The College of Letters & Science is proud to announce the recipients of Dean’s Prizes, awarded annually to the most outstanding undergraduate scholars in the senior class.
To be considered for a Dean’s prize, a student must have a minimum grade point average of 3.90, be a comprehensive honors candidate, have completed a thesis or other major research project, made significant contributions to the university or greater community and have received only the highest recommendations from faculty and community leaders.
WE CONGRATULATE THIS YEAR’S WINNERS:
Gwyneth DeLap is a psychology major from Viroqua, Wisconsin. She has balanced her love of academics, assisting with research for three years in the Child Emotion Lab, with a relentless spirit of community service. In Madison, Gwyneth founded a satellite Writing Assistance Center at the Bayview Community Center, assisting first-generation students applying to colleges, and served as a writing fellow with the Summer Collegiate Experience program. Her senior thesis examined facial expressions across three developmental periods: childhood, adolescence and young-adulthood.
“Gwyneth proved herself to be a role model to other students,” says professor Seth Pollack. “She has become a go-to person as a resource for nearly all aspects of executing our research protocols.”
Gwyneth was both a Rhodes Scholar and Marshall Scholar nominee. After graduation, she begins a job with the National Institute for Mental Health in the Section of Development and Affective Neuroscience.
Rebekah Dix is an economics and mathematics major from Baldwin, Wisconsin. Rebekah came to UW-Madison as a music student, but quickly pivoted to pursue additional academic interests. Rebekah completed the University of Chicago’s Open-Source Macroeconomic Laboratory bootcamp with high distinction and currently has four research papers submitted or being prepared for publication. During her time in Madison, Rebekah, who speaks French, Spanish and Arabic, volunteered as a translator for the Immigrant Justice Clinic at the Law School.
“Rebekah is truly exceptional. She dominates most of our PhD students in both her technical skills, her research abilities and her ability to identify a good economic question,” says professor Marzena Rostek.
Among her many awards, Dix received the Trewartha Research Grant and the Hilldale Undergraduate Fellowship. After turning down offers from Harvard, Princeton and Stanford University, Rebekah will be joining the Ph.D. program in economics as a National Science Foundation Research Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology this fall. She plans to continue contributing to open-source education and research tools and to encourage the full participation of women and other underrepresented groups in economics.
Quinn Gavin is a biology and environmental studies major from Washington, DC. During his educational career, Quinn has conducted research at the Toolik Field Station in Alaska and on Isle Royale, as well as studying abroad in both Nicaragua and Ecuador. His honors thesis project examines complex nitrogen dynamics in Lake Mendota, and included developing a set of field, lab and computing skills to conduct research in harsh winter conditions.
“I have had the good fortune to work with many excellent undergraduates who have gone on to receive graduate fellowships, completed PhDs, and embarked on successful scientific careers at universities and agencies,” says professor Emily Stanley. “Quinn is in the very top tier of students I have worked with over my 20 years at UW-Madison.”
Quinn will be working with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, testing water quality in Dane County, followed by a stint in the Peace Corps in Paraguay. He plans to attend graduate school in public health, studying the effects of water quality on human health.