Illinois Physics graduate student Brianne Gutmann is one of two graduate students to receive special recognition in the Illinois Graduate College's fifth annual Graduate Student Leadership Award selection process. Gutmann is recognized for creating and leading the Illinois GPS physics mentoring program, including her work in diversity and creating LGBTQ+ spaces in Physics, and her work with the national Access Network for mentoring programs. Illinois Chemistry graduate student Elizabeth Neumann won the prize this year; and Illinois Anthropology graduate student Katharine Lee also received special recognition.
Gutmann was recently featured in an Illinois Physics Condensate article highlighting her experience in the physics education research group and her community-building efforts in the Department of Physics.
Written by Siv Schwink
Illinois Physics graduate student Brianne Gutmann at the Illinois GPS retreat 2019Illinois Physics graduate student Brianne Gutmann is one of two graduate students to receive special recognition in the Illinois Graduate College's fifth annual Graduate Student Leadership Award selection process. Gutmann is recognized for creating and leading the Illinois GPS physics mentoring program, including her work in diversity and creating LGBTQ+ spaces in Physics, and her work with the national Access Network for mentoring programs. Illinois Chemistry graduate student Elizabeth Neumann won the prize this year; and Illinois Anthropology graduate student Katharine Lee also received special recognition.
Gutmann was recently featured in an Illinois Physics Condensate article highlighting her experience in the physics education research group and her community-building efforts in the Department of Physics.
Illinois Physics graduate student Brianne Gutmann Graduate College Dean Wojtek Chodzko-Zajko notes, “The nominee pool in this year’s competition was truly extraordinary. The graduate students who were nominated exhibit some of the most admirable qualities found in the very best scholars and scientists. They are passionate, persistent, and highly motivated. These characteristics lead them to become engaged in public service for the good of our campus and the community. We are proud of all of the applicants and, in particular, we congratulate Elizabeth for her dedication, courage, and commitment.”
The Graduate Student Leadership Award is sponsored by The Graduate College and its student advisory group, SAGE (Students Advising on Graduate Education). First awarded in 2015, the award was created to recognize graduate students who have exhibited outstanding service that has positively impacted the campus or wider Urbana-Champaign community.
Madeline Stover is a physics doctoral student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign studying atmospheric dynamics applied to forest conservation. She interns as a science writer for Illinois Physics, where she also co-hosts the podcast Emergence along with fellow physics graduate student Mari Cieszynski. When Stover is not doing research or communications, she enjoys hosting her local radio show, singing with her band, and cooking with friends.
Daniel Inafuku graduated from Illinois Physics with a PhD and now works as a science writer. At Illinois, he conducted scientific research in mathematical biology and mathematical physics. In addition to his research interests, Daniel is a science video media creator.
Karmela Padavic-Callaghan, Ph. D. is a science writer and an educator. She teaches college and high school physics and mathematics courses, and her writing has been published in popular science outlets such as WIRED, Scientific American, Physics World, and New Scientist. She earned a Ph. D. in Physics from UIUC in 2019 and currently lives in Brooklyn, NY.
Jamie Hendrickson is a writer and content creator in higher education communications. They earned their M.A. in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2021. In addition to their communications work, they are a published area studies scholar and Russian-to-English translator.
Garrett R. Williams is an Illinois Physics Ph.D. Candidate and science writer. He has been recognized as the winner of the 2020 APS History of Physics Essay Competition and as a finalist in the 2021 AAAS Science and Human Rights Essay Competition. He was also an invited author in the 2021 #BlackinPhysics Week series published by Physics Today and Physics World.
Karmela Padavic-Callaghan, Ph. D. is a science writer and an educator. She teaches college and high school physics and mathematics courses, and her writing has been published in popular science outlets such as WIRED, Scientific American, Physics World, and New Scientist. She earned a Ph. D. in Physics from UIUC in 2019 and currently lives in Brooklyn, NY.