2 named Pyne winners

The Pyne Prize was established in 1921 and is given annually to the senior who exemplifies qualities of academic excellence, leadership and strength of character.

Elvin, a sociology major from Boston, Mass., had previously won the Shapiro Prize for Academic Excellence, an award given annually to members of the freshman and sophomore classes who have the highest academic standings in their respective class years.

Elvin is involved in many extracurricular activities. She plays forward on the women’s ice hockey team, is the former security chair for Tower Club and serves as a peer adviser in Forbes College. She is also a member of several religious groups on campus and is a member of Princeton Disabilities Awareness.

“I feel incredibly blessed to be selected as a co-recipient of the M. Taylor Pyne Prize,” Elvin said in an email. “The honor is, in equal parts, exciting, overwhelming and deeply humbling, as it is a far greater testament to those I have worked alongside than to any accomplishments I have enjoyed.”

Elvin’s senior thesis, titled “The Shadow of Money: Art as Economic Currency,” explores the artistic expression of prison inmates and considers how creative expression helps them reintegrate into society.

Elvin plans to pursue a master’s degree in criminology theory at Cambridge University and then attend law school back in the United States.

Also from Massachusetts and a winner of the Shapiro Prize, Valcourt is a molecular biology major and a candidate for a certificate in quantitative and computational biology.

“It feels incredible to be honored with the Pyne Prize,” Valcourt said. “I’m humbled and absolutely thrilled to be in the company of past winners.”

Former recipients of the Pyne Prize include the late University President Robert F. Goheen ’40, former U.S. Senator Paul Sarbanes ’54 and current Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor ’76.

In addition to conducting biology research at and outside of the University, Valcourt is also heavily involved in campus life. He is chairman of Princeton Tiger Magazine, is a leader for Outdoor Action, participates in the Bioethics Forum, serves an Orange Key tour guide and is a peer and academic adviser in Wilson College.

“I’ve very much enjoyed my involvements — that stuff keeps me sane when work gets hectic,” Valcourt said.

Valcourt’s senior thesis focuses on the mechanisms in cells that control protein levels. Exploring these pathways can help researchers understand the effects of pathways’ breaking down, which can cause physical disorders and even cancer, he said.

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Molecular biology professor Hilary Coller, Valcourt’s thesis adviser, described him as skilled in both experimentation and in quantitative analysis dealing with large genomic data.

“Jim is also a very nice person who is supportive of his labmates and a lot of fun to be around,” Coller said in an email. “His reputation as someone with a good sense of humor is well-deserved; he can even make molecular biology funny.”

Valcourt plans to attend graduate school and pursue a Ph.D. in biology, aspiring to eventually work in academia.