Fourth Annual Research Paper Competition Winners Announcement

Research Paper Competition
OCC Faculty Librarian Beth Garnsey announces student Elizabeth Bock as the first place winner in the Outstanding Research Paper Competition during the Outstanding Student and Faculty Recognition Ceremony.

The OCC Libraries are proud to announce the winners of the fourth annual Outstanding Research Paper Competition. They received many great entries (42 to be exact), and according to the final round judges, the quality of the papers submitted this year was exceptionally high.

“We launched OCC’s Outstanding Research Paper Award Competition to promote research and scholarship and give students an incentive to do their best work when writing OCC course-required research papers,” said Beth Garnsey, library faculty at OCC’s Highland Lake Campus.  

The winners of the Outstanding Research Paper Competition are: 

1st Place ($250)  
“Searching for the Oak Grove: A Brief Exploration of the Incarnations of Druids from the Iron Age to Modern Day” by Elizabeth Bock. Instructor and Course: Tara Hendin, Composition II ENG 1520, Fall 2022 

2nd Place ($150) 
“Mushrooms for Medicine” by Therese Yarbrough. Instructor and Course: Theodore Bolak, Composition II ENG 1520, Fall 2022 

Honorable Mention ($50) 

-Auburn Hills - “Representation of the Deaf Community” by Della Hall. Instructor and Course: Cindy Mooty, Composition II ENG 1520, Fall 2022 

-Highland Lakes - “The Effects of Plastic Pollution in the Ocean” by Adriane Watson. Instructor and Course: James Anderson, Composition II ENG 1520, Fall 2022 

-Orchard Ridge - “Book Censorship in U.S. Public Schools” by Lauryn Thomas. Instructor and Course: Camille Ziolek, Composition I ENG 1510, Fall 2022 

-Royal Oak - “The North American Prison Systems Rehabilitation” by Caitlyn Stock. Instructor and Course: Kimberly Caswell, Composition II, Winter 2022 

Thanks to generous funding from theOCC Foundation, the OCC libraries will be holding the Outstanding Research Paper Competition again next year. Eligible papers for the fifth annual competition will have been written for an OCC course in the following semesters: Winter 2023, Summer 2023, and Fall 2023. Students taking a course that requires a research paper are asked to check the library website in the fall for details about next year’s competition. 

About OCC  

Oakland Community College offers nearly 100 degrees and certificates programs with the resources students need to be successful and advance our community. As a top transfer institution, OCC offers one of the state’s most affordable tuition rates and flexibility in scheduling with face-to-face and online options. The College is nationally recognized for its high-demand career training with expert faculty in their fields. More than 1 million students have enrolled in the College since it opened in 1965. Learn more at  oaklandcc.edu.     

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