Congratulations to Karen (KC) Young, winner of the 2018 Karl E. Zener Award. This award is given annually to an undergraduate psychology major at Duke University who has shown outstanding performance and scholarship, as determined on the basis of both the honors thesis (evaluated by a committee of faculty members) and the total academic record. Karen completed her Psychology BS and Chemistry minor this month, and will be heading to Chicago in the fall to start medical school at Northwestern University.
Karen accrued a number of honors during her time at Duke: She made the Dean’s List with Distinction every term; she was the Psychology nominee for the 2017 Faculty Scholars award; and she is a member of both Phi Beta Kappa and Psi Chi. In addition, Karen was a Philip R. Costanzo Undergraduate Teaching Fellow during her senior year, serving as a TA for Introductory Psychology.
Karen’s thesis is the culmination of three years of studying infants in the Wilbourn Infant Development Lab, and is entitled, “How to Speak without Saying a Word: A Comparison of Infants’ Responses to Three Nonverbal Cues.” Karen’s primary thesis mentor was Dr. Makeba Wilbourn, and also worked under the guidance of Dr. Michael Tomasello.
"KC’s exceptional intellect and motivation are only matched by her authenticity, kindness, and humility," said Dr. Wilbourn. "She is one of the most intelligent students I have ever worked with. She has a gentle strength that makes her such an incredibly successful leader. KC possesses a wisdom, humility, and poise well beyond her years. There are truly not enough adjectives to describe KC and her potential."
Congratulations to Karen on receiving this honor! Her name now appears with those of previous Zener winners on a plaque in Zener auditorium (Room 130 Soc/Psych).
Department of Psychology & Neuroscience
