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2024 Burgess winner mixes humor and research
Christina Westbrook, one of this year’s winners of the Burgess Award, used humor when addressing the subject of bras in her essay “Beneath the Fabric: An Ethnog
2024 Burgess winner uses rhythm to research
A woman vigorously holding Venezuelan flag at protest against Nicolas Maduro
This representative photo is licensed through Adobe Stock Photo by Myriam B and is used to respect the rights of photographers.
For sophomore Eva Hernandez, a chemistry major, academic research fortified connections in her personal history. She confides, “During the times of protest that I talk about in my essay, I was still a young kid. It was shocking and surprising to dive into a topic of which I have vivid memories but not much of an explanation or reasoning behind things that were happening around me.”
Along with Christina Westbrook, Eva is a winner of the 2024 Sam Burgess Undergraduate Research Award. The IU Libraries award is a recognition of outstanding research skill at the undergraduate level. A committee of librarians evaluates applicants' use of library resources. In addition to submitting their research, students write an essay explaining how they utilized IU Libraries' databases and sources. Applicants must exhibit an astute ability to synthesize their evaluated information. Funds for the Burgess Award are generously donated by retired IU librarian Jo Burgess.
Venezuelan music as protest
When Eva was a freshman, she took professor David McDonald’s Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Research Experience (ASURE) course, “Soundtrack to Revolution.” Eva’s research, entitled “Harmony and Discord: The Political Symphony of Venezuela’s Musical Landscape,” addresses protests and political movements in Venezuela using music to express struggle and sway public opinion. In her introduction, Eva explains, “From traditional Venezuelan genres like Gaita, to modern sounds like rock, many different types of music have become part of the soundtrack of Venezuela's political crisis. Songs and hymns are used by both sides of the spectrum as a means of recruitment and activism.”
About the research, Eva says, “I learned a lot and was able to piece things together that allow me to be more informed and study my own country’s history, which is not something I had previously done being a young immigrant.” Born in Venezuela, Eva recently immigrated from Panama with her family. In her Burgess Award application, she stated, “My journey reflects the resilience inherent in immigrant experiences and serves as a commitment to fostering environments that celebrate the richness of diversity.”
Her nominating faculty, professor David McDonald, noted Eva's extraordinary participation in and out of the classroom. In his letter of recommendation, McDonald wrote, “Her many questions demonstrated that she arrived in class each morning fully prepared, having done the readings, taken copious notes, and critically formulated appropriate questions for class discussion. All of these qualities are uncommon for first-year IU students without a background or interest in folklore and ethnomusicology.”
ASURE, which is a two-course sequence taken as a freshman, promises to “take you places you’ve never been.” The “Soundtrack to Revolution” course was a prerequisite for a chemistry course, and the music class was designed to prepare students for intensive research and critical thinking. Deciding to study protest music in her birth country, Eva said, “It was very emotional for me to relive the history of the most turbulent protest times in Venezuela, especially the 2014 protests, since that was the year my family left the country.”
Research methods
Due to censorship from the Venezuelan government, researching the musical landscape was not easy for Eva. “I had a lot of help from my family and my partner who talked to me about the most popular songs during times of protest.” Once she was given the names of artists or musical movements, she then turned to IUCAT, which is IU Libraries catalog, and the Libraries' databases. “I definitely used a lot of small newspapers and online news sites to dig up the history of the actual atmosphere around the protests, since there is also the barrier of censorship by the Venezuelan government, which left many gaps in my research that I attempted to fill with memories and testimonies,” she said.
Eva described the beginning of her information literacy quest in her methods essay. “The nuanced landscape of protest music in Venezuela demanded a clear understanding of the historical, cultural, and sociopolitical factors shaping its evolution. This initial phase involved refining my research questions, identifying key themes, and establishing a chronological framework to guide my investigation.” She found primary sources and government documents to learn about Venezuela. She notes, “The success of any research endeavor hinges on the ability to craft precise and effective search queries.” After reading and evaluating the information she gleaned, Eva synthesized the material into her essay.
“Use IU resources,” Eva recommends. If you need help, she says, “Ask librarians, that’s what they are here for.” She also discovered the IU Libraries webpage, which contains “a lot of tips and sites to use.” As with many Burgess Award winners before her, she also recommends talking to your professors. Eva interviewed faculty familiar with her topic as well. She points to a campus is full of faculty, staff, and librarians willing to guide you.
You can find Eva’s work and other Burgess winners’ research on IU Scholar Works. Another great source for undergraduate research is the Indiana University Journal of Undergraduate Research.