The Library Awards and Recognition Committee is pleased to announce that MS/LIS students Leah DiCiesare and Jason Larsen have been selected as recipients of the 2021-2022 Outstanding Graduate Student Award. This award recognizes graduate student workers for exceptional accomplishments and service to the University Library.

Members of Associate Professor Dong Wang's research group, the Social Sensing Lab, will present their research at The ACM Web Conference 2022. The conference, which will be held virtually April 25-29, is the premier venue to present and discuss progress in research, development, standards, and applications of topics related to the Web.

BS/IS student Jared Canty is learning new skills through the Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program (URAP). Canty, a senior from the Chicago area who is also majoring in brain and cognitive sciences, applied to the program because he wanted to obtain more research experience before graduation. For his project, he is documenting bilingual (Spanish-English) speech from individuals residing within the Midwest.

BS/IS student Betty Guerrero shares her internship experience with Synchrony Financial.

Eight iSchool master's students were named 2021-2022 Spectrum Scholars by the American Library Association (ALA) Office for Diversity, Literacy, and Outreach Services. This "Spectrum Scholar Spotlight" series highlights the School's scholars. MS/LIS student Kaila Rain Thomas earned her BA degree in American history from the University of San Francisco, with a focus on African American history, culture, and politics.

Doctoral candidate Lo Lee successfully defended her dissertation, "Understanding Information Activities of Hobbyists in the Making of Arts and Crafts Across Space," on April 4.

According to MS/IM student Zheng Zhang, being the recipient of a scholarship from the iSchool gave him confidence that he was in the right field. Zhang holds a BS in electrical and computer engineering from New York Institute of Technology and a BS in communication engineering from Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications. It was during his undergraduate study that he was advised by a tutor to pursue a degree in information management because of his interests.

Doctoral candidate Dianah T. Kacunguzi successfully defended her dissertation, "Knowledge Preservation Practices of Herbalists in Uganda: An Ethnographic Study," on March 31

Bea Verin, a junior from the Philippines, is an iSchool ambassador who is passionate about the intersection of technology and business. Now pursuing a degree in information sciences, Verin appreciates that the iSchool has allowed her to tailor her education to her interests.

BS/IS student Sam Hwang is grateful to be the recipient of an iSchool scholarship. Hwang, a junior from Glenview, Illinois, decided to major in information sciences because of his interest in data science and data analytics. He is happy with his decision.