Paul Evan Peters Fellowship Recipients, 2016-2018:
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Doctoral student Meg Young and master’s student Kristen Matteucci are the 2016 recipients of the Paul Evan Peters Fellowship for graduate study in library and information sciences. The fellowship was established to honor the memory of CNI founding executive director Paul Evan Peters; it recognizes outstanding scholarship and intellectual rigor, a commitment to civic responsibility and democratic values, and imagination.
Meg Young is a PhD student at the University of Washington’s Information School; she holds a BA and a master of science in information from the University of Michigan. Young was selected for the Peters Fellowship, in part, for her research focusing on data privacy in municipal government, in which she poses a fundamental question: How can we make sure that residents’ privacy interests are protected in commercial uses? To that end, Young examines data privacy practices within the context of open data programs enacted by many cities, examining how privacy concerns are accounted for in the design and execution of these programs. Describing her as an “exceptionally bright doctoral researcher,” University of Washington professor Jan Whittington, who recommended Young for the award, wrote that her “intellectual curiosity is truly remarkable… Moreover, her positive attitude and dedication to the betterment of democratic engagement with digital technologies are infectious.”
This year’s recipient of the master’s level fellowship, Kristen Matteucci, is a student in the Master of Information program at Rutgers University, with a focus on community outreach and engagement as they relate to library and information services. Long an advocate for victims of domestic violence, Matteucci is interested in helping achieve equitable access to information, particularly for people considered to be disempowered or information poor. Matteucci has worked for several years with the nonprofit agency Women Against Abuse (WAA); in recommending her for the fellowship, Elise Scioscia, WAA director of public policy commented, “Kristen is very future-focused when it comes to the information sciences field—she is constantly reflecting on how information and technology can be used as a social change agent.”
CNI executive director Clifford Lynch stated, “It’s wonderful to have two excellent awardees who reflect the spirit of Paul Evan Peters. CNI is delighted to support the academic and career goals of these fellowship recipients, and we look forward to following their work.”
Selection committee members included: Adriene Lim, Philip H. Knight chair and dean of libraries at the University of Oregon; Anu Vedantham, director of Teaching and Learning Services for Harvard College Library; Scott Walter, university librarian at DePaul University; and Joan Lippincott, associate executive director of the Coalition for Networked Information.
About the Fellowship
The Paul Evan Peters Fellowship was established to honor and perpetuate the memory of the founding executive director of the Coalition for Networked Information. Funded by donations from Peters’s colleagues, friends, and family, in 2016, the fellowship provides two two-year awards: one to a doctoral student in the amount of $5,000 per year, and one to a master’s student in the amount of $2,500 per year. Fellowships are given to students who demonstrate intellectual and personal qualities consistent with those of Peters, including:
• Commitment to the use of digital information and advanced technology to enhance scholarship, intellectual productivity, and public life
• Interest in the civic responsibilities of networked information professionals, and a commitment to democratic values and government accountability
• Positive and creative approach to overcoming personal, technological, and bureaucratic challenges
• Humor, vision, humanity, and imagination.