George Boxer ’10, David Karp ’10 and Scott Arcenas ’09 won scholarships to study at Cambridge University this fall, the University announced on Friday. Karp and Boxer were named Churchill Scholars for their acheivements in research, and Arcenas was awarded a Gates Cambridge Scholarship.
The Churchill Scholarship, which is awarded annually to 14 students, funds a full year of graduate study in engineering, mathematics or the sciences at Cambridge. The Gates Scholarship, which was awarded to 29 students from the United States this year, supports a year of study at the same university for students with an interest in social leadership.
Boxer, a mathematics concentrator, will study advanced pure mathematics. Boxer co-authored two papers that were published in the Proceedings of the American Mathematical Society and one that was published in the Journal of Chemical Physics.
With the high value placed on letters of recommendation for scholarship candidates, Boxer said that the close connections he developed with faculty through his independent work contributed to his success.
“These things are coin flips at the end of the day,” Boxer said, when asked what distinguished him from the other applicants.
“Based on George’s brilliant work in class as well as in independent summer research projects, I expect him to become a top mathematical scientist should he choose to follow this path,” math professor Peter Sarnak, Boxer’s thesis adviser, said in an e-mail.
After a year at Cambridge, Boxer said he plans to enter a Ph.D. program at an American university and ultimately hopes to continue research in pure mathematics as a professor.
Karp, who is also a sports writer for The Daily Princetonian, is majoring in mechanical and aerospace engineering and pursuing certificates in applied mathematics and applications of computing.
At Cambridge, Karp will build on his senior-thesis research on computational fluid dynamics. Afterward, Karp said, he tentatively plans to work in the United States before entering a doctoral program.
Karp also noted the benefit of relationships with professors when applying, noting that due to his department’s small size, “ I actually got to know my professors and fortunately had good relationships with them.”
Mechanical and aerospace engineering professor Emily Carter, one of Karp’s recommenders, said in an e-mail, “Simply put, David ranks among the very top handful of the thousands of undergraduates I have taught in more than two decades I have been a professor.”
“He adheres to my ideal of what a scientist/engineer should be: the combination of outstanding technical abilities with constructive, positive social skills,” she added.
Karp was also treasurer of Charter Club and is the founder of an independent intramural sports team, Black Squirrels, which he started in his freshman year.
“I play IM sports three hours a day February through April,” Karp said. “The sleep suffers a little bit, but it’s too much fun to give up.”
Arcenas, a Classics concentrator, will take an intensive German language course and research Spartan reform movements at Cambridge. He studied Athenian democratic reform for his independent work.
After completing his master’s degree, Arcenas said he plans to return to the United States and pursue a Ph.D. in ancient history.
“Once I have — God willing —finished work on my dissertation, I hope to find employment as a professor of Classics and continue my research on the topic of political reform in the ancient world,” Arcenas said, noting that he tentatively hopes to work at a small liberal-arts college.
Classics professor Michael Flower, who served as Arcenas’ senior-thesis adviser, commended Arcenas’ 160-page thesis as “remarkable for its elaborate argumentation, detailed research and bold conclusions.”
“Scott produced original, challenging, and controversial work on what is arguably the most densely treated topic in Greek history,” Flower added, concluding that he “produced a text that is much closer to an M.A. thesis than to an undergraduate senior thesis.”
Associate Classics professor Marc Domingo Gygax, who advised Arcenas’ fall junior paper, said in an e-mail that he was impressed by Arcenas’ performance in his graduate seminar.
“In spite of being a junior, he argued with the confidence and knowledge of the most experienced graduate students,” Gygax said. “Above all, I admire his capacity to get the big picture while paying a lot of attention to the details.”
Read More
Remembering Dorothea von Moltke, Labyrinth co-founder and local community builder
Lucia BrownDorothea von Moltke, widely considered the heart of Labyrinth Books, was remembered by friends and loved ones for her passions for language, literature, and local activism.
Dorothea von Moltke, widely considered the heart of Labyrinth Books, was remembered by friends and loved ones for her passions for language, literature, and local activism.
Cloister Inn to pause operations for the next 2–3 years, citing “hefty renovations”
Justus WilhoitCloister Inn, one of Princeton’s eating clubs, will pause operations for the next two to three years, due to “hefty renovations” to the club’s house.
Cloister Inn, one of Princeton’s eating clubs, will pause operations for the next two to three years, due to “hefty renovations” to the club’s house.
Duo text and call authentication methods disabled amid rise in phishing
Ben GoldstonDuo, the University’s authentication provider, has disabled phone and text authentication methods beginning from June 11 in response to rising phishing attacks.
Duo, the University’s authentication provider, has disabled phone and text authentication methods beginning from June 11 in response to rising phishing attacks.