Scholarships, Research Fellowships, and Awards
for Undergraduates
Scholarships
The physics department has a limited number of scholarships for outstanding undergraduate candidates who commit to major in physics. Incoming freshmen are eligible to apply; all letters of application will be considered. Contact Dr. Jon Levin (jlevin@utk.edu or 865-974-8705).
The UT Office of Financial Aid provides information about scholarships, loans, and need-based aid. This office has a great deal of information on general UT scholarships (one-year and four-year), alumni scholarships, grants, loans, and work study programs. Various applications can be downloaded from the Web site.
The university also offers a prestigious Chancellor’s Honors Program that could well suit the physics major. The College of Arts and Sciences offers outstanding students the opportunity to tailor a curriculum through the College Scholars Program, which offers a variety of merit-based scholarships on a competitive basis to rising seniors in enrolled in the Scholars program.
Summer Research Fellowships
The physics department offers financial support for students in the form of fellowships and part-time employment. The Science Alliance Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowship program is designed to give outstanding undergraduate students the opportunity to gain experience in physics research. Students learn research procedures and techniques while exchanging ideas and experiences with other program participants, graduate students, and physics faculty. Each research fellow spends 10 weeks working on a full-time research project supervised by a physics faculty member. Dr. Marianne Breinig is the contact person for the program. For more information, see the Web site (http://electron4.phys.utk.edu/sa).
Departmental Employment
Undergraduate physics majors have the opportunity to earn extra money and professional experience by working for the physics department. Responsibilities range from helping with the setup of physics labs to developing Web pages. Students interested in departmental employment should contact Dr. Jim Parks (jeparks@utk.edu).
Awards
Each spring, the department awards distinctive honors to deserving undergraduates: the Outstanding First Year Physics Student, the Douglas V. Roseberry Distinguished Upper Class Major Award, and the Robert Talley Awards for Outstanding Undergraduate Research and Outstanding Undergraduate Leadership. The faculty selects the winners based on student dedication to scholarship, leadership, and excellence.