TAMU Physics Undergraduate/Graduate Students' Awards & Services
(2000-2008)

APP = Applied Physics
AE = Atomic Physics Experiment; AT = Atomic Physics Theory
CME = Condensed Matter Physics Experiment, CMT = Condensed Matter Physics Theory
HEE = High Energy Physics Experiment; HET = High Energy Physics Theory
NE = Nuclear Physics Experiment; NT = Nuclear Physics Theory
QOE = Quantum Optics Experiment; QOT = Quantum Optics Theory; AMO = Atomic, Molecular, and Optics
ED = Education

Last Update 3/30/08

[2000-2003] [2004] [2005]
Year Name & Award/Service
2008 List of PHYSICS graduate and undergraduate student winners in Student Research Week 2008 (3/24 ~ 3/28)
Session Name Prize
Physics Isabel Schultz Session Winner, 1st
Jonathan Asaadi 2nd
Alfredo Gurrola 3rd
Material Science Christopher English (U.G.) 3rd
Applied Physics John Noel Session Winner, 1st
Milan Poudel 3rd
2008 Abram Krislock (HET), selected to attend the TASI summer program (June 2 ~ June 27). According to the web site, "Each year typically some fifty of the most promising advanced theory graduate students in the United States, along with a few beginning postdoctoral fellows and experimental graduate students, have attended TASI."
2008 Andrey Elagin (HEE), DPF Tavel Award (April APS Meeting, 2008)
2008 Paul Hsu (AMO), awarded an NRC postdoctoral fellowship (thesis advisor George Welch; will be graduated this May, 2008).
2007 Sheldon Campbell [slides], Dmitry Pestov [slides], Nate Pogue [slides], and Feng Xie [slides] win Student Presentation Awards for talks at the Fall 2007 TSAPS meeting!
2007 Dmitry Pestov won three awards:
  • Incubic/Milton Chang Travel Award to attend Frontiers in Optics, 2007
  • Student Presentation Award at Frontiers in Optics, 2007
  • Robert Hyer Award of the Texas Section of the American Physical Society, 2007
  • 2007 Eddie "Trey" Holik (Applied Physics) is awarded one of eight Graduate Fellows studying Nuclear Fuel Cycle by the U.S. Department of Energy

    These awards build on President Bush's American Competitiveness Initiative, which seeks to meet the growing demand for nuclear-educated scientists and engineers. Fellowships are valued at up to $42,500 per student over two academic years and are part of the Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative (AFCI) - a program within DOE's Office of Nuclear Energy - aimed at increasing research into closing the nuclear fuel cycle and recycling components of used nuclear reactor fuel. "These fellowships further President Bush's American Competitiveness Initiative by providing our best and brightest students with the education and tools necessary to continue to lead the world in opportunity and innovation," Secretary Bodman said. "We commend these graduate students for their study of the nuclear fuel cycle at our nation's universities. The academic community as well as our national laboratories and industry have been vital to increasing scientific know-how, developing advanced nuclear technology and helping to reestablish nuclear power in the United States." AFCI fellowships are awarded annually to students who plan to pursue research in technical areas related to the separation of nuclear waste components, the fabrication of these components into recycled fuel, and the preparation of new waste forms with increased long-term stability. This research furthers the Global Nuclear Energy Partnerships (GNEP), announced last year by President Bush, which supports the expansion of nuclear power in the world while reducing the risks of weapons proliferation, and increasing the efficiency of waste recycling programs. Selected AFCI fellows are full-time students who have an interest in advanced fuel cycle research and who are pursuing master's degrees in nuclear engineering, applied physics, or other fields of science and engineering relevant to the GNEP or AFCI missions. This summer, the new AFCI fellows will visit DOE Headquarters in Washington to become better acquainted with the AFCI program, and many will have summer jobs at DOE national laboratories before entering graduate school in the fall.

    Selected AFCI fellows include:

  • Brett Dooies, University of Florida, nuclear engineering
  • Eddie "Trey" Holik, Texas A&M University, applied physics
  • Brendan Kochunas, University of California-Berkeley, reactor physics
  • Kyle Oliver, University of Wisconsin, nuclear engineering
  • Kathryn Wright, Texas A&M University, nuclear engineering
  • Shen Zang, North Carolina State University, nuclear engineering
  • Shannon Yee, Ohio State University, nuclear engineering
  • Shadi Ghrayeb, Graduate University Currently Undecided, nuclear science and engineering

    Additional information is available on DOE's nuclear energy programs and on the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership.

  • 2007 2008 Student Research Week Director Appointed Tracey Wellington, a doctoral student in the Department of Physics, has been named director of the 2008 Student Research Week (SRW) Committee. With this appointment, Wellington is responsible for the coordination of all logistics for the 2008 SRW Competition including: judges, volunteers, recruiting, awards and advertisement. The 2008 Student Research Week Competition is scheduled for March 24-28, 2008. As a doctoral student, her research focuses on the study of molecular magnets under the supervision of Winfried Teizer in the Department of Physics. She is a recipient of the 2007 Graduate Student Council Guseman Award for outstanding service to the organization. She is also the recipient of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship for 2006-2008. She received her undergraduate degree from Randolph College in Lynchburg , VA in 2005, in mathematical physics.
    2007 List of PHYSICS graduate and undergraduate student winners in Student Research Week 2007 (3/26 - 3/30)
    Graduate Poster & Oral Physical Sciences
  • WP04-G Watabe, Masaki [1st prize]
  • WP04-G Lee, Hangil [2nd prize]
  • WP04-G Pogue, Nathaniel [3rd prize]
  • WP05-G Wang, Ke [3rd prize]
  • TO09-G Dmitry Pestov [1st prize]
  • TO09-G Mayes, Van [1st prize]
  • TO09-G Borunda, Mario [2nd prize]
  • TO09-G Zhi, Miaochan [2nd prize]
  • TO09-G Hsu, Paul [3rd prize]
  • TO09-G Lee, Eunsin [3rd prize]
  • TO11-G Liu, Haidong [3rd prize]

    Undergraduate Poster & Oral Physical Sciences

  • WP02-U Strong, Trent [2nd prize]

    Please let me (t-kamon@tamu.edu) know, if I miss your name!!!

  • 2007 Venkat Goruganti (CME)
  • TAMU IPECC International Education Study Grant
  • 2006 Eunsin Lee (HEE; Advisor - David Toback) has received the Texas APS (Fall Meeting) outstanding presentation award.
    2006 The following students have received the Texas APS (Fall Meeting) travel awards:
  • Alfredo Gurrola (HET/HEE)
  • Abram Krislock (HET/HEE)
  • Eunsin Lee (HEE)
  • Milan Poudel (AE)
  • Paul Simeon (HET/HEE)
  • 2006 Peter Wagner and Eunsin Lee (HEE)
  • Physics analysis is highlighted at FermilabToday (July 13, 2006).
  • 2006 Haidong Liu (CME)
  • 2006 Eppright Outstanding International Student Award (TAMU International Student Services)
  • 2006 Andrea Burzo (AMO)
  • 2006 Association of Former Students Distinguished Graduate Student Award for Doctoral Research (Advisor - Alexei Sokolov)
  • 2006 Feng Zhu (AMO)
  • 2006 Association of Former Students Distinguished Graduate Student Award for Master's Research (Advisor - Hans Schuessler)
  • 2006 List of four PHYSICS graduate/undergrad. student winners in Student Research Week 2006
    Graduate Oral Physical Sciences
  • Panel 1 Mario Borunda [second prize]
  • Panel 1 Venkat Goruganti [third prize]
  • Panel 1 Dmitry Pestov [first prize]

    Undergrad Poster Physical Sciences

  • Panel 1 Ashley Pagnotta [third prize]
  • 2006 Lianxi Ma (CME)
  • Jugde for A&M Consolidated Middle School Science Fair (Feb 8, 2006)
  • 2006 Vadim Khotilovich (HEE)
  • Physics analysis is highlighted at FermilabToday (Jan 12, 2006).