Graduate Awards

Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award

Graduate students contribute to the life of our department in research and teaching. Often, graduate students go above-and-beyond the expectations of our teaching assistantship program to engage with students, craft learning material, and create a positive atmosphere that encourages students to continue in the study of physics. We recognize such contributions with this award.

Award Winners
Year Name
2022 Austin Mullins
2021 Macon Magno
2020 Ishwita Saikia
2015 Madalyn McKay, Keping Xie
2014 Matthew Feickert, Matthew Stein
2013 Eric Godat, Jeff Hetherly, Dan Jardin, Andrew Turvey
2012 xxx
2011 xxx
2010 xxx
2009 xxx
2008 Azeddine Kasmi, Jeff Allen, Ken Ueda and Jonathan Kosty
2007 Kamile Dindar-Yagci and Zhihua Liang
2006 Ryan Rios and Pavel Zarzhitsky
2003 Yon Cole
2002 Sofia Chabysheva
2001 Pavel Zarzhitsky
2000 Ilya Narsky
1999 Eliana Vianello
1998 Ilya Narsky
1997 John Cravens and Reed Johnson

Lightner-Sams Outstanding Graduate Research Award

The fund that supports this was originally created based on a generous donation from the Lightner Sams Foundation. This award was reissued starting in 2021 to recognize excellence in graduate research. Nominations are made by the faculty and a finalist is selected by the Physics Graduate Committee. The only criterion is excellence. In the past, the Lighter-Sams Award made possible both recognition of graduate excellence and support for graduate students to conduct their research and/or present their findings.

Award Winner
Year Name
2021 Jing Xiaoxian
2014 Ben Clark, Xiadong Zhao, Li Zhou
2013 Tingting Cao, Bowen Wang
2012 Huanzhao Liu, Hang Qiu
2011 Zhihua Liang
2010 Rozmin Daya, Bedile Karabuga
2009 Yichen Li
2008 Kamile Dindar-Yagci and Ryan Rios
2007 Azeddine Kasmi and Yurij Ilchenko
2006 Ana Firan and Renat Ishmukhametov

Gary McCartor Memorial Dissertation Award

Award Winners
Year Name
2009 Sophia Chabysheva