ULRA winners announced

May 6, 2025

Two students earn Undergraduate Library Research Award 

Jacie Gray, upperclassman, and Jaden Waters, underclassman, are the 2025 winners of the Undergraduate Library Research Award. 

The award is open to undergraduate students who complete research at Oklahoma State University, whether for a formal research program, course credit or faculty-sponsored independent study.

This year, Gray won with her research titled, “Timeless Connections: Revitalizing the Past and Strengthening the Future in the Kameoka-Stillwater Sister City Relationship with Deeper Oral History Interviews,” and Waters won with his research titled, “ä´ha´gyä: Kiowa Identity and Membership through the Lens of Captivity.” 

Waters, who was inspired by his family to do research, spoke about the different forms research takes.

“While some of our history is in academic books, I felt obligated to record and share our history because so much of our story is held in our oral traditions,” Waters said.

The ability to perform research for accurate and relevant information is vital to academic success, professional potential, and effective civic participation. The winners spoke about how the ULRA will help them going forward.

“The Undergraduate Library Research Award has been incredibly helpful in easing both my tuition costs and the expenses related to my upcoming international move to Kameoka,” said Gray, who was offered a job at Kameoka City Hall to help oversee sister city relations. “I’m extremely grateful for this support, as it gives me more stability and peace of mind while preparing for the next chapter of my academic and professional journey.” 

Applications for the 2026 ULRA will open in spring 2026. For more information about the ULRA, visit bit.ly/ulraward. The research of past ULRA winners is archived in OSU’s institutional repository, Open Research Oklahoma, which is freely and publicly available at openresearch.okstate.edu/.

RELEASE CONTACT: Bonnie Cain-Wood, APR | OSU Library | 405-744-7331 | lib-pub@okstate.edu 
STORY BY: Maddie Rogers, OSU Library Communications Intern

URL: https://library-dep.okstate.edu/news/archived-news/spring-2025/ulra-winners-announced

Last Updated: 6 May 2025