Student Prizes
On behalf of Caltech and in recognition of our students' achievements, HSS faculty select undergraduate and graduate students to receive the following awards and honors. Prize recipients from the last 5 years are listed below.
David M. Grether Prize in Social Science
Established in 2012 and awarded by a committee of social science faculty, the David M. Grether Prize in Social Science rewards outstanding performance and creativity by a Caltech undergraduate who completes one of the social science options. It was established by Susan G. Davis in recognition of David M. Grether's contributions to econometrics and experimental economics and his service to HSS.
| YEAR | RECIPIENT |
|---|---|
| 2020 | David Fager |
| 2019 | Noah Huffman Akshay Srivastava |
| 2017 | Nishant Desai |
| 2016 | Ellora Sarkar |
Alexander P. and Adelaide F. Hixon Prize for Writing
Established in 2000 by Alexander P. and Adelaide F. Hixon, the Hixon Prize for Writing is awarded to an undergraduate student for the best composition in a freshman humanities course. The prize recipient is chosen by a humanities committee in conjunction with the Hixon Writing Center.
| YEAR | RECIPIENT |
|---|---|
| 2020 | Elsa Palumbo |
| 2019 | Diego Olaya |
| 2018 | Galilea von Ruden |
| 2017 | Crystal Liang |
| 2016 | Gideon Leeper |
John O. Ledyard Prize for Graduate Research in Social Science
Established in 2012 and awarded by a committee of social science faculty, the John O. Ledyard Prize rewards a social science or social and decision neuroscience graduate student for having the best second-year paper (note: awarded for best third-year paper through 2017). The prize was established by Susan G. Davis in recognition of John O. Ledyard's dedication to developing graduate students as independent researchers and for his service to HSS.
| YEAR | RECIPIENT |
|---|---|
| 2019 | Joanna Huey Jeff Zeidel |
| 2018 | Shiyu Zhang |
| 2017 | Alejandro Robinson Cortes Hamed Hamze Bajgiran |
| 2016 | Lucas Núñez |
Mary A. Earl McKinney Prize in Literature
The Mary A. Earl McKinney Prize in Literature was established in 1946 by Samuel P. McKinney, M.D., of Los Angeles. Its purpose is to promote proficiency in writing. The terms under which it is given are decided each year by the literature faculty; it may be awarded for essays submitted in connection with regular literature classes or on the basis of a special essay contest.
| YEAR | PROSE FICTION | POETRY |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Melba Nuzen | Karen Pham Andrew Chan - honorable mention |
| 2019 | Mohar Chatterjee | Maria De Angelis |
| 2018 | Timothy Liu | Laura Hu |
| 2017 | Daniel McAndrew | Karen Pham |
| 2016 | Sirus Han | Matthew Lim |
Rodman W. Paul History Prize
Established in 1986 by colleagues and friends of Professor Rodman Paul who wanted to honor Paul's 35 years of teaching and research at Caltech, the Rodman W. Paul History Prize is awarded to a junior or senior who has shown unusual interest in and talent for history.
| YEAR | RECIPIENT |
|---|---|
| 2020 | Margaret (Maggie) Anderson |
| 2019 | Nivetha Karthikeyan |
| 2018 | Tristan Murphy |
| 2017 | Jessica Du Li |
Eleanor Searle Prize in Law, Politics, and Institutions
Established in 1999 by friends and colleagues in honor of Eleanor Searle—who was the Edie and Lew Wasserman Professor of History at Caltech—the Eleanor Searle Prize is awarded to an undergraduate or graduate student whose work in history or the social sciences exemplifies Searle's interests in the use of power, government, and law.
| YEAR | RECIPIENT |
|---|---|
| 2020 | Nivetha (Niv) Karthikeyan Leonardo (Leo) Balestri |
| 2019 | Rona Yu |
| 2018 | Roohi Dalal |
Hallett Smith Prize
The Hallett Smith Prize was established in 1997 to commemorate Professor Smith's long career as one of this century's most distinguished Renaissance scholars. The cash prize is awarded by the literature faculty to a student who writes the finest essay on Shakespeare.
| YEAR | RECIPIENT |
|---|---|
| 2020 | Nivedita Kanrar |
| 2019 | Brendan Hollaway |
| 2018 | Reeti Gulati |
| 2017 | Gauri Shastri Suchita Nety |
Gordon McClure Memorial Communications Prizes
The Gordon McClure Memorial Communications Prizes recognize undergraduate students for their academic writing in three categories: English, history, and philosophy.
| YEAR | ENGLISH | HISTORY | PHILOSOPHY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Victoria Liu | Karen Pham | Lucca de Mello |
| 2019 | Crystal Liang | George Daghlian | Nishad Maskara |
| 2018 | Maitreyi Nair | Tara Shankar | Jonathan Chan |
| 2017 | Zofii Kaczmarek | Christina Lin Mark Gillespie - honorable mention | Kshitij Grover |
| 2016 | Suchita Nety | Leo Balestri | William Hoza |