Award News
Professor Emil Wolf Wins OSA/SPIE 2008 Joseph W. Goodman Book Writing Award
073008: Wilson Professor of Optical Physics and Theoretical Physics Emil Wolf has won the 2008 Joseph W. Goodman Book Writing Award presented by the Optical Society of America (OSA) and the International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE). His winning book is Introduction to the Theory of Coherence and Polarization of Light, which was published in September 2007 by Cambridge University Press.
According to Jose M. Sasian, the Chair of the Award Committee, "The joint Committee from both Societies made the decision based on [the observation that Professor Wolf's book provides] the first truly unified treatment of coherence and polarization, as well as the extremely high potential for the volume to become a widely adopted textbook worldwide."
The Joseph W. Goodman Book Writing Award is funded by J.W. and H.M. Goodman, and recognizes a recent and outstanding book in the field of optics and photonics that has contributed significantly to research, teaching, or the optics and photonics industry. Professor Wolf will be honored at an upcoming OSA or SPIE meeting of his choice. (lhg)
Class of 2008 Graduates with Many Honors
051808: Congratulations to the 2008 graduates of the Department of Physics and Astronomy! In the graduation ceremony held today:
- 15 students earned BS degrees in Physics
- 5 students earned BA degrees in Physics
- 8 students earned BS degrees in Physics and Astronomy
- 1 student earned a BA degree in Physics and Astronomy
- 7 students earned MS degrees in Physics
- 20 students earned MA degrees in Physics
- 18 students earned PhD degrees in Physics
- 3 students earned PhD degrees in Physics and Astronomy.
Bachelor's Degrees
Undergraduates earned several national and international honors, including 3 Goldwater Scholarships and a Fulbright Scholarship. (lhg)
Benjamin Schmitt Wins Fulbright Award
042508: Benjamin Schmitt (BS, Physics; BA, Mathematics; BA, German) is one of five UR students who recently earned 2008-2009 Fullbright Awards, national scholarships that foster international academic and research collaborations. The Fulbright Awards are among the most prestigious honors in the world, with international collaborations in well over a hundred countries.
Benjamin will spend his Fulbright year in Germany conducting physics research at the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg and pursuing a master's degree in astronomy and astrophysics at Heidelberg University. He is a Renaissance Scholar, recipient of the German Book Award, and member of the Sigma Pi Sigma National Physics Honor Society. He has previously conducted research at UR's Laboratory for Laser Energetics, Cornell's Laboratory for Elementary Particle Physics, and the Max Planck Institute in Heidelberg; Schmitt has also co-authored several scientific papers. He intends to pursue a PhD in physics and a research career in a government or academic laboratory setting. An Eagle Scout, Schmitt has participated in the UR Sailing Club and College Bowl Team and has also served as a volunteer event coordinator for local and regional Science Olympiad competitions. He attended Greece Arcadia High School in Rochester, New York and has studied voice since childhood, including private vocal lessons with Eastman's Jane Gunter-McCoy. Benhamin has had the lead vocal roles in several Eastman Opera Theatre performances, including The Merry Widow. (lhg)
John K. Golden and Samuel T. Harrold Win 2008 Goldwater Scholarships
032908: University of Rochester Physics sophomore John K. Golden and junior Samuel T. Harrold have been named 2008 Barry M. Goldwater Scholars.
The Goldwater Scholarship, which is endowed by the U.S. Congress to honor the late Sen. Barry M. Goldwater, is designed to provide a continuing source of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians, and engineers by awarding scholarships to college students who intend to pursue careers in these fields.
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| Sophomore John K. Golden (class of 2010), left, is earning a BS in Physics and a BA in Mathematics. John is the Social Coordinator and a member of the Society of Physics Students and won the 2007 Iota Book Award. Currently, he is doing research with Prof. Nicholas Bigelow. | Junior Samuel T. Harrold (class of 2009), right, is earning a BS in Physics and a BS in Mathematics. He is the Secretary and a member of the Society of Physics Students, and in 2007, he won a Department of Energy National Undergraduate Fellowship in Plasma Physics and Fusion Energy Sciences while an REU undergraduate at Rochester. Currently, he is doing research with Professor Daniel Watson. |
(lhg)
Five Physics Professors Honored as APS Outstanding Referees
032908: The American Physical Society (APS) has honored five University of Rochester Physics Professors as Outstanding Referees:
- R. W. Boyd
- Esther M. Conwell
- C. R. Hagen
- Y. R. Shapir
- C. R. Stroud
The APS chose only 534 Outstanding Referees from a list of 42,000 active referees. This is the first year of the Outstanding Referee Program, which will anually recognize approximately 130 additional Outstanding Referees.
According to the 2008 APS press release, "The highly selective award program recognizes scientists who have been exceptionally helpful in assessing manuscripts for publication in the APS journals." In addition, "Like Fellowship in the APS, this is a lifetime award. " (lhg)
Professor Judith Pipher Inducted into National Women's Hall of Fame
100607: Professor Judith Pipher was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame on October 6, 2007 for her excellence as a teacher, her role as mentor to a new generation of young female scientists, and for the exceptional advances she's made in the field of infrared astronomy. (Photo: Judith Pipher, right, receives her award from National Women's Hall of Fame Board President Barbara DeBaptiste.)
A 2002 recipient of the University's Susan B. Anthony Lifetime Achievement Award, Pipher has been a member of the University of Rochester faculty since 1971, just after earning her doctorate from Cornell University in the newly emerging field of infrared astronomy. (lhg)
Professor Esther M. Conwell Wins Prestigious ACS Award for Encouraging Women into Careers in the Chemical Sciences
082007: The American Chemical Society (ACS) announced on August 20, 2007 that Esther M. Conwell, Professor of Physics and Chemistry at the University of Rochester, is the winner of the 2008 ACS Award for Encouraging Women into Careers in the Chemical Sciences. The award recognizes one scientist each year who has significantly encouraged the education and professional development of women as chemists and chemical engineers. Funded by The Camille & Henry Dreyfus Foundation, Inc., it consists of $5,000 to the scientist and $10,000 to an academic institution of her choice. Professor Conwell will receive the award in New Orleans on April 8th. (lhg)
Alexander Mitov (2003 UR Physics PhD) Awarded the First Large Hadron Collider Theory Initiative Postdoctoral Fellowship
011708: Alexander Mitov, who earned his PhD in theoretical particle physics from the University of Rochester in 2003, has received the first $150,000 National Science Foundation Large Hadron Collider (LHC) Theory Initiative Postdoctoral Fellowship. Mitov was a researcher in the Department of Theoretical Physics at Liverpool University until December 1, 2007, when he moved to the University of Hamburg. During the Fellowship, he will collaborate and be hosted by Stony Brook University's C. N. Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics starting in Spring 2008.
In a Stony Brook University press release, Institute director George Sterman states that Mitov "has already made important contributions to the theory of the strong interactions, known as quantum chromodynamics, which is a part of the Standard Model."
The Postdoctoral Fellowship, the result of an international competition, will support Mitov's reaseach on higher-order corrections to LHC processes such as heavy flavor production and precision top-quark studies. Mitov's specialties include predictions about how particles known as heavy quarks will be produced at the LHC. (lhg)
Kristin M. Beck Wins 2007 Physics Honors Prize
012008: The Department of Physics congratulates Kristin M. Beck, the 2007 recipient of the Physics Honors Prize, which is awarded annually to the top-performing undergraduate in the freshman/sophomore Honors Physics sequence. Kristin's instructors in PHY 141, 142, 143, and 237 selected her from a pool of six qualified candidates. (left: Kristin receives her award from Professor Frank Wolfs, Physics Undergraduate Advisor) (lhg)