Commencement Senior Awards

Scholarship and Citizenship

The Addison Brown Scholarship
From a fund established by Addison Brown of the Class of 1852, the scholarship is awarded to that senior who, being already on the scholarship list, shall have attained the highest standing in the studies of the first-year, sophomore and junior years.

Elton H. Cho ’13

The Howard Hill Mossman Trophy
Awarded annually to the member of the senior class who has, during his or her four years at Amherst, brought the greatest honor in athletics to the Alma Mater—the word “honor” to be interpreted as relating both to achievement and to sportsmanship.

Geneva Ruth Lloyd ’13

The Psi Upsilon Prize
Established by the Gamma Chapter of Psi Upsilon in 1941, the Psi Upsilon Prize is awarded to that member of the graduating class who is considered preeminent in scholarship, leadership, athletics and character.

Keri Grace Lambert ’13

The Stonewall Prize
Established by David L. Kirp of the Class of 1965 and other alumni, the prize is awarded annually to that student who produces a work of exceptional intellectual or artistic merit pertaining to the gay, lesbian or bisexual experience.

Dexter Adrian Padayachee ’13

The Thomas H. Wyman 1951 Medal
Awarded to that member of the senior class who best represents the highest standards in scholarship, athletics and/or extracurricular activities, community service, integrity, character and humanism as determined by the Dean of Students and the Prize Committee. 

Risalat Khan ’13

American Studies

The Doshisha American Studies Prize
A gift from Amherst House, Doshisha University, the prize is awarded for the American Studies honors thesis judged by the Department of American Studies as most likely to stimulate interest in and understanding of America overseas—with a view toward possible publication in Japan.

Shared by Spencer James Noon ’13 and Justin Peter De Neri Ramos ’13

The George Rogers Taylor Prize
Awarded to the student who, in the opinion of the American Studies Department, shows the most promise for creative and scholarly work in American studies.

Sarah Beth Albert ’13

Anthropology

The Donald S. Pitkin Prize
The Donald S. Pitkin Prize in Anthropology-Sociology, established in honor of the founder of that department on the occasion of his retirement, is given to that student whose honors thesis best exemplifies the humane values to which Professor Pitkin committed his research and teaching.

Shared by Luke Arthur Lavin ’13 and Diana Jeanette Madden ’13

Art and the History of Art

The Hasse Prize
Established in the memory of Adrian H. Hasse of the Class of 1943, the prize is awarded for the best submitted work having a human figure as a theme.

Alexa Jae Hettwer ’13

The Anna Baker Heap Prize
Established by Arnold N. Heap of the Class of 1873, the prize is awarded to that senior who submits the best essay in the field of art.

Leslie Sarai Quiroz ’13

The Athanasios Demetrios Skouras Prize    
Given in memory of Mr. Skouras of the Class of 1936, who died in 1943 in Athens as a result of Nazi reprisal killings, the prize is awarded to a student who, in the opinion of the department, has created an outstanding work of art.

Wrenford Clive Thaffe ’13

Asian Languages and Civilizations

The Doshisha Asian Studies Prize
From the income of a gift from Amherst House, Doshisha University, the prize is awarded for the best undergraduate honors thesis pertaining to Asia.

Shared by Bobbi Elizabeth Mason ’13 and Jiaman (Alice) Wang ’13

Athletics

The Manstein Family Award
Given by Carl H. ’72, Mark E. ’74 and Joanne L. Manstein ’83, the award is presented to the outstanding senior varsity athlete who intends to pursue a career in medicine or a medical field.

James Henry Mooney ‘13E

The Biochemistry and Biophysics Prize

Awarded to the student who, in the opinion of the faculty, has prepared the best thesis in the Biochemistry and Biophysics Program.

Alexander Henry Pearlman ’13

Biology

The James R. Elster Award

Created in memory of James R. Elster ’71, by his parents, Dr. and Mrs. Samuel K. Elster, this fund has been established for the purpose of providing support in the summer months for a research project in the Department of Biology.

Shared by Matthew David Cahn ’13, Peter William Kahng ’13, and an underclass student

The Oscar E. Schotté Award
Given to that member of the graduating class who, in the opinion of the department, has done the best independent work in biology.

Joshua Matthew Haswell ’13

The Oscar E. Schotté Scholarship
Awarded to a member of the junior or senior class majoring in science, to enable him or her to complete a special project during the summer.

Shared by Heather Mae Daigle ’13, Cassandra P. Farnow ‘13, and Elizabeth Harding Scott ’13

Black Studies

The Edward Jones Prize
Given in honor of the college’s first black alumnus. The prize is awarded by the Black Studies Department to a graduating senior for the best senior thesis which addresses a present or future issue of concern to black people in Africa and the Diaspora.

Aubrey Laine Jones ’13

Chemistry

The Howard Waters Doughty Prize
Awarded to that member of the senior class who, in the opinion of the Chemistry Department, has prepared the best honors thesis.

Jessica Lee Mueller ’13

The Frank Fowler Dow Prize
Established by Fayette B. Dow in memory of his father, the prize is awarded to a senior who is preparing to enter medical school and whose undergraduate work indicates a career of distinction in medicine.

Jessica Lee Mueller ’13

The Everett H. Pryde Research Award
Presented annually to a senior who has been an outstanding teaching assistant in chemistry and who shows great promise for carrying out research in science or medicine.

Claudia Elisabeth Gelfond ’13

Computer Center

The Computer Center Prize
Awarded for outstanding contributions in the application of the computer to a broad range of academic disciplines, and for generous help to many students and faculty at the Computer Center.

Dylan Alexander Maneker Herts ’13

Computer Science

The Computer Science Prize
Awarded to a senior who has completed an honors thesis and who, in the opinion of the Department of Computer Science, has achieved the best performance in the study of computer science. The award is based on the thesis and overall achievement in computer science.

Mark Paul Santolucito ’13

Economics

The Bernstein Prize
Funded by a gift from the family of Jeffrey Bernstein, Class of 1991, the prize is awarded to the senior who, in the opinion of the Economics Department and the Dean of the Faculty, has done particularly distinguished honors work in economics.

Hao (David) Zhang ’13

The James R. Nelson Memorial Award
Presented to that senior who, in the opinion of the Economics Department, has achieved excellence in the study of economics while pursuing a broad liberal education.

Shared by Elton H. Cho ’13 and Eric Tobias Manolson Lax ’13

The James R. Nelson Prize
Awarded to the senior who, in the opinion of the Economics Department, has written a distinguished honors thesis that applies economic analysis to an important question of public policy.

Zachary Isaac Bleemer ’13

English

The Elizabeth Bruss Prize
Presented to that senior English major  who,  in the judgment of the English Department, best represents those qualities of breadth and imagination exemplified by Elizabeth Bruss.

Shared by Elizabeth A. Ballinger-Dix ’13 and Cole Alexander Morgan ’13

The Peter Burnett Howe Prize
The prize, for excellence in prose fiction, was established by a gift of Robert B. Howe of the Class of 1930 in memory of his son Peter Burnett Howe, 1960.

Shared by Jacob Stillwell Powers ’13 and an underclass student

The Rolfe Humphries Poetry Prize
Presented to that senior who has achieved the greatest sense of poetic form in his or her undergraduate writing. The award is made on the basis of three submissions to the English Department in the applicant’s senior year and may include writing produced during the undergraduate years.

Mia Lim Certo ’13

The Ralph Waldo Rice Prize
Established by Mrs. Mary Rice Jenkins in memory of her brother, of the Class of 1910, the prize is awarded for the best essay on “The Liberal College and Christian Citizenship” or any subject named by the faculty. The prize is traditionally given to the author of the best portfolio submitted to the department in candidacy for honors.

Lindsay O’Connor Stern ’13

Film and Media Studies

Awarded to an honors student in the Film and Media Studies Program for outstanding poetics in filmmaking.

Anthony John Andrews ’13

French

The Frederick King Turgeon Prize
Established by former students of Professor Turgeon upon the occasion of his retirement. The prize is used for the award of a book to the student who has done particularly distinguished work in French during the year.

Terrence Robert Cullen II ’13

Geology

The Walter F. Pond Prize
Established in honor of Walter Pond of the Class of 1907, the prize is awarded to the senior who has submitted the best honors thesis in geology.

Roger Cameron Creel ’13

The David F. Quinn Memorial Award
Awarded in memory of David Quinn, Class of 1980, to an outstanding senior who, during his or her undergraduate career, has made a positive contribution to geology at Amherst through character, leadership, enthusiasm and participation in departmental activities.

Shared by Bernardo Andres Rios Sanjines ’13 and Danielle Priscilla Santiago Ramos ’13

German

The Consulate General Prize for Academic Achievement
The prize, made available by the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Boston, is awarded to that student who, in the judgment of the Department of German, has written the best paper as part of a German course.

Zachary Isaac Bleemer

Greek

The Hutchins Prize
Established by Waldo Hutchins of the Class of 1842, the prize is awarded to a senior for excellence in Greek.

James Anthony Barrett-Morison ’13

History

The Asa J. Davis Prize
Given each year to the student who has demonstrated outstanding achievement in the study of the history of Africa and the black Diaspora and whose work best reflects the comprehensive interest of Asa Davis in historical and cultural contacts between Africa, the Old World and the Americas.

Shared by Aubrey Laine Jones ’13 and Sophia Eve Meyerson ’13

The Alfred F. Havighurst Prize History
The prize, intended for the purchase of books, is awarded to that student, a major in the Department of History, who, in the opinion of the faculty in history, has, in his or her four years at Amherst, best fulfilled the standards of excellence and humane scholarship exemplified by Alfred F. Havighurst during the many years of his teaching career at Amherst College.

James Wilson Fromson ’13

Latin

The Bertram Prizes
Established by John Bertram of Salem, these two prizes are awarded to students who, together with attaining a high average in the Latin courses of the senior year, present the best essays connected with these courses.

First Prize Laura Diane Tait ’13

Second Prize Sean Charles Monaco ’13

Law, Jurisprudence and Social Thought

The Robert Cover Prize
Awarded to honor the memory of Robert Cover, a distinguished legal scholar whose work inspired the humanistic conception of law in the liberal arts embodied in Amherst’s Department of Law, Jurisprudence and Social Thought. The prize is given to a graduating senior for distinguished achievement in that major.

Shared by Heather Lynn Richard ’13 and Madeline Rose Sprung-Keyser ’13

Mathematics

The Robert H. Breusch Prize
Awarded to the senior who, in the opinion of the faculty in mathematics, has presented the best honors thesis in mathematics.

Shared by Andrew Philip Erskine ’13 and Robert Henry Weaver ’13

Mead Art Museum

The Wise Award for Collection Research
Presented annually to a student in any academic department whose senior thesis, in the judgment of the Mead Art Museum’s curators and director, most effectively analyzes, interprets or responds to an object in the museum’s collection.

Leslie Sarai Quiroz ’13

Music

The Sylvia and Irving Lerner Piano Prize
Awarded to that student who has demonstrated the greatest skill and musicianship as a pianist.

Shared by Robert T. Flynn ’13, Joshua Lee Mayer ’13 and Mark Paul Santolucito

The Mishkin Prize
The Friends of Music have established a prize to be awarded in memory of Professor Henry G. Mishkin to that senior selected by the Department of Music who produces the best senior thesis on a critical or musical topic.

Zhuqing (Lester) Hu ’13

The Lincoln Lowell Russell Prize
Established by J. W. Russell, Jr., of the Class of 1899 in memory of his son, and awarded to the senior who has done most to foster the singing spirit at Amherst.

Shared by Walker David Boyle ’13, Jenna Rose Iden ’13, and Rebecca Michelle Magnus ’13

The Eric Edward Sundquist Prize
Established in memory of Mr. Sundquist of the Class of 1936; awarded to that senior who has demonstrated excellence in musical composition and performance.

Shared by Matthew Dennett Fernald ’13 and Joseph John Taff ’13

Neuroscience

The James Olds Memorial Neuroscience Award
Established by the Swerdlow Family Foundation in recognition of the contributions made to the neurosciences by Dr. Olds, Class of 1947, and presented to the student whose research in the neurosciences is judged, by the faculty of the neuroscience program, to be of highest quality.

Narendra Raj Joshi ’13

Philosophy

The Gail Kennedy Memorial Award
Awarded to a senior major in philosophy in recognition of a distinguished honors essay.

Shared by Zachary Isaac Bleemer ’13 and Yi’an Kaspar Zhou ’13

Physics

The William Warren Stifler Prize
Established by Professor Stifler, the prize is awarded to a senior who has majored in physics and especially excelled in the course on electricity and magnetism.

Shared by Shenglan Qiao ’13 and Nathan Hoover Thomas ’13

Political Science

The Densmore Berry Collins Prize in Political Science
Given annually in memory of Mr. Collins, of the Class of 1940, for the best honors thesis in political science.

Jiaman (Alice) Wang ’13

Psychology

The Haskell R. Coplin Memorial Award
Established in memory of Mr. Coplin, Professor of Psychology, recognizes that member of the graduating class who, in the opinion of the Psychology Department, displays the scholarly and humane qualities that best exemplify Professor Coplin.  The prize is to a senior who has shown distinguished work in psychology classes and in an honors thesis, and who has contributed to the life of the department.

Rebecca Katherine Gentilli ’13 

Public Speaking

The Bancroft Prizes

Established by Frederic Bancroft of the Class of 1882, these prizes are awarded to the two seniors who produce the best orations. Both composition and delivery are considered.

First Prize Nicholas Bryan Bern ’13

Second Prize a first semester senior

The Rogers Prize

Established by Noah C. Rogers of the Class of 1880, the prize is awarded for excellence in debate.

Shared by Nicholas Bryan Bern ’13, Brendan McMahon Burke ’13 and a first semester senior

Religion

The Moseley Prizes
Established by Thomas Moseley of Hyde Park, are awarded to seniors for the best essays on a subject approved by the Department of Religion.    

First Prize shared by Priyanka Ruth Kumar  ’13 and Jillian Frances-Kay Stockmo ’13

Second Prize shared by Dashiell Marsden King ’13 and Emma Lynne Saltzberg ’13

Russian

The Carol Prize in Russian
Given by David James Carol ’77 in honor of his parents, Joseph and Roberta, is awarded to the student who has demonstrated the greatest dedication and commitment to Russian.

Kathryn Frances DeWaele ’13

Spanish

The Pedro Grases Prizes for Excellence in Spanish
Is given by a member of the Class of l939 to honor a great teacher and cordial scholar. It is awarded each year to that senior who has shown the greatest progress in the ability to read Hispanic literature with insight and to write and speak Spanish with intelligence and humane sensitivity.

Derek Xavier Garcia ’13

Theater and Dance

The Raymond Keith Bryant Prize
An annual gift from Robert E. and Ethel M. Bryant in memory of their son of the Class of l936, is awarded to that student who, in the opinion of the judges, gives the best performance of the year in a Masquers' play.

Shared by Leslie Erin Roth ’13 and Crystal Maudelle Williams ’13

Women’s and Gender Studies

The Women’s and Gender Studies Prize
Awarded for excellence in scholarly or creative work in Women’s and Gender Studies.

Claudia Kathleen Wack ’13