Physics & Astronomy Student Awards
Each spring the Department of Physics and Astronomy honors its outstanding students with departmental awards. We invite others to join us in celebrating their achievements.
Awards
Presented to outstanding upper-class students majoring in physics. The award was endowed by a gift in honor of Robert O. Whitesell ’39 by his friends and business associates. Whitesell earned degrees in both physics and mathematics.
- 2026: Austin Davidson, Jaclyn McNelis
- 2025: Devin Kelleher, Alex Rosenblatt
- 2024: Tucker Hurst, Carter VanStone
- 2023: Julia Herkert, Joshua Wanninger
- 2022: Jonathan Myers, Aryn Stahl
Recognizes outstanding work by a first-year physics major.
- 2026: Anthony Broaddus
- 2025: Samuel Castor
- 2024: Jaclyn McNelis
- 2023: Devin Kelleher
- 2022: Tucker Hurst
Created in honor of Dr. Jennifer Poor, Professor Emeritus of Physics, who retired after serving 34 years teaching in the Physics & Astronomy Department.
- 2026: Kedrick Baker
Given to a student who has made a significant contribution at the Holcomb Observatory and Planetarium.
- 2026: Caroline Erickson, Chase Nixon
- 2025: Mariah Bland, Alexis Males, Sofiia Merenych
- 2024: Kira Baasch, Sarah Gardner
- 2023: Maya Leonard, Amandeep Basra
- 2022: Corinna Pena
Presented to outstanding students concentrating their studies on astronomy and astrophysics.
- 2026: Sofiia Merenych
- 2025: Jaclyn McNelis, Chase Nixon
- 2024: Caroline Erickson, Kinsey Ewing
- 2023: Kira Baasch, Andrew Davis, Sarah Gardner, Wyatt Harvey, Eric Reed, Cooper Truong
- 2022: Julia Herkert, Joshua Wanninger
Honors dedication to a professional career in physics and astronomy.
- 2026: Grant Brown
- 2025: Caroline Erickson
- 2024: Amandeep Basra
- 2023: Sara Moore
- 2022: Spencer Decker
Invitations to join the physics honor society Sigma Pi Sigma are extended on the basis of character and professional or scholastic excellence in physics. Each inductee must have completed at least three physics major courses and rank in the top one-third of their class. Butler members must also have a GPA of at least 3.2 in their physics courses.
- 2026: Samuel Castor, Austin Davidson, Calyx Kandel, Sofiia Merenych
- 2025: Lenice Bailey, Grant Brown, Jaclyn McNelis
- 2024: Amandeep Basra, Caroline Erickson, Kinsey Ewing, Devin Kelleher, Alexander Rosenblatt, Carter VanStone
- 2023: Elizabeth Angle, Andrew Davis, Tucker Hurst, Sara Moore, Joshua Wanninger
- 2022: Julia Herkert, Cooper Truong