CORE: EDUCATION
SHASS announces Burchard Scholars for 2013
"This year’s honorees major in a range of disciplines,
from astrophysics to linguistics, from brain sciences
to mechanical engineering. What binds the group together
is a powerful curiosity about ideas."
March 10, 2013 — MIT’s School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences has named 32 undergraduate students as Burchard Scholars for 2013. The award recognizes sophomores and juniors who have demonstrated outstanding abilities and academic excellence in some aspect of the humanities, arts, and social sciences, as well as in science and engineering.
“Scholars are chosen for the love of abstract thinking across a variety of fields, the pleasure in dialogue with peers and faculty, and the desire to understand the passion that inspires MIT research in the humanities, arts, and social sciences,” says Margery Resnick, professor of literature and director of the Burchard Scholars Program.
Love of ideas
Burchard Scholars can come from any school or department of the Institute, and this year’s honorees major in a range of disicplines, from astrophysics to linguistics, from brain sciences to mechanical engineering. What binds the group together, Resnick says, is a powerful curiosity about ideas.
“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.
Elegant dinner seminars
Named in honor of the School's first dean, John Ely Burchard, the Burchard Scholars Program brings undergraduates together with distinguished members of the MIT faculty for a series of dinner seminars that reflect the vast range of inquiry and research in the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Science. Past topics have included the presence of law in everyday life, the impact of new technology on gambling addiction, and the history of Chinese business.
“The Burchard dinners are, for faculty and students alike, an oasis in our busy lives,” Resnick notes. “The opportunity to enjoy two hours of uninterrupted conversation about ideas, in an appealing setting, is a refreshing change from the usual pace of life.”
Thanks to the generosity of an alumna donor, each class of Burchard Scholars also has the opportunity to enjoy a cultural activity outside of MIT. In recent years, the group has attended performances of Porgy and Bess and Hamlet. In 2009, Scholars met cellist Yo-Yo Ma in a backstage visit organized by Professor of Music Lowell Lindgren.
A highlight of the MIT experience
“The Burchard Scholars program is an MIT gem,” says 2012 Scholar Benjamin Bell ’14, a biology major minoring in applied international studies. “The questions posed at a Burchard dinner are not ones that I see on problem sets. I may never have a similar opportunity to learn from faculty and peers around the dinner table, and I know that my year as a Burchard Scholar will be one of the highlights of my MIT experience.”
Deborah K. Fitzgerald, Kenan Sahin Dean of the School, congratulated the 2013 Burchard Scholars at a reception held in their honor on February 6, 2013 at the MIT Faculty Club. SHASS department heads, Burchard Faculty Fellows, and last year’s Burchard Scholars were all on hand to welcome the honorees.
The 2013 MIT Burchard Scholars
Anne Cai '14
Political Science, Mathematics
minor: Economics, Management Science
Ravi Charan '14
Political Science, Mathematics
m: Physics
Emily Chen '14
Brain and Cognitive Sciences
m: Ancient and Medieval Studies, Management
Stephanie Cheng '15
Economics
m: Creative Writing
Nazia Chowdhury '14
Biology
m: Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Jakob Dahl '15
Chemistry
m: Music
Sebastian Denault '14
Mechanical Engineering
m: German
Samantha Fomon '15
Astrophysics
m: Mechanical Engineering
Jessica Fujimori '14
Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Science Writing
Heath Gould '14
Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Abdulhamid Haidar '15
Economics, Computer Science and Engineering
Jacqueline Han '14
Political Science
m: Energy Science
David Han '14
Brain and Cognitive Sciences
m: Chemistry
Cory Hernandez '14
Political Sciences and American Studies
m: History
Brianna Jones '14
Brain and Cognitive Sciences
m: Science, Technology, and Society
Nathaniel Kim '14
Brain and Cognitive Sciences
m: Management
Jelimo Maswan '14
Electrical Science and Engineering
m: Applied International Science
Laura McCulloch '14
Biology
m: History
Christine Park '14
Brain and Cognitive Sciences
m: Chemistry
Elizabeth Qian '14
Aeronautics and Astronautics
m: Biology
Rebecca Reed '14
Linguistics
Audry Sedal '15
Mechanical Engineering
m: Management Science
Susan Shepherd '14
Writing and Humanistic Studies
Caroline Shinkle '15
Economics, Management
m: French, Political Science
Laura Stilwell '14
Urban Studies and Planning, Economics
Fangdi Sun '14
Biological Engineering
m: History
Pratiksha Thaker '14
Computer Science and Engineering
Erika Trent '15
Brain and Cognitive Science
Deena Wang '14
Computer Science and Molecular Biology
Sheila Xu '14
Science Technology and Society, Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
Grace Young '14
Mechanical and Ocean Engineering
Angela Zhu '14
Biological Engineering
