Valedictorian
Mark Weston was “a little surprised” to learn he'd been named valedictorian of Union College's Class of 2006.
“I've just done what I've always done – give my best effort for each and every course. I like all my courses, and I care about everything I do.”
Weston, 22, the son of James and Meg Weston of Bedford, Mass., is a Computer Science major and Classics minor who earned a bachelor of science degree.
A graduate of Bedford High, he was attracted to Union “because it has a strong, separate, engineering department in addition to all the liberal arts it offers.”
His four years here have been marked by numerous awards, including the George H. Williams Prize and the Alice P. and Donald C. Loughry Prize, both for excellence in computer science, and membership in the Phi Beta Kappa honor society.
Weston expressed appreciation for support he received from Computer Science Chair Valerie Barr, as well as Professors Brian Postow, Chris Fernandes, his advisor, and Aaron Cass, his thesis advisor.
Weston's thesis, “A Tool for Cryptography Problem Generation,” grew out of his desire to help create “good homework problems” for students in Mathematical Cryptography (Math 221), which he took spring of his junior term.
“The current system of creating problems took a lot of computational groundwork,” he said. “The idea was to offload a lot of that to the computer and have the professor guide it. Students may not realize this, but for every hour or two they work, professors spend even more time creating problems, solving them, checking to see if they work out.”
Weston's new cryptography system was put in place this past term. “It feels good to create something and to have it used and appreciated, in however small a way,” he said.
In addition to his Computer Science and Classics classes, Weston particularly enjoyed “World of the Bible,” with Peter Heinegg and “Mystics, Magic and Mysticism” with Steven Sargent.
He participated in a range of social, athletic and service activities, from soccer, broomball and the Outing Club to the Virtual Union club and work with Habitat for Humanity. He did a term abroad in Athens with Political Science Professor Richard Fox.
After Union, Weston moves to Woburn. Mass., where he'll work with as a software developer for Aptima Human-Centered Engineering, a company that designs user-centered technology and training systems geared toward making individuals and teams more effective.
In addition to the academic skills and grounding he received at Union, Weston carries with him a network of close friends he made, beginning freshman year. “This year, we have a house on Huron. It's a great experience, living with people you like so much. We'll definitely remain good friends.”