Prize Day was held on Saturday, May 9, in Memorial Chapel, followed by a reception on the Reamer Campus Center patio.
Students were honored for achievement in academics, research, service and governance. Among the top awards given were the Josephine
Daggett Prize to the senior for conduct and character (Caelan Lapointe) and the Frank Bailey (1885) Prize, to the senior who has rendered the greatest service to the College in any field (Chetna Prasad).
Academic Awards
WILLIAM F. ALLEN (1895) ESSAY PRIZE – To senior in any department for the best essay.
Katie Lukas, Rebekah Williams
RONALD K. AMIRAIAN (1980) MEMORIAL PRIZE – To a student of modern languages who has performed with distinction on a Union term abroad.
Roswald Morales
ANDREW W. ARCHIBALD (1872) PRIZE – To the senior earning a Bachelor of Arts degree with the highest scholastic standing.
Meaghan Jain
ARNOLD I. BITTLEMAN MEMORIAL PRIZE – To a student who has studied drawing in the Visual Arts Department and whose work, in the judgment of the Visual Arts faculty in collaboration with an outside juror, is outstanding.
John Famulare
FLETCHER (1947) AND GRACE BLANCHARD MEMORIAL PRIZE IN BIOENGINEERING – To a senior who has excelled in Bioengineering.
Megan Mancuso
WILLIAM H. BLOOM (1945), M.D. AND JONATHAN R. BLOOM (1988) POETRY PRIZE – For the best poem or series of poems by an undergraduate.
Cara Peterhansel
DAVID BRIND (1982) MEMORIAL PRIZE IN ENGLISH – To one or more outstanding senior students in English.
Anna Flores, Meghan Hill, Caitlin Lentlie
GEORGE H. CATLIN (1867) PRIZE – To a graduating senior in liberal arts with the highest scholastic record and deemed most promising for graduate study and for eventual service in college teaching.
Daniel Pallies
DIVISION OF ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY AWARD – To a student who has excelled in analytical chemistry.
Yixin Hu
JOSEPH D. DOTY PRIZE – To the junior or senior who, in the judgment of the Department of History, has done work of outstanding merit.
Ryan Muther
FRANKEL PRIZE – For outstanding achievement in a religion course.
Alicia Blecich
ROBERT M. FULLER (1863) PRIZES – One to the sophomore, the other to the senior, who demonstrates outstanding work, ability, and promise in chemistry.
Christina Bebernitz, Yi Cao (seniors), Lam Vo (sophomore)
BRUCE M. GARBER (1971) PRIZE – To the student who best exemplifies the qualities of personal integrity and humane concern for the future practice of medicine or dentistry.
Eva Zimmerman
GENERAL ELECTRIC EDISON MECHANICAL ENGINEERING BOOK PRIZE – To a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering who has demonstrated exceptional leadership qualities.
John Costa
GENERAL ELECTRIC EDISON MECHANICAL ENGINEERING LEADERSHIP PRIZE – To a senior majoring in mechanical engineering who has demonstrated exceptional leadership qualities.
Matthew Wenner
GENERAL ELECTRIC ENERGY STEINMETZ AWARD – To a senior in mechanical engineering who completes the best senior project.
Ian Davies, Caelan Lapointe
GEOLOGY FACULTY PRIZE – To a senior who contributes most to the Geology Department and social morale.
Kaitlyn Suarez
LISA S. GERHAN (1994) MEMORIAL AWARD – For academic excellence, a commitment to the field of psychology, and the potential for future contributions to the field.
Molly Maloney
ASHRAF M. GHALY GEO RESEARCH PRIZE – To the senior who completes the best research study and reports original results in any geo field (geotechnical, geo environmental, geoengineering, geoscience or geospatial).
Christopher Kelly
CELIA GLAUBACH PRIZE – To the student who has demonstrated outstanding scholarship in the area of religious studies.
Karl Hetzke
SHANKAR GOKHALE PRIZE – To the senior in engineering, preferably in the five–year program with the second major in economics, judged to have the greatest potential for community service in the area of mathematical approaches to economic problems.
Nicholas Goodrich
GOODNOW NEUROSCIENCE ENDOWED PRIZE – Awarded annually to the graduating neuroscience student who shows the most promise for success in graduate school and beyond.
Yilun Zhang
JOHN S. HADALA (1928) ENDOWED BOOK PRIZE – To a senior majoring in mechanical engineering on the basis of academic, personal, and social achievement.
Marian Chee
HANS HAINEBACH MEMORIAL PRIZE IN GERMAN LITERATURE – To a sophomore or junior who has demonstrated particular promise as a student of German literature.
Gillian Henry
HANS HAINEBACH MEMORIAL PRIZE IN JUDAICA – To a student who has offered the best performance in the field of Judaica.
Ilan Levine
EDWARD EVERETT HALE, JR. PRIZE – For the best essay written by a sophomore or junior.
Molly Graether, Laura Schaffer
OSWALD HECK (1924) – IRWIN STEINGUT PRIZE – To the student who has consistently done the best work in political science.
Karl Hetzke
EUGENE W. HELLMICH (1923) MEMORIAL PRIZE – To a senior who demonstrate excellence in mathematics and is planning to teach math.
Teresa Crasto
VICTOR HERBERT PRIZE – To the student who shows the most promise of making a contribution to American music.
Matthew Anisfeld, Max Caplan
JULIAN B. HOFFMAN, M.D., (1966) MEMORIAL AWARD – To the student, preferably premedical, for distinguished interest, devotion, and contribution to the arts and/or intellectual climate at Union College.
Caroline Brustowicz
CHARLES B. HURD PRIZE – To an outstanding student pursuing course work in physical chemistry.
Thomas Kolb
ALBERT C. INGHAM (1847) PRIZE – To the student in social sciences judged to have done the most outstanding piece of scholarly work.
Karlee Bergendorff
INGVAR V. INGVARSSON PRIZE – To a senior in electrical engineering chosen for high scholarship.
Catherine Kennedy
JOHN IWANIK PRIZE – To an outstanding Russian language student.
Selene Palomo
WILLIAM B. JAFFE (1926) ART AWARD – For exceptional achievement by an art major, marked by excellence in the study of art history, independent scholarship, and interest in the work of the department.
Karlee Bergendorff
THOMAS J. JUDSON (1966) MEMORIAL BOOK PRIZE – To a sophomore who has shown academic excellence as well as sincere interest in the study of modern languages.
Emma Roberts
DAVID S. KAPLAN (1982) MEMORIAL PRIZE – To a student applying for a term abroad, with preference to a major in political science.
ChiYuen Keung
WARNER KING(1906) PRIZE – To the senior in Engineering who has contributed most to the traditions and ideals of the College.
Benjamin Saperstein
ETHEL KIRCHENBAUM MEMORIAL PRIZE – To the senior who, in the opinion of the Engineering Departments, shall be deemed to possess the best potential for furthering the ideals of the engineering profession.
Carson Miller
HAROLD A. LARRABEE PRIZE – To the student who has done the best work in philosophy during the year.
Claire Kokoska
WILLIAM E. LASNIK (1968) PRIZE – To a junior or senior premedical student on the basis of scholarship and character.
Alexander Jaksic
ANTHONY C. LAVECCHIA (1998) MEMORIAL AWARD – Awarded to a student who demonstrates a keen interest and passion in journalism, especially with a focus in political journalism.
Katherine Barner
STEPHEN F. LEO (1884), M.D., PRIZE – To the student on scholarship who attains the highest grades in the graduating class and who has been accepted in medical school.
Meaghan Jain
ALICE P. AND DONALD C. LOUGHRY (1952) PRIZE IN COMPUTER SCIENCE – To the student completing the best senior project in computer science.
Nicholas Goodrich
ALICE P. AND DONALD C. LOUGHRY (1952) PRIZE IN ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING – To the student completing the best senior project in electrical engineering.
Jeffrey Wettstein
EDITH EMILEE MACCOY PRIZE – To the student who excels in botany.
Brina Dillon
JOHN LEWIS MARCH PRIZE – To a senior who has shown increased interest and ability in psychology during the final two years of college.
Holden French
MINERVA PRIZE – To a female student whose work best combines the scholarly study of women or gender with activities that enhance the life of women on campus.
Shayna Han
LEWIS HENRY MORGAN (1840) PRIZE – To the Anthropology major who produces the best senior thesis.
Meaghan Jain
R. E. MORGAN MEMORIAL AWARD – To a senior in computer engineering chosen for high scholarship.
Mark Khazanov
HAROLD AND ELLEN NAGORSKY MEMORIAL PRIZE – Awarded to a junior premedical student who contributes the most to the Union College community through extracurricular activities.
Sebastien Gingras
ALVIN F. NITCHMAN (1924) PRIZE – To the most promising senior who plans to attend law school.
Lacey Reimer
RONALD M. OBENZINGER (1961) PRIZE – To a premedical student who is selected for high academic merit and personal worthiness.
Travis Barker
ROBERT G. O’NEALE (1878) PRIZE – To the senior with the highest standing in classics.
Ian Walters
HANS PASCH MEMORIAL PRIZE – Awarded for the best essay written about the Holocaust.
Joseph Hinderstein
ELIAS PEISSNER PRIZE – To an economics major who has done work of outstanding merit.
Yaqi Gao
PRESIDENT’S COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN SENIOR SCHOLARLY ACTIVITY AWARD – To a senior who displays outstanding scholarly activity in her field.
Yi Cao, Ran Wang
PRESIDENT’S COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN SENIOR THESIS PRIZE – To a senior whose senior thesis makes the greatest contribution to scholarship on women.
Anna Flores
DANIEL F. PULLMAN CLASSICAL PRIZE – To a senior of high scholastic standing in humanities.
Ian Walters
DANIEL F. PULLMAN ENGINEERING PRIZE – To a senior of high scholastic standing in engineering.
Megan Mancuso
RENNES LECTURER/LECTRICE PRIZE – To a senior planning to serve as a lecturer or lectrice pursuant to Union College’s teacher exchange program in Rennes, France.
Oema Rambharose
MARTIN TERRY RESCH PRIZE – To the senior who shows the greatest promise for advanced study in pure or applied mathematics.
Ran Wang, Xuanhan Zhao
MRS. EDWIN L. RICH PRIZE – To a student majoring in English who has demonstrated outstanding scholarship.
Anna Flores
CHARLES ALEXANDER RICHMOND PRIZE IN FINE ARTS – To a student who demonstrates excellence in fine arts or art history.
Edward Benfield
CHARLES ALEXANDER RICHMOND PRIZE IN MUSIC – To a student who demonstrates excellence in music.
Teena Alex
MARK ROSENTHAL (1976) MEMORIAL PRIZE – To a senior involved in community activities who is planning to attend medical school.
Eva Zimmerman
ROTARY FOUNDATION ENDOWED PRIZE FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDY – To the senior who shows the greatest promise and interest in an area of international relations, with preference to a student from Schenectady County.
Lucas Rivers
ROBERT L. ROYAL (1938) AWARD – To a financially deserving student each year who has been accepted by Albany Medical College.
Danielle Stansky
MORTIMER F. SAYRE PRIZE – To the senior with the best potential for furthering the ideals of the mechanical engineering profession.
Yi Cao
DANIEL SHOCKET (1972) MEMORIAL AWARD – To a student majoring in English with a strong interest in creative writing.
Thomas Arcuri
AIME SIMON (1991) TERM ABROAD PRIZE – To students of high academic standing and promise with strong interests in French studies, participating in a term abroad program in a French–speaking country.
Elizabeth Almonte
EDWARD S.C. SMITH GEOLOGY PRIZE – To a senior, majoring in geology, who demonstrates high professional potential.
Sarah Brehm, Nicholas Weidhaas
FRELING H. SMITH (1865) PRIZE – To the History major with the best senior thesis.
Shanon Douglass
DR. REUBEN SORKIN (1933) AWARD FOR PROFICIENCY IN PREMEDICAL STUDIES – To a senior demonstrating proficiency in undergraduate studies with an outstanding aptitude for continuing work leading to a degree in medicine.
Philip Kretschmer
RALPH W. STEARNS (1907) PRIZE – To an outstanding student in electrical or computer engineering.
Carson Miller
MILTON HYMES STERNFELD (1916) PRIZE – For the best original essay in philosophy by a member of the senior class.
Peter Davis, Daniel Pallies
ROGER THAYER STONE (1928) PRIZE – To the sociology major who produces the best senior thesis.
Darcy Berger, Arielle Homer
WILLIAM W. THOMAS AWARD IN FRENCH AND FRANCOPHONE STUDIES – To a senior who has excelled in and contributed most to French and Francophone Studies on the basis of academic, personal and extracurricular achievement.
Jordan Pulling
JAMES HENRY TURNBULL (1929) PRIZE – To the outstanding sophomore in physics.
Morgan Clark, Rebeka Kelmar
WESSEL TEN BROECK VAN ORDEN (1839) PRIZE – To a first-year student excelling in English composition.
Gianluca Avanzato
HORATIO G. WARNER (1826) PRIZE – To a student of high personal character who has the highest scholastic standing in the bachelor of arts program.
Meaghan Jain
MILDRED WILDER PRIZE – To the senior majoring in political science who has written the best piece of scholarly work on women and politics.
Kelly Mears
GEORGE H. WILLIAMS PRIZE – To a graduating senior for excellence in Computer Science.
Stephen Dilorio, Joshua Kline
LEE AND WILLIAM WRUBEL MEMORIAL PRIZE – To a senior preparing for dentistry or medicine, based on academic achievement and character.
Chetna Prasad
EUGENE I. YUDIS (1955) PRIZE – To the student who has produced the best piece of prose fiction.
Kevin Heaney
Service Awards
ALAN LAKE CHIDSEY (1925) CITIZENSHIP AWARD – To a senior for distinctive contributions to the advancement of responsible government in student affairs.
Benjamin Saperstein
CLASS OF 2001 PRIZE – To the junior, on the basis of academic, personal and social achievement and on his or her contributions to Union.
Sebastien Gingras
JOEL A. HALPERN (1961) PRIZE – To a student or students who have made a commitment in service to the local community.
Jennifer Sexton
ALBERT HILL RECOGNITION AWARD – To seniors who have held leadership positions and demonstrated exceptional commitment to enhancing the College community.
Benjamin Saperstein
ROGER H. HULL COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD – To a senior who has rendered the greatest sustained service to the greater Schenectady community. This award honors a student who has initiated and/or is actively engaged in an ongoing community service project.
Jennifer Sexton
PRESIDENT’S COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD – To a student who has contributed significantly to furthering the cause of women at Union College.
Emily Myers
CALVIN G. SCHMIDT (1951) PRIZE – To the member of the junior class who has contributed most to the betterment of student life on campus.
Stephanie Dick
J. RICHARD SHANEBROOK PRIZE – To a student who has contributed the most to the betterment of religious life on campus.
Sriya Bhumi, Mark Khazanov, Fatima Hosain
FRANCES TRAVIS AWARD – To a student who is working his or her way through college and who has demonstrated unusual responsibility and self–reliance.
Bin Chen
UNITAS DIVERSITY LEADERSHIP AWARD – To the student who has made a significant contribution toward fostering diversity on campus.
Rachel Refkin
College Distinction Awards
JOSEPHINE DAGGETT PRIZE – To a senior of the best conduct and character.
Caelan Lapointe
FRANK BAILEY (1885) PRIZE – To the senior who has rendered the greatest service to the College in any field.
Chetna Prasad