QSS students awarded Phi Beta Kappa Sophomore Prize

The Program in Quantitative Social Science (QSS) is proud to share that four of its majors were awarded the Phi Beta Kappa Sophomore Prize at a ceremony on November 18.  Recognized for achieving the highest grade point averages after completion of five terms were Seoyoon (Evelyn) Choi, James (Taj) Horowitz, Taylor Wen, and Mingyue Zha.  These students are on track to become members of the oldest honor society in the United States.

Evelyn

Seoyoon (Evelyn) Choi was born and raised in Seoul, South Korea.

She works in the Dartmouth Initiative for Research on Energy Communication Transformation (DIRECT Lab) with funding from the Presidential Scholars program. Under the guidance of Psychological and Brain Sciences (PBS) professors Arjen Stolk and Kimberly Rose Clark, she is working on a research project that combines climate change communications with neuroscientific research methods.

Evelyn is co-coordinator of the International Student Pre-Orientation Program (ISPOP), sings with the Dartmouth Rockapellas, and is a member of Alpha Xi Delta sorority.

"I love that the QSS major is so flexible, as I get to pursue the research and social science subjects I am passionate about while still learning foundational skills in math, data science and computation. I initially applied to Dartmouth as a Psychology major, but I took some classes in computer science and statistics and found them really interesting as well. I was thinking about how I could combine my interests because I didn't want to give up one or the other, so I was really excited to learn about the QSS major, as it aligned exactly with what I wanted for my academic path," says Evelyn.

Taj

James (Taj) Horowitz is from Brookline, Massachusetts.

"I grew up a 20 minute walk from Fenway Park, and frequenting Red Sox games made me a huge fan of numbers and stats. I knew that when I entered Dartmouth I wanted to explore this interest while also taking advantage of a liberal arts education. One of the things that really drew me to the QSS major was its interdisciplinary nature. Not only have I enjoyed the math and computer science classes that I've taken over the past two years, but I also look forward to studying abroad in Auckland this winter for Anthropology (my social science concentration)."

Beyond the classroom Taj has engaged in research both with the Marketing department at Tuck Business School and the Human-Centered Design department (his intended minor). He also participates in extracurriculars such as Dream, The Dartmouth Cords a cappella, and Greek Life.

Taj looks forward to finishing his QSS major senior year with a culminating thesis project.

Taylor

Taylor Wen is from Beijing, China.

She is a Presidential Scholar working with Professor Herbert Chang on a computational social science project examining Disneyland as a form of American secular pilgrimage.

Taylor shared, "This winter, I will also begin working with Professor Miya Xie on Resonance Finder, an exploratory project that leverages natural language processing to link first-person accounts of traumatic experiences—especially gender-based and sexual violence—to "nuanced narratives" drawn from literature, testimonials, and historical archives. The goal is to situate individual experiences within broader communities of memory and meaning."

Outside of research, Taylor writes for The Dartmouth (arts and data sections) and for Spare Rib magazine, serves on the executive board of Smart Woman Securities, and occasionally joins Dartmouth Outing Club hiking trips.

Mingyue

Mingyue Zha is from Woodbridge, Connecticut.

"Much of my time on campus is shaped by my commitment to health and wellbeing. I served as the President of the Nathan Smith Pre-Health Society and the current Co-President of the Mental Health Union, working in both of these roles to promote policies and initiatives that support students' academic growth and overall wellness."

As a Stamps Scholar and a member of Professor Herbert Chang's computational social science lab, Mingyue has been conducting an independent research project on the intersection of AI chatbots, social media platforms, and mental health. Mingyue's goal is to become a psychiatrist who can approach mental health holistically through clinical, policy, and research lenses.

Beyond academics, Mingyue loves visiting art museums, playing the piano, and playing video games with friends.