Latest Winesett Awards winners celebrated

Before announcing to the public the winners of the 2026 Winesett Awards, let's take a moment to explain their meaning and the significant honor it is to receive one of the prestigious awards.

Each April, as the spring semester winds down, Radford University Libraries presents the Winesett Awards to students in recognition of the creative and original work those Highlanders have completed with the assistance and resources from McConnell Library and Radford University Carilion (RUC) Library in Roanoke, Virginia.

Prizes are awarded to students whose submissions illustrate exemplary use of resources through Radford University Libraries, as well as the development of information literacy skills. More than $5,000 in prize money is awarded each year through funds from the Winesett Endowment. Each winner received $750, and each finalist received $100.

The awards are named for Hazel Grove Winesett, who in 2002 endowed McConnell Library with a gift of $820,000.

The 2026 edition of the awards was presented at a ceremony on April 17, simultaneously held in McConnell Library's Ross Gallery and at the RUC Library. The two events were connected via Zoom.

"Winning this award goes a long way in knowing the university supports research projects that may be off the beaten path, encouraging us to pursue work that we're passionate about," said Madison Brousseau, a first-year student in Radford's Master of Arts in English program. "Being recognized for that work is an incredible feeling, and seeing the community's support and celebration for all of our dedication, both for students and the mentors, shows how close the university is in fostering a climate of warmth, growth and exploration."

Brousseau was a winner in the Graduate Student division.

Winning submissions for this year's contest, as well as those dating back to 2005, are available to read online.

This year's Winesett Award winners, research topics and faculty sponsors were:

Lower Division (freshmen and sophomores)

• Sarah Beth Brown - The Mother of All Decisions. Carli Wadas, School of Writing, Language and Literature.
• Ravenne Weddle - Vaping: From Treatment to Trending. Emily Keck, assistant professor in the School of Writing, Language and Literature.

Upper Division Winners (junior and senior)

• Maddie Rader - Characterization and Cu(II) Adsorption Performance of Biochars Derived from Pleurotus ostreatus Spent Mushroom Substrate as Affected by Pyrolysis Temperature and Acid Modification. Francis Webster, professor of chemistry.
• Drew Hammock - Dr. David W. Peters and the Transformation of Women's Higher Education. Brock Cutler, professor of history.

Graduate Division Winners

• Madison Brousseau - Translated French Fiction's Mitigation of American Industrial Anxieties. Sean Keck, associate professor in the School of Writing, Language and Literature.
• Kira Ayers - Sword, Sorcery, and Midnight Mists: Cover Art and Science Fantasy Literature as Unified Narrative Body. David Beach, professor in the School of Writing, Language and Literature.

Finalists and their sponsors were:

Upper Division

• Reagan Adams - Bernardo Provenzano and the Provenzano Code. Neil Sigmon, professor of mathematics and statistics.
• River Rupert - The Discovery and Possible Synthesis of Prebiotic Molecules and Chemical Environments from Asteroid and Meteorite Samples. Tim Fuhrer, professor of chemistry.

Grad Division

• Megan Williams - Beyond the Empathy Machine: Virtual Reality and Design Thinking in Interior Design Education. Joan Dickinson, professor and chair of the Department of Interior Design.
• Nina Aidam - Communication Beyond the Norm: Autism as Knowledge in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Jamie McDaniel, professor in the School of Writing, Language and Literature.
• Jeff Wolfe - Understanding Cross-Neurotype Communication: A Design Thinking Approach. Joan Dickinson.
• Amanda Lemen - The Potential of Community Level Occupational Therapy. Jason Browning, assistant professor of occupational therapy.
• Alexis Horton - The Impact of Spaced Retrieval on Affect, Engagement, and Heart Rate Variability in Adults with Dementia. Michaela Clark, assistant professor of psychology.
• Hannah Hartline - Effectiveness of Instrument-Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (IASTM) on Range of Motion (ROM) in Upper Extremity Conditions. Sarah Smidl, professor of occupational therapy.

This year's library champion award went to Laura Link, program director for the Medical Laboratory Science Program and Department of Biology administrative director at RUC. This honor is given each year to a faculty member who is a strong library advocate, collaborating and supporting Radford Libraries via multiple aspects. As the newly recognized library champion, Link served as the event's keynote speaker.

For student winners, receiving a Winesett Award can be a tremendous confidence booster, and "a reminder that hard work pays off," said Sarah Beth Brown, a first-year nursing major from New Castle, Virginia.

"As a college freshman, I did not expect to win when I submitted my first-ever research paper to the Winesett Awards. For me, it was a shot in the dark, a why-not," Brown continued. "It was incredibly encouraging to see that my effort and hard work paid off with the Winesett Award, and I am beyond grateful for the opportunity I was given."

Winning an award has given Brousseau motivation to continue her research. "I am endlessly thankful for the library's support throughout the project," she said, "and their championing of research through the Winesett awards."