NEWS RELEASE

Contact: Leah Jackson (jacksonl@nsula.edu)
News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466

4/11/2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NATCHITOCHES - Nicholas Reves of Baton Rouge and Jennifer Shaw of Weatherford, Texas, were recipients of Northwestern State University Phi Kappa Phi Student Research Awards, presented by the NSU chapter of Phi Kappa Phi and the NSU Research Council. The awards were presented during NSU's 20th annual Research Day, held Wednesday, and recognize the outstanding research, distinguished artistic performance or creative work completed by a student or team of students while enrolled at NSU.

Reves won the undergraduate award for his research on "Insurgency, Mujahideen and Fatwas: The 1920 Iraq Revolt Rediscovered," which related the discovery of the origins of Iraqi nationalism as Reves examined the forgotten 1920 Iraq revolt again the post World War I British occupation.

Shaw won the graduate award for her research, "Depression and Anxiety as Measured in the First-Degree Relatives of Alzheimer's Patients," which examined the depression and anxiety felt by immediate relatives of Alzheimer's patients, particularly their caregivers.

A student in the Louisiana Scholars' College, Reves is majoring in liberal arts with emphasis in social thought. He was nominated for the award by his faculty sponsor Dr. Rick Jensen, professor of history. He is the recipient of numerous research grants, including one which allowed him to conduct research in the British Archives in London. He has been admitted with full scholarship to the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A & M University.

In 1920, British-occupied Iraq was stormed by an uprising. Reves' research draws upon material from the British Archives and the Imperial War Museum in London to examine how conflicting policies caused the British troops to withdraw from Iraq.

"Originally, I wanted to focus on the American strategies in Iraq, but I realized it is too on-going for proper historical analysis," Reves said. "Through my research at the Archives, I discovered a nearly identical situation occurred 80 years ago and I was astonished to find there was little scholarship research on the topic." Reves attended a conference on globalization in London and was able to do archival research with the original documents.

Shaw is a second year graduate student in clinical psychology nominated by her faculty sponsor Dr. Connie Veazey, who praised Shaw for her self-directed research that involved visiting Alzheimer support groups across the state to study the emotional affects Alzheimer's has on patients' family members and their caregivers in particular. Shaw was led to the study because of her personal familiarity with the disease.

"It runs in my family and we talk about it a lot," she explained. "Relatives of patients do experience negative psychological effects, especially if they are providing care to the patient."

Winners of NSU Research Day Awards are evaluated based on conceptual originality and/or significant level of participation; design and methodology; impact on or contribution to the student's academic field, and potential larger impact.

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