnin Architecture Library.
Third place went to Honors College student Blythe Bacon, a health sciences major, and Zachary Skipper, a biological sciences major, for their project “Physical Activity Promotion for Older Adults with Hypertension in Rural Settings (PACERS).” This community engagement project was a feasibility study evaluating physical activity intervention programs for reducing high blood pressure among older adults who live in rural settings. They used Libraries resources in conducting their literature reviews for the project, and Bacon attended a workshop led by health sciences librarian Sally Smith to learn how to best search for sources. Their faculty sponsor was Stella Lartey, assistant professor of public health sciences.
This is the fourth year of the Libraries’ Undergraduate Research Award. The first-place winner received an award of $1,000, with $750 going to second place and $500 going to third place. The recipients’ research projects will be made available in Clemson Open, Clemson’s digital repository of research and scholarly works.
