Addison-Wesley Book Award

The Addison-Wesley Book Award is presented to a graduating senior for outstanding contributions to the life of the Physics Department. The award is presented at the Departmental Undergraduate Awards Ceremony the day before graduation and consists of a special limited edition text of the complete Feynman Lectures in Physics.

Jessica Zinger received the 2009 Addison-Wesley Book Award.

Ralph B. Bodine Scholarship

The University of Michigan Physics Department invites undergraduate physics students at the University of Michigan to apply for the Ralph B. Bodine Scholarship. The scholarship is made possible by a gift from Norman R. Bodine ('64) and United Technologies. It is named in honor of Ralph B. Bodine, a 1936 University of Michigan graduate.

The Scholarship provides annual scholarship support to a 3rd-year student with proven academic ability in the Department of Physics. The recipient must be a citizen of the United States and need financial assistance. If no undergraduates in physics meet the qualifications, the scholarship is to be given to an undergraduate in electrical engineering or to a first- or second-year graduate student in physics, in order of preference. Each recipient will receive scholarship support for two years, contingent on satisfactory academic performance.

Award Amount: Provides scholarship support for two years up to $10,000 per academic year

Number Awarded: One student per year

Scholarship Criteria: Prospective students must be citizens of the United States and need financial assistance.

Deadline: All materials must be submitted by April 3rd. The scholarship is awarded in the month of April.

Download: Bodine Application & Bodine Recommendation Form

The 2009 Ralph B. Bodine Scholarship was awarded to Ruthi Hortsch.

Wirt & Mary Cornwell Prize

Funded by a bequest from the Cornwell family, the Wirt and Mary Cornwell Prize is awarded solely on the basis of merit. The Prize is distributed to a uniquely qualified graduate student who, during the four previous years, shall have demonstrated greatest intellectual curiosity [and] given most promise of original study and creative work in one of six disciplines—one being physics.

Award Amount: $10,000

Number Awarded: One student per year

Award Criteria: Eligible students will be drawn from the pool of those who have passed the Qualifying Examination within the past 42 months.

Other factors include:
1) Grades in graduate courses
2) Independent study
3) Research experience and accomplishments
4) Demonstations of intellectual initiative and originality
5) Any other evidence of creative activity and potential shall be a factor, such as reports or papers written, apparatus designed or constructed, experiments carried out, and other notable citations received or academic competitions won.

Deadline: Faculty must submit their nominations to the Student Services Director by the second Friday in March. The prize is awarded in the month of April.

The Wirt & Mary Cornwell Prize was awarded to Rachel Sapiro in 2009.

Cornwell Prize for Undergraduates

The Cornwell Prize is given to a graduating Physics Concentrator who has demonstrated intellectual curiosity and given promise of original study and creative work. The award can be made to honor research, teaching or any other contributions made to the intellectual life of the Department.

Award Amount: $5,000

Number Awarded: One student per year

Award Criteria:

Student must:
1) graduate in academic year 2007-2008
2) be a declared Physics Concentrator
3) have a GPA of at least 3.5
4) have been involved in research while an undergraduate student
5) plan to be enrolled in a graduate program no later than fall 2008

Deadline: Student completes application and submits to Student Services Office no later than the first Friday in April. The prize is awarded at the end of April.

Download: Cornwell Undergraduate Application

Seth Siegel was the 2009 recipient of the Cornwell Prize for Undergraduates.

Peter Franken Award

Peter Franken was a leading member of the Michigan physics faculty for two decades whose contributions include pioneering discoveries in non-linear optics, novel developments in spectroscopy, and detailed studies of physical symmetries.

Award Criteria: The Franken Award is presented every year to honor outstanding work by a first- or second-year Physics graduate student.

Award Amount: $1,500-$2,000

Number Awarded: One student per year

Deadline: There is no application needed. This prize is awarded by a faculty committee each April.

John Schaibley and Timothy Saucer were the 2009 recipients of the Peter Franken Award.

Parkinson Travel Funds

Award Criteria: Awards are available to Physics Ph.D. students who are presenting either a paper or poster at a conference. Students must be studying experimental physics (not high energy or theory).

To be considered for funds, a student must:
1) Complete the application.
2) Attach a copy of the program or letter of invitation (e-mail acceptable) with the applicant's name clearly stated verifying participation in the conference.

Award Amount: A student may receive only one domestic or international travel grant award per fiscal year (July 1- June 30).

1) Domestic- up to $400 for travel in the continental United States, and up to $600 for transcontinental travel, including Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico.
2) International- up to $600 for conferences in Canada, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and Europe, and up to $900 for conferences in Africa, Asia, South America and Australia.

Number Awarded: 10-20 per year

Deadline: Applications must be received at least three weeks prior to the conference. Applications will be reviewed on a first come, first served basis.

Please Note: No application will be considered for funding retroactively.
Funding is Limited and May Expire Without Notice

Download: Parkinson Application

Notification: Applicants will be notified of the results in writing. Please note: All awards are taxable; international students will have taxes withheld prior to receiving funds so actual award amount will be less than indicated above.

Frank Sevcik Faculty Award in Physics

Dr. Sevcik was born and raised in the Czech Republic.  In 1948 he escaped to Italy with his family and later emigrated to Brazil.  At the age of 18 he came to Ann Arbor to study English at the ELI.  In 1953 Dr. Sevcik enrolled at UM as an undergraduate and eventually completed a Ph.D. in Physics under the direction of William Parkinson.  In his lifetime, Dr. Sevcik worked in Washington, DC with a variety of corporate research groups and government agencies.  The friends and family of Frank Sevcik endowed a grant, in his memory, in the hope of assisting physics students from abroad who plan to contribute to academic, government or corporate research communities based primarily in the United States. 

Award Amount: $1,000

Number Awarded: One student per year

Eligibility:
1) International Student
2) Declared Physics concentration or full-time enrollment in Physics Ph.D. program

Deadline: Student completes application and submits to Student Services Office no later than the first Friday in April. The prize is awarded at the end of April.

Download: Frank Sevcik Faculty Award Application

Kent M. Terwilliger Memorial Thesis Prize

A member of the Michigan physics faculty for more than three decades, Kent Terwilliger was internationally recognized for his leadership and achievements in particle physics. This annual award is given to a graduate student for the most outstanding Ph.D. thesis in physics.

Award Criteria: The selection criteria for this prize are the scholarship and importance of the research and its presentation in the doctoral dissertation. The timely completion of graduate studies is an important consideration as well.

In addition:
1) The doctoral chair or co-chair must be a faculty member of the Physics Department
2) The doctoral degree must be either in Physics or in a joint program that includes Physics
3) The oral thesis must be defended by the end of the current winter term
4) The thesis must have been completed and submitted the previous year

Award Amount: $3,000

Number Awarded: One student per year

Deadline: There is no application needed. Students can nominate their own thesis but must have recommendation letters from faculty. This prize is awarded by a faculty committee each April.

Xiaodong Xu was awarded the Kent M. Terwilliger Memorial Thesis Prize for 2009.
 

Marcellus L. Wiedenbeck Award

The family of Marcellus Lee "Marc" Wiedenbeck established this award to honor Marc Wiedenbeck's 40 years of service on the Michigan faculty. The Wiedenbeck Award is presented to a graduate student that exemplifies outstanding teaching abilities.

Award Criteria:
1) Teaching evaluation scores
2) Student comments on teaching evaluations
3) Feedback from faculty supervisors
4) Feedback from lab supervisors
5) Portfolio submitted by student containing: a) class materials (handouts, quizzes etc.) developed by student b) a brief overview written by the student of the instructional materials used in the course c) any additional material the student wishes to submit

Award Amount: $1,500

Number Awarded: One graduate student per year

Deadline: Students can self nominate by emailing the Director of Student Services by the third Friday in March. The faculty committee will review the cases of all nominated students. They will narrow the field to between 3 and 5 candidates. Each finalist will be asked to discuss her/her portfolio in a 20 minute interview with the committee. A winner will be selected following these presentations and the award is presented at the Departmental Undergraduate Awards Ceremony the day before graduation.

Timothy Cohen was the 2009 recipient of the Wiedenbeck Award.

Wiley Book Award

Established in 1996, the Wiley Book Award is presented for outstanding achievement by an undergraduate physicist.

Award Criteria: The award is given to a graduating senior with a high G.P.A. who is going to graduate school.

Number Awarded: One student per year

Deadline: There is no application needed. The prize is awarded by a faculty committee in April.

Brian Ball was the 2009 recipient of the Wiley Book Award for outstanding academics and/or research.

The William L. Williams Award

This award is established in memory of Professor William L. Williams to honor an outstanding undergraduate thesis. The award recognizes a student who exhibits excellence in posing a question, conducting independent investigation, and determining an answer.

Award Criteria: You must be a University of Michigan student receiving a bachelor's degree with a concentration in physics in the current academic year.

Award Amount: $3,000

Number Awarded: One student per year

How to proceed: Provide three copies of the thesis. A supporting letter by the thesis advisor is required; additional supporting letters are optional, but encouraged. As part of the judging process, the committee may choose to interview students regarding thesis content. The committee would appreciate it if the thesis could be submitted in print and also in electronic form (if available).

Deadline: Submit materials to the Undergraduate Secretary, Office of Student Services, 2464 Randall Lab, by the first Friday in April. The award is presented at the Departmental Undergraduate Awards Ceremony the day before graduation.

The 2009 recipient of the William L. Williams Award is Sam Espahbodi.

For more information on any of these prizes, contact the Undergraduate Secretary in the Student Services Office, 2464 Randall Lab; (734) 936-0659; physics.sso@umich.edu.