Paul Evan Peters Scholarship Recipients, 2024-26

Doctoral student Adam E. Berkowitz and master’s student Sofía Isabel Crespo Maldonado are the 2024 recipients of the Paul Evan Peters Scholarship for graduate study in information science or closely related fields. The scholarship honors the memory of Coalition for Networked Information (CNI) founding executive director Paul Evan Peters. It recognizes outstanding scholarship and intellectual rigor, a commitment to civic responsibility and democratic values, and imagination.

“This year’s outstanding and diverse applicant pool presented our committee with the best kind of challenging decision, ultimately leading to the selection of two superb awardees, Adam and Sofía, who both reflect and honor Paul’s legacy of driving positive social change through technology,” said CNI Executive Director Clifford Lynch.

Adam E. Berkowitz will enter his second year in the communication and information sciences PhD program at The University of Alabama this fall. His research examines the impacts of artificial intelligence (AI) on human creativity and intellectual property, especially music. He has published research on automated copyright enforcement systems, algorithmic content recommendation, and music-generating AI systems, and recently he has considered how the spread of AI-generated content will influence cataloging standards and information discovery. He believes libraries must educate the public on emerging technologies and advocate for transparency and democratic principles in their acquisition and use.

“Adam’s scholarly background in music and music librarianship affords him a unique vantage point from which to ask questions about the nature and capacity of artificial intelligence in generating creative musical content and what this means for issues of information retrieval, authority, ownership, and ethics,” wrote Miriam E. Sweeney, associate director and associate professor of the School of Library and Information Studies at The University of Alabama. “Adam locates his work in a tradition of information ethics that grapples with power dynamics in information access at the intersection of platforms, law, algorithmic culture, and social responsibility.”

Berkowitz holds a BA in music and an MA in music history and literature from Florida Atlantic University and an MA in library and information science from the University of South Florida. Previously a librarian at the Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library and the Broward County Library, he is currently an instructor at The University of Alabama School of Library and Information Studies, a member of the Music Library Association Emerging Technology and Services Committee, and a former member of the Music Library Association Public Libraries Committee.

Sofía Isabel Crespo Maldonado is a master’s student in the information security policy and management program at Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College, where she was also a Summer Security Intensive Fellow, researching and taking coursework on information security and data management. She is interested in digital forensics and in developing user-friendly cybersecurity tools for vulnerable groups, such as the elderly and minors; overall, she aspires to have an impact through data protection and to make cybersecurity more inclusive and accessible.

“I’m excited that CNI will support Sofía’s work in advancing the protection of the vulnerable in the digital world. Sofía represents the hopeful future for the use of technology to make lives better,” wrote Rebecca Lubas, dean of libraries, California State University, San Bernardino, and selection committee member.

Crespo Maldonado holds a BS in computer science from the University of Puerto Rico. She has served as a representative for Puerto Rico at recent Women in Cybersecurity conferences, and she was selected for the National Science Foundation’s Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) program.

Selection committee members included: Karim Boughida, dean, University Libraries, Stony Brook University; Rebecca Lubas, dean of libraries, California State University, San Bernardino; Alicia Salaz, vice provost and university librarian, University of Oregon; Diane Goldenberg-Hart, assistant executive director, CNI.

About the Scholarship
The Paul Evan Peters Scholarship (formerly fellowship) was established to honor CNI’s founding executive director. Funded by donations from Peters’s colleagues, friends, and family, the scholarship provides two awards: one to a doctoral student ($5,000 per year), and one to a master’s student ($2,500 per year). Scholarships are given to students who demonstrate 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