Department of Physics
A University Exemplary Department 1999, 2003
Awards Ceremony
April 22, 2005
Awards Ceremony
Master of Ceremonies
Opening Remarks and
Introduction of Guests
April 22, 2005
Beate Schmittmann
Royce Zia
Awards and Presentations
• The Jamie Dunn Award
• The Ray F. Tipsword
Graduate Scholarship
• The Robert P. Hamilton Prize
• The Colonel Nelson Carey Brown
Scholarship
• The Daniel C. & Delia F. Grant
Endowed Scholarships
• The Frank Leigh Robeson
Scholarship
• The Webster & Sara Schoene
Richardson Memorial Scholarship
• The Hugh D. Ussery Scholarship
• The Robert C. Richardson
Scholarship
• The H. Y. Loh Award
Recognition of S? S Inductees
“Phantastic Physics”
Closing Remarks
Alfred “Jimmy” Ritter
Marvin Blecher
Rahul Kulkarni
Mark Pitt
Beate Schmittmann
Giti Khodaparast
Guy Indebetouw
Richard Zallen
Uwe Täuber
Royce Zia
Mark Pitt
David Wright
Royce Zia
Awards & Recipients
The Jamie Dunn Award
James N. Newcomer - Lexington, Virginia
JiaJia Dong - Shanghai, China
An endowed cash award was established in 1982 in the
memory of Jamie Dunn, who was a graduate student in the
Physics Department. Janie did much early work in developing a
very difficult experiment on electron energy loss spectroscopy.
Sadly, a tragic motorcycle accident claimed his life in 1982; he
was well loved and is very much missed by anyone who knew him.
The Jamie Dunn Award is made to a graduate student, or
students, who demonstrate some of Jamie’s enduring qualities:
good will toward all, enthusiasm for physics, and determination
to overcome adversity and succeed.
James Newcomer held a BS degree in both physics and applied
math from Radford University, where he held a permanent place
on the Dean’s list during his entire tenure, when he joined us in
the fall of 2003. James not only continues to do well here but he
also became a well-liked, active member of the student body
during his first semester and has remained so. He contributed
greatly to the cohesiveness of his incoming class. James’ interests
are in the area of particle physics and while he explored research
options in the theoretical realm he will be using this summer to
investigate the experimental research area of this field, under the
tutelage of Prof. Vogelaar, in which he hopes to pursue his PhD
degree. A civic minded individual, James has also managed to
squeeze in time to assist the Graduate School during Preview
Weekend 2004. A program aimed at familiarizing eligible,
prospective graduate students from underrepresented groups with
information and first hand experience to help them make
informed decisions about graduate education at Virginia Tech. He
has attended the 2004 and 2005 Annual National Conference of
the National Society of Black Physicists and Joint Meeting with
the National Society of Hispanic Physicists in and Orlando,
Florida, respectively, and done a excellent job representing the
department.
JiaJia Dong
joined the department in the fall of 2003 with a
BS degree from Shanghai Jiatong University. Energetic and
spirited, she was instantly acclimatized. She investigated research
opportunities in biophysics and decided on a project in the area of
theoretical condensed matter physics for her PhD thesis advised
by Profs. Schmittmann and Zia. JiaJia’s activities included
attending the conference Optics of the South East, in Charlotte,
N.C. in May of 2004, at which she presented a poster on “Raman
Scattering”. Also civic minded, she participated in organizing the
Spring Festival Celebration Party for 2004 with the Association
of Chinese Scholars and Students and volunteered at the Cranwell
International Student’s Center where assistance is always greatly
appreciated. JiaJia will be completing her doctoral candidacy
exam this fall and was inducted as a member of the Honor
Society of Physics Sigma Pi Sigma.
The Ray F. Tipsword Graduate Scholarship
Anamika Gopal - Pune, Maharashtra, India
Following his retirement in 1992 from a career in both
general and condensed matter physics, frined and family
members of Prof. Ray Tipsword instituted a scholarship in his
name. The Tipsword Scholarship, first awarded in 1995, is
directed to go to a promising graduate student working in the
area of condensed matter physics, statistical physics, or optics.
Anamika Gopal
held a master’s degree from the IIT, Madras
when she joined the department in the fall of 2002. She quickly
adapted to her new environment and her outgoing, enthusiastic
nature was welcomed by others of the incoming class. Anamika
had lived abroad during several years prior to earning her MS
degree, and apart from her native languages and English is also
fluent in French. During the fall of 2003, Prof. Heflin accepted
her into his experimental condensed matter research group and
agreed to serve as her PhD advisor. By the end of that fall
Anamika successfully completed her PhD candidacy examination
and was on her way to concentrate on research in Nanoscale
Control of Conducting Polymer/Fullerene Composition in
Organic Photovoltaic Devices. 2004 was a busy year for her.
Apart from research and assistantship obligations she presented
posters in the Nanotech Showcase at the University of Virginia,
Charlottesville, VA in June, and Macromolecules & Interfaces
Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA in September. She also
gave a paper at the American Chemical Society, in Philadelphia,
PA in August of that year. Anamika was also inducted as member
of the Honor Society of Physics Sigma Pi Sigma.
Students performing a nonlinear optics
experiment on fullerenes.
The Robert P. Hamilton Prize
Schuyler Milton – Northern Virginia
The Hamilton Prize is named in honor of Dr. Robert Preston
Hamilton, who received his bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech
in 1975. Led by Tech professor Dr. David Jenkins, several
generous donors, including Hamilton’s classmates, professors,
and especially his family, established the Robert P. Hamilton
Prize in 1991, two years after his untimely death from cancer. As
a prolific researcher in the field of experimental elementary
particle physics, Hamilton established a notable record in the 14
years he lived after receiving his Ph. D. from Berkeley. The prize
is awarded to a student who has exhibited both career promise
and the very high scholastic standards for which Hamilton was
known.
Schuyler Milton
grew up in Northern Virginia and attended
George C. Marshall High School in Falls Church. In college,
Schuyler plays club ultimate Frisbee and is an active member of
the Virginia Tech Snowboarding Club. Schuyler hopes to get an
undergraduate degree in Physics and continue on to medical
school. Schuyler’s goals are to practice orthopedic surgery and/or
to do research in medical physics.
The Col. Nelson Carey Brown
Memorial Scholarship
Richard Foster - Bogotá, Colombia
This Scholarship was endowed by Dr. Nancy Brown in
memory of her late brother, Colonel Nelson Carey Brown,
Virginia Tech Class of 1965. Col. Brown felt that both his
education in physics and the leadership skills he learned in the
Corps of Cadets were critical to his professional success. The
scholarship is awarded to an entering freshman majoring in
physics, who demonstrates academic ability and financial need.
The award can be retained for up to four years as long as the
student maintains a GPA of 3.0 or higher and remains a physics
major .
Richard Foster
was born in Colombia, South America and
lived there for the majority of his life, though he has also lived in
other countries such as Sweden, Ecuador and England. Foster is
a rising senior who will
graduate as a double
major in Physics and
Mathematics, along with a
minor in astronomy. He
has worked on the G0
experiment with Prof.
Mark Pitt. After the BS,
he will be pursuing a
doctorate in physics. In
his free time he plays the
The G 0 detector at Jefferson Lab
classical guitar.
The Daniel C. & Delia F. Grant Scholarship
Christopher Luck - Greer, South Carolina
David Erickson - Hampton, Virginia
Mark Washenberger - Salem, Virginia
Brian Skinner - Las Vegas, Nevada
Sean Settle - Jeffersonton, Virginia
In 1990 two new and substantial scholarships were endowed
in the names of Daniel C. and Delia F. Grant, the parents of Dr.
Frederick C. Grant, a former Virginia Tech doctoral student.
These coveted scholarships are designated for entering National
Merit Scholars. The recipients may retain the scholarships if they
meet high academic standards.
Christopher “Ryan” Luck
from Greer, South Carolina is
finishing up his junior year as a Physics and Mathematics major.
He also has a minor in Economics. Ryan has stayed busy
academically with research in the Materials Science department at
Virginia Tech with Professor Louis Guido, and also spent last
summer at Cornell University working for Professor Michael
Spencer. Both projects involve fabrication and characterization
of the semiconductor Gallium Nitride. Ryan’s future plans are a
bit nebulous at the moment, but he is considering graduate school
in either Materials or Plasma Physics.
David Erickson
is a junior Physics and Mathematics double
major from Hampton, Virginia. He plans on obtaining a Ph.D
and pursuing a research career in the future. He will be spending
the upcoming summer participating in an REU at UCLA. When
not studying, David enjoys snowboarding and watching movies.
We happily announce that Virginia Tech had two students
receiving the Goldwater Scholarship for 2005 – one of them
being our very own David Erickson.
Mark Washenberger from Salem, Virginia is a triple major in
Mathematics, Computer Science, and Physics. When he is not
working on extra credit problems for Dr. Täuber’s quantum
mechanics class, he likes to participate in the massively
multiplayer online gaming revolution. His future plans include
graduate study in Physics and Computer Science. He also hopes
to pursue a career in Industry.
Sean Owen Settle
lives in Jeffersonton, Virginia with his
parents Roger and Sylvia Settle. Sean is a junior, who is triple
majoring in Physics, Mathematics, and Chemistry. This summer
Sean plans to Participate in either a nanotechnology or
computations quantum chemistry REU program. Sean plans to
attend graduate school and earn a Ph.D; however he remains
undecided upon the exact field. Sean is hoping this summer’s
REU program will help him narrow down the field of study he
wishes to pursue in graduate school. Sean’s most recent hobbies
include learning to become a proficient Linux user and learning to
program in FORTRAN.
Brian Skinner
is a military child that grew up all across the
United States, as well as in Venezuela and Colombia. He comes
from a large family, to which he accredits his love of science.
Brian currently works with Dr. Schmittmann doing condensed
matter simulations, and with Dr. Vogelaar in the particle physics
lab. He plans to graduate in the fall of 2006 with degrees in
Physics and Mechanical Engineering, with minors in Spanish and
Mathematics. In his spare time he enjoys sleeping and wishing he
had more spare time.
The Frank Leigh Robeson Scholarship
Brett Spencer - Springfield, Virginia
Annalisa Pawlosky - Springfield, Virginia
David Adams - Huntsville, Alabama
Early leadership in the development of the Virginia Tech
Physics Department was due to the work of one man – Dr. Frank
Robeson, after whom the Physics building is now names.
Robeson was the first doctorate level Physicist at VPI and was
the author of a widely adopted textbook in the 1940’s. In 1995
the Robeson family endowed a scholarship in his honor and
memory.
The scholarship goes to a student who has
demonstrated academic achievement, personal integrity,
extracurricular leadership, community service, and an
appreciation of Physics.
Brett Spencer from Springfield, Virginia has had the privilege
of living across New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia. After
getting a BS in Physics, and possibly a degree in Mathematics as
well, he plans on getting a Masters in Physics, and then going on
to get a Doctorate in Optical Engineering. He is currently
involved in research into semiconductor Physics, with Professor
Giti Khodaparast. Brett’s hobbies include playing video games,
Dungeons and Dragons,
Fantasy books, Kendo, and
Rocky Horror.
Brett has
preformed in the Rocky
Horror Picture Show Fan
Club’s showing of Rocky
Horror, Clue, and Princess
Bride.
Students in
Prof. Khodaparast’s Lab
Annalisa Pawlosky is
a junior Physics major from Northern
Virginia and has discovered a lot in her three years at Virginia
Tech. She attempts to find a balance in her life involving
research, studying, music, and traveling. She has spent her last
year working with thin films for a project with Professor Heflin.
She has also conducted research at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology and looks ahead to working with Professor Ingo
Koeper at the Max Planck Institute in Mainz, Germany. When
not studying, Annalisa enjoys playing the piano. She continues to
take lessons here at Virginia Tech under Professor Kent Holliday
and plans on joining a choir next semester. As for hobbies,
Annalisa relaxes by running, watching movies and when it’s
warm enough, playing tennis.
David Adams was
born in Washington, D.C. and lived there
until 1990 when his family moved to Alexandria, Virginia.
David’s sophomore year of high school his family moved to
Huntsville, Alabama. After graduating from Grissom High
School in 2002, David came to Virginia Tech to pursue his
dreams of graduating with a degree in Physics and Computer
Science. Following graduation, David plans to obtain a Ph.D. in
Physics and to become a
professor. In his spare time
David enjoys modifying
turbo-charged cars and
drag racing them.
Formation of “clouds” in a
simple nonequilibrium
cellular automaton
The Webster & Sara Schoene
Richardson Memorial Scholarship
Anna Belak - Springfield, Virginia
Adam Larsen - Waterford, Virginia
Both Web and Sara Richardson taught in the Virginia Tech
Physics Department for several decades. In addition to their
work with the introductory courses, where they were known for
their exacting standards, Sara developed a course called
“household physics”, while Web developed an x-ray laboratory
where he constructed extensive apparatus of which he was justly
proud and which was used by many of the first graduate students
in physics at Virginia Tech. The scholarship was established in
1998 by family members.
Anna Belak
is studying physics at Virginia Tech because
someday she would like to become a research scientist and
discover many cool and useful things. After graduating from
college, she intends to go on to graduate school and earn a
masters and Ph. D. in some physics related field. Anna is
originally from Latvia, but her family now lives in Northern
Virginia. When she is not slaving over schoolwork, Anna enjoys
reading, listening to music, spending too much time on the
computer, and practicing Tae Kwon Do, in which she currently
holds a brown belt .
Adam Larsen
was born in Morehead City, North Carolina and
his dad was in the Marine Corps for 30 years, so his family
moved around quite a bit. Adam moved to Norway when he was
10 years old and lived there for a year, then moved to England
and lived there for about three years. Adam had the opportunity
to visit several countries in Europe and around the Mediterranean.
He has also lived in different places in the United States. He
enjoys weight lifting, playing sports, playing the trumpet,
working on the farm, and rappelling. Adam plans to major in
Physics with a B. A. at Virginia Tech, and then perhaps get
another degree in teaching or counseling when he has the
opportunity after college. From going to college, to being in the
Marine Corps ROTC, and pursuing a physics major, Adam plans
to become a pilot and a career military officer in the Marine
Corps. After retiring from the Marine Corps, Adam plans to be a
high school teacher, CIA/FBI employee, or join the Peace Corps.
The Hugh D. Ussery Scholarship
Colin Beal - Blacksburg, Virginia
Elizabeth Lowry - Virginia Beach, Virginia
When the family of the late Hugh D. Ussery endowed a
scholarship in his name in 1984, they established the first such
award for the Virginia Tech Physics Department. Professor
Ussery joined the faculty of the Physics Department in 1934 and
remained at VPI for nearly 40 years. During his time here, he
developed a laboratory in optical spectroscopic analysis of which
he was very proud. The Ussery Scholarships are awarded each
year to one or more rising juniors who have been deemed to show
great promise for a career in Physics.
Colin Beal
was born in Blacksburg, Virginia and lived there his
entire life. Growing up Colin was very involved in athletics; an
interest which continued in high school. Colin lettered in
Football, Basketball, and Baseball and spent some time on the
baseball team at Virginia Tech. In addition to athletics Colin
spent much of his time around the family farm and working
construction part time. Last summer Colin had the opportunity to
work at Brookhaven National Lab in Long Island, New York and
the experience re-enforced his interest in Physics; specifically
particle physics. Colin intends to participate in a second
internship this summer at a different institute to continue learning
engineering and physics applications.
Elizabeth Lowry
is from Virginia Beach, Virginia and plans
on double majoring in Computer Science and Physics with a
minor in Mathematics. Elizabeth is thinking of making video
games for a living, but is still not entirely sure. She enjoys
surfing the internet, reading web comics, doodling, and Oekaki
(online drawing), but she rarely has enough time to do as much as
she would like.
The Robert C. Richardson Scholarship
Jonathan Hughes - Pocatello, Idaho
Eric Ward - Lovettsville, Virginia
Heike Lohse- Busch - Wettolsheim, France
Samir Abboud - Deale, Maryland
Linh Pham - Annandale, Virginia
Geoffrey Adams - Alexandria, Virginia
Xinwei Gong - Shenzhen, China
Through a generous gift by an anonymous donor, a
scholarship has been established in honor of Dr. Robert C.
Richardson, a professor of Physics at Cornell University.
Richardson, who earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in
Physics at Virginia Tech, was the co-recipient of the 1996 Nobel
Prize for Physics.
This scholarship is awarded to an
undergraduate physics major deemed especially deserving. This
scholarship rewards academic talent, responsibility, and
industry.
Jonathan Hughes
is from Pocatello, Idaho, but decided to
come to Virginia Tech because his father and grandfather both
received degrees here, along with a couple of his uncles and a
great uncle. Jonathan is majoring in Physics and Biology and
hopefully will eventually go into a career based on biomimicry,
which is modeling structures and systems after nature in order to
achieve maximum results. In Jonathan’s spare time he enjoys
getting outdoors, mountain biking, hiking, and cross-country
skiing. He also likes playing and watching soccer and rugby.
Eric Ward
is from
Lovettsville,
Virginia,
and is majoring in
Physics and Philosophy.
As for Eric’s hobbies he
enjoys being outdoors,
spending time with
friends, playing classical
guitar, and reading. The
extents of his future
plans are to make his
way into graduate school.
Heike Lohse-Busch
Spiral galaxy NGC 4414, as seen by the
Hubble Space Telescope
was born in Germany, moved to France as
a child, and spent her college time between France and the States.
She is majoring in Physics as well as in Engineering Science and
Mechanics (ESM). She opted for double majors because she did
not want to choose between the fundamental science approach
and the applied engineering approach. She believes both sectors
are greatly exciting, but not complete without each other.
Currently, she is a senior, but will graduate in May 2006 due to a
coop in Charlotte, North Carolina, in fall 2004. The coop was an
intense experience, which allowed her to have a peak at real life.
This discovery reinforced her choice to go to graduate school.
The area of her graduate studies is not yet selected. However, she
prefers solid mechanics, especially fracture mechanic. After
graduate school, real life will have to eventually start. She will
most likely start her professional life in the States.
Samir Abboud
has always strived to make the best of a less
than desirable situation. Whisked away from the luxuries of a
home in America at the tender age of three months, Sam grew up
in the harsh desert environment of Saudi Arabia. It was while he
was there, he learned of his passion for Physics. It seemed amid
the various explosions of violence, one of the few ways to escape
the chaos was through the orderly beauty of physical laws.
Despite these distractions, or perhaps because of them, Sam
became more and more engulfed by this infatuation and so now
Sam plans to keep physics as a hobby, but will eschew graduate
study for application to a medical program.
Linh Pham is pursuing a dual degree in Physics and Computer
Engineering. In graduate school, she plans to focus on
semiconductor devices and nanotechnology as they pertain to the
field of Microelectronics. Her career aspiration is to be involved
in the research and development of ever smaller electronic
devices which will replace present microelectronics technology.
Linh’s other hobbies include swing dance, argentine tango,
chorale singing, and collecting penguins.
Geoffrey Adams
is originally from Alexandria, Virginia.
Geoffrey is a junior majoring in Physics and Biology. He hopes
to develop an interdisciplinary outlook that will allow him to
investigate new areas at the frontiers of science. He is
particularly interested in applying techniques from statistical
physics to fields such as behavioral ecology, endocrinology, and
neurology. He intends to pursue graduate education which will
prepare him for such research. When not imagining himself
wearing a white coat in a lab, Geoffrey enjoys novels, idle
conversation, and arguments about politics.
Xinwei Gong,
usually known as Sam among his friends,
graduated from Shenzhen Experimental School in Shenzhen,
China in July 2002. Now he is a third year student majoring in
Physics and Mathematics. Sam enjoys understanding the human
society through history and cultures. He values the opportunity
of receiving a comprehensive education in liberal arts and
sciences at Virginia Tech and appreciates the depth of knowledge
that the physics department offers. Sam is currently involved in
undergraduate research in the field of optics, and he wishes to go
into statistical mechanics in the near future. Besides academics,
Sam enjoys photography and music. He is the unofficial
photographer of the Society of Physics Students and often for
events of the physics department. He hosts Chinese Music Show
on WUVT, the college radio station, and he particularly enjoys
making friends from all over the world by being a volunteer
mentor in the orientation for new international students. Sam
plans to go to graduate school after his undergrad education and
pursue a doctorate degree in physics, while he still keeps his
option open to applied mathematics, engineering, and even law
school.
The H.Y. Loh Award
Travis Merritt - Chapel Hill, North Carolina
The H.Y.Loh Award, a cash prize awarded upon graduation,
became the very first award or scholarship dedicated to our
physics majors. As a token of the high esteem in which professor
Loh was regarded by his colleagues, Dr. Ray Tipsword
approached colleagues to create the endowed award which was
first given in 1977. Loh retired in 1976, and at the time was the
only member of the Physics Department to have been awarded
the W. E. Wine Award for Excellence in Teaching. The H. Y. Loh
Award is made each spring to the graduating physics major who
best exemplifies Dr. Loh’s very high academic and personal
standards.
Travis Merritt was born in Albany, New York but lived most
of his life in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Arriving at Virginia
Tech three years ago, Travis soon found himself hurdled into an
expedited course of study. While trying to endure the onslaught
of work, he still managed to find causes to which he would
devote the rest of his time. In this regard, during his second year,
Travis discovered the community and became active in the
Society of Physics Students and the Physics Honors Society,
Sigma Pi Sigma. Travis will be leaving Virginia Tech after
graduation to pursue post-undergraduate research opportunities.
“ Phantastic Physics”
David Wright
Tidewater Community College
Born in Alabama, David Wright attended schools in many
states before settling in Brigham Young University (Utah) for
both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in physics. A dedicated
educator, he took up a teaching career at Tidewater Community
College, a calling that lasted three decades so far.
Three years after he embarked on this career, David took a
brief educational leave to start his PhD here at Virginia Tech.
Delicately balancing his professional life at TCC and his research
activities at VT, he completed his doctorate in 1984. Now, David
is Professor of Physics at TCC. In 2002, he was one of eleven
professors who shared Virginia’s top teaching honor – the State
Outstanding Faculty Awards.
Since 1998, David has been a consultant to Busch Gardens,
sponsoring programs that allow kids to measure the G-forces that
they endure while riding coasters. He appears on “The NASA
Why? Files”, a national PBS show produced by NASA Langley.
David also has been on Regis’ and Conan’s shows, both times
lying on a bed of nails while a cinderblock lying atop of him is
crushed to bits! David says that illustrates at least two principles
of physics. First, each nail supports a slight fraction of his weight,
so that a lot fewer nails would mean a lot more pain. Second,
because the cinderblock is in a state of “huge inertia,” hammering
it apart won’t create a burst of life threatening energy. He says:
“It takes a lot of faith in physics to do that!”.
Recognition of Sigma Pi Sigma
Inductees
Samir F. Abboud
David Adams
Geoffrey Keith Adams
Kai Chen
Larry Jonathan Cook
Richard Foster
Tao Jia
JungHo Kang
Christopher Ryan Luck
Sayak Mukherjee
David Newton
Annalisa Pawlosky
My Linh Pham
Brett Spencer
Eric Alexander Ward