Science Talent Search alumnus killed in NYC crane collapse

The Society was saddened to hear about the passing of one of our alumni recently:

David Wichs, 38, a Westinghouse Science Talent Search 1995 semifinalist, was struck and killed by a collapsing construction crane in New York City on February 5. Three other people were injured by debris from the accident.

Countless news articles and obituaries have honored David as “a man of kindness and generosity,” according to the Associated Press. David graduated from Harvard University with a degree in mathematics and worked for fifteen years at Tower Research Capital, a trading firm. His relatives referred to him as a math whiz.

David’s colleague at Tower Research Capital, Ravi Sarma, said that David was unique from his other colleagues in that he didn’t follow the cutthroat behavior common to the financial world, according to The New York Times. Instead, David found success through his love of math and his ability to connect with others, Sarma said.