The School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (SHASS) has named 31 exceptional MIT undergraduates as Burchard Scholars for 2014. The award honors sophomores and juniors who demonstrate academic excellence in the humanities, arts, and social sciences, as well as in science and engineering.
Burchard Scholars can come from any school or department of the Institute, and this year’s honorees major in a wide range of disicplines, including biology, linguistics, chemistry, electrical engineering and political science. "What binds the group together," says Margery Resnick, professor of literature and director of the Burchard program, "is a powerful curiosity about ideas."
“The Burchard scholars are some of MIT’s liveliest undergraduates,” she adds. “Selection is extremely competitive, and the students chosen are unafraid to wrestle with new ideas.”
Ideas and conversation at dinner seminars
Named in honor of the first SHASS dean, John Ely Burchard, the Burchard Scholars Program brings undergraduates together with distinguished members of the faculty for a series of eight dinner seminars that reflect the range of research in the school. Past gathering have featured talks on the presence of law in everyday life; how American social policies work; what philosophy tells us about how to make big decisions; political misinformation; and the art of discovery.
“The Burchard dinners are, for faculty and students alike, an oasis in our busy lives,” Resnick notes. “I look forward to every dinner as the powerful ideas generated by our faculty are reflected upon, challenged, and enjoyed by this wonderful group.”
Expanding horizons, in community
The Burchard gatherings are famous not only for presenting leading edge research, but also for building a warm, supportive community, and giving students experience in the art of intellectual give-and-take — a skill students value for success in every field.
"Engaging and engaged are defining characteristics of MIT's Burchard Scholars,” Resnick says, noting that many past winners have gone on to receive other distinguished honors, including Rhodes, Marshall, and Truman scholarships and fellowships.
Deborah K. Fitzgerald, the Kenan Sahin Dean of SHASS, congratulated the 2014 Burchard Scholars at a reception held in their honor in February.
Congratulations to the 2014 Burchard Scholars:
Elizabeth Berg ’16
physics; minor, literature
Halide Bey ’15
biology; political science
Kathryn Buggs ’16
economics; minor, Spanish
Matthew Davis ’16
physics
Alexandriya Emonds ’15
electrical engineering; brain and cognitive sciences
Sofia Essayan-Perez ’15
brain and cognitive sciences; minor, applied international studies
Hope Flaxman ’16
chemistry; minor, economics
Marisa Fryer ’15
environmental engineering; minor, literature
Beth Hadley ’15
computer science; minor, music
John W. Halloran, Jr. ’15
political science
Felicia Hsu ’15
biological engineering
Emily Kellison-Linn ’16
computer science and engineering
Kelly Kochanski ’15
physics; earth, atmospheric and planetary science
Emily LaVerriere ’15
brain and cognitive sciences; biology; minor, literature
Taibo Li ’15
electrical engineering and computer science
Carl Lian ’15
mathematics; minor, Music
Royal Morris ’15
comparative media studies; computer science and engineering; minor, brain and cognitive sciences
Olivia Murton ’15
linguistics
Alyssa Napier ’16
chemistry; linguistics
Quynh Nguyen ’15
biology; minor, ancient and medieval studies; chemistry
Kayvon Pedram ’15
chemistry
Julie Ramseier ’15
biological engineering; minor, music
Stephen Suen ’15
comparative media studies
Caitlin Tan ’16
brain and cognitive sciences
Phong T. Vo ’16
physics
Anna Walsh ’16
computer science and engineering
Spencer Wilson ’15
mechanical engineering; minor, comparative media studies
Anthony Yu ’16
economics; mathematics
Laura Zhang ’15
mathematics and computer science; writing; minor, economics
Joanne Zhou ’15
biology; minor, brain and cognitive sciences
Penghui Zhou ’16
economics; computer science; minor, psychology
Story prepared by MIT SHASS Communications
Editorial and Design Director: Emily Hiestand
Senior Writer: Kathryn O'Neill
Communications Assistant: Kierstin Wesolowski
