At the annual awards picnic on June 4, 2026 recent awards were announced by newly confirmed Department Head Ethan Minot

2026 Physics Graduate Research Award

• Nathan Walker – Davide Lazzati advisor

2026 Physics Graduate Teaching Assistant Award

• Brett Pentecost
• Honorable mention: Aubry Lines and Jacob Rodgers

Writing in Class Undergraduate Thesis Award 

• Kieran King “Optoelectronic Characterization of Charge Carrier Dynamics in Organic Thin Film Phototransistors” advised by Oksana.
• Honorable mention: Payton Sprando

The department also awarded $2,000 scholarships to 18 undergraduate students. Scholarships are supported by generous alumni and friends of the department.

Second Breakthrough Prize for a Physics Faculty Member

Emeritus Professor Heidi Schellman is a co-recipient of the 2026 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics for her work on the tracking system for the Fermilab g-2 experiment. Professor Xavier Siemens was a co-recipient of this award in 2016 for his work on the LIGO experiment.