Excellence in Outreach, Service, and Diversity Award
Award Description and Eligibility
Each fall semester, starting in Fall 2022, we will award up to four (4) Excellence in Outreach, Service, and Diversity Awards to Illinois Physics graduate students who have made significant contributions to outreach, service, and/or DEI efforts on behalf of the Department of Physics. In addition to a $500 cash award, awardees will have their names listed here, on this webpage. An incomplete list of outreach, service, and DEI activities that could be considered for these awards includes
- Science at the Market
- Illinois Guidance for Physics Students (GPS) and Graduate Peer Mentoring (GPM)
- Women and Gender Minorities in Physics
- Diversity Committee/Diversity in Physics Journal Club
- MRSEC Racism in Stem Discussion Group
- Women in Physics and Astronomy
- Society for Women In Physics (SWIP)
- Society for Underrepresented Physics Students (SUPS)
- Graduate Employees Organization (GEO)
- Physics Graduate Student Association (PGSA)
- Students Advising on Graduate Education (SAGE)
- Local/National Charity work
- Attending pro-social conferences, workshops, colloquia
- ... and many more.
Any current or recent (within the past year) Illinois Physics graduate student is eligible for the Excellence in Outreach, Service, and Diversity Award.
Nominations will be accepted only from current or recent (within the past year) Illinois Physics graduate students. Self-nominations by current or recent Illinois Physics graduate students are welcome.
Nominations should pertain to outreach, service, and diversity related activities performed while the nominee was an Illinois Physics PhD student, and should not pertain to PhD research. Award winners are ineligible for a second award in two consecutive years, but are eligible again following this 1-year buffer period. Nominations in a particular year that are not awarded will remain eligible for one additional year.
Members of the award decision committee are ineligible for the award during the years they serve on the committee.
Award Winners
2022 Award Recipients
Domenica Garzon
“For excellence in outreach and service in The Rikuna Project, a program bringing scientific research to underserved communities in Ecuador.”
Shubhang Goswami
“For excellence in outreach and service through the Graduate Employees' Organization (GEO), founding the Toxic Masculinity workshop, and promoting sexual harassment reporting and prevention tools in the Physics Department.”
Adithya Kuchibhotla
“For excellence in service at the Urbana-Champaign Books to Prisoners (UCBTP) program and the Education Justice Project (EJP), providing educational support for prisoners.”
Kristen Schumacher
“For excellence in outreach through founding the Physics Outreach and Instruction through New Technologies (POINT) program, bringing novel educational tools to the Champaign-Urbana community.”
Emily Waite
“For excellence promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion through your significant contributions to the Women & Gender Minorities in Physics (WGMP) program.”