MIT SHASS names 36 extraordinary students as 2021 Burchard Scholars
The undergraduates selected for the competitive program enjoy a seminar series and conversations over dinners with distinguished faculty.
MIT's Hayden Library, located along the Charles River, is home to the Humanities and Science collections.
"It’s perhaps no surprise that a high percentage of the MIT students who receive Rhodes, Marshall, and other major scholarships and fellowships are former Burchard Scholars."
The MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (MIT SHASS) is pleased to announce that 38 MIT undergraduate sophomores and juniors have been named as the 2021 Burchard Scholars.
Candidates for the Burchard program are nominated by their professors and selection is competitive. All students chosen for the program have demonstrated excellence and engagement in the humanistic fields, but can be majoring in science, design, and engineering fields as well as in the humanities, arts, and social sciences.
With the Institute planning a return to campus operations in the Fall, the 2021 Burchard Scholars will once again be able to engage in the program’s distinctive dinner series. At each evening, a distinguished faculty member gives a presentation on leading research, after which the Scholars, joined at small table groups by several MIT faculty members, discuss the ideas over an elegant dinner. During the course of the calendar year, the Scholars also attend several cultural events in the Boston metropolitan area.
Honing the art of discussion
The Burchard Scholars program is designed to provide promising students a challenging and friendly arena in which to hone skills for expressing, critiquing, and debating ideas with peers and mentors. In the course of their conversations, the Scholars develop respectful, adaptable approaches to engaging in complex intellectual discussions.
Speakers at previous seminar events have included Institute Professor Daron Acemoglu, an economist, discussing artificial intelligence and the future of work; Kenda Mutongi, Professor of History, reflecting on law in post-colonial Kenya; and Vipin Narang, Associate Professor of Political Science, speaking on nuclear security issues. The Burchard cultural events and field trips have included premieres at the Boston Lyric Opera, a post-concert backstage visit with Yo-Yo Ma; and a visit to a newly acquired photography collection at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.
Enthusiasm and aptitude
It is perhaps no surprise that a high percentage of the MIT students who receive Rhodes, Marshall, and other major scholarships and fellowships are former Burchard Scholars. “These students are an extraordinary group of MIT undergraduates," says Margery Resnick, Associate Professor of Literature and director of the Burchard program. “They are thoughtful, smart, and enthusiastic about the opportunity to discuss a wide-range of ideas with faculty and fellow students.”
The 2021 Burchard Scholars
Hillary Diane Andales, sophomore
Physics
Gabriella Aponte, sophomore
Chemistry and Biology
Prosser Cathey, junior
Mathematical Economics + Political Science
Alana Chandler, junior
Materials Science and Engineering
Curtis Chen, sophomore
Computation and Cognition
Laura Chen, junior
Biological Engineering
Maggie Chen, junior
Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Claire Cheng, junior
Computer Science and Engineering + Music and Theater Arts
Zachary Chin, junior
Chemistry + Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Pedro Colon, sophomore
Chemistry and Biology
Ryan Conti, sophomore
Mathematics
Amelia Dogan, sophomore
Urban Science and Planning with Computer Science + Humanities: American Studies
Rujul Gandhi, junior
Linguistics and Philosophy + Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Swapnil Garg, junior
Mathematics
Stacy Godfreey-Igwe, junior
Engineering + Humanities: African & African Diaspora Studies
Ananya Gurumurthy, sophomore
Economics
Emily Huang, junior
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science + Political Science
Ibuki Iwasaki, junior
Art and Design
Sahithi Madireddy, sophomore
Biology
Isha Mehrotra, junior
Chemistry and Biology
Naomi Michael, junior
Mechanical Engineering
Karna Morey, junior
Physics
Rajiv Movva, junior
Computer Science and Engineering
Atharv Oak, sophomore
Computer Science and Molecular Biology
Vaishnavi Phadnis, junior
Biology
David Spicer, sophomore
Political Science + Philosophy
Kathryn Tso, junior
Materials Science and Engineering + History
Max Williamson, junior
Computer Science and Engineering
Kelly Wu, junior
Chemical Engineering
Westley Wu, sophomore
Chemistry and Biology
Megan Xu, junior
Biological Engineering
Jeffery Yu, junior
Mathematics + Physics
Daniel Zhang, junior
Biology
Diane Zhang, sophomore
Computer Science and Molecular Biology
Julian Zulueta, sophomore
Biological Engineering
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Story prepared by MIT SHASS Communications