Congratulations to the winners of the 2025 Troost Prize!

APSI celebrates the two winners of the 2025 Troost Prize for an undergraduate project in East Asian Studies. From a pool of truly outstanding candidates, the selection committee has chosen Alistair Simmons (T ’25) and Hanyang Zhou (DKU ’26) as co-recipients of the award.

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Alistair Simmons has expressed sustained interest international technology governance and was the first student from Duke to study abroad at Duke Kunshan University (DKU) after the Covid pandemic. Following his graduation, he is considering entering the legal field and hopes to work with clients in both China and the U.S. Read more about Alistair >>

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Hanyang Zhou is majoring in computation and design with a focus on social policy and has been an active researcher on projects conducted through the DKU Center for the Study of Contemporary China. She considers herself primarily a student of sociology and anthropology, and plans to focus more on these areas in her future academic pursuits. Read more about Hanyang >>

About the projects

Simmons' senior thesis, “China and the U.S. AI Race: Convergence by Competition,” provides a comparative analysis of the race towards developing and implementing artificial intelligence (AI) in the United States and China, presenting a case for the argument that the on-going AI rivalry between the US and China is, somewhat paradoxically, resulting in a greater convergence between the two seemingly national models. Simmons employed a variety of analytical tools, including content analysis and critical theory, to address his topic from multiple disciplinary perspectives, including cultural studies, public policy, and communication studies. His thesis was awarded highest distinction, and was also selected for the “best thesis award” by the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (AMES). One of the committee members indicated that Simmons' paper “has the potential to broaden the reach of East Asian studies,” no mean feat for an undergraduate student (even one at Duke). Another member of the committee remarked that his thesis engages meaningfully with “a serious problem in a way that attended to the institutional frameworks of each country.”

Zhou's paper, “Physidigital Double Bind: Female Delivery Rider Vloggers' Intimacy Navigation in China's Short-Video Platforms,”examines how female delivery rider vloggers on short-video platforms such as Douyin navigate the intersectional constraints of gender, class, and labor in their digital interactions with audiences. The nominator shared that “Hanyang not only demonstrates a deep understanding of the current literature on the topic but also demonstrates her thoughtful engagement with methodologies within digital anthropology and critical digital studies.” In selecting this paper to receive the Troost Prize, the committee members indicated that Zhou's project exemplified engagement “with its region of interest and the connection between evidence and argument.” Additionally, the committee members appreciated how the paper showcased her research topic “while engaging with existing literature and conducting both digital ethnography and interviews.”

About the award

Each year, an APSI faculty committee selects an outstanding project from among the nominees to receive this award in the spring semester. The project can be in nearly any form, including a substantial paper, visual art, film, or digital production. The prize was endowed in 2020 to honor Dr. Kristina Troost, who had a distinguished career spanning 30 years at Duke.

A historian by training, Dr. Troost was Duke’s first Japanese Studies Librarian and headed the International and Area Studies Department in the Library for 20 years. She also served as the much-beloved Director of Graduate Studies for the MA program in East Asian Studies at Duke and continues to be actively involved in the Triangle Forum for Japanese Studies. Through her various roles, Dr. Troost made invaluable contributions to East Asian Studies at Duke and beyond.