The Lorraine DeSalvo Chair's Endowed Award for Outstanding Service
The Lorraine DeSalvo Chair's Endowed Award for Outstanding Service (formerly the Chair's Award) recognizes employees who provide benefit beyond their regular duties, promote positive professional and personal exchanges among colleagues, and work effectively within the Department of Physics and/or with outside contacts. Eligibility: Current staff members who have been employed within the Department of Physics for a minimum of three years.
Chair's Award Recipients:
- 2022 Clay Daetwyler
- 2021 Brian Straughn
- 2020 Jesse Anderson
- 2019 Mark Conners
- 2018 Lorraine DeSalvo
- 2017 Bonnie Seal-Filiatreau
- 2016 Pauline Rirksopa
- 2015 Tommy Baldwin
- 2014 Mark Conners
- 2012 Jane Wang
- 2011 Paulina Alejandro
- 2010 Nicholas Hammer
- 2009 Jesse Anderson
- 2008 Clay Daetwyler
- 2007 Harold "Tuck" Owens, Dan Margulies
- 2006 Robert Dahms
- 2005 Tom Payerle
- 2004 John Cataldi
- 2003 Mary Ridgell
- 2002 Joyce Robinson
- 2001 Margaret Lukomska
- 2000 Tom Payerle
- 1999 Pauline Rirksopa
- 1998 Lorraine DeSalvo
- 1997 Maurice Pairel
- 1996 Loretta Robinette
- 1995 Cassie Jones, Jesse Anderson
- 1994 Dawn Leavell
- 1993 Linda O'Hara, Betty Alexander
- 1992 Bernadine Kozlowski
- 1991 Geoffrey Elbo
- 1990 Pam Solomos, Nono Kusuma
- 1989 Jan Andrews
- 1988 Karl Harzer, Brenda Dunn
- 1987 Rose Otto
- 1986 Pota Floros, Harriet Husman
- 1985 Jean Clement
- 1984 Michele Eastman
- 1983 Elbert Barrett
- 1982 Delores Knight
Distinguished Alumni
Annually, the Department of Physics selects one of its professionally successful alumni to be honored by the College of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences.
Physics Distinguished Alumni Recipients:
- 2015 Jordan Goodman
- 2014 Ana Maria Rey
- 2013 Richard Isaacson
- 2012 William R. Bandy
- 2011 Leopoldo GarcÃa-ColÃn Scherer
- 2010 Clifford Pearson
- 2009 Joseph Thompson
- 2008 Norm Bartelt
- 2007 Mirjam Cvetic
- 2006 John Quinn
- 2005 Craig Boyer
- 2004 George Sterman
- 2003 Charles Bennett
- 2002 Miguel Rios
- 2001 James McGroddy
- 2000 Robert Fischell
Distinguished Scholar-Teachers of the Department of Physics
University of Maryland Distinguished Scholar-Teachers are tenured faculty members who combine outstanding scholarship with teaching excellence.
Department of Physics Recipients:
- 2024-25 Greg Sullivan
- 2022-23 Michelle Girvan
- 2021-22 Peter Shawhan
- 2019-20 Dan Lathrop
- 2015-16 Steven Anlage
- 2014-15 Sarah Eno
- 2012-13 Elizabeth Beise
- 2010-11 William Dorland
- 2009-10 Patrick O'Shea
- 2008-09 Theodore Jacobson
- 2006-07 Edward Redish
- 2005-06 Thomas Cohen
Howard Milchberg - 2002-03 Sylvester James Gates, Jr.
- 2001-02 Rabindra Mohapatra
- 2000-01 Christopher Lobb
- 1999-00 Jordan Goodman
- 1998-99 Michael Fisher
- 1989-90 Joseph Sucher
- 1988-89 George Snow
- 1986-87 Jogesh Pati
- 1985-86 J. Robert Dorfman
- 1984-85 Alex Dragt
- 1980-81 Gaurang Yodh
Distinguished University Professors of the Department of Physics
Distinguished University Professors have been recognized nationally and internationally for the importance of their scholarly achievements.
- 2024 Howard Milchberg
- 2022 Rick Greene
- 2018 Theodore Jacobson
- 2017 Thomas Antonsen
- 2016 Xiangdong Ji
- 2016 Rabindra Mohapatra
- 2015 Jordan Goodman
- 2015 Christopher Monroe
- 2014 James Drake
- 2014 Sylvester James "Jim" Gates, Jr.
- 2014 Christopher Jarzynski
- 2012 Hassan Jawahery
- 2011 Raman Sundrum
- 2003 Ramamoorthy Ramesh
- 2001 William D. Phillips
- 2001 Katepalli R. Sreenivasan
- 2000 Ellen Williams
- 1998 George Gloeckler
- 1997 Richard Webb
- 1995 Sankar Das Sarma
- 1995 Edward Ott
- 1995 John D. Weeks
- 1990 Roald Z. Sagdeev
- 1988 Michael Fisher
The Richard A. Ferrell Distinguished Faculty Fellowship
The Richard A. Ferrell Distinguished Faculty Fellowship supports ongoing research of an exceptional faculty member early in his/her career.
Established in 2001, the Fellowship honors Dr. Dick Ferrell, a deeply-respected physicist who joined our faculty in 1953, served 40 years, and remained active in the department even after his retirement. Dr. Ferrell died in 2005 at his nearby University Park home.
Eligibility extends to any Assistant or Associate Professor of Physics who has made significant contributions to the department through research, teaching and service.
Ferrell Fellowship Recipients:
- 2020 Anson Hook
- 2019 Maissam Barkeshli
- 2018 Alberto Belloni
- 2017 Michelle Girvan
- 2016 Peter Shawhan
- 2015 Jay Sau
- 2014 Ki-Yong Kim
- 2013 Arpita Upadhyaya
- 2012 Johnpierre Paglione
- 2011 Victor Galitski
- 2010 Carter Hall
- 2009 Kara Hoffman
- 2008 Bill Dorland
- 2007 Alessandra Buonanno
- 2006 Wolfgang Losert
- 2005 Michael Fuhrer
- 2004 Daniel Lathrop
- 2003 Victor Yakovenko
- 2002 Greg Sullivan
- 2001 Fred Wellstood
Graduate Advising Award
A crucial factor in the success of every graduate student is their relationship to their advisor. The UMD Physics Graduate Advising Award, established in 2015 by the Graduate Student Committee, recognizes outstanding mentors of physics graduate students.
Graduate Advising Award Recipients:
- 2018-19 Steve Anlage
- 2017-18 Matt Landreman
- 2016-17 Benjamin Palmer and Fred Wellstood
- 2015-16 Paulo Bedaque
- 2014-15 Adil Hassam
The Richard E. Prange Prize and Lectureship in Condensed Matter Theory and Related Areas
The University of Maryland Department of Physics and Condensed Matter Theory Center host the annual Richard E. Prange Prize and Lectureship in Condensed Matter Theory and Related Areas.
The Prange Prize honors Professor Prange, whose distinguished career at Maryland spanned four decades. He died suddenly on September 24, 2008, at age 76. The prize, which carries a $10,000, honorarium, was made possible by the generosity of Dr. Prange’s wife, Dr. Madeleine Joullié of the University of Pennsylvania.
Prange Prize Recipients:
- 2020 Charles Kane, University of Pennsylvania
- 2018 Juan Maldacena, Institute for Advanced Study
- 2016 Frank Wilczek, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- 2014 Klaus von Klitzing, Max Planck Institute
- 2013 David Gross, University of California Santa Barbara and Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics
- 2012 Andre Geim, University of Manchester
- 2011 Daniel C. Tsui, Princeton University
- 2010 Walter Kohn, University of California Santa Barbara and Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics
- 2009 Philip Anderson, Princeton University
Sibylle Sampson Award
The Sibylle Sampson Award was established by Sibylle Sampson, a long-time Physics employee and valued assistant to former Chair John S. Toll. It spotlights an employee whose one-time accomplishment otherwise might go unrecognized. The employee’s undertaking will have benefited the entire Department or a specific unit, and shown creativity, initiative or self-motivation. Eligibility: Current staff members who have been employed within the Department of Physics for a minimum of one year.
Sibylle Sampson Award Recipients:
- 2022 Rob McIntire
- 2021 Naomi Russo
- 2020 Dannielle G. Watkins
- 2019 Samantha Suplee
- 2018 Ayla Hurley
- 2017 Paulina Alejandro
- 2016 Logan Anbinder
- 2015 Donna Hammer
- 2014 Allen Monroe
- 2012 Anne Suplee
- 2011 Xiao Ning Zhao
- 2010 Pauline Rirksopa
- 2009 Bonnie Seal-Filiatreau
- 2008 Doug Bensen, Scott Lasley
- 2007 Loretta Robinette
- 2006 Aaron McQueen
- 2005 Kari Aldridge
- 2004 Randy Holder
- 2003 Donna Hammer
- 2002 Sherri Menoes
- 2001 Margaret Lukomska
- 2000 Allen Monroe
- 1999 Al Godinez
- 1998 Tuck Owens
- 1997 Ruth Zerwitz
- 1996 Delores Knight
- 1995 Norman Reese
- 1994 Betty Alexander
- 1993 Pauline Rirksopa
- 1992 Pat Byrdsong
The George A. Snow Memorial Award
The George A. Snow Memorial Award recognizes an individual who helps to advance the representation of women in the field of Physics. Dr. Snow was a professor of physics at the University of Maryland from 1957-1992. From 1970 through 1971 he served as acting chair of the Department of Physics. In addition to his work at the University, Dr. Snow's research contributions in experimental and phenomenological high-energy physics had a considerable impact on the field. In 1958, he established the High Energy Physics Group at Maryland, and led this group until his retirement from the University in 1992. He died in 2000 at the age of 73.
Throughout his tenure at the University, Dr. Snow remained committed to advancing and expanding the participation of women in the sciences. Dr. Snow and his wife, Lila, taught the first Women's Studies course at the University in the Spring semester of 1972. In order to honor Dr. Snow's commitment to assisting women in the sciences, his wife and children established, through the University of Maryland College Park Foundation, Inc., an endowed fund at the University of Maryland, College Park, to help advance women in physics.
Snow Award Recipients:
- 2019-20 Sarah Burentt, Gretchen Campbell, and Anna Grafov
- 2018-19 Monica Gutierrez, Kate O'Neill
- 2017-18 Alison Duck
- 2016-17 Caroline Figgatt
- 2015-16 Rachel Lee
- 2014-15 Hilary Hurst
- 2013-14 Lora McMurtrie Price, Megan Marshall
- 2012-13 Michelle Groce
- 2011-12 Donna Hammer
- 2010-11 Bernie Kozlowski
- 2009-10 Beatriz Burrola-Gabilondo
- 2008-09 Elizabeth Beise
- 2007-08 Meredith Brenner
- 2006-07 Nicholas Chant
- 2005-06 Ellen Williams
- 2004-05 Sarah McKenney
Staff Excellence Award
The Staff Excellence Award recognizes employees who excel in job performance, provide a friendly and supportive atmosphere, and display a personal commitment to the Department and to positive workplace morale. Eligibility: Current staff members who have been employed within the Department of Physics for a minimum of three years.
Chair's Certificate of Excellence Recipients:
- 2022 Josiland Chambers, Naomi Russo, Bonnie Seal-Filiatreau
- 2021 Lea Bartolome, Melanie Knouse, Allen Monroe
- 2020 Melissa Britton, Josiland Chambers, Bonnie Seal-Filiatreau, Tom Woycheck-Gleason, Ayla Hurley
- 2019 Janet Das Sarma, Donna Hammer, Kristin Stenson
- 2018 Heather Markle, Don Lynch, Jane Wang
- 2017 Jessica Crosby, Claudia Key and Kelly Phillips
- 2016 Margaret Lukomska, Naomi Russo and Melissa Britton
- 2015 Eliot Hammer
- 2014 Amy Streets
- 2012 Julie Callis