SCHOLARSHIP AND CITIZENSHIP
The Obed Finch Slingerland Memorial Prize, from the income of a fund established by an anonymous donor, is awarded by the Trustees of the College to a member of the senior class, who, during their first three years at Amherst, has shown by determination and accomplishment the greatest appreciation of and desire for a college education.
Shared by Justin Chen and Kathleen Despina Krieg
The Woods-Travis Prize, an annual gift in memory of Josiah B. Woods of Enfield and Charles B. Travis of the Class of 1864, is awarded for outstanding excellence in culture and faithfulness to duty as a scholar.
Gregory David Carroll
The Addison Brown Scholarship, from a fund established by Addison Brown of the Class of 1852, is awarded to that senior who, being already on the scholarship list, has attained the highest standing in the studies of the freshman, sophomore and junior years.
Joseph Lupo
The Charles Hamilton Houston Fellowship is an annual gift awarded to a graduating senior who best personifies a commitment to realizing his or her humane ideals, much in the way Charles Houston of the Class of 1915 devoted his life to the struggle for equal protection under the law for African-Americans in the United States.
Olusade Gabriella Green
The Howard Hill Mossman Trophy, awarded annually to the member of the senior class who has brought, during his/her four years at Amherst, the greatest honor in athletics to the Alma Mater—the word “honor” to be interpreted as relating both to achievement and to sportsmanship.
Hannah Rose Fox
The Psi Upsilon Prize was established by the Gamma Chapter of Psi Upsilon in 1941 on the occasion of the centennial anniversary of the founding of the Chapter. The prize is awarded to that member of the graduating class who is considered preeminent in scholarship, leadership, athletics and character.
Divided among: Caroline Carlyle Ferguson-Dryden, Thomas Page Mobley, Isabella Maria Palma and Morgan Frances Yurosek
The David Kirp 1965 Stonewall Prize established by David L. Kirp of the class of 1965 and other alumni, is awarded annually to that student who produces a work of exceptional intellectual or artistic merit pertaining to the queer, bisexual, intersex, gay, lesbian, or transgender experience.
Divided among: Isabel Yao Meyers (Izzy) and Theo R. Peierls (2020E)
The Thomas H. Wyman 1951 Medal, established in 2003 by his classmates, is 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.
Stanley Oscar Dunwell III
AMERICAN STUDIES
The Doshisha American Studies Prize, a gift from Amherst House, Doshisha University, is awarded for the American studies honors thesis judged by the department as most likely to stimulate interest in and understanding of America overseas—with a view toward possible publication in Japan.
Chimaway Lopez
The George Rogers Taylor Prize is awarded to the student who, in the opinion of the department, shows the most promise for creative and scholarly work in American studies.
Will Dunne
ANTHROPOLOGY/SOCIOLOGY
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.
Divided between: Ann Elizabeth Guo and Jeremy Margolis (2020E)
ARCHITECTURE
The Architectural Studies Prize is awarded to the honors thesis judged best by the program for its qualities of clarity and originality in affirming the interdisciplinary richness of architecture.
Emilie Grace Flammé
ART AND THE HISTORY OF ART
The Hasse Prize, established in memory of Adrian H. Hasse ’43, is awarded for the best submitted work having a human figure as a theme.
Lorelei Anneleise Dietz
The Anna Baker Heap Prize, established by Arnold N. Heap of the Class of 1873, is awarded to that senior who submits the best essay in the field of “Art.”
Divided among: Shreeansh Agrawal, Julia Marie Cárdenas and Nathaniel Scott Corley
The Athanasios Demetrios Skouras Prize is given in the memory of Mr. Skouras, 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.
Caroline Shim
ASIAN LANGUAGES AND CIVILIZATIONS
The Doshisha Asian Studies Prize, from the income of a gift from Amherst House, Doshisha University, is awarded for the best undergraduate honors thesis pertaining to Asia.
Divided between: Shreeansh Agrawal and Julia Marie Cárdenas
ATHLETICS
The Manstein Family Award, given by Carl ’72, Mark ’74 and Joanne Manstein ’83, is presented to the outstanding senior varsity athlete who has been accepted to medical school and plans a career in medicine. The prize is awarded by the Department of Physical Education.
Kathleen Despina Krieg
BIOCHEMISTRY AND BIOPHYSICS
The Biochemistry and Biophysics Prize is awarded to the student who, in the opinion of the faculty, has prepared the best thesis in the Biochemistry and Biophysics Program.
Yuxing Emily Ma
BIOLOGY
The Harvey Blodgett & Phi Delta Theta Scholarships
The Harvey Blodgett Scholarship, which was established by Frederick H. Blodgett in memory of his grandfather, Harvey Blodgett of the class of 1829, is awarded to aid student work in biology and geology in their educational phases as distinct from their more technical and strictly scientific phases; combined with the Phi Delta Theta Scholarship, which was established by the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity, and is awarded as a scholarship at the Woods Hole Marine Laboratory to a student for proficiency in biology.
Divided between: Allan James Phillips and Derek Jonathan Schneider
The Oscar E. Schotté Award is given to that member of the graduating class who, in the opinion of the department, has done the best independent work in biology.
Derek Jonathan Schneider
BLACK STUDIES
The Edward Jones Prize is given in honor of the College’s first black alumnus. It is awarded by the Black Studies Department to a graduating senior for the best honors thesis which addresses a present or future issue of concern to black people in Africa and the Diaspora.
Divided between: Avery Farmer and Henry P. McNeil
CHEMISTRY
The Howard Waters Doughty Prize is awarded to that member of the senior class who, in the opinion of the Chemistry Department, has prepared the best honors thesis.
Ezra Alexander
The Frank Fowler Dow Prizes, established by Fayette B. Dow in memory of his father, are awarded to a senior preparing to enter medical school and whose undergraduate work indicates a career of distinction in medicine.
Divided between: Kathleen Despina Krieg and Yuxing Emily Ma
The Everett H. Pryde Research Award is 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.
Divided between: Olivia Febles and Alexandra Gomez
COMPUTER SCIENCE
The Computer Science Prize is awarded to a senior who has completed an honors thesis and who, in the opinion of the Department of Mathematics and 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.
Shukry Emilio Zablah Gavarrete
ECONOMICS
The Bernstein Prize, funded by a gift from the Bernstein family in honor of the work their son, Jeffrey ’91, did at Amherst College, is awarded to the senior who has done particularly outstanding honors work in economics.
Divided between: Audrey Cheng and Emily Cora Young
The James R. Nelson Memorial Award and The James R. Nelson Prize were established from the income of a fund established by former students, colleagues and friends to encourage and recognize the scholarly and humane qualities that Professor Nelson exemplified and sought to foster in his students.
The James R. Nelson Memorial Award is 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.
Divided between: Alejandra Castro and Peyton Alan Lane
The James R. Nelson Prize is 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.
Divided between: Jackson Zee Herrick and Morgan Frances Yurosek
The Jeanne E. Reinle Prize is named after Jeanne Reinle, the Academic Department Coordinator of the Economics Department for 30 years, whose inviting and engaging presence welcomed and supported generations of Amherst economics students and faculty. The prize is awarded to the senior who, in the opinion of the department, exemplifies a commitment to building community in the department and a passion for economics.
Divided between: Kelly Chian and Ralph David Skinner
ENGLISH
The Elizabeth Bruss Prize is 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.
Divided between: Shawna Rebecca Chen and Kolawole Heyward-Rotimi
The G. Armour Craig Award for Prose Composition is awarded to that junior or senior who writes the best autobiographical essay on an experience of intellectual discovery.
Isabel Yao Meyers
The Peter Burnett Howe 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 of the Class of 1960. Submissions for the Howe Prize must be limited to a maximum of 25 pages, comprised of any combination of prose fiction pieces, including excerpts from novels.
Divided between: Julian Samuel Brubaker and Theresa Y. Tian
The Rolfe Humphries Poetry Prize is 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.
Divided between: Heather Brennan and Hapshiba Sharon Kwon
The Ralph Waldo Rice Prize, established by Mrs. Mary Rice Jenkins in memory of her brother of the Class of 1910, is awarded for the best essay on “The Liberal College and Christian Citizenship” or any subject named by the faculty.
Hapshiba Sharon Kwon
The Stephen E. Whicher Prize, established in memory of Stephen E. Whicher ’36 for the best essay by a senior in the interpretation of American literature in the Department of English or American Studies.
Tara Guo
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
The Jan E. Dizard Prize in Environmental Studies, established on the occasion of his retirement, honors Professor Dizard for his role in founding the department. It is awarded to a member(s) of the graduating class who, in the opinion of the Environmental Studies Department, exemplifies the field of environmental studies in academic work.
Chimaway Lopez
EUROPEAN STUDIES
The European Studies Prize is awarded to the student who has written a thesis with great distinction that is dedicated to the analysis and exploration of cultures of Europe throughout history or in the present.
Heather Brennan
FILM AND MEDIA STUDIES
The Film and Media Studies Award is awarded to an honors student in the Film and Media Studies Program for an outstanding thesis.
Xinyun (Sophie) Pu
FRENCH
The Frederick King Turgeon Prize in French literature was established by former students of Professor Turgeon upon the occasion of his retirement. It is used for the award of a book to the student who has done particularly distinguished work in French during the year.
Divided between: Rachel Elisabeth Chaffin and Olivia Febles
GEOLOGY
The Walter F. Pond Prize, established in honor of Walter Pond of the Class of 1907, is awarded to the senior who has submitted the best honors thesis in geology.
Divided between: Eric Masao Hasegawa and Raina Joelle Chinitz
The David F. Quinn Memorial Award is awarded in memory of David Quinn ’80 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.
Divided among the 2020 Geology graduates: Raina Joelle Chinitz, Felix Alexandre Edwards, Heather Lynn Grotzinger, Khyla Margé Haddock, Eric Masao Hasegawa, Luz Clementine Lim, John Luke Maxwell, Olivia Cathleen Moehl, Jessica Andrews Reid and Emma Jane Swislow
GERMAN
The Consulate General Prize for Academic Achievement in German Literature, 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.
Ross Hirzel
The Consulate General Prize for German Studies is made available by the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Boston and is awarded to that junior or senior who, in the judgment of the Department of German, has made a superior contribution to any aspect of German studies at Amherst College.
Bixie E. Eutsler
HISTORY
The Asa J. Davis Prize is awarded to a 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.
Divided between: Charlotte Ruby Blackman and Elinor Scout Boynton
The Alfred F. Havighurst Prize, intended for the purchase of books, is awarded to that major in the Department of History who has, in four years at Amherst, best fulfilled the standards of excellence and humane scholarship exemplified by Professor Havighurst during his teaching career at Amherst College.
Divided between: Heather Brennan and Rebecca Ann Davis
JAPANESE
The Smith Prize, supported by the Nihon Ryuugaku Fellowship Fund, which was established in 2016, recognizes high-achieving seniors who have studied Japanese within the Department of Asian Languages and Civilizations.
First: Theodore Miles Perez
Second, divided between: Sarah Misaki McDonald and Leslikarina Patino Martinez
JOURNALISM
The Samuel Bowles Prize, established by Samuel Bowles King of the Class of 1902 to stimulate interest in journalism as a career, is awarded to a student who has demonstrated proficiency in journalism.
Divided between: Tanya Angelic Calvin and two underclass students
LAW, JURISPRUDENCE AND SOCIAL THOUGHT
The Nasser Hussain Prize honors the memory of Nassar Hussain, a distinguished scholar and beloved teacher, who taught in Law, Jurisprudence and Social Thought from 1996 until his death in 2015. It is given annually to a graduating senior for distinguished achievement in that major.
Divided between: Amy Tapia Pass and Faith Weizhen Wen
LIBRARY
The Frederick S. Lane ’36 Fellowship for Creative Artists is awarded to students using historical and rare source materials from Amherst College Archives and Special Collections toward projects in the arts.
Divided between: Tanya Angelic Calvin and Cesar Centeno
MATHEMATICS
The Robert H. Breusch Prize is awarded to the senior who, in the opinion of the faculty in Mathematics, has presented the best honors thesis in mathematics.
Divided among: Gregory David Carroll, Max Fox-Jurkowitz, Joseph Lupo and Shashank Sule
The Five College Statistics Prize is awarded to one student at each of the Five Colleges based on their outstanding independent research, thesis or capstone course project in statistics.
Divided between: Emily Ye and an underclass student
The Walker Award for Leadership is awarded for outstanding leadership and for contributions to the mathematics and statistics community at Amherst.
Divided between: Andrew R. Tawfeek (2021E) and three underclass students
The Walker Award in Mathematics & Statistics is awarded to a student who has demonstrated initiative, creativity, perseverance and achievement in mathematics and statistics.
Divided among: Camille Blum, Mia Linnee Nicholson and Shashank Sule
MUSIC
The Sylvia and Irving Lerner Piano Prize is awarded to that student who has demonstrated the greatest skill and musicianship as a pianist.
Divided among: Maya Lea Bulos, Cameron Alex Han Chandler, Audrey Cheng, Sean P. Mebust, Theodore Miles Perez, Yanjie Qiu and Faith Weizhen Wen
The Mishkin Prize, established by the Friends of Music, is awarded in honor 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.
Candace Yehji Chung
The Lincoln Lowell Russell Prize, established by J.W. Russell Jr. of the Class of l899 in memory of his son, is awarded to the seniors who have done most to foster the singing spirit at Amherst.
Divided between: Theo R. Peierls (2020E) and James Henry Speranza
The Eric Edward Sundquist Prize, established in memory of Mr. Sundquist of the Class of 1936, is awarded to that senior who has demonstrated excellence in musical composition and performance.
Divided between: Yohan Shane Stéphen Auguste and Atlas T. Finch
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 of the Class of 1947, is presented to the student whose research in the neurosciences is judged, by the faculty of the Neuroscience Program, to be of highest quality.
Divided between: Yohan Shane Stéphen Auguste and Rana Mohamed Barghout
PHILOSOPHY
The Gail Kennedy Memorial Prize is awarded to a senior major in philosophy in recognition of a distinguished honors essay.
Gregory David Carroll
PHYSICS
The William Warren Stifler Prize, established by Professor Stifler, is awarded to a senior who has majored in physics and especially excelled in the course on electricity and magnetism.
Divided between: Boran Kuzhan (2021E) and Ryan Beman McMillan
POLITICAL SCIENCE
The Densmore Berry Collins Prize in Political Science is given annually in memory of Mr. Collins, of the Class of 1940, for the best honors thesis in political science.
Divided among: Julian Samuel Brubaker, Charles Spencer Ferguson-Dryden and Stephanie Marie Madaus
The Robert C. Vogel ’60 Senior Thesis Prize is awarded every year to the senior who writes the best thesis addressing the politics, economics, history or society of Latin American countries or Latinx communities.
Divided between: Soledad Slowing-Romero and William MacWhorter Friedrichs
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.
Caroline Ostrand
PUBLIC SPEAKING
The Bancroft Prizes, established by Frederic Bancroft of the Class of 1882, are awarded to the two seniors who produce the best orations. Both composition and delivery are considered.
Divided among: Thomas Page Mobley, Sarah Ann Weintraub, Elizabeth Claire Sturley, Tyler Jeffrey Marovitz and Gregory Franklin
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, divided between: Muhammad Aqiil Gopee and Nathaniel Scott Corley
Second prize, divided between: Sarah Noelle Duggan and Matthew Tenzin Namgyal Yarnall
RUSSIAN
The Carol Prize in Russian, given by David James Carol, Class of 1977, in honor of his parents, Joseph and Roberta Carol, is awarded to the student who has demonstrated the greatest dedication and commitment to Russian.
Divided between: Ross Hirzel and Camille Blum
The Mikhail Schweitzer Memorial Book Award, established by students, parents and friends in fond memory of Mikhail Schweitzer, survivor of the Soviet Gulag, author and custodian at Amherst College, for the award of books to the student who, in the judgment of the Russian Department, most shares Misha Schweitzer’s love of Russian literature and culture.
Emilie Grace Flammé
SEXUALITY, WOMEN’S AND GENDER STUDIES
The Rose Olver Prize is awarded for the best honors thesis on sexuality, women’s and/or gender studies.
Divided between: Theo R. Peierls (2020E) and Jane Rogers Bragdon
SPANISH
The Pedro Grases Prize for Excellence in Spanish is given by a member of the Class of 1939 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.
Katherine Sabina Correia
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.
Divided among: Hanna Rebekah Plummer, Leah Woodbridge and Maki Ybarra-Young