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Departmental Undergraduate Award Recipients

Every year at Honors Day the department recognizes students and faculty for exemplary academic, research, teaching, and service accomplishments. Below are the awards for our undergraduate honors.

Outstanding First Year Physics Student: This award recognizes exceptional achievement by a student in his or her first year of physics study. The faculty selects this honoree based on academic excellence and scholarly potential.

Robert Talley Awards

  • Outstanding Undergraduate Research: This award goes to a student who has excelled in research as an undergraduate. This honor is based on research acumen and a demonstrated penchant for solving problems through physics theory and experimentation.
  • Outstanding Undergraduate Leadership: This honor goes to the undergraduate who has made the most significant contributions to the department outside the classroom. This student is one who volunteers both time and talent to pursuits that promote a positive image of the department, add depth to its programs, and encourage interest in the field.

James W. McConnell Award for Academic Excellence: First awarded in 2012, this honor recognizes undergraduate physics majors who have senior standing and who have demonstrated outstanding performance in academic coursework.

Douglas V. Roseberry Award: This award recognizes an upper-level student who exemplifies the attributes of Douglas Roseberry, an undergraduate physics major at UT in the late 1950s known for his academic and research acumen as well as his enthusiasm for departmental and campus activities.

Oustanding First Year Physics Student

  • 2023: Dylan Stewart
  • 2022: Raghav Chari, Hugh Jones
  • 2021: Alexander Sizemore, Tyler Ellison
  • 2020: Lucas McBee
  • 2019: William Good
  • 2018: Lara Blokland
  • 2017: Adam Bryant
  • 2016: Kevin Kleiner
  • 2015: Grant Bruer
  • 2014: Louis Varriano
  • 2013: Jesse Buffaloe
  • 2012: John Burnum
  • 2011: Jacob Clark
  • 2010: Caleb Redding
  • 2009: Steven Crawford, Cole Lillard, Zach Lindsay, Bart Weitering
  • 2008: Jeff Nicholas
  • 2007: John Sinclair
  • 2006: Jacob Suggs
  • 2005: Jeff Hankins
  • 2004: Michael Ashworth
  • 2003: Gail Zasowski
  • 2002: Nick Moore and Anton Naoumov
  • 2001: George Noid
  • 2000: Maria Alikakos
  • 1999: Stephen Wilson
  • 1998: Thomas Gadfort
  • 1997: Benjamin Shepler

James W. McConnell Award
(Introduced 2012)

  • 2023: Lucas McBee
  • 2022: Immanuel Schmidt
  • 2021: Lara Blokland
  • 2020: John (Jack) Roberts and David Pochik
  • 2019: Samuel Feldman and Kevin Kleiner
  • 2018: Brandon Barker
  • 2017: Chima McGruder
  • 2016: Daniel Shyles
  • 2015: Matthew Murphy
  • 2014: Cody Wiggins
  • 2013: Bart Weitering
  • 2012: Caleb Redding and Geoffrey Laughon

Robert Talley Awards
(Introduced 2004)

For Outstanding Undergraduate Research

  • 2023: Gage Erwin
  • 2022: Preston Waldrop
  • 2021: Kyle Noordhoek, Adam Bryant
  • 2020: Ian Cox
  • 2019: Noah Crum
  • 2018: Peyton Nanney
  • 2017: Brandon Barker
  • 2016: Blake Erickson
  • 2015: Meg Stuart
  • 2014: Mark Alexander Kaltenborn
  • 2013: Emily Finan
  • 2012: Tucker Netherton
  • 2011: Eric Martin
  • 2010: Geoffrey Laughon, Eric Martin, Oleg Ovchinnikov
  • 2009: Adrian Sanchez
  • 2008: Jeff Tithof, John Hunt
  • 2007: John Sinclair
  • 2006: Sean Lindsay
  • 2005: James Alsup
  • 2004: Anton Naoumov, Scott Outten

For Outstanding Undergraduate Leadership

  • 2023: William Greene, Taylor Sussmane
  • 2022: William Good
  • 2021: Sarah Wellence, Maggie Hinkston
  • 2020: Lucas McClure
  • 2019: Annastashia Blesi
  • 2018: Peter TarlĂ©
  • None for 2017
  • 2016: Brooke Carter
  • 2015: Louis Varriano
  • 2014: Richard Prince
  • 2013: Richard Prince
  • 2012: Richard Prince
  • 2011: George Duffy
  • 2010: George Duffy
  • 2009: Alex McCaskey
  • 2008: Alex McCaskey
  • None for 2007
  • 2006: John Carruth
  • 2005: Olga Ovchinnikov, Chad Overcast
  • 2004: Olga Ovchinnikov

Douglas V. Roseberry Award


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