Wegrzyn awarded SMART Scholarship

 Emily Wegrzyn
Emily Wegrzyn

PhD student Emily Wegrzyn has been selected for the prestigious Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship-for-Service Program, which is funded by the Department of Defense. The primary aim of this program is to increase the number of civilian engineers and scientists in the U.S. 

Wegrzyn holds a BA in history and MA in intelligence studies from American Military University and MLS from Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis. Her interest in librarianship started when she returned to college after serving in Iraq with the Army National Guard. While studying to become an X-ray technologist, Wegrzyn worked full time as a library assistant at the College of Coastal Georgia.

Wegrzyn's supervisory librarian, Duressa Pujat, told her that what she really wanted was to be a librarian and that she was a "natural." These words rang true to Wegrzyn, who finished her bachelor's degree and pursued library school.

Before completing her master's degree in library science, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hired her on a conditional basis for a position in the DC/Virginia area. When there was a vacancy at the Construction Engineering Research Laboratory, Wegrzyn relocated to Champaign to be part of the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), the research and development arm of the Corps. 

"As fate would have it, I transferred into a location that is also home to the nation's number one graduate program in library and information studies. Fortuitous!"

With the SMART Scholarship, Wegrzyn can keep her position as an ERDC librarian while she upgrades/upskills to her goal of earning her PhD and pursuing her own research—focused on applying information literacy approaches to disrupt adversarial information operations. In the future, Wegrzyn would like to explore ways that gamification can strengthen one's information literacy, and the potential for artificial intelligence to help verify information, boosting individual cognitive security.

The scholarship supplements her salary, allowing her to work less than full time, while pursuing her PhD full time. 

"This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance, and I had to go for it," said Wegrzyn of the scholarship. "Thankfully, I was selected. In all honesty, I was fully prepared to go for round two, maybe even round three if needed. As a retention scholar in the SMART program, I can stay right where I am at ERDC and the Corps of Engineers, but after finishing my PhD, I will have more research, leadership, and vertical movement opportunities."

Updated on
Backto the news archive

Related News

Garnes receives Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement

Carolyn L. Garnes (MSLIS '72) has received the 2025 Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement from the American Library Association (ALA). The annual award, named in honor of award-winning children's book author Virginia Hamilton, is presented in odd years "to a practitioner for substantial contributions through active engagement with youth using award-winning African American literature for children and/or young adults, via implementation of reading and reading-related activities/programs."

Carolyn L. Garnes

Undergraduate Research Symposium features iSchool students and mentors

Several iSchool undergraduate students will participate in the 18th annual Undergraduate Research Symposium. During the event, visitors will learn about undergraduate research projects through oral and poster presentations, creative performances, and art exhibits. All are welcome to attend the symposium, which will be held on April 24 from 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. in the Illini Rooms and South Lounge of the Illini Union. Oral presentations will be held on the second floor of the Illini Union.

Wang wins grand prize at Research Live!

Informatics PhD student Olivia Wang won the Grand Prize at the 2025 Research Live! competition, which was held on April 8 in the Campus Instructional Facility Atrium. At the event, which is hosted by the Graduate College, thirteen finalists presented their graduate research in three minutes or less to a general audience. Wang received $500 as the Grand Prize winner.

Olivia Wang

iSchool at Illinois ranked number one

The iSchool at Illinois has retained its top spot in U.S. News & World Report's 2025 ranking of graduate schools offering a master's degree in library and information studies. The iSchool has held the number one ranking for nearly three decades.

iSchool Building