Eight Seniors Awarded Prestigious Fellowships for Graduate Study in England

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WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. - Williams College has announced the winners of the Dr. Herchel Smith Fellowship for graduate study at Emmanuel College, Cambridge University, and the Donovan-Moody Fellowship for graduate study at Oxford University. The seven seniors awarded the Herchel Smith Fellowship are Helen S. Hatch, Jeffrey Kaplan, Teng Jian Khoo, Lindsay Moore, Susan Raich, Kenny Taubenslag, and Kevin Waite. Anouk Dey was awarded the Donovan-Moody Fellowship.

Hatch, an art history major from Locust Valley, N.Y., will study for an M.Phil. in art history. This will be her second time studying in the U.K., as during her junior year she was selected to attend the Williams-Exeter Programme at Oxford. She is a 1960s Scholar in the Williams Art Department. She has interned at the Williams College Museum of Art, Fox News Channel, and Smart Money Magazine. Her extra curricular activities at Williams College include being a member of the varsity track and field team, the varsity cross country team, the varsity tennis team, the concert and chamber choirs, and the Ephlats, an a capella group.

Kaplan, who was president of Phi Beta Kappa during his junior year, will study for an M. Phil. and M. Lit. in philosophy at Cambridge. Kaplan, a philosophy major, will also be returning to study in the U.K. for a second time, having participated in the Williams-Exeter Programme at Oxford during his junior year. He is the president of the Williams College Ethics Bowl, president on the Williams College Jewish Association, a philosophy peer tutor, and a political science research assistant. He also has served on the Committee on Educational Policy, of the Williams-Exeter Programme Governance Committee, and as the teacher of an informal course he designed, titled, "Letters to a Buddhist Jew." Kaplan is from Paramus, N.J.

Khoo, a physics major from Penang, Malaysia, will study for a Ph.D. in experimental high-energy physics. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and a winner of the Frederick H. Robinson '20 Memorial Scholarship, awarded for contributions in music. He is a member of the Williams Student Symphony, the Berkshire Symphony Orchestra, and the Williams Symphonic Winds. Khoo completed an internship at the Argonne National Laboratory, studied at the U.S. Particle Accelerator School, and is doing research in particle physics with Professor Tucker-Smith and in theoretical biophysics with Professor Aalberts at Williams College. He is captain of the fencing team.

Moore, a psychology major at Williams, will read for a Ph.D. in neuroscience under the guidance of Dr. Susan Jones during her time at Emmanuel College. Moore has been a visiting scholar at the Georgetown University Center for Clinical Bioethics and has studied at the Sameuli-Rockefeller Institute for International Policy and Ethics at Oxford University.  She is the author of a comprehensive analysis of science and technology innovation policymaking in Europe based on her own research. Moore's research interests have also included work in the Williams College Neuroscience Laboratory and at the Williams College Temperament, Emotion, Relationship Processes Laboratory. She is the founder of the Williams College Center for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement and the Williams College Roosevelt Institution. A Class of 1960 Scholar in psychology, she is the winner, also, of a Robert G. Wilmers Travel Fellowship and a Williams Alumni Sponsored Internship Grant. Moore is a Williamstown resident.

Raich, a history major from Oakton, Va., will pursue a master's and Ph.D. researching maritime history of the English Channel during the Anglo-Norman. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and a Class of 1960s Scholar in history. She has participated in the Williams-Exeter Programme at Oxford, as well as the Williams-Mystic Program in Maritime Studies. A recipient of the Robert G. Wilmers Travel Fellowship, Raich spent last summer in food research and interning with a number of premier pastry chefs in France. She is a member of the Williams College Brass Ensemble, Oxford crew team, and the Williams College Bhangra dance troupe.


A member of Phi Beta Kappa and a Class of 1960's Scholar in English, Taubenslag, a chemistry and English double-major from Morgantown, W.Va., will pursue an M. Phil. in Eighteenth Century and Romantic Studies and an M. Phil. in American Literature. He also has won an American Chemical Society Analytical Chemistry Achievement Award, the Harold H. Warren Prize in Chemistry, and a research internship at the West Virginia University Chemistry Department. He is a member of the Williams varsity tennis team and the Williams Outing Club. He also studies classical piano and enjoys nature photography.

Waite, a history and English double-major from Pasadena, Calif., will pursue a second B.A. in European history and an M. Phil. in historical studies. A Class of 1960s Scholar in both English and history, he is the editor-in-chief of the Williams Record, holding the record for the most articles written by a student. Waite is the president of the Williams College Rugby Football Club, a member of the Gargoyle Society (an honor society), and of the History Department Advisory Committee. With a research fellowship from the California Institute of Technology, he has completed three summers of research at the Huntington Library in San Marino, Calif.

Dey, a political science major from Toronto, Ontario, will pursue an M. Phil. in international relations during her time at Oxford University. She is the co-founder of Reclaim Childhood, an organization that aims to reclaim childhood for Iraqi refugees in Jordan by organizing sports camps for young girls. Last summer, Dey was awarded a Davis Project for Peace Grant to fund Reclaim Childhood. Dey is an op-ed columnist for the Williams Record. She has interned at ABC News Special Events. She serves as the co-head of the "A Better Chance" tutoring program and is a member of the Williams Advisory Committee on Shareholder Responsibility.  She is the co-author (with Professor James McAllister) of "Henry Cabot Lodge's Role in the Vietnam War." Last summer, she was awarded a Russell Bostert Fellowship to fund her research project, "Canadian Identity: The Impact of the 1976 Olympics and the 1972 Series."  She is a member of the Williams College varsity ski team, captain of the Williams College cycling team, a member of the Williams College varsity crew team, and a member of the Ontario Cycling Association.

The Dr. Herchel Smith Fellowships were established in 1979 by Dr. Herchel Smith to enable Williams College graduates to study at Emmanuel College, Cambridge University, for the two years following their graduation. The criteria for selection are general intellectual ability and attainment in the major field of study, with special reference to the promise of original and creative work and character; the other criteria include leadership, scholarly attainment, and physical vigor.

The Dorothy H. Donovan Memorial Fellowship was established in 1978 by Hedley T. Donovan in memory of his wife to support Williams graduates at Oxford University. The John Edmund Moody 1921 Fellowship was established in 1927 by Mr. John Moody in memory of his son to support graduate study at Oxford University during the two years following graduation. The criteria for selection is general intellectual ability as shown in the major field of study, with special reference to character, need of assistance, and promise of original and creative work.
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Williamstown Board Opts to Negotiate with College on Water St. Lot

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff

Newly elected board member Nate Budington, far left, participates in his first in-person meeting along with, from left, Matt Neely, Stephanie Boyd, Peter Beck, Shana Dixon and Town Manager Robert Menicocci.
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Select Board on Monday decided to enter into negotiations with Williams College on the sale of the vacant town-owned lot at 59 Water St.
 
But the board members made it clear that the college's proposal to acquire the lot is a starting point, not a final deal that the elected officials would accept.
 
"For the sake of continued conversation, I'm in favor of [awarding Williams the site], but if this process wasn't continued with the opportunity for further negotiation, I wouldn't vote to continue this," Peter Beck said. "I think that next step is necessary for us to get to a yes on this."
 
"I think there's wide agreement on that," Matthew Neely said just before the 5-0 vote to enter talks with the college.
 
Williams was the sole respondent to a town-issued request for proposals to develop the former town garage site, currently a dirt lot.
 
The college's stated intent is to build a new Facilities office and create up to 170 parking spaces at 59 Water Street. That use will allow the college to redevelop the current Facilities building site and parking lot as part of a reconception of the school's indoor athletic and recreation facilities.
 
Under the terms of the RFP, the college's proposal was subjected to review by an ad hoc advisory committee to the town manager, who brought the question to the Select Board. That board will have the final say on any purchase and sales agreement.
 
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