Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities

Awarded by
Worcester Polytechnic Institute

The Class of 1879 Prize is awarded by the Humanities & Arts department yearly for excellent work in the culminating project for the Humanities & Arts Requirement. These projects must demonstrate exceptional creativity and skill in conceiving, developing, and expressing a theme within any discipline in the humanities and arts.  

History of the Prize

WPI has recognized exemplary work in the humanities and arts since 1872, when the department of English and Modern Languages established an award for the best paper in composition classes. At its reunion in 1900, the Class of 1879 endowed this prize for a paper "on a topic of general interest." The endowment was continued by Spencer Miller 1879, who wanted “to encourage graduates of the Institute to develop the art of clear and lucid English in the discussion of engineering subjects.”  The Class of 1879 Prize was then awarded annually to the best term paper in the departments of English, History, and Languages until the adoption of the WPI Plan in 1970. In 1983, the department of Humanities & Arts began to award the Class of 1879 Prize to the best Humanities Requirement Projects.  

The Class of 1879 Prize has evolved alongside WPI.  Today’s prize-winning projects rarely concern engineering subjects, and some aren’t even traditional essays.  But we still honor the spirit of Mr. Miller’s prize, to encourage and reward the highest achievements of human expression. 

Details for each year's competition are announced in November/December, with a deadline for submission in January. For information on the competition and how to submit your project for consideration, please contact the HUA office at ext. 5246 or at huaweb@wpi.edu.

Note: Prizes awarded for projects completed the previous year.

Browse Award Recipients

Year Recipient Name Title Awarded by Type Details
2004 Steven J. Tufo Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

"Considering the Absurd, Judgment, and Love: Albert Camus' Revolt Against Death," advisor: John Sanbonmatsu

1983 JoAnne Shatkin Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate
1998 Quach B. Hai Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

"Self-Sponsoring Writing at WPI," advisor: John M. Trimbur

1993 Henry R. McTague Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

"Do Animals Have Rights?," advisor: Bettina Bergo

2008 Maggie Allard Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

"The Butterfly (animated short)," advisor: Joshua Rosenstock

1988 Jeanette M. Cheetham Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

"The Mask: a Window to Understand the Eskimos," advisor: Ruth Smith

2003 Griffin R. Bryant Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

"Torment: a Story," advisor: Michelle K. Ephraim

2016 Reynaldo Duran Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

"Painting a Bridge Between Past and Future," advisor: W.A. Bland Addison and Kristin Boudreau

2014 Jedediah Perron Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

“Going Out With A Bang: The American Supersonic Transport and the Environmental Movement” Major: Aerospace Engineering. Advisor: Thomas Robertson

1998 Siu L. Ng Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

"Interwar Progress in Aerial Photographic Mapping," advisor: E. Malcolm Parkinson

2013 Damien Cabral Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

"The Origins of Muslim Extremism" , advisor:  W.A. Bland Addison

1992 Chad L. Council Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

"From Love Comes the Pieces of a Broken Heart - A Play," advisor: Susan Vick

1987 Shawn D. Harrison Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

"Niépce, Daguerre and Talbot: the Motives Behind the Men," advisor: E. Malcolm Parkinson

2003 Ryan Patrick Jones Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

"Ministry: a Screenplay," advisor: Dean O'Donnell

2016 Cody Slater Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

"The Temporal Expression of Consciousness," advisor: Jennifer McWeeny

2015 Kimberly Marrion Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

“Ethics, Dementia and Family: An Investigation into the Familial Issues that Arise with Dementia Patients,” major: Architectural Engineering, advisor: Bethel Eddy

1998 Ian E. Parmenter Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

"A Work in Progress: a Screenplay," advisor: Dean M. O'Donnell

2013 Jesse Lehman Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

"A Discussion of 20th Century Musical Techniques and Their Presence in Karlheinz Stockhausen's Gruppen“ , advisor: Douglas Weeks

2013 Shreyas Renganathan Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

"Undeterminism: Materially Realizing Free Will", advisor: Jennifer McWeeny

2010 Kassondra Hickey Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

“Interactive Media Art,” advisor: Joseph Farbrook

1992 Lily Lau Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

"The Monster in the Closet of Our Souls: The Gothic and Wuthering Heights," advisor: Joel Brattin

2021 Robbie Oleynick advisor: Laura Eckelman Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

"Scoring A Silent Sky"

1987 Edward C. Hein Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

"A Psychological Assessment of Lee Iacocca," advisor: Patrick P. Dunn

2003 Gregory I. Ratner Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

"The Outcomes of the 'Record War': History of the Record Industry, 1930-1955," advisor: Michael M. Sokal

2016 Benjamin Huchley Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

"Online Avatars: An Expression of the User's Self," advisor: Jennifer McWeeny

2014 Charlotte Reames Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

“Gender Roles in Morocco” Major: Biology and Biotechnology. Advisor: W. A. Bland Addison

1997 Jeffrey L. Bayko Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

"The Road to Jensenism (1923-1969)," advisor: Michael M. Sokal

1997 Janet L. Brennan Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

"A Consideration of Consciousness Explained," advisor: Roger S. Gottlieb

2010 Craig Mitchell Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

“The John Hancock Tower,” advisor: M. David Samson

1992 Kevin M. Parker Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

"The Society of Friends - Antislavery Pioneers," advisor: Steven C. Bullock

2021 Kalina Bonofiglio advisor: Joe Aguilar Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

"Blue Sky Society"

1987 Richard D. June Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

"William Carlos Williams' Paterson: the Voice of a Nation," advisor: Laura J. Menides

2002 Kimberly Johnstone Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

"The United States Supreme Court: The 2000 Presidential Election," advisor: JoAnn Manfra

2015 Paulo Carvalho Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

“Developing and Composing for a Robotic Organ,” major: Biomedical Engineering and Robotics Engineering, minor: Electrical and Computer Engineering, advisor: Scott Barton

1997 Daniel Murphy Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

"The American Dream: Has it Become Unreachable," advisor: William A. Baller

2010 Mortada Najem Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

“Human Applicable Cloning: the Islamic Debate,” advisor: Bethel Eddy

1991 Eric R. Bell Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

"Reagan Administration Foreign Policy Toward Dictatorships: A Comparative Study"

2021 Alison Drapeau advisor: Lindsay Davis Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

"Proposing Universal Policy to De-Feminize Childcare"

2007 Rebecca C. Baron Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

“A Change in Expectations: Staging of Dueling in Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet and Hamlet,” advisor Michelle Ephraim

1986 Chrysanthe Demetry Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

"Healing and Growing: American Civil War Fiction," advisor: John Zeugner

2002 Amanda A. Roberts Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

"Sequencing within the Short Story Collection: An Experiment in Design and Practice," advisor: John Trimbur

2014 Bohao Li Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

“Lee Teng-hui and a New Taiwanese Nationalism” Major: Computer Science. Advisor: Jennifer Rudolph

1996 Greg Amiro Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

"The Rock n' Roll Renaissance," advisor: Douglas G. Weeks

1991 Matthew R. Bontell Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

"The Flood: A Suite for Brass Quartet"

2007 Craig D. DiGiovanni Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

“The Planning and Implementation of Denazification in Post War Germany,” advisor David Dollenmayer

1986 Robert Provost Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

"African Percussion," advisors: David McKay and Richard Falco

2002 Benjamin K. Sandofsky Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

"The Shawl: The Study and Application of David Mamet's Filmmaking Theories," advisor: Dean O'Donnell

2017 Aviv Brest Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

“An Ethical Framework for the Genetic Engineering of Animals,” advisor: John Sanbonmatsu

1996 Andrea Kodys Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

"Promises, Policies and Goals: The U.S. Occupation of Haiti, 1915-1934," advisor: James Watters

2019 Carla Duarte Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities Winner Worcester Polytechnic Institute Undergraduate

“Saudade: A story of Identity,” advisor: Katharine McIntyre