Undergraduate Scholarships and Awards

IMPORTANT: Federal Financial Aid Guidelines

Receipt of funds/awards could impact a student's financial aid package.

Due to Federal Guidelines, except for wages from employment, funds provided to a student receiving federal financial aid will count against their financial aid award package regardless of whether the student is enrolled during the term in which the funding is provided. If your total financial aid, including any new offers, exceeds your eligibility for financial assistance during the academic year, your aid may be limited in a future term or reduced from previously received assistance.

Given the potential for impact on a student's financial aid package, the student is encouraged to contact the Office of Financial Aid with questions or concerns about how an award may impact their financial aid.

Unless specified in the award eligiblity guidelines, financial aid status will not be part of the review process. Once a student is selected, the department will work with the Office of Financial Aid and/or the LSA Scholarship Office to determine how the award can be provided.

You can learn more about financial aid terms and conditions on the Office of Financial Aid's (OFA) website. If you have questions or wouldlike to consult with someone about your particular situation, please contact OFA.

Undergraduate Application-Based Scholarships and Awards

Ralph B. Bodine Scholarship

The Physics Department invites undergraduate physics students at the University of Michigan to apply for the Ralph B. Bodine Scholarship. The scholarship is made possible by a gift from Norman R. Bodine ('64) and United Technologies. It is named in honor of Ralph B. Bodine, a 1936 University of Michigan graduate.

The scholarship provides annual support to a junior-standing student (applications should be submitted by current sophomore-standing students) with proven academic ability in the Department of Physics. The recipient must be a citizen of the United States and in need of financial assistance. If no undergraduates in Physics meet the qualifications, the scholarship is to be given to an undergraduate in electrical engineering or to a first- or second-year graduate student in Physics, in order of preference. Each recipient will receive scholarship support for two years, contingent on satisfactory academic performance and full-time enrollment status.

Award Amount: Provides scholarship support for two years: $16,000 per academic year ($8,000/term) for in-state students and $24,000 per academic year ($12,000/term) for out-of-state students.

Number Awarded: Two or more awards

Scholarship Criteria: Prospective students must be citizens of the United States and receiving financial aid to cover tutition expenses. Students should currently be of sophomore-standing to apply.

Deadline: All materials must be submitted by 5 p.m. on the second Monday in March. The scholarship is awarded in early April.

Apply: Bodine Scholarship Application

The 2022 Ralph B. Bodine Scholarship was awarded to Claire Lundy.

Past Recipients
2021	Anna Simpson
2021	Laura Zichi
2020	Safi-ur-Rahman Syed
2019	Sabrina Corsetti
2018	Anthony Morales
2017	Noah McNeal
2016	Ezra Lesser
2015	Alec Josaitis
2014	Pranav Rao
2013	Hassan Ali
2012	Nico Wagner
2011	Phillip Bonofiglo
2010	Sophie Zhang

Wirt & Mary Cornwell Prize - Undergraduate

The Cornwell Prize is given to a graduating Physics major who has demonstrated intellectual curiosity and given promise of original study and creative work. The award can be made to honor research, teaching, or any other contributions made to the intellectual life of the Department.

Award Amount: at least $5,000

Number Awarded: two or more awards

Award Criteria:

Student must:

Graduate in the current academic year
Be a declared Physics major
Have a GPA of at least 3.5
Have been involved in research while an undergraduate student
Submit one letter of recommendation from a Physics faculty member

Deadline: Student completes and submits the application no later than 5 p.m. on the second Monday in March. The prize is awarded in early April.

Apply: Wirt & Mary Cornwall Prize Application

The 2022 recipients of the Wirt & Mary Cornwell Prize for Undergraduates were Bernie Dong and Jiaming Pan.

Past Recipients
2021	Sabrina Corsetti
2021	Jiaheng He
2020	Sophie Hourihane
2019	Tali Khain
2017	Jacquline Beechert
2017	Wenli Zhao
2016	Efrain Segarra
2015	Yunjie Yang
2014	Timothy (Patton) Doyle
2013	Jonathon Hunacek
2012	Benjamin Isaacoff
2011	Kate Miller
2010	Steven Moses

William L. Williams Thesis Award

This award is established in memory of Professor William L. Williams to honor an outstanding undergraduate thesis. The award recognizes a student who exhibits excellence in posing a question, conducting independent investigation, and determining an answer.

Award Criteria: You must be a University of Michigan student receiving a bachelor's degree in Physics or Interdisciplinary Physics in the current academic year.

Award Amount: $7,500

Number Awarded: One student

How to Proceed: Please send your completed thesis in PDF format to physics.sso@umich.edu. A supporting letter by the thesis advisor is required. Among other things, the letter should include a description of the specific, independent contributions of the student to the thesis. Additional supporting letters are optional, but encouraged.

Deadline: Submit materials to the Student Services Office (physics.sso@umich.edu) by 5 p.m. on the last Monday in March. The awardee is chosen in early April.

The 2022 recipients of the William L. Williams Award were Jiaming Pan and Joseph Ryan.

Past Recipients
2021	Jiani Fei
2021	Luc Le Pottier
2020	Zhiquan Sun
2019	Tali Khain
2018	Alec Josaitis
2017	Wenli Zhao
2016	Jessica Micallef
2015	Yunjie Yang
2014	Kareem Hegazy
2013	Phillip Bonofiglo
2012	Kassandra R. Anderson
2011	Pavel Chvykov
2010	Jason Hindes

Student Awards which Require Nomination

The Patrick C. Dahlin Memorial Award

Patrick C. Dahlin was a Fall 2014 admit to the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan. Early in his freshman year, Patrick discovered an interest in astrophysics that eventually led him to switch to the College of LSA and declare majors in the Departments of Astronomy and Department of Physics. Patrick proved himself to be a very strong student and researcher, maintaining a near perfect GPA in his coursework, before his passing in October 2016. This award was established through a generous gift to the department to honor his memory and to recognize the anticipated contribution to the field of physics by promising students. Students are nominated by Physics and Astronomy faculty; the Physics Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies decides on the final awardee(s).

Award Criteria: An undergraduate pursuing a major in Physics who shows great promise in their studies and/or research involvement.

Award Amount: $1,000 if one student; $500 each if two students

Number Awarded: up to two students per year

The 2022 recipients of the Patrick C. Dahlin Memorial Award were Bryan Helz and Samara Steinfeld.

Otho Lyle Tiffany & Mary Lois Tiffany Fellowship

This prize is for non-graduating physics students who show great promise and progress in their academic efforts. This award is given to students based on faculty nominations and the deliberation of the Undergraduate Awards Committee.

Award Criteria: You must be a University of Michigan student working towards a bachelor's degree in Physics in the current academic year.

Award Amount: $5,000

Number Awarded: Varies; dependent on the competitiveness of the nominees.

The 2022 recipients of the Otho Lyle Tiffany & Mary Lois Tiffany Fellowship were Elise Kesler and Ruide Xu.

Past Recipients
2021	Jiadong Liu
2020	Sabrina Corsetti
2019	Liam Blanchard
2018	Dhayaa Anbajagane
2017	Alec Josaitis
2016	Timothy Borucki
2015	Jaqueline Beechert
	Josephine Dykstra
	Jared Dziurgot
	Joseph Golec
	Alexander Kavner
2014	Katherine Coppess
	Ryan Levy
	Arielle Maxner
	Julia Pakela
	Noah Shutty
2013	Kyle Gordon
	Yashwanth Lagisetty
	Erik Ljungman
	Bardia Nadim
	Jon White
2012	Neal Anderson
	Alexander Blaty
	Sean Carney
	Mary Hemmeter
	Kareem Hegazy
	Tyler Hughes
2011	Nicholas Hac
	Jonathon Hunacek
	Emily Lichko
	William Murdock III
	Justin Priest
2010	Trevor Gray
	Laura Lai
	Michael Stewart
	Benjamin Treweek
	Zimu Li

Walter W. Wada Award for Community Engagement

Walter W. Wada was a native of California who received his Bachelor's of Science degree from the University of Utah and later received his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Michigan. During World War II, Dr. Wada, who was a Japanese-American, was interred in a concentration camp within the U.S. after Imperial Japan's bombing of Pearl Harbor. Despite his experience in forced relocation and incarceration by his own government, Dr. Wada went on to serve his country through service as a nuclear physicist for the U.S. Navy's secret Naval Research Lab in Washington D.C. He also had a prestigious academic career first at Northwestern University and then at The Ohio State University until his retirement in 1989. Dr. Wada made extensive contributions towards research to national and international centers for theoretical high energy physics.

The Walter W. Wada Award honors his memory by recognizing an undergraduate student who has sought out ways to build community, increase cultural understanding, and/or promote respect for diversity within the STEM and/or physics community at large. In this way, the Physics Department advocates for the inclusion of all persons within science and the prodigious contributions that everyone is capable of brining.

Award Criteria: Nominees should be undergraduate University of Michigan students studying physics. Students are nominated by any member of the University of Michigan community (faculty, student, or staff).

Nominations are due the second Monday in March and can be emailed to physics.sso@umich.edu. The award is decided by the Physics Department DEI Committee in early April.

Award Amount: $750.00

Number Awarded: One student per year

The 2021 recipient of the Walter W. Wada Award was Kevin Zvonarek.

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