The Department annually awards the Marian Smith Spector Prize to an undergraduate who has compiled an excellent academic record and submitted an outstanding honors thesis. The Prize is in memory of Marian Smith Spector (1916-1973) who received a B.A. in Zoology from Washington University in 1938. The award is made available through the generosity of Mrs. Spector's family and friends.
The Marian Smith Spector Prize is awarded to a graduating senior majoring in biology who has demonstrated a capacity for outstanding scholastic achievement in both course work and independent study in the Life Sciences. The winner will be chosen from among candidates for Departmental Honors and will be announced at Commencement. All Honors candidates are eligible and no application for the competition is necessary. Mrs. Spector attended St. Louis Public Schools and entered Washington University in 1934. She majored in zoology and studied with Dr. Viktor Hamburger and participated in his research in embryology. In connection with this work, she spent summers at the Marine Biological Laboratories in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. She was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi, graduating with honors in 1938. She was secretary of the Metropolitan Transit Survey commission and was active in other civic and community affairs. She was the author of "Survive or Succumb," a manual on how to accommodate to multiple sclerosis.
The Department also awards the Harrison D. Stalker Prize to a graduating senior whose college career has been distinguished by scholarship, service, and breadth of interest. Professor Stalker was an evolutionary biologist, Drosophila geneticist, and dedicated teacher. In addition to science, he took great interest in the arts. He was also a photographer of professional ability. The Stalker Award is intended to honor a student who in addition to doing excellent work in science has demonstrated interest and competence in a variety of areas in the humanities.