Undergraduate Awards

A.C. Anderson Undergraduate Research Scholar
This award supports summer research projects of outstanding undergraduate physics majors. The award is named for Ansel C. Anderson, an alumnus (PhD, 1961), faculty member (1962-1992), and department head (1986-1992). A condensed matter experimentalist, Professor Anderson made seminal contributions to low-temperature physics, particularly on the thermal properties of metals and glasses.

Commonwealth Edison/Beryl Bristow Endowed Award
This award recognizes outstanding freshman or sophomore women physics majors. It was established by Commonwealth Edison in memory of alumna Beryl Bristow, the first woman to earn a both a bachelor's and master's degree in physics from the University of Illinois.

Ernest M. Lyman Prize
This award recognizes the outstanding graduating senior physics major and is named for Professor Ernest M. Lyman, a distinguished researcher and world expert in electron scattering who maintained great interest in undergraduate physics teaching. Professor Lyman was one of the early proponents of computer-assisted physics education.

Jeremiah D. Sullivan Undergraduate Research Scholar
The Jeremiah D. Sullivan Award for Undergraduate Research was established by family, friends, and colleagues of Jeremiah Sullivan, a Professor of Physics (1973-2006) and Department Head (2000-2006) at Illinois. Professor Sullivan's scientific career superbly integrated pioneering research in both theoretical high-energy physics and in arms control and international security.

Kevin Allwin Shrote Scholarship
This scholarship was established to assist young physics students. It was created by Mr. Shrote's family to honor his memory following his tragic and untimely passing in 1977 at the age of 20. Originally conferred through the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, the scholarship was transferred to the Department of Physics in 2024, following the consolidation of the LAS Physics degree program into The Grainger College of Engineering Physics major.

Laura B. Eisenstein Award
This award recognizes the year's outstanding woman physics student. Established by the Department of Physics in conjunction with the American Physical Society to recognize exceptional women physics students, the award is named for Professor Laura B. Eisenstein, a distinguished biological physicist who made seminal discoveries of the mechanism of light-energy transduction in biological molecules.  

Lewis C. Hack Scholarship
This award was established by a gift from Lois E. Hack in memory of her husband, Lewis C. Hack. Both the Hacks devoted their lives to teaching math and science in the public schools.

Lorella M. Jones Summer Research Award
This award supports summer research positions for outstanding undergraduate physics students and is named for Professor Lorella M. Jones, a theoretical high energy physicist who was the first woman to achieve tenure in the College of Engineering. In addition to being a superb researcher, Professor Jones was a dedicated and innovative teacher who was particularly interested in the early application of computers to physics education.

Mats Selen Outreach Achievement Award
This award is made possible by friends and alumni of the Physics Van to honor its founder, Professor Mats Selen. Professor Emeritus Selen was named a 2015 U.S. Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation and is the co-inventor of the i>clicker student response systems, the inventor of the IOLab handheld laboratory device, and co-author of the SmartPhysics undergraduate curriculum.

Mok Wing Ho Scholarship
This scholarship is named in honor of Madam Mok Wing Ho, mother of alumnus Dr. Yee Seung Ng (BS '74). It recognizes superior academic achievement as well as commitment to the field through participation in physics-related extracurricular activities.

Paul Jursinic Engineering Physics Scholarship
This scholarship was made possible by the generous support from Dr. Paul A. and Julie K. Jursinic. Paul received three degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: BS Engineering Physics 1969, MS Biophysics 1971, and PhD Biophysics 1977.   

Ralph O. Simmons Undergraduate Research Scholarship
Established by Ralph O. Simmons, Illinois Physics alumnus (Ph.D, 1957) and department head (1970-1986), this scholarship allows talented University of Illinois undergraduate students to undertake hands-on research summer research projects. In addition to his superb administrative and leadership skills, Professor Simmons made seminal contributions to experimental condensed matter physics, including to our understanding of point defects in metals and to definitive measurements of the thermodynamic, defect, and dynamical properties of prototype solids formed from noble and other gases, in particular solid helium.    

Richard K. Cook Scholarship
This scholarship recognizes an undergraduate engineering physics student at the end of his or her sophomore year and was established by alumnus Richard Cook (PhD, 1935), a specialist in ultrasonics and acoustics, who spent his entire scientific career at the National Bureau of Standards (now the National Institute of Science and Technology). 

Robert A. Stein Scholarship
This award was established in memory of alumnus Robert A. Stein (BS, 1955). Mr. Stein greatly valued the education in engineering physics he received at the University of Illinois, and his family and friends thought the best way to honor his memory was by providing similar opportunities to other students from the Chicago area.

Robert E. Hetrick Outstanding Undergraduate Research Award
The award was established by alumnus W. Dale Compton (Ph.D, 1955) in honor of his first Illinois graduate student, Robert E. Hetrick (BS, 1963; MS, 1964; PhD, 1969). The award recognizes outstanding independent research by a senior undergraduate physics major.

Shell Foundation Undergraduate Research Scholar
To support summer research positions for outstanding undergraduate physics majors, supported by the Shell Foundation.

Undergraduate Outreach Achievement Award
This award recognizes the contributions of an outstanding undergraduate student for leadership in Physics Van or one of the undergraduate student physics societies.

Yee Seung Ng Scholarship
The Yee Seung Ng Scholarship was established by family and friends in memory of Yee Seung Ng, BS, 74. This scholarship recognizes an outstanding junior or senior international engineering physics student.