Nonfiction Paper Awards - The Gold Star Journal

The Gold Star Journal Excellence Award was established by:

Dr. and Mrs. James F. Boyd, Class of 1971, in Fall 2019.
This award provides funds towards the Student Awards listed below.

The Boyd Family Distinction Award

2024: Catherine Rodriguez, Class of 2024, “Psilocybin and PTSD.”
2023: Victoria Snook, Class of 2025, “Graphene Technology in the Space Industry.”
2022: Charles Geiger, Class of 2024, “Carbon Nanotube Types and Application.”
2021: Nicholas Fricchione, Class of 2021, “German War Graves: A Tragic and Somber Reminder of Cost of War.”
2020: Mark Vowels II, Class of 2020, “Human Trafficking: A Major Issue for the US.”
2019: Joshua Malott, Class of 2019, “Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.”
2018: D. Todd Truesdale, Class of 2018, “Morocco – Slow, Steady, and Setting the Example : An Analysis of Democratization in the Kingdom of Morocco.”
2017: Monica Paulk, Class of 2017, “A Journey: From Being Muslims in China to Becoming Chinese Muslims.”
2016: Matthew Scalise, Class of 2016, “Homosexuality and Religion: Can Jewish and Christian Dogma Reconcile the Actions of the LGBT Community?”
2015: McKenzie Pepper, Class of 2015, “Women in Tanakh.”
2014: Jane Ma, Class of 2015, “From Satanic to Sublime: Marlowe’s Faustus and Milton’s Satan as Prototypes of the Romantic Hero.”
2013: Thomas A. Gorman, Jr., MBA Graduate Student, “Capitalism: If History Has Taught U.S. Anything…”
2012: Robert P. Keener, III, Class of 2014, “Dark Themes In ‘A Clean, Well-Lighted Place.”
2011: Devon C. Smith, Class of 2012, “The Method Behind His Madness.”

2024: William Allen, Class of 2024, “A Statistical Analysis of Terrorism.”
2023: Thomas Chapman, Class of 2023, “Threats Posed by the Submarine Fleet of the Russian Navy.”
2022: Harry Charles, Class of 2023, “The Opioid Crisis and its Connection to Dentistry.”
2021: Thomas Kyte, Class of 2022, “One Belt and one Road Right Through Ethiopia?”
2020: Matthew Blair, Class of 2020, “The Wisdom of The Crowd.”
2019: William Hope, Class of 2020, “Small Modular Reactors: An Emerging Technology.”
2018: Grant Miller, Class of 2018, “The Enduring Reality of Violence as seen in McCarthy’s Blood Meridian.”
2017: Todd Truesdale, Class of 2018, “Extractive Institutions and the Arab Spring.”
2016: John Hope, Class of 2016, “Progressive and Conservative Understandings of the American Political Tradition.”
2015: Erik Usher, Class of 2015, “Perceived Risk of Developing Cardiovascular Disease Among African Americans.”
2014: Sarah Katchen, Class of 2014, “Use of Percoll Gradient for Purifying Mitochondria Preparation in Brassica Olerace with Histone H3 Implications.”

2021: Frank Hoffman, “Engaged Containment: A Viable Solution to the North Korea Problem”
2020: Blake Harllee, “Rwandan Domestic Counterinsurgency Strategy: Iron First with International Indifference.”
2019: Sarah Walker, “ADHD and Romantic Relationships.”

2024: Aaron Candreva, Class of 2027, “A Losing Game.”
2023: Stephanie Parris, Class of 2023, “Religion’s Effect on Party and Economic Affiliation.”
2022: Alexander Clark, Class of 2022, “China’s Shadow War.”
2021: Joseph Field, Class of 2021, “The Importance of Military Discipline in the 17^th Century Manchu Army as Seen in Dzengseo’s ‘Diary of my Service in the Army.'”
2020: Mark Vowels II, Class of 2020, “Human Trafficking: A Major Issue for the US.”
2019: Hannah Dion, Class of 2022, “Grendel: The Face of a Nation.”
2018: Charles L. Turner, Class of 2018, “Religious Freedoms in the Criminal Justice System.”
2017: John H. Reynolds, Class of 2018, “The Annexation of Crimea: Intelligence Shortcomings and Successes.”