Anurag Pratap, an Indian-origin student at Princeton University, has received the prestigious George B. Wood Legacy Junior Prize for 2023. This award recognizes exceptional academic performance during the junior year and is a significant honor for senior class members.
Hailing from Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey, and an alumnus of Hasbrouck Heights High School, Pratap is affiliated with Mathey College at Princeton. His major field of study is neuroscience, with a focus on investigating how the cerebellum influences plasticity in the neocortex, as stated by the University.
In addition to his neuroscience major, Pratap is actively pursuing minors in creative writing and gender and sexuality studies. His academic dedication extends beyond the classroom, as he serves as an undergraduate course assistant for organic chemistry and works as an image cataloguer for Art Hx.
Pratap is also an engaged member of the Climate & Inclusion Committee of the Princeton Neuroscience Institute and plays a crucial role as a peer mentor for new Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America (LEDA) scholars within the Princeton University community.
In the realm of creative writing, Pratap’s senior thesis presents a captivating collection of poems that delve into the intriguing connection between seemingly inanimate materials such as cotton, silk, indigo dye, perfume, and plastic. Through these poems, he challenges prevailing assumptions about personhood, race, and gender, offering a distinctive and thought-provoking perspective on these topics.
During the summer, Pratap enriched his academic journey through an internship at Yale University School of Medicine, where he served as a clinical research assistant. This valuable experience was facilitated by the Princeton Internships in Civic Service (PICS) program, further enhancing his academic and research pursuits.
