A&S 2012 Medalists Selected

Each year, the College of Arts and Sciences presents the Dean’s Medal to four exceptional graduating seniors and four graduate students, representing the College’s four divisions—arts, humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. The eight 2012 honorees capture the breadth and depth of the College, with interests ranging from Indian politics to computational chemistry to the role of art in cultural identity.

Here is a look at this year's impressive award recipients:

Dean's Medalists

Dean's Medalist in the Arts Joshua Gailey (BA, Italian Studies, BM, Applied Music, BA, Music History, 2012)

Joshua Gailey, a skilled trumpeter, has combined his musical talents with his interest in Italian studies in an honors thesis on "Wagnerism and Wagnerian Influences in Verdi's Otello." Described by faculty as having "a rare combination of perspicacity, drive, and sensitivity," Gailey has performed as principal trumpet with the UW Symphony Orchestra and the UW Wind Ensemble, as well as the Port Angeles and Puget Sound Symphonies.

Dean's Medalist in the Humanities Edward Nolan (BA, Classics, 2012)

Edward Nolan, who has studied abroad through UW programs in Rome and Spain, can read texts in Spanish, Portuguese, and French. But he is particularly adept in Greek and Latin, the latter essential in researching his honors thesis on the speeches of Marcus Tullius Cicero and the relationship between orator and city. Described by faculty as "a born researcher" and "a rigorous intellect," Nolan plans to pursue graduate studies in classics.

Dean's Medalist in the Social Sciences Byron Gray (BA, Political Science, Asian Studies, and Law, Societies, and Justice, 2012)

Byron Gray is a triple threat, with three social sciences majors (plus a minor in Hindi) that inform his study of India, a country that first sparked his interest during a freshman year course. He has studied in India twice and crafted an honors project examining the politics of family law reform in India. Thanks to a Rhodes Scholarship, Gray will continue his studies at Oxford in the coming year.

Dean's Medalist in the Natural Sciences Jane Hung (BS, Mathematics, Physics, 2012)

While pursuing a double major in physics and mathematics, Jane Hung has conducted computational chemistry research in the laboratory of Professor Xiaosong Li, resulting in two publications—as the lead author on one of them. As part of a team in the international Mathematical Contest in Modeling, she and her teammates were awarded the high honor of a Meritorious designation. A Goldwater Scholar, Hung plans to pursue graduate studies in chemical engineering at MIT.

Graduate Medalist in the Arts Nadia Jackinsky-Horrell (PhD, Art History, 2012)

Nadia Jackinsky-Horrell is the first Alutiiq (and first Alaskan Native) PhD in art history at the UW. Her doctoral research revolves around the study of cultural revitalization movements among Alaska Native artists and craftsmen and the use of art as a vehicle to sustain cultural identity. In fall 2011, Jackinsky-Horrell began as curator at the Sheldon Jackson Museum in Sitka, Alaska. She also serves as project director for a research program to identify endangered Alaska Native artistic traditions.

Graduate Medalist in the Humanities Nathaniel Greenberg (PhD, Comparative Literature, 2012)

Moving effortlessly among vastly different cultural milieus and languages, Nathaniel Greenberg has studied Arabic in Cairo, Spanish in Guatemala, and has conducted research on Jewish and Arab culture in Argentina. He is the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships, including The Modern Language Quarterly Dissertation Fellowship. His dissertation focuses on the novels and screenplays of Egyptian Nobel Laureate Naguib Mahfouz.

Graduate Medalist in the Social Sciences Heather Pool (PhD, Political Science, 2011)

Just months after defending her dissertation, Heather Pool had two chapters accepted for publication by prestigious peer-reviewed journals. The dissertation explores the role of political mourning in developing collective political identity. Pool has served as lead teaching assistant in her department as well as graduate student president and director of the department's writing center. Off campus, she has served as a self defense instructor at Home Alive and an intern at Seattle's Office for Civil Rights.

Graduate Medalist in the Natural Sciences Haldre Rogers (PhD, Biology, 2011)

Haldre Rogers, wanting to explore the consequences when an entire tropical forest system loses its birdlife, established a full research program with diverse collaborators, two major grants, over $1 million in federal funding, and field crews on four islands—all while playing and coaching rugby with the Guam National Rugby Team and competing for the US National Women's Rugby Team in the buildup to the 2009 Rugby World Cup. Rogers is now a Huxley Faculty Fellow at Rice University.