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Undergraduate Student Awards

| All Undergraduate Student Awards |  

David G. Seiler Physics Scholarship

This scholarship was established in 2006 for recognizing an outstanding Physics sophomore, junior, or senior involved in the Women in Science Programs.
Recipients

Gianni Ascarelli Student Award

The fund for these awards was established by the Family and friends of Professor Gianni Ascarelli for the purpose of recruiting and encouraging promising undergraduate Physics majors. Ascarelli scholars are placed in departmental research labs and are paid for working up to 10 hours per week under the close mentorship of a faculty member.

Named after the late Prof. Gianni Ascarelli.
Recipients

Kenneth S. and Paula D. Krane Physics Scholarship

This scholarship was established in 2006 and recognizes outstanding undergraduate student majoring in Physics.
Recipients

Richard W. King Award

This annual award was established in 1970 for recognizing an outstanding undergraduate physics junior and an outstanding physics senior student.

Richard W. King joined the Purdue Department of Physics in 1955 as an assistant professor, was promoted to associate professor in 1958, and to professor in 1961. He became Acting Head of the Department of Physics in February 1966, and served as Head of the Departament from October of that year until his untimely death in August 1969.

During his years at Purdue, Professor King gained a reputation as an inspiring teacher and sympathetic friend of students. He directred graduate student research and taught graduate and undergraduate courses in mechanics, nuclear physics and quantum theory, and was frequently asked to give popular science talks to local high school groups. He believed strongly in the great value of a broad science background for students pursuing careers such as teaching, law, journalism, and medicine, and was one of the group responsible for setting up the General Science Program in the College of Science. Despite his many other activities, he served for several years as the counselor for undergraduate majors and later, as Department Head, made it a point to have a personal conversation with each incoming physics graduate student.

As a tribute to Professor King's interest in students, his family, friends and colleagues have established a fund to make awards to students in his name. These awards will be presented a yearly intervals to outstanding physics majors who by their achievements show promise as future physicists. The candidates are to be chosen by a representative faculty committee selected by the Head of the Department of Physics.
Recipients

Shalim and Paul Sargis Memorial Scholarship

This scholarship was established in 2004 for out-of-state residents who graduated from a U.S. high school.
Recipients

Outstanding Freshman and Sophomore Award

These awards were established and given by our local Society of Physics Students. Each year, an award of $200 is given to the most outstanding freshman and sophomore in physics. Criteria include an essay, grades and involvement in SPS.
Recipients

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Graduate Student Awards

| All Graduate Student Awards |  Edward S. Akeley |  Akeley-Mandler | Gabriele F. Giuliani Award | Teaching Assistant |  H.Y. Fan |  Grodzins |  Karl Lark-Horovitz | George Tautfest |

Edward S. Akeley Award

This award was established in 1984 for honoring outstanding physics graduate students in theoretical physics.

Instructor Emeritus Anna M. Akeley has provided the means to establish an award account in memory of Professor Edward S. Akeley, her late husband. It is intended that an annual award of $100 is to be made to an outstanding Ph.D. candidate or recent graduate in the area of theoretical physics in the Department of Physics, Purdue University. The award recipient will be chosen each year by a committee of faculty members of the Department of Physics.
Recipients

Akeley-Mandler Awards for Teaching Excellence

These awards have been established to show gratitude for the efforts put forth by those exceptional graduate student teaching assistants who excel beyond the mere requirements of the job, investing their own time and effort to insure that they provide the best education possible to the students who depend on them.

In a large university such as Purdue, a great deal of the undergraduate teaching responsiblity falls to the graduate student teaching assistants. Because of the importance of quality pedagogy in maintaining the university's reputation, it is the intention of this award to motivate graduate students to become better educators. Through recognition of the effort and teaching quality which is already present in many graduate students, this award will encourage others to invest the time and energy required to improve the quality of education which the Department of Physics provides to this university.

These awards are funded by Instructor Emeritus Anna Akeley in memory of her late husband Edward S. Akeley and her late Brother, Kurt Mandler.
Recipients

Gabriele F. Giuliani Award

Outstanding 1st or 2nd Year Teaching Assistant

Established in 2013 and named after Professor Gabriele F. Giuliani, this award honors excellence in teaching by first or second year graduate students.  These graduate students show dedication and dependability, and, like Professor Giuliani, demonstrate a passion for physics that contributes to a rich learning environment.

Teaching Assistant Award

Established in 1999 by Purdue University, these awards honor excellence in teaching by the Teaching Assistants. Physics Department typically nominates 2 graduate TA's to the University for these awards. The Commitee on the Education of Teaching Assistants (CETA) and the EVPAA calls this Celebration of Graduate Student Teaching.
Recipients

H. Y. Fan Award

Established in 1987 and named after Professor Emeritus H. Y. Fan, this award is given annually to a physics graduate student for outstanding research in experimental or theoretical condensed matter physics.

The Professor H.Y. Fan Award was established in recognition of Professor Fan's many contributions to solid state physics and to the Purdue University Department of Physics. Professor Fan is a pioneer and major contributor to experimental theoretical and condensed matter physics, especially in the area of infrared studies of semiconductors. He has played a major role in the development of the Purdue Department of Physics into a large research oriented department. He came to Purdue in 1948 and in 1963 was appointed the Duncan Distinguished Professor.

The award will recognize demonstrated research abilities and outstanding promise in the research area of experimental or theoretical and condensed matter physics. Any faculty member of the Purdue Department of Physics may nominate, for the award, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Physics, or a graduate who has received the Ph.d. degree within the last year. The prize will be awarded to the one nominee judged most deserving by a faculty committee appointed by the Head of the Department.
Recipients

Karl Lark-Horovitz Award

This award was established in 1969, and is given annually to a physics graduate student for outstanding research accomplishments.

The Lark-Horovitz Prize in Physics has been endowed by the gifts of the staff of the Purdue Department of Physics, and the family, friends, and associates of Dr. Lark-Horovitz, in memory of his great contribution to the growth and development of the Purdue Department of Physics. Establishment of the prize is intended to stimulate and encourage graduate work in physics at Purdue by providing an appropriate recognition of unusual achievements in the field.

The Lark-Horovitz Prize in Physics is to be presented at appropriate intervals, of not less than one year, to a graduate student in the Purdue Department of Physics, in recognition of demonstrated ability and exceptional promise in research.
Recipients

George W. Tautfest Award

This annual award was established in 1970 to honor outstanding physics graduate students in high energy physics.

George Tautfest helped pave the way at Purdue University and in the Midwest towards establishing a strong and healthy discipline to investigate the most fundamental interactions of nature. This truly frontier endeavor, high energy physics, challenges the serious and active intellect as thoroughly as any of the problems faced by earlier generations of physicists.

In view of this it is appropriate to remember the important contributions of George Tautfest to science by the establishment of an award in his name that will be presented to a graduate student at Purdue University who shows outstanding promise in high energy physics research, either experimental or theoretical. The award wil be made at yearly intervals, providing a suitable candidate is found by a representative faculty committee to be chosen by the Head of the Physics Department.
Recipients

Grodzins Summer Research Award

This award was established in 2003 to provide support of graduate students engaged in research during the summer term.

Purdue alumnus and 1998 Honorary Degree Recipient, Lee Grodzins, has given the department funds for the support of this award. This gift is in honor of Wen Yu Zhang, who directed Lee's doctorate at Purdue (1954).
Recipients

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Awards to Female Undergraduate/Graduate Students

Lijuan Wang Memorial Award

This award was established for the purpose of promoting professional careers in physics for women. It provides teaching awards and travel grants for graduate and undergraduate female physics students.

Named after the late graduate student Ms. Lijuan Wang.
Graduates Undergraduates

David G. Seiler Physics Scholarship

This scholarship was established in 2006 for recognizing an outstanding Physics sophomore, junior, or senior involved in the Women in Science Programs.
Recipients

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Faculty Awards

Ruth and Joel Spira Award

This is an award designed to recognize outstanding teaching of physics at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The undergraduate selection committee is organized by our departmental chapter of the Society of Physics Students. The graduate selection committee is organized by the Physics Graduate Student Association.
Recipients

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Awards to Clerical and Service Staff

Outstanding Clerical and Service Award

The Department of Physics presents the Outstanding Clerical and Service Award to a clerical and service employee in recognition of superior efforts each year at the annual Staff Appreciation luncheon.
Recipients