College of Science

Awards to the Graduate Students


 
Akeley-Mandler Awards for Teaching Excellence [ Top ]
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.
  2007 Joshua Mattes
  2006 John Buncher
  2005 John Millis
  2002 Jennifer Coy
  2001 Bernard Griggs
  Rekishu Yamazaki
  1999 Timo Budarz
  Michael Stohler
  1998 Navin Deendyal
  1997 Dale Human
  Michelle Parry
  1996 Richard Flack
  1995 Tom Pekarek

 
Dr. Warner Black Award [ Top ]
This award is given by Ms. Lona Black Koltick in memory of her grandfather, Dr. Warner Black. Dr. Black was born in 1861 and at the age of 2 years, his father died in the civil war. From his humble beginning, his love of education and people strengthened his resolve so that he received a Medical Degree from Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee in 1891. Dr. Black had a great love of the people and used his medical knowledge to help the common person as well as the poor, initially by practicing in the remote areas of Tennessee. In 1902, he ran for the political office of Poor House Physician of Franklin County, Tennessee and was elected. In 1906, Dr. Black moved this family to “Indian Territory of Oklahoma” where his medical practice helped many people in a region of America that needed the help of this very practical man. As a medical doctor, farmer, proprietor of a general store, peacemaker, politician, teacher, and a man that served the poor and needy, this award will be given to a physicist that is most likely, in a similar way, bring physics to the people and 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 on the way all people, rich and poor alike, live better lives by the winner’s expected work and sacrifice. This award will be given once each year and will be accompanied with a $200 cash price of recognition. The award winner will be selected by a committee consisting of men and women that have a deep knowledge of physics as well as having practical accomplishments and have served the public in politics or the poor in their communities.
  2007 Seth McConchie

 
Edward S. Akeley Award [ Top ]
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.
  2006 Stefano Chesi
  2005 George Simion
  2003 Brajesh Rai
  2001 Christopher Tong
  2000 Sadek Mansour
  1999 Alexander Pozamantir
  1998 Michelle Parry
  1997 Samir Ranjan
  1996 Mi-Ae Park
  D. Catalina Marinescu
  1994 Dennis Krause
  1993 Robert Rice
  1992 Donald Jacobs
  1991 Giuseppe Santoro
  1990 Murielle Villeret
  1989 Luc Daemen
  1988 Nivedita Deo
  1986 Yao Wang
  1985 Xiao Dong Zhu

 
George W. Tautfest Award [ Top ]
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.
  2008 Terence Tarnowsky
  Jason Ulery
  2007 Viktor Veszpremi
  2006 Anadi Canepa
  2005 Kim Giolo
  Amitava Roy
  2004 Imre Pal
  Carsten Rott
  2003 Ricardo Vasquez
  2002 Arnold Pompos
  2000 Todd Keaffaber
  Naresh Menon
  1999 Mary Bishai
  1998 Ekkehard Gerndt
  Kara Hoffman
  1997 Karoly Banicz
  1996 Mark C. Kruse
  1995 Ting Miao

 

Grodzins Summer Research Award [ Top ]
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.

Given in honor of Annie Akeley

  2008 Helin Cao
  David Lomiashvili
  Andrew Irrgang
  Xin Li
  Eric Sword

Given in honor of Anne Grodzins Lipow

  2007 Babita Dhayal
  Glynn Bricker
  Chen Fang
  Ben Phillabaum
  Vinh Diep

Given in honor of Wen Yu Zhang, who directed Lee's doctorate at Purdue (1954).

  2006 Stefano Chesi
  Gabor Pszota
  2005 Xiangshun Lu
  Joshua Mattis
  Naranbaatar Dashdorj
  2004 Xiangshu Lu
  Kwan Jeong
  2003 Kim Giolo
  Xiangshu Lu

 
H. Y. Fan Award [ Top ]
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 and 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.
  2008 Sunanda Koduvayur
  2007 Gang Chen
  Xiangshun Lu
  2005 Leilei Peng
  2001 Heejun Jeong
  2000 John Sutter
  1998 Hyungjung Kim
  Ralf Vogelgesang
  1996 Ranbir S. Rana
  1995 Abhilash J. Mayaur
  M. Dean Sciacca
  1994 Qingnan Wang
  1992 Stephen Hoffman
  1991 Jin Liu
  1990 Thomas Gog
  1989 Timothy Meisenheimer
  1988 Eunkyung Suh
  1987 Dwight V. Bartholomew

 
Karl Lark-Horovitz Award [ Top ]
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.
  2008 Youngquan Xue
  2007 Kwan Jeong
  Stefano Chesi
  2006 George Simion
  2005 Manoj Varma
  2004 Stanislav Tsoi
  2003 Victor Pavlunin
  2002 Miroslav Kopal
  2001 Daniel Javorsek
  2000 Maeng Je Seong
  1999 Mihaela Dinu
  1998 Indrajit Lahiri
  1997 Samir Ranjan
  1996 Robert M. Brubaker
  1994 David M. Schaefer
  1993 Brian Todd Huffman
  1992 Ralph Wagoner
  1991 Rodrigo G. Alonso
  1990 Ximing Chen
  1989 Giuseppe LaRocca
  1988 David J. Klepacki
  1987 Qun Shen
  1986 Yongli Gao
  1985 Sudha Gopalan
  1984 Daniel M. Fleetwood
  David C. Peterson
  1983 Kong Thon F. Tsen
  1982 Roger W. Minich
  1981 Leroy D. Chapman
  1980 Belvin S. Freeman
  Wayne I. Imaino
  1979 Enrique Fernandez
  1978 Mark L. Boriach
  Charles P. Beetz

 
Lijuan Wang Memorial Awards [ Top ]
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.
  2008 Laura Biedermann Graduate
  Yu Zheng Graduate
  2007 Chun Lan Graduate Research
  2006 Valeria Strarovoitova Graduate
  2003 Babita Dhayal Graduate
  2002 Baris Cetin Graduate
  Anadi Canepa Graduate
  2001 Marta Zgagacz Graduate Teaching
  2000 Jennifer Coy Graduate Teaching
  1999 Jennifer Coy Graduate Teaching
  Mihaela Dinu Graduate Research
  Mary Bishai Graduate Research
  1996 Kathleen Falconer Graduate
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