2025 Boe Award Winners
Maggie Burnett
Lone Star College - Montgomery
Beef was chosen as the center for this study since it is a household staple and grocery price increases continue to be a national concern for consumers. Studies published within the last 20 years, fully address the relationship between prices and supply lines; however, there is little research into product and goods price relationships. To understand the correlation of prices on a consumer level, individual products were chosen as follows: economic relations, including inflation and Covid-19; competing industries, such as milk and cheese and related products; supply inputs, such as gas and corn; and lastly, substitute goods, including pork, chicken, and fish and seafood. The price data was found using the Bureau of Labor Statistics...
Blythe Meacham
Angelo State University
The novel follows the downfall of the di Loredani family, whose members, after the arrival of the knave Count Ardolph, descend into murder, adultery, and thievery. Victoria de Loredani especially, under the influence of the servant – and her eventual lover – Zofloya, falls into a life of vice, taking on the role of the Gothic villain in the story. She engages in seduction, imprisonment, and murder until Zofloya, now revealed to be the devil in disguise, drags her soul to hell for eternity. Readers were both enthralled and scandalized by such topics, particularly when written by a woman...
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Sarah Coblentz
Southeastern Oklahoma State University
In January of 1919, 80-year-old Mary Nolan stood before the Columbia County Court and asked to be thrown in jail for participating in “Watchfires of Freedom.” The fires were protests by the National Woman’s Party, a political organization that advocated for women’s suffrage, of which Nolan was a proud member. The party placed speeches delivered by President Woodrow Wilson while he was in Europe into a flaming urn in front of the White House. This was Nolan’s third time before the court for her actions, but previously the court had no charge with which to convict...
Nixon Gorka
The University of Texas at Tyler
As the Cold War came to a close, MI6 Deputy Chief Sir Gerry Warner was asked how he would describe the role of Britain’s foreign intelligence service to Queen Elizabeth II. The career intelligence officer answered rather starkly, telling the man opposite him that Britain’s foreign intelligence apparatus was “the last penumbra of empire.”...
Bethany Lasco
Lone Star College - Montgomery
HISD’s reform stemmed from five years of underperforming State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) scores and tax governance issues. In response, the NES focused on establishing a uniform curriculum, standardized testing, and performance-based incentives designed to improve academic outcomes. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were done to examine the impacts of the NES, focusing on student achievement and teacher retention. Despite some improvements in standardized test scores, such as a gain in English 2 on the STAAR exam, the system has faced significant criticism, particularly regarding the high rate of teacher turnover and student dissatisfaction...