A total of 32 MIT students were recognized for their accomplishments in the arts at various ceremonies held on campus.
Thomas Cork, a senior in theater arts and chemistry from Tampa, FL, received the Louis Sudler Prize in the Arts, presented to a graduating senior who has demonstrated excellence or the highest standards of proficiency in music, theater, painting, sculpture, design, architecture or film. The prize is made from a fund established by Louis Sudler, a performer in the arts and an arts patron from Chicago.
Laya and Jerome B. Wiesner Awards went to G������bor Cs������nyi, a graduate student in physics from Budapest, Hungary; Jason W. Krug, a senior in music from Indianapolis, IN; and Sean J. Sutherland, a senior in electrical engineering and computer science (EECS) from Edinboro, St. Vincent and The Grenadines. The award, honoring Dr. and Mrs. Wiesner for their contributions to the arts at MIT, was established in 1979 by the Council for the Arts at MIT. They go to students, organizations and/or living groups for achievement in the creative and performing arts.
The Harold and Arlene Schnitzer Prize in the Visual Arts recognizes artistic talent and creative concepts based on a body of work and written personal statements. The 2000 recipients are Hiep Nguyen, a graduate student in civil and environmental engineering from Quincy, MA;Vitaly J. Napadow, a graduate student in the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology from Timonium, MD; and Changhuei Yang, a graduate student in EECS from Singapore. The winning works are on view through June 10 at the Wiesner Student Art Gallery in the Stratton Student Center.
MUSIC AWARDS
Gregory Tucker Memorial Awards in recognition of exceptional ability in composition, performance and/or music historical studies went to Damon M. Lewis, a graduate student in EECS from Woodbridge, VA; and Laurel P. Smith, a nongraduating senior in electrical engineering and computer science and music from Oakton, VA.
Ragnar and Margaret Naess Awards in recognition of exceptional talent and commitment to private performance study went to Bonny M. Lee, a freshman from Woodbury, MN; Youssef M. Marzouk, a graduate student in mechanical engineering from Warson Woods, MO; Dawn Perlner, a junior in math and music from Acton, MA; and Jo Marie G. Sison, a junior in management from Aurora, IL.
Philip Loew Memorial Awards, which recognize creative accomplishment in music, went to Daniel S. Jochelson, a senior in music and EECS from Dallas; Jeff I. Lieberman, a senior in physics and math from Vero Beach, FL; John Z. McKay, a senior in music and chemical engineering from Easton, PA; and Ivan D. Middleton, a junior in mathematics and music from Adrian, MI.
Oladotun A. Fashoyin, a senior in computer science and engineering from Delran, NJ, and Rosalind K. Takata, a senior in mechanical engineering from Arlington, MA, won Brad and Dorothea Endicott Awards in recognition of distinguished service and musical contribution to the program in world music.
The MIT Symphony Orchestra held a concerto competition on April 22 in Killian Hall. Jonathan Lee, a sophomore in EECS from Salt Lake City, UT, won first place for his rendition of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto. He will perform this concerto with the orchestra during the upcoming academic year. Second place went to Rachel Levinson, a junior in materials science and engineering from Highland Park, IL, and third place went to Mary Farbood, a graduate student in media arts and sciences from Somerville, MA. Ivan Middleton was awarded a Special Mention.
THEATER AWARDS
The Joseph D. Everingham Award, which recognizes a single creative outstanding performance or notable creative accomplishments in theater arts by a graduating senior, went to Sarah R. Cohen, a senior in biology from Davis, CA, and Marketa Valeterova, a senior in biology from Prague, Czechoslovakia.
Ms. Cohen was honored for her performances in the Shakespeare Ensemble's Macbeth (playing Banquo), Measure for Measure (Mariana/Francisca/Elbow/Provost), Pericles (Gower) and A Midsummer Night's Dream (Bottom); and as Mme. Parnelle in Dramashop's production of Moli�re's Tartuffe.
Ms. Valeterova was cited for her varied dramatic and comic roles in the Shakespeare Ensemble's King John (Prince Henry/Chatillon), Macbeth (Lady Macduff), Fuente Ovejuna by Lope de Vega (Laurencia), Measure for Measure(Isabella/Julietta), Pericles (Marina) and The Taming of the Shrew (Bianca), and in Dramashop's production of Brecht's The Good Person of Sezuan (Shen-Teh).
The Edward S. Darna Award, presented to a graduating senior who has demonstrated excellence in theater arts and made a substantial contribution to the life of theater on the MIT campus, went to Patrick Anderson, a graduate student in EECS from Anchorage, AK.
Theater arts also recognized a graduate student whose "dedication to the performing arts at the Institute has been exceptionally brilliant." A special plaque was presented to Kortney Adams of Cambridge, a master's candidate in civil and environmental engineering. The award praises her performances in several productions as well as her work in the MIT Costume Shop, where she produced "craftsmanship of particular distinction."
OTHER AWARDS
I. Austin Kelly III Essay Prizes, awarded to MIT undergraduates for scholarly or critical essays judged to be outstanding in one of the humanities fields or some interdisciplinary combination, went to Will Koffel, a senior in computer science and engineering and music from Framingham, MA, for his essay, "Fortitude of Ideals -- Aaron Copland's Changing Styles"; Jason W. Krug for his essay, "Bart������k's Concerto for Orchestra: Pinnacle of a Genre;" and Jason H. Wasfy, a junior in chemical engineering, for his essay, "Curtailing Tobacco's Global Threat."
Kelly-Douglas Traveling Fellowships, presented to MIT juniors for travel which supports study in the humanities or arts, were awarded to Delphine Nain, a junior in EECS from St. Antoine, France, for travel to Paris to work on her project, "Nature and Culture in the Modern Parisian Landscape" and to Philip Osafo-Kwaako, a junior in chemical engineering and economics from Accra, Ghana, for travel to Ghana to work on "Gender Discrimination in Ghana: To What Extent Do Ashanti Parents Favor Their Sons Over Daughters?"
The 2000 Vera List Prize Competition in Art and Writing, presented by the List Visual Arts Center in recognition of exceptional expression on some aspect of contemporary art, was awarded to Carl W. Steinbach, a junior in EECS from Sudbury, MA, for his essay on "Islam and Islamic Geometric Art."
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on May 31, 2000.
