2010 Research Award Winner:   the book--   Schmidt, Randell K., Maureen M. Smyth, and Virginia K. Kowalski.  Lessons For a Scientific Literature Review: Guiding the Inquiry.  Westport, Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited, 2009 [sic]. 

The winners include two Upper School Librarians (Schmidt and Kowalski) at a small independent K-12 school in Gladstone, New Jersey (Gill St. Bernards School) and the School Library Media Specialist at South Hunterdon Regional High School in Lambertville, NJ, (Smyth).   The book is the product of ten years of research, observing, and teaching high school students to construct scientific literature reviews.  The book contains a series of 18 workshops that lead from problem definition through information gathering, writing and organization to the final literature review product.  The curriculum described in this book was highlighted in the November 2009 Exploratorium of the National Conference of the AASL as one of 25 best practices in high-school research.  

2010 Research Award Winner:                  

Randell Schmidt.  Gill St. Bernard’s School

Contact: RSchmidt@gsbschool.org                          

Randell K Schmidt is Head Librarian at Gill St. Bernard's Upper School in Gladstone, New Jersey where she created and has co-taught the science research curriculum for a decade.  As a teaching librarian, she had led workshops and professional development training in student scientific research and guided inquiry.  A graduate of Hanover College in Indiana, she holds a M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary and an MLS from Rutgers University.

2010 Research Award Winner:                  

Virginia Kowalski, Gill St. Bernard’s School

Contact: GKowalski@gsbschool.org                        

Virginia (Ginny) Kowalski is the Middle School Librarian and Upper School Reference Librarian at Gill St. Bernard's School in Gladstone, New Jersey.   She received both her B.A. and MLS from Rutgers University.  In addition to assisting the Head Librarian in teaching the science research curriculum for the Upper School, she guides the 7th and 8th graders in several research projects each year.  Ginny has also been active in workshops and professional development training which demonstrate the value of the guided-inquiry research process.

Maureen Smyth, , S.Hunterdon Regional H.S.

Contact: Maureen.smyth@shrhs.org                          Maureen M. Smyth is the School Library Media Specialist at South Hunterdon Regional High School in Lambertville. Prior to that, she has served as a librarian at Rutgers University, Princeton Public Library and Gill St. Bernard's School. Past professional experience includes 17 years in the archaeology and museums fields. A graduate of Rutgers University with a BA in Archeology and Anthropology, she holds an MA in Archeology from Boston University and an MLIS from Rutgers University.