News from PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
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For immediate release: Sept. 5, 2004
Media contact: Eric Quiñones, (609) 258-5748, quinones@princeton.edu
Students honored at Opening Exercises
PRINCETON, N.J. -- The accomplishments of Princeton's students were celebrated with the awarding of four undergraduate prizes at Opening Exercises Sept. 5.
"Among the qualities that matter to us at Princeton, none is more important than intellectual engagement and academic achievement," said Dean of the College Nancy Malkiel. "It is especially fitting that we begin the academic year by honoring a select group of undergraduates for extraordinary accomplishment in their programs of study."
Freshman First Honor Prize
Lester Mackey of Wheatley Heights, N.Y., received the Freshman First Honor Prize, awarded each year to a sophomore in recognition of exceptional achievement during the freshman year.
Mackey is a graduate of Half Hollow Hills High School West in Dix Hills, N.Y. A B.S.E. candidate, he is majoring in computer science. He plans to pursue certificates in engineering and management systems, in applied and computational mathematics and possibly in robotics and intelligent systems. He also hopes to study abroad in either Spain or Latin America.
Since coming to Princeton, Mackey has been named a 2004 Microsoft Scholar and a Legacy Award Winner by the Creativity Foundation. Later this month, he will receive the Shapiro Prize for Academic Excellence. He also has won awards for his writing and is an editor of Innovation, Princeton's student science and technology magazine. Mackey sings in the Chapel Choir and with the Music Outreach Program, which performs for nursing homes in the community. He has been active in the Princeton Evangelical Fellowship.
George Wood Legacy Sophomore Prize
This year's George Wood Legacy Sophomore Prize went to Michael Broache, a graduate of the Cardinal Gibbons School in Baltimore. The award is given to a member of the junior class in recognition of exceptional academic achievement during the sophomore year. Later this month, he also will receive the Shapiro Prize for Academic Excellence.
Broache, who lives in Owings Mills, Md., is an A.B. candidate concentrating in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. He plans to complete certificates in Russian studies and in contemporary European politics and society. His research interests focus on issues relating to nuclear proliferation, especially with respect to the arsenals of Russia and the states of the former Soviet Union. After graduation, he intends to pursue both a law degree and an advanced degree in international relations in preparation for a career in law, politics or diplomacy.
Broache is a member of the lightweight crew team, The Daily Princetonian's opinion board, WPRB radio's sports staff and the Pre-Law Society.
George Wood Legacy Junior Prize
The George Wood Legacy Junior Prize is presented each year to a member of the senior class in recognition of exceptional academic achievement during the junior year. This year, the prize was shared by Megan Cunningham and Jesse Levinson.
Cunningham, who is from Gore, Va., is a graduate of James Wood High School in Winchester, Va. A B.S.E. candidate, she is concentrating in operations research and financial engineering and plans to complete certificates in finance, in engineering management systems and in applications of computing.
Cunningham's research interests are in the fields of queueing theory and optimization. Last year, she received the Shapiro Prize for Academic Excellence and was selected for membership in Tau Beta Pi. Following graduation, she plans to study either operations research in graduate school or work in an operations research-related position in preparation for developing her own business.
Cunningham has given tours of the Engineering Quadrangle for prospective students, served as assistant manager for the Special Occasions Student Agency and been active in the Princeton Evangelical Fellowship.
Levinson is a graduate of the Crystal Springs Upland School in his hometown of Hillsborough, Calif. An A.B. candidate, he is concentrating in computer science and also is pursuing a certificate in finance. His academic interests include bioinformatics, image processing, artificial intelligence and distributed computing. Following graduation, he plans to pursue a Ph.D. in computer science. His long-term interests include research and development that combines computer science with other disciplines.
In his two semesters of junior independent work, Levinson developed, with fellow computer science major Clay Bavor, a novel system for discovering, configuring and controlling appliances and digital devices wirelessly via a personal computer. A patent is pending on their invention, and they are exploring options for producing and marketing the system.
Levinson's other interests include photography, classical piano performance and composition, tennis and squash. He is a senior photographer for The Daily Princetonian.
Class of 1939 Princeton Scholar Award
This year's Class of 1939 Princeton Scholar Award, given to the undergraduate who, at the end of the junior year, has achieved the highest academic standing for all preceding college work at the University, also was shared. The recipients are Joshua Geltzer and Mihai Manea.
Geltzer is a graduate of Hunter College High School in his hometown of New York City. An A.B. candidate, he is concentrating in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. He has twice received the Shapiro Prize for Academic Excellence and was awarded the Haarlow Prize for the Best Paper in Humanistic Studies.
Geltzer's primary interest is in transatlantic relations. For his senior thesis, he plans to work on issues of transatlantic communication, signaling, perception and misperception. Following graduation, he expects to continue to study international affairs, earning both J.D. and Ph.D. degrees in preparation for a life in public service aimed toward fostering transatlantic cooperation.
Geltzer serves as an officer of the Law and Public Affairs Forum and as a junior fellow in the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions. He is treasurer of Ivy Club, president of the Student Bioethics Forum and co-editor-in-chief of the Princeton Journal of Bioethics. He has played lead guitar in a popular campus band, coached in a youth basketball league and participated on the University's club baseball team.
Manea is a graduate of Colegiul "Vasile Alecsandri" in his hometown of Galati, Romania. An A.B. candidate, he is concentrating in economics and plans to complete a certificate in applied and computational mathematics.
The winner of three gold medals in the International Mathematics Olympiad, Manea has continued to excel in mathematics at Princeton. He twice received the Class of 1861 Prize in Mathematics and also has twice received the Shapiro Prize for Academic Excellence. Last year, Manea was awarded the George B. Legacy Sophomore Prize.
Manea is interested in economic theory and, in particular, game theory. Following graduation, he plans to earn a Ph.D. in economics and to pursue a career as a professor of economics.