Research Excellence

Charles E. Shanklin Award for Research Excellence

Deadline:

February 3, 2023

1st Prize: $1,250

2nd Prize: $750

The Charles E. Shanklin Award for Research Excellence (hereafter the Shanklin Award) was established by the Graduate Student Senate as a meritorious award to recognize excellence in original research by graduate students at Bowling Green State University. Mr. Charles E. Shanklin, a Bowling Green State University alumnus, generously contributed funds to Graduate Student Senate to further graduate research; thus, a special account for the Shanklin Award was established.

Eligibility

Any graduate student currently registered at BGSU and in good standing with the established requirements of the Graduate College is eligible to compete for the Shanklin Award. Additionally, programs who are censured or on probation according to the GSS constitution at the time of submission are not eligible for the award. If you are not sure if this applies to you, please contact your program senator. 

All forms of original research conducted at while a graduate student at BGSU (including portions of dissertation and thesis work) are eligible for consideration. Each eligible student may submit one written research report per academic year. For co-authored papers, all authors need to be Bowling Green State University graduate students in good standing. Failure to attend any of the competition events may result in disqualification from the competition.

The two finalists in each division will give a 15 minute presentation of their paper followed by a 3-5 minute question and answer period on Wednesday, April 5, 2023 from 3:00-5:00 pm in the Bowen-Thompson Student Union, Room 308. First place and runner-up positions will be determined on the basis of written research reports, oral presentations, and responses to questions. Finalists will be notified via email by the end of February. The judges’ final awards decision will be announced at the Charles E. Shanklin and Graduate Student Senate Awards Ceremony during the presentation of the Charles E. Shanklin Awards on the evening of April 5, 2023.

Evaluation Criteria

Composition of panel of judges:

The panel of judges will consist of senior members of the graduate faculty, and there will be faculty members from each of the discipline categories of Arts & Humanities, Sciences and Mathematics, and Social Sciences and Behavioral Sciences. The judges of each division will evaluate the written research papers within their respective divisions and choose two finalists.

The entire panel of judges will evaluate the finalists’ oral presentations to determine the first place and runner-up awards in each division.

The judges for the Spring 2023 Shanklin Award for Research Excellence are:

  • Dr. James Ciesla, Dean of the College of Health and Human Services
  • Dr. William Mathis, Dean of the College of Musical Arts
  • Dr. Jennifer Percival, Dean of the College of Business
  • Dr. Ellen Schendel, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences
  • Dr. Dawn Shinew, Dean of the College of Education and Human Development
  • Dr. Jennifer Waldron, Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate and Professional Programs

Evaluation Criteria for the preliminary competition:

The finalists in each division will be selected on the quality of their research as reflected in their papers with respect to:

  1. Demonstrated comprehension (understanding and explanation of problem and objectives of research)
  2. Thoroughness of research (literature review, analysis of data.)
  3. Content (organization, consistency, and quality of writing)
  4. Interdisciplinary (Written in a way that communicates to an audience from a variety of different disciplines)

In the initial stages of evaluation, the abstract will play an important role in the determination of potential finalists. The initial judging will be conducted by a variety of faculty members from around campus.

Evaluation Criteria for the Final Presentation:

In addition to the written report, finalists will be judged on the quality of the oral presentation of their research. Visual aids (PowerPoint presentations, slides, film, etc.) may be used. The presentation will be evaluated for:

  1. Clarity - Finalists should make their presentation understandable to an audience of all divisions.
  2. Merit - The oral presentation should demonstrate the same qualities exhibited in the paper.
  3. Professionalism – Punctuality and appropriate attire is mandatory for all finalists. Command of subject and agility in responding to questions is included in this category.
  4. Timing - Finalists must limit their oral presentation to 15-18 minutes followed by 3-5 minutes for questions.

Submission Instructions

There will be a 1st place award of $1,250.00 and a runner-up award of $750.00 in each of the following divisions. Click to expand for a list of subjects.

Art, English/ Creative Writing, German, Russian, East Asian Languages, Music, Philosophy, Romance and Classical Studies (French, Spanish), Theatre and Film, School of Cultural and Critical Studies

Accounting, Business Administration, Business Education, Classroom Technology, College Student Personnel, Communication Disorders, Counseling and Special Education, Criminal Justice, Cross Cultural and International Education, Curriculum & Teaching, Economics, Education, Educational Foundation, Leadership & Policy Studies, Finance, Food and Nutrition, Gerontology, Higher Education Administration, History, Human Movement, Sports & Leisure Studies, Information Systems, Learning Design, Management, Marketing, Nursing, School of Media & Communication, Organization Development, Physical Therapy, Public Administration/Political Science, Public Health, Psychology, Reading, Social Work, Sociology, Teaching and Learning

Analytics, Architecture and Environmental Design, Applied Geospatial Science, Applied Statistics & Operations Research, Aviation Studies, Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Computer Science, Construction Management, Engineering and Engineering Technologies, Geology, Mathematics and Statistics, Physics & Astronomy, Photochemical Sciences, School of Earth, Environment, and Society, Technology

All submissions are done through the GSS Canvas Page. If you do not have access to this Canvas shell, please contact gss@bgsu.edu prior to the deadline. 

Please prepare your paper in the following format:

First Page: Abstract

In many ways the abstract is the most important portion of the paper. It provides the judges with an overview of your work which may carry forward throughout the reading. A one page (maximum) abstract will follow the cover page. The abstract must be on a separate page. The abstract should be a succinct and clear synopsis of the work that states the problem, specific objectives, methods and procedures, results and conclusions of the research. Abstracts should be between 250-500 words. Only Word Documents will be accepted.

Second Page: begin the body of your paper. 

The paper may be a max of 30 pages. The abstract, footnotes and endnotes are included within the 30 pages, but the cover page, references, figures, tables, and appendices are not. Only Word Documents will be accepted.

The paper should be formatted with 1” top, bottom, right, and left margins and all pages must be numbered (in the top, right-hand corner). The font should be Times New Roman and 12 point in size.

Submit these documents by Friday February 3, 2023 at 11:59pm via electronic submission through the application on the GSS Canvas page under “Modules”. Please note that papers, which are submitted through the Shanklin awards process, are automatically eligible for non-juried presentation at the Charles E. Shanklin Colloquium on April 5, 2023. More information will be available in the Spring. 

Questions

Please contact Nick Malendowski, GSS Vice President, at gss@bgsu.edu with any questions. Email submissions of papers will not be accepted. 

Updated: 01/14/2023 03:17PM