Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 2013 | Robert Dabrowski | Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities | Honorable Mention | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Undergraduate | "Do Robots Have Freedom?", advisor: Jennifer McWeeny |
| 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" |
| 2008 | Ryan Whetstone | Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities | Honorable Mention | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Undergraduate | "Jazz Saxophone Performance; From Swing to Fusion," advisor: Richad Falco |
| 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 |
| 2016 | Alex Markoski | Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities | Honorable Mention | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Undergraduate | "Greatest Influences for Being a Well-Rounded Musician," advisor: Douglas Weeks |
| 2014 | Xuan He | Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities | Honorable Mention | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Undergraduate | “Faith Healing” Major: Biomedical Engineering. Advisor: Bethel Eddy |
| 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 |
| 2013 | Rachel Handel | Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities | Honorable Mention | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Undergraduate | "The Towers Sesquicentennial Edition", advisor: James Cocola |
| 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 |
| 2016 | Eric Stolz | Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities | Honorable Mention | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Undergraduate | "One- and Two-State Peace Solutions in Israel," advisor: W.A. Bland Addison |
| 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 |
| 2013 | Victoria Carlson | Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities | Honorable Mention | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Undergraduate | "The President's Shot, Now What?", advisor: M. David Samson |
| 2010 | Aakrit Bhakhri | Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities | Honorable Mention | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Undergraduate | “Muslim Separatism and Identity in India: Aftermath of the Partition of 1947,” advisor: Ruth Smith |
| 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" |
| 2021 | Paul A. Pacheco Jr. & Vanessa Van DeMark advisor: Kristin Boudreau | Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities | Honorable Mention | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Undergraduate | "Addressing the Gender Gap in STEM Education with Classroom Interventions" |
| 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 |
| 2014 | Ali Fuat Becan | Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities | Honorable Mention | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Undergraduate | “Producer as Composer Practicum” Major: Electrical & Computer Engineering. Advisor: Scott Barton (honorable mention) |
| 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 |
| 2010 | Mark Hayden | Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities | Honorable Mention | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Undergraduate | "Transmarginal Inhibition in Gravity’s Rainbow,” advisor: Lance Schachterle |
| 1991 | Stephen T. Kapushoc | Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities | Winner | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Undergraduate | "The Knowledge and Vision of Loren Eiseley" |
| 2021 | Sage Ortega-Shue advisor: Joseph Cullon | Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities | Honorable Mention | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Undergraduate | "The Appropriation of Defensible Space" |
| 2007 | Lucas Samuel Lincoln | Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities | Winner | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Undergraduate | “An Analysis of Pat Metheny as a Jazz Composer,” advisor Richard Falco |
| 1986 | Nancy Teasdale | Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities | Winner | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Undergraduate | "I Don't Have to Cry for the Rest of My Life," advisor: Susan Vick |
| 2001 | Brendan Morris | Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities | Winner | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Undergraduate | "Rastro: The Essence of Madrid," advisor: Lee Fontanella |
| 2017 | Erin Morissette | Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities | Winner | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Undergraduate | “Acoustics of the Clarinet and Spaulding Recital Hall,” advisor: Douglas Weeks |
| 2015 | Katherine Picchione | Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities | Honorable Mention | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Undergraduate | “Pokomchi Pictorial Literacy,” major: Mechanical Engineering and Society, Technology, and Policy, advisor: Ryan Madan |
| 1996 | Mickey Lacroix | Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities | Winner | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Undergraduate | "A Critique of Husserlian Phenomenology," advisor: Bettina Bergo |
| 2019 | Petra Kumi | Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities | Winner | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Undergraduate | “Understanding the Effects of Highly Ideological Music in Thailand From a Structural and Sociocultural Perspective,” advisor: Carlos Odriz |
| 2010 | Xiaoyun Wang & Chang Liu | Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities | Honorable Mention | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Undergraduate | “The Saint Archer” (animated short film), advisor: Joshua Rosenstock |
| 1990 | Athena Demetry | Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities | Winner | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Undergraduate | "The Individual in Israeli and Palestinian Literature" |
| 2022 | Benjamin Antupit Advisor: Laura Eckelman | Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities | Winner | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Undergraduate | “Shaping the Light of New Voices 39: A Practicum in Theatre Lighting Design” |
| 2006 | Benjamin W. Dwyer | Class of 1879 Prize for Outstanding Projects in the Humanities | Winner | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Undergraduate | "Spirits of the Dead: a Musical Composition," advisor: Richard Falco |