Honors Day 2021

Honors Day has been a long-standing department tradition to celebrate the hard work and dedication of our students to the study of Physics, the practice of Physics, and the sharing of Physics with the community. On Monday, May 3rd, the Physics & Astronomy Department gathered together on the Reese-Shackelford Commons to celebrate the graduating seniors, dedicated student mentors, and award-winning scholars. Although we took precautions to be socially distant, it was wonderful to be able to be together again.

Sigma Pi Sigma Inductees:

• Marco Balic
• Jaelyn Roth
• Erich Wette
• Ning (Joy) Zhou

Award for Excellence in Introductory Physics 121-122 (Book) Awards:

• Qiyue Cui
• Wonjae Jeong
• Greta Leissa
• Anne Marie McCombs
• Rebecca Skolnick
• Alivia Su
• Michael Zhang

Award for Excellence in Introductory Physics 125-126 (Book) Awards:

• Eliot Hiegel
• Charlotte Jaffe
• Fabrizio Vassallo

Departmental Fellows:

The Department reserves this designation for rising juniors and seniors who have demonstrated a high ability and interest in physics, and who have made significant contributions to the Department in various ways. Fellows also have the responsibility to be leaders and good role models in the Department.

Next Year’s Senior Fellows:

• Liam Jeanette
• Hoang Anh Nguyen
• Devan Plaga
• Quinn Plaga
• Wenpu (Warren) Xia
• Zezheng (Freddie) Zhu

Next Year’s Junior Fellows:

• Jaelyn Roth
• Erich Wette

Mike Mickelson Research Award:

The Mike Mickelson Research Award is intended to recognize students that have not only done excellent research, but combined intellectual ownership, curiosity, and skill to drive the research project in novel and important directions.

• Sarah Spielman
• Rahul Shrestha

Ron Winters Award in Physics:

This award, established in 1999, recognizes the intellectual horsepower of the recipient, their ability to do and understand physics, and their dedication to the study of physics. It is given for excellence in the understanding and doing of physics combined with leadership in the Department.

• Sirui (Simon) Liu

Samuel C. Wheeler Award for Excellence in Physics:

This award is given for excellence in the understanding and doing of physics combined with leadership in the Department.

• Rahul Shrestha

Roderick M. Grant Physics Education Award:

Students receiving this award must demonstrate exceptional potential for making contributions to the education of future science students in classrooms ranging from elementary school to graduate school.

• Sarah Spielman