Student Prizes & Awards

The faculty of the Department of Physics celebrates its most deserving students every year by awarding prizes to those who excel in research, coursework, service, and/or teaching.

 

Gus W. Weiss Prize for Outstanding Student in Physics

This prize is awarded to an undergraduate student and a graduate student who have shown excellence in research and in service to the department or physics community.

Previous prize recipients

2025: Hallie Fausey & Quinn Stefan

2024: Julia Peters & Lucia Illari

2023: Logan Earnest & Mike Moss

2022: Gabe Grauvogel & Grant Mitchell

2021: Caden Gobat & Giovanni Angelini

2020: Jason Starita

2019: Jack Hirschman & Giovanni Angelini

2018: Kara Zielinski

2017: Obinna Ome Irondi & Jeremy Hare

2003: Alaa Ibrahim

2002: Silvia Niccolai & Pirouz Shamszad

2001: Stanislav Miltchev Mintchev

2000: Xinyu Liu

1999: Khaliq Rauf

1998: Staphanie Helene Leitner & Jennifer Nicole Hyatt

1997: Caiyi Lang

1996: Evan Scott Lavidor

1995: Rodney Omron

1994: Juan Carlos Sanabria

1993: Steven Dean Adrian

Berman Prize for Excellence in Experimental Physics including Observational Astronomy

This prize is awarded to an undergraduate student and a graduate student who have shown research excellence in experimental physics including observational astrophysics.

Previous prize recipients

2025: Andy Sargent ; Cole Christensen & Olivia Nippe-Jeakins

2024: Quinn Stefan & Erin Seroka

2023: Grabe Grauvogel & Sarah Chastain

2022: Caden Gobat & Izzy Illari

2021: Ruby Duncan & Brendan O'Connor

2020: Miya Bernal & Alyson Barker Joens

2019: Sarah Schrup & Levgen Lavrukhin

2018: Jack Hirschman

2017: Noel Klingler & Joseph Revier

2016: Srividya Murthy

2013: Derek Brehm

2012: Nicholas Zachariou

2010: Edwin Munevar

2009: Chongzhi Zang

2008: Sarah Han-oh

Bennhold Family Award for Best Teaching on the Part of a Graduate Student 

This prize is awarded to a graduate student who has shown teaching excellence in supporting an undergraduate physics course.

Previous award recipients

2025: Jinzi Wu & Volodymyr Tereshchuk

2023: Lucas Chandler

2022: Frank Huo

2021: Alexander Lange

2020: Michael Moss

2019: Grant Mitchell

2018: Michael Moss

2017: Giovanni Angelini

Chair's Prize for Best Poster Presentation

This prize is awarded to a graduate student who has given the best poster presentation at the GW or CCAS Research Showcase.

Previous prize recipients

2025: Rachel Ratvasky

2024: Seth Gagnon

2023: Erin Seroka

2022: Pi Nuessle

2019: Hannah Seymour

2018: Ben Kopchick

2017: Noel Klinger

2010: Deepa Raghu & Johannes Kirscher 

2009: Craig Pelissier

Peverley Prize for Best Poster Presentation

This prize is awarded to an undergraduate student who has given the best poster presentation at the GW or CCAS Research Showcase.

Previous prize recipients

2025: Maxine Alexandre-Strong

2024: Phoenix Price

2023: Emily Sullivan

2022: Annika Schmid

2021: Michael Chevalier

2019: Jacquelyn Veatch

2018: Sophia Donovan

2017: Kara Zielinski

2016: Brian Alden

2011: Samuel Lipschutz

2010: Zoe Marinides

2009: Benjamin Gamari

2008: Jordan David

2007: Daniel Mittelberger

James MacBride Sterrett Jr. Prize

This prize is awarded to an undergraduate student with the best grades in the algebra-based introductory physics courses, General Physics I & II (PHYS 1011 and 1012).

Previous prize recipients

2025: Christy Elliott

2024: Jacob Rashap

2023: Yair Ben-Dor

2022: Sonia Goyal

2021: Maria Stefanova

2019: Zephyrus Jenkins

2017: Will Raderman

2013: Maximillian Hoffman

2012: Menyun Miao