2026 Journey of Discovery Prize Winner: Elizabeth Koo

by DENISE WOLFE

Congratulations to UB student Elizabeth Koo, the University Libraries' 2026 Journey of Discovery undergraduate research contest winner. This $500 award recognizes students who produce significant academic inquiry requiring the use of the University Libraries' information resources and collections.

A sophomore biotechnology major, Koo's winning project — Buffalo, New York: The Queen City — took an unexpected form: a mini film documentary created for Dr. Kellie Sharp's ENG 105 class. The assignment, the fourth in a series of research projects for the course, grew out of a partnership between the class and the Buffalo Niagara LGBTQ History Project, and challenged Koo to explore local LGBTQ history through archival research. 

Koo's research journey began with an instruction session led by former UB librarian Beth Carpenter, who introduced her to OneSearch and the library's databases. From there, Koo dove deeper, using UB's Queer Pasts database to locate documentary footage and turning to the instant librarian chat feature when she wanted to trace the earliest use of the term "GRID" (Gay-Related Immune Disease) — an early and stigmatizing label for AIDS. She also visited the University Archives, where archivist Hope Dunbar had pulled relevant documents for her review.

It was during that archival visit that Koo made a discovery that would anchor her research. Noticing the same address — 1239 Niagara Street — appearing repeatedly across documents, she uncovered the history of a building that had served as a sanctuary for Buffalo's local LGBTQ community. Her documentary explores both that physical history and the stigmatized language surrounding the AIDS crisis, tracing how place and terminology reflect broader social attitudes over time. 

Koo also extended her research beyond UB, visiting the Madeline Davis Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Archives of Western New York and working with librarians at Buffalo State. That hands-on approach impressed the judges, who noted her proactive research instincts and her growing appreciation for primary sources. As Koo herself put it, archival research matters "because we're able to interpret resources as they are ourselves."

The Journey of Discovery contest celebrates undergraduate students whose research demonstrates meaningful engagement with the University Libraries' collections and services. We congratulate Elizabeth Koo on this achievement and look forward to seeing where her curiosity takes her next.