With the Dean's Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Scholarship, UK Libraries awards two $1,000 prizes to undergraduates whose research projects make substantive and creative use of UK Libraries’ collections, services, and resources. We celebrate exceptional and original scholarship in two categories: traditional papers and digital methodologies.
View a list of recipients or past winning submissions to see where UK Libraries resources can take your scholarship, and learn more about recent winners below.
Zachary Owen’s paper, “Homeownership and Mortgage Loans: How Important is a Conventional Loan?” addresses urgent questions of mortgage lending, credit, and homeownership in the US. Working under the mentorship of Dr. Cory Curl, Lecturer and Director of Undergraduate Studies at the Martin School of Public Policy & Administration, Owen found that racial disparities in homeownership today are at the same level as in the 1960s, during the active practice of redlining. His paper proposes introducing new credit scoring metrics that could boost the credit scores of renters and help address racial inequities in access to mortgage loans. A senior Public Policy major, Owen will return to UK in the fall to begin his Master’s in Public Policy at the Martin School.
Megan Quish’s media project, “A House for Aging and Home for Community,” envisions a multigenerational living community in Lexington’s Davis Bottom. Through a series of collages combining historical images of the neighborhood with written syntheses of an extensive literature review, Quish imagines new ways of caring for isolated and socially marginalized aging populations. Her project engages closely with the rich history and culture of Davis Bottom, which was demolished during the Newtown Pike extension. Dr. Daniel Vivian, Associate Professor and Director of the Undergraduate Certificate in Historic Preservation, mentored Quish during the course of her project. A senior Architecture major, Quish will graduate in December 2024 and plans to pursue graduate school in a related field.
