Named Gifts Reward Student Achievement
Named gifts provide a personal and unique connection between the donor and the student recipient and help us to reward excellence early in a young person's career, when that recognition is so valuable. The Department currently makes the following annual awards, thanks to the vision and philanthropy of our alumni and friends:
ADLER PRIZE to recognize outstanding work by a graduate student in nuclear physics. Felix T. Adler was a theoretical nuclear physicist who was instrumental in making Illinois into a center for reactor science and engineering. Professor Adler held a joint appt in Physics and NucE from 1958 until his retirement; his work spanned the development of nuclear energy-reactor control theory, reactor kinetics and stability, neutron transport theory, chemical physics, operational calculus in electrodynamics, accelerator physics, and theoretical plasma physics.
ANDERSON AWARD to recognize the year's outstanding Physics teaching assistants. The award is named after Dr. Scott Anderson (Engineering Physics, M.S. '37, Ph.D. '40), an Illinois alumnus, who founded Anderson Physics Laboratories in Urbana in 1944. Dr. Anderson, a creative and prolific entrepreneur, developed metal halide lighting systems, and APL now has a 60-70 percent worldwide market share of the metal iodides used in metal halide lamps. Until his death (at age 93) in 2006, Dr. Anderson remained an active consultant to APL and was a tireless supporter of our department. It was through his initiative as president of our Physics Alumni Association and his generous philanthropy that the Anderson Award was endowed.
ASCOLI AWARD to recognize outstanding work by a graduate student in experimental high energy physics. Guilio Ascoli served our department with distinction from 1950 until his retirement in 1986. During his career in high energy physics, Professor Ascoli participated in experiments at CERN, Argonne National Laboratory, and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. He was versatile and painstaking, both in the design and fabrication of hardware and in the development of algorithms for data analysis.
BARDEEN AWARD to recognize outstanding work by a graduate student in condensed matter physics or the physics of electronic devices. The award is named for John Bardeen, two-time Nobel Laureate in Physics (1956 and 1972) and faculty member in this department from 1951 until his death in 1991. At Illinois, Professor Bardeen established two major research programs, one in the Electrical Engineering Department dealing with both experimental and theoretical aspects of semiconductors, and one in the Physics Department which dealt with theoretical aspects of macroscopic quantum systems, particularly superconductivity and quantum liquids. The microscopic theory of superconductivity, developed in collaboration with L.N. Cooper and J.R. Schrieffer in 1956 and 1957 (BCS theory), has had profound implications for nearly every field of physics—from elementary particle to nuclear and the helium liquids to neutron stars. During his 60-year scientific career, Professor Bardeen made significant contributions to almost every aspect of condensed matter physics from his early work on the electronic behavior of metals, the surface properties of semiconductors, and the theory of diffusion of atoms in crystals to his later work on quasi-one-dimensional metals.
BOBONE AWARD to recognize the year's outstanding European Physics graduate student. Dr. Renato Bobone, a Ph.D. alumnus of our department, spent his entire career (1960-1987) at General Electric in Schenectady, New York, at the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory, working on several aspects of naval reactor design. In 1985, when he endowed the award, Dr. Bobone wrote: "Interest in physics and the education I have been privileged to receive in Italy, first, and then in this country, have carried me over many obstacles and will be with me forever. I am deeply grateful to the University of Illinois, its Physics Department, and in particular to Prof. Hans Frauenfelder, who in the period 1956-1960 acted, in my behalf, both as an advisor and as a friend. Finally, having thoroughly absorbed both the Italian and the American cultures, and feeling that I belong to both, I look on the award as another bridge between countries already joined by many ties of people, culture, and friendship."
COOK SCHOLARSHIP to recognize an undergraduate engineering physics student at the end of his or her sophomore year. The award is named for Dr. Richard K. Cook, a 1935 Ph.D alumnus of our department who spent his entire career at the National Bureau of Standards (now the National Institute of Standards and Technology [NIST]). Dr. Cook specialized in ultrasonics and acoustics.
DRICKAMER RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP to recognize a graduate student who has demonstrated significant ability in research. The award is named for Harry G. Drickamer, professor of physics, chemistry, and chemical engineering at Illinois. Professor Drickamer, a member of the National Academy of Sciences and winner of the National Medal of Science (1989), has contributed extensively to the understanding of the physics and chemistry of matter at high pressure. His experiments have demonstrated the essential nature of pressure as a tool for understanding electronic behavior in condensed systems.
L.S. EDELHEIT FAMILY ENDOWED FUND IN BIOLOGICAL PHYSICS which provides an annual graduate fellowship to the best student in biological physics (theory or experiment). A BS, MS, and Ph.D alumnus of this department, Dr. Edelheit is widely credited with leading General Electric into the medical imaging sector. At his retirement in 2002, Dr. Edelheit directed GE's Research and Development Center in Schnectady NY, one of the world's largest and most diversified industrial laboratories.
EISENSTEIN AWARD to recognize an outstanding woman Physics student. The award is named for Professor Laura B. Eisenstein, a distinguished biological physicist who made important discoveries, using a variety of techniques, including time-resolved resonance Raman and X-ray absorption spectroscopies, of the mechanism of light energy transduction by biomolecules. Professor Eisenstein served our department and the biological physics community with distinction from 1969 until her untimely death in 1985.
JONES SUMMER RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP to support a summer research position for an outstanding Physics undergraduate student. The award is named for Professor Lorella M. Jones, an outstanding theoretical high energy physicist who served our Department with distinction from 1968 until her untimely death in 1995. Professor Jones was a remarkable scholar—the first woman to attain tenure and a full professorship in our department. In addition to being a superb researcher, Professor Jones was also a dedicated and innovative teacher who was particularly interested in the application of computers to physics education. In 1985, she pioneered the use of computerized quizzes for a large elementary physics course at Illinois, one of the earliest developments of its kind, nationwide.
LYMAN PRIZE to recognize an outstanding undergraduate Physics major. The award is named for Professor Ernest M. Lyman, a distinguished researcher and teacher who served on our faculty for 36 years. In addition to making seminal contributions to experimental nuclear physics—he was a world expert on electron scattering—Professor Lyman maintained great interest in teaching undergraduate physics and was one of the early proponents of computer-assisted physics education.
McMILLAN PRIZE to recognize outstanding contributions by a young condensed matter physicist. The award is named for William L. McMillan, one of the most creative and distinguished members of our department from 1972 until his untimely death in 1984. Professor McMillan was noted for his basic and unique contributions to many areas of condensed matter physics, including liquid helium, superconductivity, liquid crystals, layer compounds, spin glasses, and localization phenomena. In many of these areas, he made novel applications of computer techniques to obtain increased physical understanding of complex many-body systems.
STEIN SCHOLARSHIP to recruit outstanding undergraduate Physics majors (73684). The scholarship fund was endowed by a group of Mr. Robert A. Stein's family and friends after his untimely death in 1998. Mr. Stein (BS '55), who came from a Chicago working class family, greatly valued the education he received in engineering physics at the University of Illinois, and his family thought the best tribute to his memory would be to provide that opportunity to other Chicago youths.
VIJAY R. PANDHARIPANDE PRIZE IN NUCLEAR PHYSICS to recognize the year's outstanding nuclear physics graduate student. The award is named for Vijay Pandharipande, an internationall recognized nuclear theorist who played a leading role in the development of the nuclear many-body problem. Professor Pandharipande served with great distinction on our faculty for 34 years.
If you are interested in donating to any of these funds, you can download a PDF form to ensure your gift goes to the right place. We hope to hear from you soon!
For more information about giving opportunities to benefit the Department of Physics, contact Celia Elliott, Director, External Affairs and Special Projects.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Celia M. Elliott
Department of Physics
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
215 Loomis Laboratory of Physics
1110 West Green Street
Urbana, IL 61801-3080
Phone: 217-244-7725
Fax: 217-244-4293