BUILD Research Competition
The purpose of the Helen M. and James E. Izatt BUILD Research Competition (Better Use of Information and Library Databases) is to encourage and support student research using library resources. The competition rewards students who show exceptional skill and creativity in the application of library resources to a research project. It is designed to complement the Information Literacy Program at the Holyoke Community College Library.
BUILD Library Research Competition Winners
2023
First Place - Dylan Cowart
Congratulations! Dylan Cowart was awarded first place in this year's Helen M. and James E. Izatt BUILD Research Competition. Dylan's research paper, entitled "Housed: Engaging Social and Economic Frameworks in Pursuit of a Future Without" explores the multidimensional issue of housing insecurity.
Dylan is a non-traditional student who graduated with an Associate's Degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences spring 2024. He plans to spend the rest of 2024 focusing on his work at Hungry Ghost Bread in Northampton, MA, and exploring entrepreneurial opportunities. He then intends to transfer to a four-year institution to pursue a Bachelor's Degree. He is forever grateful for the education he received during his time at HCC.
Second place - Mary-Alice Jester
Congratulations! Mary-Alice was awarded second place in this year's Helen M. and James E. Izatt BUILD Research Competition. Her research paper, entitled "From Innovation To Exploitation: A Critique Of Future Work In The 'Smart Factory,'" explores the evolution of labor rights and technology and their repercussions for the future. The paper addresses historical instances from past Industrial Revolutions to shed light on the future of manufacturing, and how proposed technologies threaten worker exploitation on the factory line.
Mary-Alice transferred from HCC to Smith College in spring 2024 as an Ada Comstock Scholar. At Smith, she's continuing her studies in Computer Science, with a minor in Economics. In line with her research for the BUILD competition, she plans to continue studying Labor Economics and the impact of automation on work. She expresses her sincerest thanks to professors Diane Beers, Mary Orisich, and Elizabeth Trobaugh for their encouragement and guidance with her research.
2022
First Place - Karlie Moriaty
Congratulations, Karlie! Karlie Moriaty is the first place winner of the 2022 Helen and James Izatt BUILD Research Competition. Her paper entitled ''The Spoon Theory '' was the final research paper for an ENG 101 course taught by Professor Jacqueline Dailey. "The Spoon Theory" covers the importance of communities for chronic sufferers, or "spoonies," - a self-proclaimed title coined from Christine Miserandio, a woman who fights SLE (systemic lupus erythematosus), for those with chronic illness. While the overexposure of negativity regarding a disease can paralyze one's motivation for improvement, the more promising attributes - such as a sense of belonging, easier communication to neurotypical and able-bodied people, and learning to accept one's identity - outweigh probable cons. The concept of spoonies holds promising hope as a way to bond, connect, and educate each other and the world about their disabilities and should not be represented solely by their superfluous community members.
Karlie is working towards an associate's degree in Environmental Science with plans to graduate in Spring of 2025. She is hoping to pursue a bachelor's degree at the Stockbridge School of Agriculture at UMass Amherst or the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) at Cornell University, where she will double major in Environmental Science / Sustainability and a branch of zoology. Overall, she is hoping to land in a career with a lot of field work and traveling.She is currently the president of the Sustainability Club at HCC, actively engaging in the community to reestablish sustainable practices on campus. She is one of eight students accepted into UMass Amherst's CAFE REEU internship for the summer of 2023 and is the recipient of many awards, such as the Adeline and Jacob Barowsky Scholarship, the Student Learning Student Award, and the Volunteer Event of the 2023 School Year Award."
Second place - Scarlett Granger
Congratulations, Scarlett! Scarlett Granger is the second place winner of the 2022 Helen and James Izatt BUILD Research Competition. Her research paper entitled Broken Barriers: Connection between Earth's Atmosphere and Our Skin was completed for an ENG 104 course taught by Dr. Elizabeth Trobaugh. The research paper focuses on the role of scientists in raising awareness about the impact of climate change on human health. It engages select passages from authors Eva Rawlings Parker, Robert Silverberg, and Suzanne Clancy, among others, to provide evidence to illustrate the ever-increasing threat of sun-related diseases in a climate-changed world. Additionally, it highlights how other effects of climate change may require extreme adaptations to safeguard one's health. Furthermore, the paper emphasizes the significance of increasing awareness about the hazards of sun-related diseases. As the climate changes and the sun's impact intensifies, individuals must take more precautions against its rays or at least be more conscious of their time spent outside to prevent any potential long-term effects or damage.
Scarlett Granger will graduate with an Associate's degree in Biology in Fall 2023. She plans to transfer to UMass Amherst to pursue a Bachelor's degree in Biology the following semester and has a long-term goal of becoming a Physician's Assistant.
2021 First Place Winners
Carolyn Sicbaldi
Congratulations, Carolyn! Carolyn is one of two first place winners in the 2021 Helen and James Izatt BUILD Research Competition. Carolyn's research paper entitled "No Puedes Andar Dando Quejas Al Patrón": The Neoliberal Attack On Im/migrant Farm Worker Women was the final research paper for HON 206: Pathologies of Power taught by Professors Raúl Gutiérrez and Vanessa Martínez. Carolyn's paper analyzes the critical intersectional impact of neoliberal policies enacted to target the U.S.-Mexico border, and how the outcome of these policies affects both the natural landscape of the desert as well as the migrants who attempt to cross it. Specifically, environmental data and timeline of executive orders and policies enacted are examined and compared, and the framework of neoliberal policies regarding imported and exported goods, immigration, migrant deterrence, land conservation, and natural resource management are outlined. In addition, the paper also focuses on the areas surrounding the border that are also subjected to hazards as a result of border conservation, such as industrial pollution and poor water quality. By juxtaposing the transitory nature of migrants crossing the Sonoran Desert with the stationary nature of individuals living or working near the border, the paper is intended to create the argument that the environmental impact of anti-immigration policies extends beyond the confines of the border itself.
Carolyn is a non-traditional student who will graduate this year with an Associate degree in Biology. She will pursue a Bachelor's degree Environmental Science & Policy at Smith College this fall. She was the Treasurer of HCC's Student Senate as well as the STEM Club. Carolyn volunteers at the Hitchcock Center for the Environment, located in Amherst.
Carolyn wishes to thank Professors Raúl Gutierrez and Vanessa Martínez for their ceaseless encouragement and motivation throughout the paper's process. She also wishes to thank her friends and family for always believing in her.
Alina Antropova
Congratulations, Alina! Alina is the other first place winner in the 2021 Helen and James Izatt BUILD Research Competition. Alina's paper entitled "Building Up the Bildungsroman: Exploring the Connections in the Magical, Diasporic, Caribbean, Female Coming-of-age Novel" was completed for Spanish 210 taught by Professor Raúl Gutiérrez. The paper argues that the magical, diasporic, Caribbean female bildungsroman is a revolutionary artform that is feminist and decolonial. The analysis is structured in four sections: (1) The Intersectionality Philosophy, the Decolonial Fight, and Third-World Feminism; (2) The Coming-of-Age Novel in the Caribbean; (3) The Diaspora Positionality; and (4) The Magic/Divinity/Spirituality Relationship With Decolonialism and Third-World Feminism. In each section, the paper establishes the theoretical underpinnings of the feminist and decolonial argument and then applies the findings to the novel, The Star Side of Bird Hill by Naomi Jackson.
Alina Antropova is an English major who loves reading and analyzing stories from around the world. After receiving her Associate's degree this June, she will transfer to the University of Massachusetts, Amherst to continue her Bachelor's of Arts degree in English.She hopes to add a double major in social thought and political economy to study the cultural and political systems that inform our society. In the future, she aspires to be an immigration attorney and give back to her community.
2020
First place - Miren Neyra Alcantara
Congratulations, Miren! Miren is the Helen M. and James E. Izatt BUILD Research Competition, 2020 first place winner.
Miren's research paper entitled "No Puedes Andar Dando Quejas Al Patrón: The Neoliberal Attack On Im/migrant Farm Worker Women" was completed for HON 206: Pathologies of Power taught by Professors Raúl Gutiérrez and Vanessa Martínez.
In the paper, Miren examines the daily hazardous working conditions that farm workers face to harvest the food distributed across the U.S. Miren focuses spefiically on im/migrant women who face not only the same labor discrimination as their male counterparts, but also gender discrimination and sexual harassment which places them at great risk. The paper examines that despite their essential role, im/migrant farm worker women in the U.S. food system under neoliberalism face a greater risk of such dangers as pesticide exposure, lack of access to health care, and social injustices such as gender and sexual harassment; however, the ability of such women to organize themselves through activism in such vehicles as labor unions and collectives offers one roadmap to a better future.
In addition to carrying a full course load every semester, Miren actively engages in both the campus and surrounding communities. She is the recipient of several awards/scholarships: Newman Civic Fellowship, Marion W. Copeland Honors Scholarship and HCC Scholarship. She was also a finalist in the Business West Young Women of Impact.
Second place - Felicia LaPointe
Congratulations, Felicia! Felicia is Helen M. and James E. Izatt BUILD Research Competition second place winner.
Her essay "Cells Gone Wild: Neoplasia in Reptiles" was the final project in BIO 107.95 taught by Professor J. Lerner.
The paper examines a part of biological science that until recently has been neglected in research: the frequency, cellular reasons, and treatment methods for neoplasms and cancer in reptiles. Her motivation for paper originated from her twenty-year relationship with her box turtle. She explains that, "Reptiles are often misunderstood, feared, or overlooked and underfunded in scientific research," and so her hope was to highlight and learn the biological similarities and differences between mammals and reptiles by discussing how both are affected by cancer. She gives credit to her professors (especially Professor Jeffrey Learner), and HCC staff (especially her advisor Irma Medina). She is grateful to family, friends, and the community for the knowledge and support that she received while attending HCC during this pandemic.
Felicia is currently enrolled at HCC and hopes to graduate with a degree in Liberal Arts. While she is certain that she will pursue a Bachelor's degree in either biology or animal science and behavioral research, she is yet to select her next school in her academic career.
2019
First place - Elizabeth Busker: "Women Veterans and Intimate Partner Violence"
Second place - Natalie Maslak: "Degradation over dignity: A critical examination of the maternal experiences within the carceral system"
2018
First place - Armanis Fuentes: "Network of Puerto Rican Power: Building Bilingual Education in Holyoke Schools, 1960-1990"
Second place - Brandi St. Romain: "Segregation as a social determinant of health: Environmental justice through Hurricane Katrina and the reconstruction of New Orleans"
2017-2018
Kinari Horton: "Miss(ed) Diagnosis: The experiences of women and girls with Autism Spectrum Disorder"
2016-2017
First place - Kiana Estime: "The Arc of Resistance: Tension Between the Mainstreamed "Illness Model" and the Homosexual Identity"
Second place - Elizabeth Delorme: "Stigma of Addiction: How mainstream society perpetuates the Opioid Epidemic"
2012-2013
Tristan Cullen: "Capitalism, Fear, and Worldview: The Motivation of the Climate Control Countermovement."
2011-2012
Shannon Messer: "Alternatives to Incarceration - Saving the American Family"
2010-2011
Kathryn Malone: "Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis: An Argument for Use in Cases with Medical Need."
2009-2010
Mark Humphrey: "Wal-Mart: How it Hurts Us and Why We Love it Anyway."
2008-2009 First Place
Judea Beatrice: "Sexism in the Bakkhai and in Modern Critiques."
2008-2009 Runner-Up
Adrienne Shelton: "The Evolution of Sweet Corn: In Pursuit of the Perfect Ear."
2007-2008
Nicole Reynolds: "White Pomp, Latino Circumstance: The March Toward Racial Inequity in Northampton's Future."
