The awards recognize students who have written exemplary electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs). These ETDs demonstrate new dimensions of scholarship being explored by individuals who have made significant contributions to the worldwide ETD movement. Among those recognized this year is Jeffrey Cougler, who participated in the very first grad class offered by RIT Libraries' Publishing & Scholarship Support Services.

CATEGORY: Innovative Learning Through ETDs

Jeffrey Cougler; Master of Fine Arts, Computer Graphics Design, Rochester Institute of Technology
Jeffrey’s thesis project, titled “ASL Finger Challenge, is an online interactive, instructional application for improving finger spelling reception when using American Sign Language. The significance of his work and its applicability to finger spelling in other languages was recognized and rewarded with a Fulbright Scholarship to Italy. From January through July 2007, Jeffrey conducted research in Rome, Italy, where he created an additional finger spelling reception module using the Language of Italian Signs.

AWARD PRESENTATIONS will take place at the banquet dinner on June 12th at ETD 2009.
http://www.library.pitt.edu/etd2009/

NDLTD ETD Awards - 2009 Winners
http://www.ndltd.org/community/awards/ndltd-etd-awards-2009-winners

The Awards Program includes several categories of appreciation. The Innovative ETD Award recognizes student efforts to transform the genre of the print dissertation through the use of innovative software to create cutting edge ETDs. Use of renderings, photos, video and other multimedia objects that are included in the electronic document were considered as part of the innovation of the work. The Innovative Learning through ETDs Award recognizes a student whose professional life has been enhanced by the ETD process. Finally, the ETD Leadership Award recognizes members of the university community whose leadership and vision has helped raise awareness of the benefits of ETDs, and whose efforts have improved graduate education through the use of ETDs. The awards will be presented at the ETD 2009 Symposium, to be held this year at the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 10 – 13  June 2009. http://www.library.pitt.edu/etd2009/