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Department of Physics Annual Student Awardsupdated 10/12/2012
UNDERGRADUATE AWARDS |
GRADUATE AWARDS |
Undergraduate Awards
The following undergraduate award recipients for the 2011-12 academic year were announced in September 2012.
- The Malcolm Cotton Brown Award
The Malcolm Cotton Brown Award
Awarded to a senior of high academic standing in physics who plans to pursue graduate study in experimental physics. Given in memory of Lt. Malcolm Cotton Brown, Royal Air Force, who was killed in service on July 23, 1918. The fund currently provides a prize of $1,000.
The 2012 Malcolm Cotton Brown Award Winners
- Emily Davis SB '12
Thesis supervisors: Nergis Mavalvala
- Vinay Ramasesh SB '12
Thesis supervisor: Martin Zwierlein
Past Cotton Brown Award Winners
YEAR STUDENT 2012 Emily Davis Vinay Ramasesh 2011 Emma Tolley 2010 Albert Lee 2009 Robert Moffat 2008 Ruth Shewmon 2007 Ming Yi 2006 Huanqian Loh 2005 David Lopez Mateos 2004 Zilong Chen 2003 Alexander D. Wissner-Gross 2002 Joshua M. Thompson 2001 Margaret W. Pan - Emily Davis SB '12
- The Philip Morse Memorial Award
The Philip Morse Memorial Award
Awarded to a senior of high academic standing in physics who plans to pursue graduate study in physics. Given in memory of Philip Morse, MIT Professor of Physics, one of the renowned physicists of the 20th century, whose contributions spanned from basic physics to engineering. The fund currently provides a prize of $1,000.
The 2012 Philip Morse Memorial Award Winner: Longzhi Tan SB '12
Thesis Supervisor: Jeff GorePast Philip Morse Memorial Award Winners
YEAR STUDENT 2012 Longzhi Tan 2011 David Ramirez Jaime Varela 2010 Achilleas Porfyriadis 2009 Barry Bradlyn 2008 Thaned Pruttivarasin 2007 Tongyan Lin 2006 Philip J. Richerme 2005 Alan M. Dunn 2004 Onsi Fakhouri 2003 Philip C. Schuster 2002 2001 Aram W. Harrow - The Joel Matthew Orloff Award
The Joel Matthew Orloff Award
The Joel Matthew Orloff Awards were established by Dr. and Mrs. Daniel Orloff in memory of their son Joel, a physics major, who died in an automobile accident shortly after graduation from MIT in 1978. One thousand dollars is awarded to each of several physics majors in the following three categories:
- Scholarship: Given to the student with the highest GPA in physics courses and, if a tie, the highest overall GPA.
- Research: Given to the student with the most outstanding senior thesis.
- Service: Given to the student with the most outstanding service to the department, Institute, or community.
The 2012 Joel Matthew Orloff Award Winners
- Scholarship
- John Ruszczynki SB '12 - Academic Advisor: Isaac Chuang
- Research
- Jonathan Ng SB '12 - Thesis supervisor: Jan Egedal-Pedersen
- Service - Yan Zhu SB '12 - Academic Advisor: Nergis Mavalvala
Past Orloff Winners
YEAR RESEARCH SCHOLARSHIP SERVICE 2012 John Ruszczynki Jonathan Ng Yan Zhu 2011 Ken Van Tilburg Raghu Mahajan Fangfei Shen Joan C. Smith Nathaniel Thomas Yan Zhu 2010 John Sebastian Pineda William Throwe Sara Campbell Sukrit Ranjan 2009 Vladimir Rosenhaus Hyun Kim Anjali Tripathi Nantania Antler 2008 Yeming Shi Ziliang Lin J. Colin Hill 2007 Anna K. Labno Widagdo Setiawan Zachary D. Wissner-Gross 2006 Emily M. Levesque Patrick S. Varilly Anat Burger Alejandro Rodriguez 2005 Jeffrey C. Falkenbach Seth E. Dorfman Susanna M. Thon 2004 Yuk Yan Lam Michael J. Mortonson Daniel Garcia Laura A. Lopez 2003 Jeffrey B. Brock David B. Starr Terri M. Yu 2002 Stephan B. Gromell Abhinav Kumar Teresa A. Fazio 2001 Till Rosenband John B. Hough Bilge Demirkoz 2000 Mihai Ibanescu Dawen Choy Rafael Dinner Daniel Dwyer Humberto Valdes Gabriel Rockefeller 1999 Eric B. Ford Jeffrey C. Gore Raeghan M. Byrne Tanya Zelevinsky 1998 Anuranjita Tewary Jeffrey Bowers 1997 Anna Lopatnikova Iosif L.R. Bena Evan Fortunato Hoko Kusumoto 1996 Marin Soljačić Tairan Wang Christopher Drew Yun Song Eugene Shuster 1995 Fernando Broner Steven Johnson Teresa Lau Eugene Chang Eliot Quataert 1994 Jennifer Mills Dexter Mootoo 1993 Eugene Chiang 1992 Kevin Fahey 1991 Bryan Smith 1990 Michael McDermott Joel Phillips 1989 Deborah Kuchnir 1988 Jason Crain 1987 Christopher Carone 1986 Mark Wang 1985 Thomas Junk 1984 Dinh Le 1983 Raymond Goldstein 1982 Mark Templer - The 2012 Sigma Pi Sigma Inductees
The 2012 Sigma Pi Sigma Inductees
Daniel Bulmash Ying-Yu Ho Jonathan Ng John Ruszczynski Tucker Chan Matthew Houston Eleanor Phillips Benjamin Steinhorn Hui Xiao Chao Ryan Janish Vinay Ramasesh Longshi Tan Emily Davis Dustin Katzin Mallika Randeria Chun-Kai Wang Zachary Fisher Gregory Lau Thomas Roxlo Yan Zhu - The 2012 Phi Beta Kappa Inductees
The 2012 Phi Beta Kappa Inductees
Daniel Bulmash Zachary Fisher Gregory Kang Lau John Ruszczynski Tucker Chan Ying-Yu Ho Jonathan Ng Benjamin Steinhorn Hui Xiao Chao Matthew Houston Eleanor Phillips Longshi Tan Linda Chen Ryan Janish Vinay Ramasesh Yan Zhu Emily Davis Dustin Katzin Mallika Randeria -
Other Undergraduate Honors & Awards
- P. Bryan Changala (SB '12, Physics & Chemistry) and Nityan L. Nair (SB '13) were named 2012 Barry M. Goldwater Scholars, a premier distinction for mathematics, science, and engineering undergraduates nationwide. Each four-year U.S. institution is permitted only four nominees, with the award based on academic merit. The scholarship, given annually to several hundred students by the Goldwater Foundation, provides $7,500 for each remaining year of college.
- Taylor Jay (SB '12, Thesis Supervisor: Enectali Figueroa-Feliciano) was awarded a three-year National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship as of Fall 2012.
- Lauren Kuntz (SB ’13, Thesis Supervisor: Martin Zwierlein) received the NCAA Elite 89 Award for Indoor Track and Field. The award is given to the student-athletes with the highest cumulative grade point average competing at the final site for each of the NCAA's 89 championships. Lauren also was named to the 2012 Capital One Academic All-America Track & Field/Cross Country Team.
- Cameron McCord (SB '13, Physics & Nuclear Engineering) was awarded a 2012 Harry S. Truman Scholarship by the U.S. Treasury Department. Created by Congress in 1975, the award provides $30,000 for graduate study in preparation for careers in government or the non-profit sector.
- Sabrina Gonzalez Pasterski (SB '14, Thesis Supervisor: Markus Klute) was named a "Lindau Nobel Young Researcher" and invited to attend the July 2012 Lindau Meeting of Nobel Laureates and Students in Lindau, Germany.
- Stephen Serene (SB '12) was named to the 2012 Capital One Academic All-America Track & Field/Cross Country Team.
- P. Bryan Changala (SB '12, Physics & Chemistry) was named a 2012 Burchard Scholar for demonstrating excellence in some aspect of the humanities, arts, and social sciences, as well as in science and engineering.
- Anna Ho (SB '14) was named a 2012 Burchard Scholar for demonstrating excellence in some aspect of the humanities, arts, and social sciences, as well as in science and engineering.
- Elizabeth Toller (SB '14) was named a 2012 Burchard Scholar for demonstrating excellence in some aspect of the humanities, arts, and social sciences, as well as in science and engineering.
Graduate Awards
The following graduate award recipients for the 2010-11 academic year were announced in September 2011.
- The Barrett Prize
The Barrett Prize
The award, established by students, friends, relatives and colleagues of the late Professor Alan Barrett, honors his outstanding influence in the education of physicists and his fundamental contributions to the science and technology of astrophysics. A $1000 prize is awarded annually to a senior undergraduate or graduate in Astrophysics.
The 2012 Barrett Prize Winner - Renyu Hu (Astrophysics)
Thesis supervisor: Sara SeagerPast Barrett Prize Winners
YEAR STUDENT 2012 Renyu Hu 2011 Ashley Perko 2010 William Throwe 2009 Josiah Schwab 2008 J. Colin Hill 2007 Tucker A. Jones 2006 Emily M. Levesque 2005 Svetlin V. Tassev 2004 Laura A. Lopez 2003 Stefan W. Ballmer 2002 Joshua M. Lapan 2001 C. Adam Reynolds 2000 Jessica Lackey 1999 Eric B. Ford 1998 Edmund Mun Choong Kong 1997 James Kiger 1996 Matias Zaldarriaga 1995 Eugene Chiang 1994 Craig Weigert 1993 Uros Seljak 1992 Samuel Conner - The Buechner Student Teaching Prize
The Buechner Student Teaching Prize
Awarded to a graduate student for outstanding contributions to the educational program of the Department during the past academic year. The $1,000 prize was established in 1987 by the late Mrs. Christina Buechner in memory of her husband Prof. William Buechner, who served as Physics department head from 1962-67.
The 2012 Buechner Student Teaching Prize Winner - No Award in 2012
Past Buechner Student Teaching Prize Winners
YEAR STUDENT 2012 2011 Chester Chu 2010 Arghavan Safavi-Naini 2009 Adrian Liu 2008 Paul Nerenberg 2007 Richard Ott 2006 Oliver Dial 2005 2004 Sebastian Franco 2003 Brice C. Smith 2002 Jeffrey Bowers James McBride 2001 Stephen Korbly 2000 Michael Hinczewski Nicholas Morgan David Pooley 1999 Kristin Burgess Rebecca Christianson 1998 Jamie Portsmouth Walter Rantner 1997 Andrew Berger 1996 Paul Westbrook 1995 Peter Yesley 1994 Neer Asherie 1993 Sheperd Doeleman 1992 Howard Sklar 1991 Michael Haggerty 1990 Roberta Brawer 1989 Juliana Hsu 1988 Jim Abbott Philipp Podsiadlowski 1987 Wayne Lewis Derin Sherman - The Martin Deutsch Student Award
The Martin Deutsch Student Award for Excellence in Experimental Physics
Awarded to a graduate student in the mid-course of research for study in any area of physics, with preference given to experimental physics. The award was created in honor of Professor Martin Deutsch's outstanding contributions to Nuclear Physics as an educator and researcher and currently carries a prize of $1,000.
The 2012 Martin Deutsch Student Award Winner - Sheila Dwyer (Astrophysics)
Thesis supervisor: Nergis MavalvalaPast Martin Deutsch Student Award Winners
YEAR STUDENT 2012 Sheila Dwyer 2011 Ariel Sommer 2010 Monika Schleier-Smith 2009 Georgia Karagiorgi Andre Schirotzek 2008 Asher Kaboth 2007 Thomas Corbitt 2006 Gretchen K. Campbell 2005 Juan M. Pedraza Yong-Il Shin 2004 Adam S. Bolton Martin Zwierlein 2003 Aaron E. Leanhardt 2002 Lingyan Zhu 2001 Ivan Furic 2000 Ananth Chikkatur 1999 Shin Inouye 1998 1997 David Goldhaber-Gordon Young Lee 1996 1995 1994 Kendall Davis 1993 1992 Kevin Lee 1991 Alec Sandy 1990 1989 David Keith - The Henry Kendall Teaching Award
The Henry Kendall Teaching Award
Established in 2010 and named after Henry Kendall, 1990 Nobel Laureate and long-time MIT Physics faculty member, the Kendall Awards recognize graduate student teaching assistants whose performance has been significantly above what is expected of a TA. Two to four awards, each with an accompanying prize of $750, are given annually.
The 2012-13 Henry Kendall Teaching Award Winners
-
Fall 2012 Winners
- Michael Crossley – (Theoretical Nuclear and Particle Physics; thesis supervisor Hong Liu) “for a superb job as 8.044 TA, including immaculate p-sets solutions and frequently going out of his way to help students out”
- Cedric Lin – (Quantum Information; thesis supervisor Edward Farhi) “for being smart and quick on his feet as an 8.02 TA, keeping track of many details and doing a good job running problem-solving sessions”
- Kevin Sung – (Experimental Nuclear and Particle Physics; thesis supervisor Steven Nahn) “for being an exceptional 8.011 TA, including being flexible, ever-helpful, and always cheerful”
Past Henry Kendall Teaching Award Winners
YEAR STUDENT COURSE/YEAR 2012-13 Michael Crossley Fall 2012 8.044 Cedric Lin Fall 2012 8.02 Kevin Sung Fall 2012 8.011 2011-12 Tatiana Artemova Spring 2012 8.591 Adrian Liu Spring 2012 8.942 David Mross Spring 2012 8.231 Anjan Soumyanarayanan Spring 2012 8.01 Phillip Zukin Spring 2012 8.02 Byron Drury Fall 2011 8.311 Jinrong Lin Fall 2011 8.022 Leo Stein Fall 2011 8.901 2010-11 Francesco D’Eramo Spring 2011 8.09 Nan Gu Spring 2011 8.012 Duncan Ralph Spring 2011 8.13 Phillip Zukin Spring 2011 8.21 David Mross Fall 2010 8.20 Obioma Ohia Fall 2010 8.02 Richard Ott Fall 2010 8.14 2009-10 Burak Alver Spring 2010 8.13 Nabil Iqbal Spring 2010 8.02 Daniel Sung-Joon Park Spring 2010 8.321 Robyn Sanderson Spring 2010 8.01 - The Andrew M. Lockett III Memorial Fund Award
The Andrew M. Lockett III Memorial Fund Award
Awarded to a graduate student in theoretical physics, with preference given to students from Los Alamos, NM, and New Orleans, LA. The award currently carries a prize of $1,000. The award was established by Mrs. Lucille Lockett Stone in memory of her husband, Dr. Andrew M. Lockett, who received his Ph.D. in physics from MIT in 1954.
The 2012 Andrew M. Lockett III Memorial Fund Award Winners -Daniel Sung-Joon Park (Theoretical Nuclear and Particle Physics)
Thesis supervisors: Washington TaylorPast Andrew M. Lockett III Memorial Fund Award Winners
YEAR STUDENT 2012 Daniel Sung-Joon Park 2011 Xie Chen 2010 Nabil Iqbal 2009 Wing-Ho Ko Sergey Syritsyn 2008 Michael Kiermaier 2007 2006 Jessie Shelton 2005 David Vegh 2004 Michael A. Levin 2003 Andrew M. Childs 2002 Sebastian Franco 2001 Walter Rantner 2000 Bo Feng 1999 Leonardo Rastelli 1998 1997 Matthew Hastings 1996 Arthur Lee 1995 Ken Olum 1994 1993 1992 Catherine Trotter Wilson 1991 1990 Tomas Arias Jeffrey Grandy 1989 1988 Barrett Rogers 1987 Mark Needels - The Sergio Vazquez Prize
The Sergio Vazquez Prize
Established in memory of Sergio Vazquez, a graduate student in the Center for Theoretical Physics who was killed in an automobile accident on April 1, 1990, $1,000 to be awarded annually to a graduate student with preference for a student from an underrepresented sector of the population who had to overcome racial, physical or financial barriers.
The 2012 Sergio Vazquez Prize Winner: Joshua Bendavid (Experimental Nuclear and Particle Physics); Thesis supervisor: Christoph Paus
Past Sergio Vazquez Prize Winners
YEAR STUDENT 2012 Joshua Bendavid 2011 Francesco D'Eramo Mohammad Faghfoor Maghrebi 2010 Christopher Jones 2009 2008 Michael Ghebrebrhan 2007 2006 2005 Antonello Scardicchio 2004 2003 Qudsia Jabeen Ejaz 2002 Kimani Stancil 2001 Grum Teklamariam 2000 Darren Segall 1999 Raissa D'Souza 1998 1997 1996 Gillian Reynolds 1995 1994 1993 1992 Hector Jimenez-Gonzalez -
Other Graduate Honors & Awards
- Francesco D'Eramo (Theoretical Physics. Thesis supervisors: Hong Liu, Krishna Rajagopal, Jesse Thaler) was selected by the University of California, Berkeley, for a 2012-2015 Miller Postdoctoral Fellowship.
- Joshua Dillon (Astrophysics. Thesis supervisor: Max Tegmark) and Rebecca Levinson (Astrophysics. Thesis supervisor: Paul Schechter) received Graduate Student Awards to attend the July 2012 Lindau Meeting of Nobel Laureates and Students in Lindau, Germany.
- Georgia Karagiorgi (Experimental High Energy Physics. Thesis supervisor: Janet Conrad) received the American Physical Society's 2012 Mitsuyoshi Tanaka Dissertation Award in Experimental Particle Physics.
- Mark Ku (Atomic Physics. Thesis supervisor: Martin Zwierlein) received the Best Experimental Paper Award from the DARPA Optical Lattice Emulator Program.
- Daniel Roberts (Center for Theoretical Physics) received a Fall 2011 Graduate Fellowship Award from the Fannie and John Hertz Foundation. Given to students judged to be "exceptionally talented and creative young innovators," the fellowship provides an award of up to $250,000.
- Leslie Rogers (Astrophysics, Thesis supervisor: Sara Seager) was one of 17 recipients nationwide to receive a 2012-2015 Hubble Postdoctoral Fellowship. Leslie will study super-Earth and sub-Neptune exoplanets with Prof. John Johnson at the California Institute of Technology.
- Monika Schleier-Smith (Atomic Physics, Thesis supervisor: Vladan Vuletic) was one of three Hertz Fellows awarded a 2011 Thesis Prize for "most outstanding doctoral dissertation... for overall excellence and potential impact for application in the real world."
- Leo C. Stein (Astrophysics, Thesis supervisor: Scott Hughes) was one of 12 recipients nationwide to receive a 2012-2015 Einstein Postdoctoral Fellowship. Leo will be based at Cornell University, where he'll continue his studies of black holes, the early Universe, and other systems that are potential probes of strong-field gravity.
- Alex Zylstra (Plasma Physics, Thesis supervisor: Richard Petrasso) received a National Ignition Facility (NIF) Directorate Award from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory for his work on proton spectroscopy of inertial confinement fusion implosions. Alex also earned the Best Student Poster Award at the 2012 NIF User Group Conference, February 2012.

