The Lorraine DeSalvo Chair's Endowed Award for Outstanding Service 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. Nominees must have been employed within the Department of Physics for a minimum of one year.

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.  Nominees must have been employed within the Department of Physics for a minimum of one year. Two nominators are needed for the Sibylle Sampson 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. Up to three awards may be given.  Nominees must have been employed within the Department of Physics for a minimum of one year.

Christopher Monroe, Distinguished University Professor & Bice Seci-Zorn Professor was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences 2016. See recorded video http://www.nasonline.org/NAS154presentation.

Membership of the National Academy of Sciences is one the greatest and highest honors that a scientist can receive.  "The NAS membership totals approximately 2,290 members and 490 foreign associates, of whom approximately 200 have received Nobel prizes."  - NAS

Read more about Monroe's accomplishments.

Three University of Maryland students have been awarded scholarships by the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation, which encourages students to pursue advanced study and careers in the sciences, engineering and mathematics. The Goldwater Foundation also recognized a fourth UMD student with an Honorable Mention.

UMD juniors Christopher Bambic, Eliot Fenton and Prayaag Venkat were among the 240 Barry Goldwater Scholars selected from 1,286 students nominated nationally this year. UMD junior Natalie Livingston was recognized with an Honorable Mention. The four students all plan to pursue doctoral degrees in their areas of study and to become university professors or researchers at government laboratories.

Read more.

JQI Fellow, Nobel laureate and Distinguished University Professor William Phillips has been inducted into the Mexican Academy of Sciences (la Academia Mexicana de Ciencias) as a corresponding member. The honor will be marked by an evening event held in Mexico City on March 23.

The event includes a talk by Phillips, titled "Time, Einstein and the coolest stuff in the universe," as well as a discussion between Phillips, Mexican Academy of Sciences president Jaime Urrutia Fucugauchi, and JQI Fellow and physics professor Luis Orozco, who nominated Phillips for membership. The entire program will be broadcast live beginning at 6 p.m. EDT.