Student Awards and Honors
Undergraduate Student Awards and Scholarships
Mortar Board 2021 Undergraduate Award
Bianca Caminada (nominated by Janice Thomaz)
Mortar Board awards funds for school fees to current Purdue freshmen and sophomores who have shown excellence in service, leadership, and scholarship. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.2 is required. In promoting the ideals of Mortar Board, selection of fellowship recipients is based on scholastic record, character, service to campus and community, and stated professional goals.
Honor's College Pillar Award for Sophomore Undergraduate Research
Bianca Caminada
Students in the Honors College excel in a variety of areas both in and outside of the classroom as they engage in endeavors that embody the values of our curriculum. To recognize those students who have achieved above and beyond their peers or who demonstrate great promise of excellence, the Honors College annually bestows the Pillar Awards, a recognition of student work in each of the four pillars of their curriculum: Interdisciplinary Academics, Undergraduate Research, Leadership, and Community and Global Engagement.
Martin C. Jischke Outstanding International Student of the Year Award
Kaustub Parvir Anand (nominated by Janic Thomaz)
Supported by: Kyoung-Soo Lee, Ken Ritchie, Francis Robicheaux, and David Sederberg
The Martin C. Jischke Outstanding International Student of the Year Award was presented to Kaustub Parvir Anand of Mumbai, India, whomajoredinphysicsintheCollegeofScienceand the Honors College. Established by Martin C. Jischke, President emeritus, the award honors an international Purdue student who has attained a minimum 3.0 grade-point average, demonstrated leadership qualities, achieved academic accomplishments through further research, publications or presentations and participated in service projects. The recipient receives a cash award along with inscription of their name on a plaque in Schleman Hall.
Goldwater Scholarship
Justin Copenhaver (2021)
Andrew Gustafson (2020)
Ramdas Award
YuXin (Vic) Dong (nominated by Danny Milisavljevic)
The Ramdas Award award was establish in 2018 by Anant K. Ramdas, the Lark-Horovitz Distinguished Professor of Physics and his wife, Vasanti Ramdas. The purpose of the Ramdas Award is to recognize an exceptional senior who has completed a unique project in the Department of Physics and Astronomy.
Judith Peters Humnicky Award
Emily J. Kincaid
Judith Peters Humnicky was relentless in pursuitofhergoalsandthisawardhonorshermemory by recognizing the persistence, diligence, and hard work necessary to obtain an undergraduate degree in physics and enhances the gender diversity of among the Department’s undergraduates.This award is made possible due to the generosity of Mr. Michael Humnicky (BS1970).
Spira Undergraduate Summer Research Award
Arianna Meenakshi McNamara (nominated by Andreas Jung)
This award supports one or more students working on a research project under the supervision of a faculty member in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and/or the Department of Mathematics. The Spira Summer Research Award is made possible thanks to the generosity of Dr. Joel S. (BS1948) and Mrs. Ruth R. Spira.
Lijuan Wang Memorial Award
Moira Andrews (nominated by Danny Milisavljevic)
Megan McDuffie (nominated by Ephraim Fischbach)
The Lijuan Wang Memorial award is given annually to one or more outstanding undergraduate physics majors who promote the gender diversity of the department through participation in Women in Physics. Lijuan Wang was a graduate student in the department from 1989 until her untimely death in 1992.
Richard W. King Award
Justin Copenhaver | Outstanding Junior (nominated by Jukka Vayrynen and Birgit Kaufmann)
Andrew Gustafson | Outstanding Senior (nominated by Francis Robicheaux)
The Richard W. King Award recognizes the Department’s outstanding physics junior and senior. Prof. King joined the Department of Physics in 1955 as an assistant professor, was promoted to associate professor in 1958, and to professor in 1961. He served as Department Head from 1966 to 1969. During his years at Purdue, Professor King gained a reputation as an inspiring teacher and sympathetic friend of students. He served for many years as the counselor for undergraduate physics majors. With other students he often took the opportunity to promote the value of a broad science background for students pursuing careers such as teaching, law, journalism, and medicine. Following his untimely death in August 1969, Prof. King’s family, friends, and colleagues established this award.
Frederik J. Belinfante Scholarship in Physics
Grace Bowling
Arianna McNamara
This scholarship recognizes outstanding physics upperclassmen. The scholarship is possible due to the generosity of Dr. Robert Newcomb (BS 1955).
Shalim and Paula Sargis Memorial Scholarship
Faith Kalee Bergin
Robin Carpenter
The Sargis Scholarship recognizes a physics upperclassman from outside the state of Indiana who also graduated from a U.S. high school. This scholarship is made possible due to the generosity of Dr. James Sargis (BS 1958).
David G. Seiler Physics Scholarship
Darrell Leigh Fischer
The Seiler Scholarship recognizes an outstanding physics upperclassman who is involved in Women in Science or Women in Physics programs. This scholarship is possible due to the generosity of Dr. David G. Seiler (PhD 1969).
Arthur N. Pozner Memorial Scholarship
Bianca Caminada
This scholarship recognizes outstanding physics upperclassmen. The scholarship is possible due to the generosity of the Arthur N. Pozner Trust.
Kenneth S. and Paula D. Krane Physics Scholarship
Aubrey Louise Fuhrman
The Krane Scholarship recognizes outstanding physics upperclassmen. The scholarship is possible due to the generosity of Dr. Kenneth S. (PhD 1970) and Mrs. Paula D. Krane.
Margie and Don Bottorff Undergraduate Physics Scholarship
Taylor Baker
Isaiah Ertel
The Bottorff Scholarship is made possible by a gift from Ms. Celeste Bottorff (MS 1975). The scholarship is a 1-year award made to outstanding physics upperclassmen.
College of Science Honors Convocation Student Honorees
- Airanna McNamara - Freshman
- Colton Griffin - Sophomore
- Darrell Fischer - Junior
- Andrew Santos - Senior
Graduate Student Awards and Scholarships
Karl Lark-Horovitz Award
Michael Higgins (nominated by Chris Greene)
Our Department’s most prestigious graduate student honor, the Lark-Horovitz Award recognizes outstanding research accomplishments. The award is possible through the generosity of the faculty as well as the family, friends, and associates of Prof. Lark-Horovitz in memory of his great contribution to the growth and development of the Department of Physics and Astronomy.
Gabriele F. Giuliani Award
Dawith Lim (nominated by Anderzej Lewicki)
Established in 2013 in memory of Prof. 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.
George W. Tautfest Award
Yicheng Feng (nominated by Fuqiang Wang)
This award honors outstanding physics graduate students in high energy particle physics, high energy nuclear physics, or astrophysics. Prof. Tautfest was the leader of the Purdue High Energy Physics group until his death in 1967 at age 41. The award was established in 1969 by his colleagues and the Purdue Alumni Foundation.
H. Y. Fan Award
Cheng-An Chen (nominated by Chen-Lung Hung)
The Fan Award recognizes outstanding graduate research in condensed matter physics, biological physics, or AMO physics. The award was established in recognition of Prof. Fan’s many contributions to condensed matter physics, particularly in the area of infrared studies of semiconductors, and to the Department of Physics and Astronomy.
Charlotte Ida Litman Tubis Award
Siddhant Pandey
The Charlotte Ida Litman Tubis Award was established in her memory by her husband, Prof. Emeritus Arnold Tubis, to promote clear and concise communication of scientific ideas beyond the physics and astronomy community.
Dr. Warner Black Award
Siddhant Pandey (nominated by Niranjan Shivaram)
The Black Award recognizes graduate students whose research has the potential to bring physics to the people and to help them improve their lives by using a deep knowledge of fundamental and applied physics to make practical and useful inventions that have a real and lasting impact.
Edward S. Akeley Award
Hao Zhang (nominated by Dimitrious Giannios)
This award recognizes outstanding physics graduate students in theoretical physicists. The Akeley Award is made possible through the generosity of Instructor Emeritus Anna M. Akeley.
Akeley-Mandler Award for Teaching Excellence
Abigail Kopec (nominated by Andrezej Lewicki)
The Akeley-Mandler Award recognizes exceptional graduate student teaching assistants who excel beyond the mere requirements of the job, investing their effort to ensure that they provide the best education possible to their students. This award is made possible thanks to a gift made by Instructor Emeritus Anna Akeley in memory of her husband, Prof. Edward S. Akeley, and brother, Kurt Mandler.
Lijuan Wang Memorial Awards
Bhagya Subrayan (nominated by Danny Milisavljevic)
Yimeng Wang (nominated by Chris Greene)
The Lijuan Wang Memorial award is given annually to one or more outstanding graduate student majors who promote the gender diversity of the department through participation in Women in Physics. Lijuan Wang was a graduate student in the department from 1989 until her untimely death in 1992.
Bilsland Dissertation Fellowship
- Yimeng Wang (nominated by Chris Green)
- John Banovetz (nominated by Danny Milisavljevic)
- Yicheng Feng (nominated by Fuqiang Wang)
- Zhujing Xu (nominated by Tongcang Li)
The Bilsland Dissertation Fellowship provides support to outstanding Ph.D. candidates in their final year of writing.