Students earn top University honors

RICHARD BALIBAN, chemical and biological engineering. Described by his dissertation adviser, Professor Christodoulos Floudas, as a brilliant researcher with “amazing computational and theoretical ability,” Baliban plans a career in alternative-energy research.

WILLIAM DERINGER *09, history of science. His dissertation on the economic history of Britain’s “financial revolution” three centuries ago was described by President Tilghman as a “scholarly tour de force.” He plans to teach at the college level.

ANDREW HUDDLESTON, philosophy, was termed by Tilghman “a world-class authority” on the 19th-century philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. His dissertation investigates the role of culture in Nietzsche’s work.

WILLIAM CAVENDISH, mathematics (not in photo). His work focuses on questions about symmetries of low-dimensional objects; his thesis adviser, David Gabai, said he “fearlessly attacks problems that stump the most famous mathematicians.”

Honored during Alumni Day were the two winners of the PYNE HONOR PRIZE, the University’s top undergraduate award. Above, from left:

PHOTO: DENISE APPLEWHITE/OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS

JAMES VALCOURT ’12, a molecular biology major from Sterling, Mass., was described by Tilghman as “a stellar scientist who excels in nonscientific fields.” An Outdoor Action leader trainer and an Orange Key guide, Valcourt has helped to reinvigorate Tiger magazine as the humor publication’s chairman. He plans to pursue molecular and systems biology in his graduate work.

ANN-MARIE ELVIN ’12, a sociology major from Boston. “No one has exercised their talents with greater courage and compassion,” President Tilghman said. A member of the varsity women’s ice hockey team, Elvin remained the team’s “moral compass” even when injury prevented her from playing. She is a member of Princeton Disabilities Awareness and a skating instructor for Special Olympics. Her thesis focuses on the role of artistic expression in American prisons, and she plans to pursue a master’s degree in criminology at Cambridge University.