TMU Libraries is pleased to announce the inaugural recipients of the Louise Penny Library Research Award: Faculty of Arts students Abigail Apalit and Allison McCausland, and Faculty of Science student Amir Ali Eslami. Following a rigorous committee adjudication process, each student was awarded $2,000 for course papers that demonstrated exceptional critical thinking, independent scholarship, and effective use of library resources.
Launched in January, the award is named after and supported by best-selling Canadian mystery author and library advocate Louise Penny. It recognizes outstanding research papers (2,500 to 4,000 words) written by third- or fourth-year undergraduate students maintaining a minimum 3.0 GPA.
In speaking of the award, Penny says: “Libraries are on the front line of critical thinking, of freedom of expression, of informed choice. In rewarding those who support its Library, TMU is doing a service far beyond the individual or the institution. It is an honour, a pleasure, to be part of that celebration.”
Meet the Inaugural Award Recipients
Abigail Apalit
4th year
Double Major in English and History, Faculty of Arts
Paper title: Stories untold: Rewriting Filipino-American women’s revolutionary care into 20th century American women’s activism
Research process: Abigail navigated archival silences to elevate marginalized community narratives. Her interdisciplinary project seamlessly wove together digital search tools, collaborative library services, and traditional physical archives.
Library Resources Used:
- Used digitized American newspaper archives to trace historical public discourse.
- With assistance at the Library’s Research Help drop-in she learned how to locate and work with complex U.S. demographic census data.
- Used the Library’s Omni search tool to expand searches and access specialized materials available through partner academic libraries.
- In the onsite stacks, browsed traditional physical collections to uncover critical texts missed by digital keyword searches.
Allison McCausland
3rd year
History Major with minor in English, Faculty of Arts
Paper titled: Great Power Politics and the United Nations in the Cold War
Research process: Allison conducted a rigorous, evidence-first analysis of complex 1956 case studies. By cross-referencing raw data with historical texts, she built an autonomous thesis before engaging with existing historiography.
Library Resources Used:
- Accessed primary source materials such as Security Council meeting minutes, historical resolutions, and official veto tallies.
- From there, used secondary sources and academic archives to critically evaluate and challenge established scholarly frameworks against her own empirical findings.
Amir Ali Eslami
4th year
Computer Science, Faculty of Science
Paper titled: Shade That Sustains: Agrivoltaics and the Future of Biodiverse, Water-Resilient Rural Landscapes
Research process: Amir investigated the multi-disciplinary impacts of solar infrastructure on biodiversity, water resources, and agricultural productivity. By bypassing basic web searches, he synthesized conflicting scientific viewpoints into a rigorous, evidence-based paper.
Library Resources Used:
- Using Library databases and searching through peer-reviewed journals, Amir sourced credible literature across environmental, technical, and governance perspectives.
- Used the Library’s Omni search tools to refine search terms, evaluate methodologies, and build essential information literacy skills.
About Louise Penny:
Louise Penny, a graduate of Toronto Metropolitan University (Radio and Television Arts ‘79), was a CBC journalist before embarking on a remarkable writing career. She has written 20 crime novels in the Armand Gamache series, many of which are New York Times bestsellers, alongside winning numerous literary awards. Her latest book in that series, The Black Wolf, was listed among the Globe & Mail’s 100 most notable books. Penny holds several honorary doctorates, including one from TMU, and is a Member of the Order of Canada and an Officer of the National Order of Quebec. In 2025, she was named Globe and Mail artist of the year