Student Awards

Physics undergrad awarded 2025 Brooke Owens Fellowship

Kirsten Apodaca — Fri, 14 Feb 2025 15:39:05 +0000

Physics undergrad awarded 2025 Brooke Owens Fellowship Kirsten Apodaca Fri, 02/14/2025 - 08:39

Physics senior Annalise (Anna) Cabra has been named a 2025 Brooke Owens Fellow. Established in honor of industry pioneer Brooke Owens, the prestigious fellowship is awarded to exceptional students to help launch their careers in space or aviation. The program provides a paid internship at a leading aerospace company, executive-level mentorship, and networking.

Cabra was one of 44 students selected nationally for the highly competitive program this year. Her honoree bio below is from the Brooke Owens Fellowship announcement.

A senior at the �鶹ӰԺ, Cabra is majoring in physics with an astrophysics concentration and minoring in mathematics. After graduation, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering with a focus on in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) and dust mitigation. Her ultimate goal is to help overcome the challenges of the lunar environment to advance human and space exploration.

At CU’s IMPACT lab (Institute for Modeling Plasma, Atmospheres, and Cosmic Dust), Anna conducts experimental research on planetary dust charging dynamics when exposed to solar wind plasma. Her work also focuses on developing methods for charging and separating regolith by size for ISRU applications.

Additionally, Anna is a spacecraft navigation software intern at CU’s ORCCA lab (Orbital Research Cluster for Celestial Applications), where she develops, verifies, and validates code for an orbit determination framework supporting the United Arab Emirates asteroid mission. Her previous experience includes contributions to NASA’s Lucy and TSIS-1 Missions, where she worked in science operations and data systems.

Anna is also passionate about STEM outreach and expanding opportunities for women and minorities, aiming to inspire others to pursue careers in the field and contribute to scientific advancement. At CU, she has served as Vice President and Treasurer of CU Women of Aeronautics and Astronautics (WoAA) and co-founded CU Women of Quantum through the Quantum Scholars program. Before college, she traveled to Mexico to teach local students about the solar system with limited resources and later became a CU Science Discovery mentor, leading an after-school program that integrated math and art activities for elementary students.

Outside of her professional pursuits, Anna enjoys attending CU football games, traveling, going to concerts, working out, and spending time with friends. As a 2025 Brooke Owens Fellow, she is thrilled to expand her industry experience as a flight dynamics intern at HawkEye 360!

Visit the Brooke Owens Fellowship website for more information on all Class of 2025 fellows.

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Graduate student Clay Klein awarded 2025 Nick Cobb Memorial Scholarship

Kirsten Apodaca — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 19:21:28 +0000

Graduate student Clay Klein awarded 2025 Nick Cobb Memorial Scholarship Kirsten Apodaca Wed, 01/15/2025 - 12:21

Physics graduate student Clay Klein has been awarded the prestigious 2025 Nick Cobb Memorial Scholarship, presented by SPIE, the International Society for Optics and Photonics, and Siemens EDA. The scholarship, valued at $10,000, recognizes Klein’s outstanding contributions to the field of optics and photonics.

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Undergraduate Student Luke Coffman is Awarded a 2024 Astronaut Scholarship

Anonymous — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 22:13:26 +0000

Undergraduate Student Luke Coffman is Awarded a 2024 Astronaut Scholarship Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 08/08/2024 - 16:13

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Three physics students awarded Charles A. Barth scholarships from LASP

Anonymous — Wed, 11 Oct 2023 22:06:13 +0000

Three physics students awarded Charles A. Barth scholarships from LASP Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 10/11/2023 - 16:06

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Five physics students awarded prestigious NSF fellowships

Anonymous — Wed, 07 Jun 2023 19:18:21 +0000

Five physics students awarded prestigious NSF fellowships Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 06/07/2023 - 13:18

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Physics Student Emma Simmerman awarded prestigious Astronaut Scholarship

Anonymous — Thu, 27 Sep 2018 23:24:52 +0000

Physics Student Emma Simmerman awarded prestigious Astronaut Scholarship Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 09/27/2018 - 17:24

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Javier Orjuela-Koop Wins People's Choice Award at Inaugural 3 Minute Thesis Competition

Anonymous — Fri, 02 Mar 2018 20:46:31 +0000

Javier Orjuela-Koop Wins People's Choice Award at Inaugural 3 Minute Thesis Competition Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 03/02/2018 - 13:46

View the 3MT News Article

Congratulations to Physics Grad Student Javier Orjuela-Koop for winning the People's Choice Award during the Inaugural Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition on Tuesday, February 20th.

Orjuela-Koop's Thesis, "Michael Phelps and the Early Universe" was presented using only one powerpoint slide, which was an image of Michael Phelps swimming. His presentation earned the People's Choice Award by a popular audience vote.

Orjuela-Koop said his 3 Minute Thesis naturally arose from his current research in high-energy nuclear, "We collide gold atoms at nearly the speed of light at Brookhaven National Lab, reaching temperatures at which ordinary matter becomes a liquid of quarks and gluons (the technical name is 'quark-gluon plasma'). This liquid has very peculiar properties. Namely, it has an extremely low viscosity (the lowest of any liquid in nature), yet certain kinds of particles lose substantial amounts of energy when going through it," Orjuela-Koop said. "In order to present this in three minutes, I came up with an analogy, comparing Michael Phelps to a heavy subatomic particle 'swimming' through the liquid. This was meant to provide a clear mental picture to which a general audience could relate."

Check out the video of Javier Ojruela-Koop's 3MT lecture below.

[video:https://youtu.be/S4ByqYw1dLc]

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Graduate Robert Blackwell Earns APS Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Award in Biological Physics

Anonymous — Tue, 21 Mar 2017 20:39:42 +0000

Graduate Robert Blackwell Earns APS Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Award in Biological Physics Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 03/21/2017 - 14:39

Congratulations to PhD graduate Robert Blackwell for earning the 2016 Award for Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Research in Biological Physics.

“I'm honored to be in such amazing company. There isn't a much better feeling than giving your hard work to the scientific community.” Blackwell said, “Having that work recognized is almost surreal.”

Blackwell’s thesis explored the physical mechanisms underlying mitosis in fission yeast. “My focus was on a computational model for determining the mechanical roles of proteins during spindle formation,” Blackwell said.

According to their site, this APS award was established, “to recognize doctoral thesis research of outstanding quality and achievement in any area of experimental, computational, engineering, or theoretical Biological Physics, broadly construed, and to encourage effective written and oral presentation of research results.”

During his graduate work at CU �鶹ӰԺ, Blackwell conducted research in the Biophysics Group under Principal Investigators Meredith Betterton and Matt Glaser.

“I don't think I could have had more ideal advisors than Matt and Meredith. Most importantly, they both provided useful discussion, technical expertise and even experimental data whenever I needed. I always had the comfort and support needed to hash out ideas and discuss the next steps,” Blackwell said. “This is a gross oversimplification, but from a personality perspective, Matt really gave me the freedom to experiment and try the things I wanted to try and see what I could find. Meredith helped keep me focused and to do the most important things first.”

“This is fantastic news for Robert and we're very proud of him.” Professor Betterton said.

“Robert’s work on the fission yeast mitotic spindle was a tour de force of computational science, involving the design, implementation, optimization, and validation of a large and complex simulation code,” Professor Glaser said. “When I first met Robert, he had minimal exposure to computational physics and numerical methods, and a limited knowledge of biophysics and bioscience. Over the intervening years, I’ve seen him develop deep expertise in these areas, and he is well positioned to become a leader in the interdisciplinary intersection of statistical physics, biological physics, computational physics, numerical analysis, and computer science.”

After graduating from CU �鶹ӰԺ, Blackwell joined the Freiderich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nürnberg Institute of Theoretical Physics in Germany as a postdoctoral researcher.

As part of the award, Blackwell will deliver a presentation based on his thesis work during the 2018 APS March Meeting.

View the Award Page

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Engineering Physics Student Matthew Winchester Wins 2016 Goldwater Scholarship

Anonymous — Fri, 01 Apr 2016 21:24:45 +0000

Engineering Physics Student Matthew Winchester Wins 2016 Goldwater Scholarship Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 04/01/2016 - 15:24

Congratulations to Matthew Winchester who was awarded a 2016 Goldwater Scholarship! Matthew is majoring in Engineering Physics, and is working on an honors research project on super-radiant lasers in James Thompson’s lab.

After graduating with his undergraduate degree, Matthew plans to pursue a Ph.D. in physics, conducting research in atomic, molecular, and optical physics with an emphasis on precision metrology and then teach at the University level.

According to their website, The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program was established by Congress in 1986 to honor Senator Barry Goldwater, who served his country for 56 years as a soldier and statesman, including 30 years of service in the U.S. Senate.

The scholarship recognizes sophomores and juniors who have achieved high academic merit and who are expected to be leaders in their fields.

Matthew is the fourth CU-Physics Goldwater Scholar in the last two years. Other recent Goldwater Scholars were Oak Nelson (Engineering Physics, 2015), Ryan Dewey (Physics and Astrophysics, 2014), and Jasmine Brewer (Engineering Physics, 2014).

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Three Engineering Physics Students Selected Outstanding Graduates of College of Engineering & Applied Science

Anonymous — Mon, 14 Mar 2016 23:36:24 +0000

Three Engineering Physics Students Selected Outstanding Graduates of College of Engineering & Applied Science Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 03/14/2016 - 17:36

Congratulations to three Engineering Physics students who have been selected as Outstanding Graduates of the College of Engineering and Applied Science for May 2016.

Outstanding Graduate of the College — Andrew "Oak" Nelson

Oak Nelson has, most recently, been working with Professor Tobin Munsat at the dust accelerator at IMPACT. During his undergraduate work, Oak spent a semester working on proton fast ignition at the Technische Universität Darmstadt in Germany to gain experience in the highly specialized field.

As an undergraduate, he also has been a co-author on two scientific papers. He has also received the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship.

This is the second semester in a row that an EPEN major was selected as the Outstanding Graduate of the College. Peter Madigan was selected for that honor in December 2015.

Outstanding Graduate for Service — Maithreyi Gopalakrishnan (EPEN BS/MS)

Maithreyi Gopalakrishnan has been working with Professor Margaret Murnane on studies of magnetic dynamics using ultrafast lasers. Recognizing the growing problem of pollution in India, She created a company that builds hybrid electric conversion kits for small vehicles in developing countries.

Gopalakrishnan and her team participated in CU-�鶹ӰԺ's New Venture Challenge, and their revolutionary hybrid kit earned the venture the Social Impact Prize, which awards $3,000 to the business that best harnesses commercial models to create social and environmental change.

Jack Olsen was selected as the Outstanding Graduate for Service in May 2014.

Outstanding Graduate for Research — Nikola Maksimovic, AMEN and EPEN

Nikola Maksimovic has been working with Professor Scott Parker on plasma physics simulations. He has been working with field aligned Fourier filtering schemes in magnetic geometry. Maksimovic was selected as the 2015 Raul and Ruth Stern Scholar, an honor awarded by the Department of Physics. Recently, he won the 2015 Oscar Buneman Award for Visualization of Plasmas during the International Conference on Numerical Plasmas in August 2015 (Pictured left with Physics Professor Scott Parker.)

This is the fourth semester in a row that an EPEN major was selected as the Outstanding Graduate for Research. The previous three were Luke Long in December 2015, Jasmine Brewer in May 2015, and Rees McNally in December 2014.

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