Undergraduate Awards and scholarships
The Department of Physics presents a variety of annual awards and scholarships to outstanding undergraduate students. Each award has its own selection criteria, and recipients are selected by a committee of Physics faculty. Except for the Excellence in Physics and Wilson scholarships, applications or self-nominations are not accepted for these awards. Click on the links below for further information.
Commonwealth Edison/Beryl Bristow Scholarship
Excellence in Physics Recruiting Scholarships
Jones Summer Research Fellowship
Commonwealth Edison/Beryl Bristow Scholarship
This award recognizes an outstanding undergraduate woman physics major. It is awarded annually by a selection committee of Physics faculty. Beryl Love Bristow was the first woman to earn a bachelor's degree (1918) from this department. After completing a master's degree in physics here (1919), Mrs. Bristow worked as a data analyst for Commonwealth Edison in Chicago. The company established the scholarship in recognition of Mrs. Bristow's pioneering achievements and in support of women in physics.
Richard K. Cook Scholarship
The Cook Scholarship recognizes a sophomore undergraduate engineering physics major for scholastic achievement. The award was endowed by Dr. Richard K. Cook, a 1935 Ph.D alumnus of our department, who spent his entire career at the National Bureau of Standards (now the National Institute of Standards and Technology). Dr. Cook specialized in ultrosonics and accoustics.
Laura B. Eisenstein Award
The Eisenstein Award recognizes an outstanding undergraduate woman Physics student. The award is named for Professor Laura B. Eisenstein, a distinguished biological physicist who made important discoveries about the mechanism of light energy transduction by biomolecules using a variety of techniques, including time-resolved resonance Raman and X-ray absorption spectroscopies. Professor Eisenstein served our department and the biological physics community with distinction from 1969 until her untimely death in 1985.
Excellence in Physics Scholarship
This scholarship is granted to up to five exceptional incoming freshmen annually. Selection is based on a scholarship application, including an essay, high school class rank, and standardized test scores. This scholarship is renewable for three years, providing the recipient maintains good standing as a physics major.
Lorella M. Jones Summer Research Fellowship
This award allows up to four Physics undergraduates to pursue independent, hands-on research projects each summer. The award is named for Professor Lorella M. Jones, an outstanding theoretical high energy physicist. Professor Jones was a remarkable scholar—the first woman to attain tenure and a full professorship in our department. In addition to being a superb researcher, Professor Jones was also a dedicated and innovative teacher who was particularly interested in the application of computers to physics education. In 1985, she pioneered the use of computerized quizzes for a large elementary physics course at Illinois, one of the earliest developments of its kind, nationwide.
Robert E. Hetrick Prize
The Hetrick Prize, which honors alumnus Dr. Robert Hetrick, is awarded annually to two seniors who have produced the best senior thesis based on their independent research. The prizes are made possible by the generous gift of Dr. Hetrick's thesis adviser.
Ernest M. Lyman Prize
The Lyman Prize honors the year's outstanding senior Physics major. The award is named for Professor Ernest M. Lyman, a distinguished researcher and teacher who served on our faculty for 36 years. In addition to making seminal contributions to experimental nuclear physics—he was a world expert on electron scattering—Professor Lyman maintained great interest in teaching undergraduate physics and was one of the early proponents of computer-assisted physics education.
Robert A. Stein Scholarship
The purpose of the Stein Scholarship, which was endowed by the family and friends of alumnus Robert A. Stein, is to recruit outstanding undergraduate Physics majors from the Chicago area. Mr. Stein (BS, '55), who came from a Chicago working-class family, greatly valued the education that he received in engineering physics at the University of Illinois. His family felt that the best tribute to his memory on his death in 1998 would be to provide that opportunity to other Chicago youths.
Burton J. Wilson Scholarship
The Burton J. Wilson Scholarship is given to a freshman in Physics or Electrical and Computer Engineering. The scholarship provides $5000 per academic year, renewable for up to three years. Recipients must have demonstrated academic excellence and an interest in the fields of physics, electrical energy/power production, conversion, utilization or conservation. Renewals are contingent on satisfactory academic progress and continued involvement in the stipulated research areas.
Burton Wilson Scholarship application