Shapiro Prize honors 37 underclassmen for academics

Next Wednesday, a celebratory banquet will be held in the Garden Room of Prospect House to honor last year's recipients of the Shapiro Prize for Academic Excellence.

In 1998, former University President Harold Shapiro GS '64 and his wife Vivian presented a gift to the University that endowed the annual prize for outstanding academic achievement of first and second-year students. Originally titled the President's Award for Academic Achievement, the Shapiro Prize for Academic Excellence is intended to honor and inspire successful engagement in intellectual pursuits.

Each year, approximately 37 students in the freshman and sophomore classes receive the award and are presented with a book written by a University faculty member featuring a special bookplate to commemorate their achievement.

The recommendation of directors of studies and small committees of faculty members associated with each residential college, as well as endorsements by the deans in the Office of the Dean of the College, contribute to the selections made during the summer.

In her letter to this year's honorees, University President Shirley Tilghman said the selection is based on "a careful review of academic records of last year, taking into account the range, depth, and difficulty of the academic program."

"I was very surprised and honored to receive the award. Everyone at Princeton is exceptional, and I am very proud to be recognized at such a place," said Nathan Lowery, a sophomore to be honored next week.

During his freshman year, Lowery excelled in courses ranging from physics to philosophy and religion. Initially planning to major in physics, Lowery is now studying mechanical and aerospace engineering.

Ruth Tennen, a senior majoring in molecular biology, has twice received the Shapiro Prize. She took classes in a variety of departments during her first two years, from Near Eastern Studies to Music to Chemistry to Jewish Studies.

"It's such an amazing honor to receive this prize and to get to spend an evening conversing with such interesting people," Tennen said.

Last year, Tennen's prize was "Trains of Thought: Memories of a Stateless Youth," written by Princeton professor of Romance Languages and Literature Victor Brombert who spoke at the banquet about his work. For Tennen, the prize had the effect intended by Shapiro.

"It certainly motivated me to work hard to earn it again my sophomore year," she said.

Both of Tennen's prizes rest on her desk in her Connecticut home. And she still keeps the bright orange wrapping paper beside the books.