Recruitment Awards

These awards are offered to students who are admitted to the Department for the next Fall semester.

Departmental Awards

These awards are managed by the Department. The nomination deadline is typically mid-April. For the Peter B. Kahn travel award nominations are accepted from September to next April.
  • Dresden Prize
    The Max Dresden Prize is for outstanding theoretical thesis prize - for those students who defended during the recent year (June to May). A book and a $500 cash prize accompanies this award. (Link to recipients, more on Max Dresden.)
  • Wilcox Memorial Prize
    The Lee Wilcox Prize is for outstanding experimental Ph.D. thesis - for those students who defended during the recent year (June to May). A book and a cash prize accompanies this award. (Link to recipients.)
  • Silsbee Award
    The H. B. Silsbee Award for Excellence is offered to the most outstanding graduate student as measured by course work, prelim and comp exams and other accomplishments. A book and a $1000 cash prize accompanies this award. (Link to recipients, more on Hank Silsbee.)
  • David Fox Prize
    The David Fox Prize is offered to the most outstanding graduate teaching assistant. A book and a $300 cash prize accompanies this award. (Link to recipients, more on David Fox.)
  • Di Tian Prize
    The Di Tian Prize was established and named after a graduate student in our department who was unfortunately killed in a car accident in 1992. His widow, Zi Lee, set up the endowment with the instructions that the prize be awarded to an ethnic Chinese student who has demonstrated qualities of good citizenship in the department - note that being an excellent research and academic student may be necessary, but not sufficient to win. A book and a $500 cash prize accompanies this award. (Link to recipients.)
  • Soroff Prize
    The Dr. Nathaniel and Fanie Soroff prize is awarded to undergraduate or graduate students. The Prize has been established in their memory through the generosity of their son, Dr. Harry Soroff, and it recognizes "outstanding contributions in physics". Dr. Harry Soroff's son, Daniel, was an undergraduate physics major and it was primarily through this experience that he became an active supporter of the Department of Physics and Astronomy's academic program. (Link to recipients.)
  • Pond Prize
    The T. Alexander Pond Prize is offered to the graduate student with outstanding score on the Comprehensive Examination. A book and a $300 cash prize accompanies this award. (Link to recipients, more on T.A. Pond.)
  • Peter B. Kahn Fellowships
    A fund has been established to support these fellowships in order to honor Professor Peter Kahn who joined the Department in 1961 and was Chairman from 1974-1985. He formally retired December 2002. Typically, three Fellowships of $700 each will be awarded each year to help students who have advanced to candidacy to attend an international summer school or other meeting that is primarily educational in nature and related to the student's area of research. The purpose of the award will be to extend the student's educational and professional development.

    Interested students must submit a short proposal to Pat Peiliker that includes:

    • A full description of the school or meeting you wish to attend, how it would contribute to your education, and how it relates to your research program.
    • A budget describing estimated expenses and listing other sources of partial support.
    • A letter from your thesis adviser describing the importance of this meeting for your education and indicating her or his support for your attendance.
    Proposals are accepted each year from September to early April. Decisions will be made by a committee of department faculty and will be based on the following criteria:
    • Indication of admission to the school of interest.
    • Quality of student's progress toward the Ph.D. degree.
    • Receipt of partial support from other sources.
    • Quality of the program of the school or conference.
    (Link to recipients.)

Stony Brook University Awards

These Awards are managed by the Graduate School, see http://www.grad.stonybrook.edu/current/awardnominations.html. The nomination deadline is usually mid-February. Nominations are made by the Graduate Program Director with the help of advising faculty.
  • PRESIDENT'S AWARD TO DISTINGUISHED DOCTORAL STUDENTS
    Five awards of $500 each will be granted each year at an awards ceremony and reception for recipients and their families during the week preceding commencement. The recipients and their citations will be listed in the commencement program. The awardees will be hooded on stage at the main commencement ceremony as representatives of all Ph.D. recipients. Awardees will be expected to participate in a Graduate School colloquium scheduled during commencement week.

    Nominations must include the reason for making the nomination, the student's C.V., any additional letters in support of the nomination, including one from the advisor, and a brief draft citation. Only those students who have completed all degree requirements or anticipate the completion of all degree requirements, including the successful defense of their dissertation, in time to be hooded at the May doctoral graduation and hooding ceremony, may be nominated. Please submit each nominee's profile electronically. Nominations must be made by the student's Graduate Program Director or Department Chair.

    The GCF&AC will consider the following when reviewing nominations:

    • The outstanding merit of the candidate's dissertation and its research base;
    • In the conduct of their doctoral studies, that the student made exceptional contributions in ability or service to the university of such a nature as to warrant special citation;
    • In completing their doctoral studies, the candidate overcame personal or social handicaps of an unusual nature, warranting special recognition.
  • PRESIDENT'S AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING BY A GRADUATE STUDENT
    The President's Award for Excellence in Teaching by a Graduate Student will be awarded to outstanding graduate student teachers. Six awards of $500 each will be presented at a ceremony held in May for recipients and their families. Awardees will be expected to participate in an orientation session or colloquium presented to new Teaching Assistants in the following Fall semester.

    Each department/program with TAs or GAs involved in teaching may nominate two candidates. Nominations must be made by the student’s Graduate Program Director of Department Chair.

    The award is open to all full-time graduate students (masters and doctoral) TAs or GAs required to teach. They must have completed at least one academic year of teaching. (Present semester can be included).

    Each nomination should include:

    • Positive evidence that the candidate has performed superbly in the classroom:
      • letter of recommendation by the departmental chairperson
      • minimun of two letters of recommendation from faculty members who have supervised or worked with the nominee in teaching a course
      • quantitative summary from course evaluations by students
      • no more than five letters from students attesting to the effectiveness of the candidate's teaching and concern for intellectual growth
    • Indications of the candidate's generosity with personal time, accessibility to students and demonstration of a continual concern with the intellectual growth of individual students.
    • The candidate must set high standards for students encouraging academic excellence.
    • The candidate must exhibit innovative means of developing and modifying the course, where applicable.
  • THE MILDRED AND HERBERT WEISINGER DISSERTATION FELLOWSHIP
    The Mildred and Herbert Weisinger Dissertation Fellowship will be awarded to a graduate student who has advanced to candidacy and is working on a dissertation that bears high scholarly promise but might otherwise be delayed without financial assistance. One fellowship of $6,000 will be awarded.

    Each department/program with graduate students at the dissertation stage may nominate one (1) candidate. Each nomination must be made by the student’s Graduate Program Director or Department Chair.

    Each nomination should include:

    • A short summary of the nominee's status as a graduate student (e.g., date of admission, year of study, date of advancement to candidacy, expected date of completion of the doctoral degree).
    • Dissertation abstract, or similar summary of the project.
    • Memorandum of nomination indicating evidence both exceptional financial need and the high scholarly promise of the dissertation project.
    • If applicable, indication that the dissertation project has the required approval of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) or DLAR.
    • Letters of recommendation from each: the advisor, department chair and another program faculty member.
  • THE MADELINE FUSCO FELLOWSHIP AWARD
    An endowment made by Dr. Madeline Fusco, formerly a faculty member in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics, provides funding for this dissertation award intended to assist a woman or minority doctoral student with financial need to complete his/her dissertation.

    One award, in the amount of $4,000, will be presented.

    Each department/program with graduate students at the dissertation stage may nominate one (1) candidate. Each nomination must be made by the student’s Graduate Program Director or Department Chair.

    Each nomination should include:

    • A short summary of the nominee's status as a graduate student (e.g., date of admission, year of study, date of advancement to candidacy, expected date of completion of the doctoral degree).
    • Memorandum of nomination indicating evidence of financial need.
    • Dissertation abstract, or similar summary of the project.
    • If applicable, indication that the dissertation project has the required approval of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) or DLAR.
    • Letters of recommendation from each: the advisor, department chair and another program faculty member.
  • FACULTY-STAFF DISSERTATION FELLOWSHIP AWARD
    This award, initiated in 2006, is the result of the generosity of Stony Brook faculty and staff who have contributed to campaigns to support graduate fellowships. The award is a dissertation year fellowship intended to recognize an advanced (ABD/G5 status) graduate student whose research project shows great scholarly promise.

    One award, in the amount of $3,000, will be presented

    Each department/program with graduate students at the dissertation stage may nominate one (1) candidate. Each nomination must be made by the student’s Graduate Program Director or Department Chair.

    Each nomination should include:

    • A short summary of the nominee's status as a graduate student (e.g., date of admission, year of study, date of advancement to candidacy, expected date of completion of the doctoral degree).
    • Dissertation abstract, or similar summary of the project.
    • If applicable, indication that the dissertation project has the required approval of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) or DLAR.
    • Letters of recommendation from each: the advisor, department chair and another program faculty member.

External Awards

  • BWIS Gertrude S. Goldhaber Prize
    The Gertrude S. Goldhaber Prize has been established to to honor Gertrude Scharff-Goldhaber for her outstanding contributions in the field of nuclear physics, and also for her support of women in science, and to recognize substantial promise and accomplishment by a woman graduate student in physics. Brookhave Science Associates provides funding for the award which is administered by BWIS.

    The winner will receive an award of $1000 from a fund administered by Brookhaven Women in Science, and will be expected to give a seminar on her work at the award ceremony. Nominees must:

    • be enrolled at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, or performing thesis research at Brookhaven National Laboratory;
    • be admitted to the candidacy for the doctoral degree;
    • be actively enrolled in the graduate program, and
    • not be receiving her degree before the Spring of the current academic year.
    Nominations can be made by any member of the staff at BNL or of the Physics Department faculty at SUNY Stony Brook. The nomination should include a description of the candidate's accomplishments, and give a list of her publications, along with copies of any papers to which she has made a substantial contribution. A copy of her graduate course transcript should also be included. The Physics Department at the student's university must furnish verification of candidacy, and the expected date of receipt of degree.

    Goldhaber Prize nominations deadline is the middle of February of the current academic year. (Stony Brook recipients.)

  • Julian Baumert Thesis Award
    The National Synchrotron Light Souce has recently established the Julian Baumert Ph.D. Thesis Award in memory of Julian Baumert, a young Brookhaven physicist who was working on x-ray studies of soft-matter interfaces at the NSLS before he died in June 2006. The inaugural award will be presented at the 2007 Joint NSLS and CFN Users' Meeting to a researcher who has recently conducted a thesis project that included measurements at the NSLS. Applications are due first week of May. (Stony Brook recipients.)
  • RHIC & AGS Thesis Award
    Brookhaven National Laboratory invites Ph.D students to submit their theses to the RHIC & AGS Thesis Award Competition. The purpose of the award is to recognize the most outstanding thesis related to research conducted at the RHIC or AGS complex. The award was established by Stony Brook University and Battelle Memorial Institute and will be awarded annually. (Stony Brook recipients.)
Created 04/23/2007 by Laszlo Mihaly.