威廉姆斯学院喜报

Jeffrey Wang, from the Class of 2012, a junior in Williams College now, majoring in economics and mathematics, has recently been awarded a Beinecke Scholarship—given to 20 students across America every year, in support of his graduate education.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass., May 1, 2015—Jeffrey Wang, a junior at Williams College, has been awarded a Beinecke Scholarship in support of his graduate education. The scholarship grants $4,000 immediately prior to entering graduate school and an additional $30,000 during graduate school. Wang is one of 20 students across the nation to receive the award this year.

An economics and mathematics major, Wang is from Waltham, Mass. He plans to write a thesis in economics during his senior year, and then pursue graduate study in development and macroeconomics. At Williams, he is a member of the Far Ephs Movement a cappella group and the Chinese music ensemble, and he serves as a teaching assistant in economics.

Wang’s interest in economics stems from a childhood spent in rapidly developing Shanghai, China. As he witnessed economic growth in both the provinces of China and the U.S., he noticed some disparities. “Is there a universal formula for economic growth and development?” he wanted to know. “Is it necessary to approach this subject matter differently with respect to each unique society of human beings?”

Wang came to Williams interested in answering these questions, and he has developed an even greater interest in economics during his time here. He worked as a research assistant (RA) to Quamrul Ashraf during the summer of 2014, exploring the timing of Neolithic revolution and long-run economic development.

Wang says his professors have sparked his interest in learning and influenced his decision to pursue economics. “Aside from classroom interactions with professors, I found office hours conversations especially helpful,” he said. “Those are great opportunities to discuss ideas and learn more about the subject, and Williams professors are all very friendly and welcoming. This applies to all departments, not just economics.”

In nominating Wang for the Beinecke, Ashraf said, “Based on Jeffrey’s superlative work for me, both as an RA and an independent study advisee, I became wholeheartedly convinced that Jeffrey would academically thrive in graduate school; and that he bears every promise of enjoying an illustrious academic career of research and teaching in the field of economics, should he decide to pursue such a course.”

Established in 1971 by the Sperry and Hutchinson Company to honor Edwin, Frederick, and Walter Beinecke, the Beinecke scholarship program seeks to encourage highly motivated students to pursue opportunities available to them and to be courageous in the selection of a graduate course of study in the arts, humanities, or social sciences. Each year, approximately 100 colleges and universities are invited to nominate a student for a Beinecke Scholarship.

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Founded in 1793, Williams College is the second-oldest institution of higher learning in Massachusetts. The college’s 2,000 students are taught by a faculty noted for the quality of their teaching and research, and the achievement of academic goals includes active participation of students with faculty in their research. Students’ educational experience is enriched by the residential campus environment in Williamstown, Mass., which provides a host of opportunities for interaction with one another and with faculty beyond the classroom. Admission decisions on U.S. applicants are made regardless of a student’s financial ability, and the college provides grants and other assistance to meet the demonstrated needs of all who are admitted.

马萨诸塞，威廉姆斯镇，2015年5月1日——王超现在是威廉姆斯学院的大三学生，最近被授予拜内克奖学金以支持他在研究生阶段的学习。该奖学金会在学生开始研究生阶段学习之前直接给获奖人4,000美元的资助，同时还有研究生阶段的30,000美元。王超是今年的20位获奖学生之一位。

王超来自马萨诸塞州的沃尔瑟姆市，专业是经济与数学，打算在大四时写一篇经济学论文后开始研究生阶段的学习，专业是发展与宏观经济。在威廉姆斯学院，他是一个叫做Far Ephs Movement的阿卡贝拉合唱团的一员，同时也是中国乐器演奏团的成员，除此之外还担任经济学助教。

王超对经济学的兴趣来自于他在经济飞速发展的中国上海度过的童年。在见证了中国和美国两个国家的经济发展后他注意到了其中的差异。“经济增长和发展究竟有没有可能遵循一个放之四海而皆准的公式呢？”这是他想知道的。还有，“有没有必要根据不同的社会状况来研究这个课题？”

王超怀着对这些问题的兴趣来到了威廉姆斯，在学习期间他对经济学的兴趣又加深了。2014年夏天他担任过Quamrul Ashraf教授的助理研究员，研究的是新石器时代革命的断代和长期经济发展。

王超说教授们激发了他对学习的兴趣，也对他做出继续经济领域研究的决定发挥了一定影响。他说“除了和教授的课堂互动之外，我觉得办公室谈话也非常有帮助”，因为 “那都是用来交流探讨，深入学习课题的机会，威廉姆斯的教授们都很友好，也都很欢迎学生来与他们交谈。而且不只是经济专业，其他学科也是一样的”。

在提名王超为拜内克奖学金候选人的时候，Ashraf教授说，“根据王超在担任我的助理研究员和作为学生时的卓越表现来看，我十分确定王超将在研究生阶段的学术研究上有所成就；如果他立志走学术道路，那么不论作为学者还是教师，他都很有希望取得成功。”

拜内克奖学金由斯佩里和哈钦森公司于1971年为纪念埃德温、弗里德里希、和沃尔特•拜内克而设立，旨在鼓励具有高度自主性和积极性的学生主动寻求和利用一切可能促进自身发展的机会，同时也希望他们在选择艺术、人文、社会科学相关专业作为研究生阶段研究目标时做出更有魄力的选择。每年美国约有100名大学和文理学院学生被提名为该奖学金候选人。

尾声

成立于1793年，威廉姆斯学院是马萨诸塞州历史第二悠久的高等院校，学院的2,000名学生由以教学和研究质量著称的教师授课，学生在学术上要达到的目标包括积极参与教师的研究工作。教职工家属区就设在校园里，这在很大程度上丰富了学生的教育经历。因为如此一来，学生就有很多与老师在课堂外交流的机会。学校是否接受美国籍申请人的申请不受学生的经济条件影响，同时，学校也会资助需要帮助的学生。

原文链接：http://communications.williams.edu/news-releases/5_1_2015_beinecke/

翻译：胡迪