XII. Graduate Student Awards

1. Award Process

Graduate students in Astronomy & Astrophysics are eligible for a number of awards, fellowships, and prizes.  These can be awarded by the department, by the university based on department nominations, or by the university based on individual nominations.  Deadlines vary, but will be communicated by the Graduate Advisor annually.

The Whitford Prize winner is selected by the faculty during the annual Department Review.  Fellowships for incoming graduate students are selected by the Graduate Admissions Committee.  All other awards and department nominees are selected by faculty on the Awards Committee.  Faculty are recused from discussing or voting on nominations that involve a student that they advise, or a student that they nominated.  In the case of the Barbara Walker award, faculty are also considered conflicted if they appear as an author on a nominated paper.  As a result, the composition of the Awards Committee may change frequently to avoid conflicts.

Students are encouraged to discuss these awards with their advisor, and to request nominations.

II. Awards Given by the Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics

A. Whitford Prize

The Whitford Prize, named for the famous Lick astronomer and former director Albert Whitford, is awarded to the second-year Astronomy and Astrophysics graduate student who, in the judgment of the faculty, attains the highest achievement in research, coursework, and teaching. The award includes a $500 cash prize, and is awarded on an annual basis.

All rising 3rd year graduate students are automatically considered for the Whitford Prize at the annual Department Review.  Students who have not TA’d by the end of their 2nd year may be evaluated without consideration of the teaching component. 

B. Excellence in Teaching

This award recognizes those students who demonstrate an exceptional talent for and interest in teaching. Students who would like to be considered for this award should ask a faculty member to nominate them (in most cases, this is an instructor who supervised the student’s TA-ship during the previous year).  Students may optionally submit their Student Experience of Teaching Surveys (SETs), which will be considered along with the faculty nomination.The recipient is chosen on recommendations of faculty, student evaluations, other forms of teaching and mentoring activities, and an optional teaching statement from the nominated student. The award includes a $250 cash prize, and is awarded on an annual basis (Award term: September-August, i.e. Summer 2022 GSIs and TAs would be nominated as part of the 2021-2022 Department Award nomination cycle.)

C. Excellence in Mentoring

This award recognizes an Astronomy and Astrophysics graduate student who has excelled in the mentoring of our undergraduates, specifically in the area of research. The recipient chosen must be exceptional for his/her contribution to the education of undergraduates in research. Students who would like to be considered for this award should ask a faculty member to nominate them. The award includes a $250 cash prize, and is awarded on an annual basis. (Award cycle: September-August, i.e. Summer 2022 mentors would be nominated as part of the 2021-2022 Department Award nomination cycle.)

D. Barbara Walker Best Paper Award

This award recognizes the graduate student or postdoctoral fellow who is lead author on a particularly well-written and impactful paper published during the previous academic year (September - August).  In cases where the publication date is ambiguous, the paper may only be nominated for the award once.  Refereed papers and SPIE papers are eligible.  

III. UCSC Awards Requiring a Nomination from the Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics

These fellowships are offered, on the basis of merit, to admitted graduate students.  The fellowships include an academic year stipend, tuition and fees for 3 years.  The Astronomy & Astrophysics admissions committee nominates 2 students annually, based on the content of their graduate applications.

These fellowships are offered, on the basis of merit, to admitted graduate students “who have overcome significant social or educational obstacles to achieve a college education, and whose backgrounds equip them to contribute to intellectual diversity among the graduate student population.”  The fellowships include an academic year stipend, a partial summer stipend, tuition and fees for 3 years.  The Astronomy & Astrophysics admissions committee nominates 3 students annually, based on the content of their graduate applications.

These fellowships are based on the academic merits of the nominee and cover 1-3 quarters of stipend, tuition and fees.  The nominee must be in a position to complete their dissertation by the end of the next academic year.  Students interested in applying for this fellowship should prepare a nomination packet that will be evaluated by a department awards committee.  The department may forward up to 2 nominations to the division.

Presidential fellowships are based on both academic merit and diversity criteria: the academic achievement of the nominee, the potential for success in academia, and the extent the nominee contributes to the diversity among doctoral degree recipients in the division.  The fellowships cover 1-3 quarters of stipend, tuition and fees.  The nominee must be in a position to complete their dissertation by the end of the next academic year.  Students interested in applying for this fellowship should prepare a nomination packet that will be evaluated by a department awards committee.  The department may forward up to 2 nominations to the division.

These scholarships are based on academic merit, and have a minimum GPA requirement of 3.5. Students interested in applying for this fellowship should prepare a nomination packet that will be evaluated by a department awards committee.  The department may forward up to 2 nominations to the division.

IV. Other UCSC Awards

Elmer Fridley Award–

https://science.ucsc.edu/research-opportunities/elmer-a-fridley-award-in-the-physical-sciences/

Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) Denise Denton Graduate Award and Research Prize