Congratulations to Jaina Peveto - Phi Kappa Phi

Mon, 12 May 2025 10:06:42 -0400
award, kappa, phi, scholarship

Jaina Peveto, of Severna Park, MD was recently selected as one of two recipients of the 2025 Undergraduate Research Award from The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi Chapter 022BC-University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Each spring, the chapter's awards committee selects two applicants to receive $500 each for this prestigious honor on the recommendation of the Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day (URCAD) Committee.

Jaina was selected by the awards committee for their innovative research abstract and strong letter of support from their mentor, Jason Loviglio.

Jaina Peveto, Media and Communication Studies and English

Mentor: Jason Loviglio, Media and Communication Studies

Title of Research: Authorship And Creativity In Dungeons And Dragons

Abstract: Dungeons and Dragons is a game that encourages collaborative storytelling between players and a dungeon master (a DM). The players create characters and bring them to life, while the DM sets up the rest of the story world, including things like the setting of the game, the plot hooks the players will follow, and the non-player characters that the player characters can interact with. Creativity is at the core of the game and has been to varying degrees throughout each of its incarnations. I will discuss how Dungeons and Dragons create a space for creativity, and how players utilize that. I will also explore whether adding constraints such as using pre-created official modules creates opportunities for variations on a theme, or if there is less room for creativity because creative work was already previously done by an outside source. This work could inform parents of children who play D&D and creators in other media who are interested in inspiring creativity and what affects people’s passion for storytelling and imaginative play.

More About Phi Kappa Phi

Founded in 1897 at the University of Maine, Phi Kappa Phi is the nation's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. The Society's mission is "To recognize and promote academic excellence in all fields of higher education and to engage the community of scholars in service to others." Since its founding, more than 1.5 million members have been initiated. Some of the organization's more notable members include former President Jimmy Carter, NASA astronaut Wendy Lawrence, novelist John Grisham and YouTube cofounder Chad Hurley. Each year, Phi Kappa Phi awards nearly $1 million to qualifying students and members through graduate fellowships, undergraduate study abroad grants, member and chapter awards, and grants for local and national literacy initiatives. For more information about Phi Kappa Phi, visit www.PhiKappaPhi.org.

More About Phi Kappa Phi Chapter 22BC

Chartered in 2010, Chapter 22BC invites the top 10 percent of seniors and 7.5 percent of juniors for membership in Phi Kappa Phi. Graduate students in the top 10 percent of the number of candidates for graduate degrees may also qualify, as do faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction.