Undergraduate News

(Archived) For current news, please see side bar on main Undergraduate page.

Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation President Madeleine Albright has announced the names of the 2014 Truman Scholars.  Tianhao He, a junior Sociology concentrator from Maryland, is one of 59 students from 52 US colleges and universities to have been selected from among 655 candidates based upon their academic success and leadership accomplishments, as well as their likelihood of becoming public service leaders. Read more about the Truman Scholarship here. Tianhao's accomplishment is featured in The Harvard Crimson, April 21, 2014.

 

Sociology concentrator Ian D. Lundberg  has been inducted to Phi Beta Kappa’s “Junior 24”—the first 24 members of the Class of 2015 to be elected to the organization’s Harvard chapter.  “The Junior 24 are among a highly select group of students recognized for extraordinary academic achievement,” wrote Jeffrey M. Berg, an assistant director at Harvard’s Postgraduate and National Fellowships Office, in an email announcing the selection on behalf of the chapter," The Harvard Crimson, April 8, 2014. 

Asad Asad, a third year Sociology PhD Candidate, has been awarded one of the Star Family Prizes for Excellence in Advising.  Asad, a Mather House tutor, was recognized for his exceptional work with sophomores. Read more at The Crimson

 

Congratulations to Sociology Concentrators Jen Zhu, Christopher Cleveland, and Yolanda Borquaye, who have been elected to serve as senior class marshals for the Class of 2014.  The eight marshals elected will serve on the Senior Class Committee along with House Representatives, the Class Secretary, and the Class Treasurer and will plan and run social activities and events for the senior class, as well as organizing reunions and other alumni events after graduation.  For the full list of marshals, please see "Class of 2014 Elects Eight Senior Class Marshals"

The 2013 Albert M. Fulton Prize for the Best Thesis in the Field of Sociology was awarded to Ellie Hylton for her project "Bridging the Gap: Social Integration and Academic Achievement in the Desegregated Public High School."  Receiving Honorable Mention were Audrey Anderson for "Prescriptions and Policy: Exploring the Causes and Consequences of Physicians' Attitudes Towards the Accountable Care Organization Model" and Amanda Morejon for "Beyond Victim-Blaming: Strategies of Rape Response through Narrative." 

 Keri Hartman's ('12) paper, "Capital Transformations in Boston Music Scenes," was published in Sociological Insight: Undergraduate Research Journal 2012, Vol 4, 59-72. This work began as a seminar paper for her junior tutorial, Sociology 98Ka Arts, Culture, and Urban Neighborhoods.

Please check out Dorchester Boundaries, Sociology 128's 2012-13 winning neighborhood mapping presentation. Congratulations to Jack Smith, Nima Hassan, Hania Chima, Peter Barfield, and Esther Moon. Also of interest are the projects Chinatown Boundaries and South End Boundaries.

Congratulations to Ethel Hylton who was recently elected to Harvard College Phi Beta Kappa Alpha Iota of Massachusetts, Class of 2013.

The 2012 Albert M. Fulton Prize for the Best Thesis in the Field of Sociology was awarded to Herrissa Lamothe for her project ""Gestión"-ing the State: Community Management of State-Society Interactions in Rural Peru." The 2012 James A Davis Prize for an Exemplary Thesis in Sociology was awarded to Samantha Meier for her project, "Twisted Sisters: Women's Comix and Cultural Action."

Kim Pernell, 2011-12 Departmental Writing Fellow in Sociology, has been awarded a 2012 Star Award. The Star Family Prizes for Excellence in Advising were established by James A. Star AB 1983 to recognize and reward individuals who contribute to the College through their exemplary intellectual and personal guidance of undergraduate students.

Two Sociology concentrators have been named 2012 Hoopes Prize winners. Keri Hartman, for "A Politics of Blood: Marking the Boundaries of Race, Class, Gender and Nation in Online White Separatist Discourse," nominated by Dr. Jennifer Silva and Simone Zhang, for "Constructing the Riots: Interpretations and Consequences of the 2011 England Riots," nominated by Professor Bart Bonikowski.

Jarell Lee '10 and Arne Duncan '88 were featured at NBC's Education Nation Teacher Town Hall. Watch for Jarell Lee at 02:03 and Arne Duncan at 02:51.

Danielle Gram, '11, is featured in this Harvard Gazette article, "Gram Gives Peace a Chance," one of a series of profiles showcasing some of Harvard's stellar graduates.

David Ager is one of this year’s recipients of the Phi Beta Kappa prize for excellence in teaching.  Dr. Ager was nominated by student members of the Alpha-Iota of Massachusetts Phi Beta Kappa chapter.

Four Sociology concentrators have been named 2011 Hoopes Prize winners. Lauren Brown, "The Presentation of Self in Digital Life," nominated by Kevin Lewis; Danielle Gram, "Child Witches and Witch Hunts: New Images of the Occult in the Democratic Republic of Congo," nominated by Timothy Nelson (Kennedy School); Katherine Gunn, "What Women Want: The Negotiation of Career Aspirations Among Women in the Consulting Industry," nominated by Kim Pernell; and Elizabeth Pezza, "Coming Out of the Shadows: The Implications of Activism Among Undocumented Youth," nominated by Prof. Mary Waters.

The 2011 Albert M. Fulton Prize for the Best Thesis in the Field of Sociology was awarded to Elizabeth Pezza for her project "'Coming Out of the Shadows: The Implications of Activism Among Undocumented Youth. " The 2011 James A Davis Prize for an Exemplary Thesis in Sociology was awarded to Lauren Brown for her project, "The Presentation of Self in Digital Life."

Danielle Gram ('11), a Sociology joint concentrator and Kids for Peace co-founder, has been chosen as the 2010 World of Children Youth Founder's Award recipient. Please read about this honor here. Danielle is also featured in a Q&A with Teen Vogue, November 2010.

I Need a Pencil founder Jason Shah ('11), is featured on CNN during the "Mission Possible" segment, discussing this free on-line S.A.T. prep program.

Marjorie LaCombe, Class of 2013, created the film, "Green is the New Crimson" to educate fellow students and the Harvard community about food waste. The film, produced as part of "Sociology 167: Visualizing Human Rights and Social Change through Documentary Film and Photography," a class she took in the Fall of 2010, was the winning entry in that semester's Resource Efficiency Program (REP) eco-project contest. See the film here.

 

Four Sociology concentrators have been named 2010 Hoopes Prize winners. Jessamin Birdsall, "Divided by Faith: Religion, Ethnicity, and the Boundaries of Belonging in Contemporary Fiji," nominated by Alison Denton Jones; Melissa Deas, "When the Spics Became Hispanic: The Transformation and Renegotiation of Place in a Gentrifying Landscape," nominated by Timothy Nelson (Kennedy School); Dwight Bernard Nippert Pope, "Not One-Size-Fits-All: Negotiating Health Services Post-Incarceration," nominated by Prof. Bruce Western and Eva Rosen; and Cathy Sirois, "Missing Fathers: How Paternal Incarceration Triggers a Process of Cumulative Disadvantage for Children," nominated by Prof. Bruce Western and Dr. Kaia Stern.

The 2010 Albert M. Fulton Prize for the Best Thesis in the Field of Sociology was awarded to Jessica Luna for her project "'We Can’t Afford (Not) to Eat This Way': Food Stamp Users and the Alternative Food Movement."

Assistant Professor Jason Beckfield was chosen by the Class of 2010 to receive the George Kahrl Award in Sociology, which recognizes excellence in teaching.

Three students have been named 2009 Hoopes Prize winners. Jean Junior, "The Gendered Experiences of African Physician Immigrants to the US," nominated by Prof. Mary Waters, Nan Ransohoff, "The Religious Underpinnings of Vibrant Civil Societies," nominated by Prof. Robert Putnam (Government), and Ava Tramer, "How to Become a Television Writer: Building a Career in an Unstable Labor Market in Hollywood," nominated by Dr. David Ager and Mr. Matthew Kaliner.

The 2009 Albert M. Fulton Prize for the Best Thesis in the Field of Sociology was awarded to Kindra Mason for her project "Facebook Stalkers and Their Friends: The Impact of On-Line Social Network Sites on Face-to-Face Interaction".

Congratulations to Sarah Lockridge-Steckel ('09)  who was the recipient of the Harvard College Women's Leadership Award, and to Daniela Tamar Gilbert ('09) (pictured at right) who received honorable mention. They were honored at the 12th Annual Harvard College Women's Leadership Awards Ceremony and Dinner held on April 21, 2009 at The Charles Hotel. Diane Paulus '88 (on the left in the photo) is the Alumna Award Recipient and the new Artistic Director of the American Repertory Theater.

The distinguished Thomas Temple Hoopes Prize for outstanding academic research has been awarded to the following students for 2008: Stephen Amrock for his submission entitled "Globalizing Actionable Rights: The Role of Policy Elites in Health Care Reform in Chile and Bolivia, 1982-2007" (Advisers Jason Beckfield and Mary Ruggie); Eric Kouskalis for his submission entitled "Does Not Compute: The Introduction of New Technologies to South African and Namibian Classrooms" (Advisers Mary Brinton and Michael Kramer); and Michelle Steward for her submission "Not in My Front Yard: The Use of Neighborhood Appearance in the Construction of Moral Boundaries" (Advisers: Michèle Lamont and Stacey Bosick).

Shelly Steward (class of 2008) received the award for the Outstanding Undergraduate Poster Presentation at the Eastern Sociological Society conference, for her senior thesis project "Not In My Front Yard: The Use of Neighborhood Appearance in the Construction of Moral Boundaries."

Shelly will also be presenting her paper "'So What Now?:' Adolescents' Formation of Positive Self-Concept Following Parental Death" at the Conference of the Association of Death Education and Counseling (ADEC)  in Montreal in May.  Her paper, a participant observation project of adolescents participating in peer bereavement support groups, won the ADEC Undergraduate Paper Award.  Established in memory of Mary E. Brown the award encourages undergraduate students to submit papers addressing issues related to death and dying.  A mutli-disciplinary committee reviews the papers blindly and one is selected as the best paper.

Neha Chauhan and April Youpee-Roll, Class of 2008, are among undergraduates named as "Fifteen Most Interesting Seniors" in the Wednesday, December 12, 2007 edition of the Harvard Crimson.

Assistant Professor Tamara Kay was chosen by the Class of 2008 to receive the George Kahrl Award in Sociology, which recognizes excellence in teaching.

Kathie-Ann (Ramsay) Joseph, '91, is featured in NY1: One on 1, August 6, 2007.

Lindsay N. Hyde, '04, has been awarded the Samuel S. Beard Award for Greatest Public Service by an Individual 35 Years or Younger by the American Institute of Public Service. Lindsay is featured in the June 22, 2007 edition of the Harvard Crimson.

Alison E. Cohen, '07, is featured in the June 6, 2007 edition of the Harvard Crimson in an article entitled "7 Notable '07ers".

Peter Marsden has been appointed a Harvard College Professor, effective July 1. This professorship honors excellence and dedication to undergraduate teaching.

Pablo Torre, III, was voted to receive the Albert M. Fulton, Class of 1897 Prize for his thesis, "Sympathy for the Devil? Child Homicide, Victim Characteristics and the Sentencing Preferences of the American Conscience."

The James A. Davis Prize was awarded to Peter Ekman for his thesis, "Idioms of Membership: Language and Symbolic Boundaries in the Catalan Discourse of Immigration."

Assistant Professor Neil Gross was chosen to receive the George Kahrl Award in Sociology which recognizes excellence in teaching.

The Undergraduate Office in Sociology is pleased to announce that Jacob Model, '07, has received an Undergraduate Research Award from the American Academy of Government and Social Science for his paper "How Much Should a CEO Make? A Comparison of Legitimate Income Differences in Four Western Nations." Winners will be feted at the annual dinner of the Academy in Washington DC on April 29. They will receive recognition for their achievements as part of an event in which a handful of senior scholars will be installed as Fellows of the academy.