Scholarships and Awards
Undergraduate Scholarships
| Undergraduate Awards | Eligibility | Deadline/Application |
|---|---|---|
| Building Engagement in Laboratories, Networking, and Peer Groups (BELONG) in STEM Scholars Program | Juniors majoring in biological sciences, chemistry, biochemistry, physics, geology and environmental geosciences, mathematics, or computer science | March 15, 2019 |
| Dean's Award | Senior who has made outstanding contributions to the Physics Department, with at least 90 credit hours and 3.0 GPA | Selected by committee; no application. Nominations from faculty |
| Intern of the Month and Intern of the Year Scholarship Awards | Career Services acknowledges outstanding NIU students who have completed a career-related work experience. | December |
| Jerrold H. Zar | one scholarship awarded to a continuing undergraduate student, chosen from nominees in BIOS, CHEM, GEOL, and PHYS. | March |
| Paul and Elizabeth Kling | awarded to outstanding junior or senior in math/science education; criteria include a 3.0 minimum GPA, with preference given to demonstrated financial need. | March |
| Winifred and Frank Halsey award | awarded to a full-time student, preferably female with a demonstrated financial need, majoring in BIOS, CHEM, or PHYS. | January |
| Physics Department Outstanding Senior Award ($100) | Graduating Senior who has demonstrated excellence in physics | Nominated by faculty; No application. |
| John and Lili LaTourette Student Research Award ($750 stipend or research expenses) | Junior or senior full-time student engaged in physics research | Nominated by faculty; No application. |
| Lincoln Laureate Award | Outstanding Senior with at least 3.5 GPA and demonstrated leadership in extra-curricular activities | September |
| NIU Scholarship Search | Varied | Varied |
M.S. Scholarships
|
M.S. Student Awards |
Eligibility | Application/Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Thesis Competition Award (from Graduate School, $500) | MS degree awarded in Summer, Fall, or Spring | Nominations by faculty must be received by Physics Department by September. |
| University Fellowship Award | For all M.S. students pursuing their first graduate degree | Physics Department deadline February. Top three nominations forwarded to the Graduate School by February. |
| Physics Department Outstanding M.S. Student Award ($100) | Graduating M.S. student who has demonstrated excellence in physics | Nominated by faculty; No application. |
| Jeffrey Lunsford Fellowship | Underrepresented graduate student working toward M.S. degree | February - application |
Ph.D. Scholarships
| Ph.D. Student Awards | Eligibility | Application/Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Dissertation Competition Award (from Graduate School, $750) | Ph.D. degree awarded in Summer, Fall, or Spring | Nominations by faculty must be received by Physics Department by September. |
| Dissertation Completion Fellowship (from the Graduate School) | Doctoral candidate approaching final year of study; 5 page research proposal required | February |
| Dissertation Facilitation Award (from CLAS) | Ph.D. student in last summer of program | Usually end of April; (TBA) Nominated by faculty; No application |
| Physics Department Outstanding Ph.D. Student Award ($100) | Ph.D. student who has demonstrated excellence in research | Nominated by faculty; No application |
| Carter G. Woodson Scholars Program | Underrepresented graduate student working toward Ph.D. degree | February - application |
| M.S. and Ph.D. Students | Eligibility | Application/Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Alumni Association Merit Scholarship Program | Currently enrolled, transfer or re-entering undergraduate, or graduate student | February |
| Graduate School Fellowships/Awards | Varied | Varied |
| Leadership Awards Program | Undergraduate and/or graduate students who have shown outstanding participation and leadership in student organizations | February |
| Outstanding Graduate Student Awards | Acknowledges outstanding NIU graduate students. One M.S. and one Ph.D. student. | Nominations by faculty to the Awards Committee should be received by February |
| Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Awards | Acknowledges outstanding NIU graduate teaching assistants. One M.S. and one Ph.D. student | Nominations by faculty to the Awards Committee should be received by February |
| Physics Department Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award ($100) | Acknowledges outstanding graduate teaching assistant in the Physics Department | Nominated by faculty. No application. April. |
| External Scholarship Awards | Eligibility | Application/Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| APS Minority Scholarships | African-American, Hispanic American, or Native American U.S. citizen or permanent resident who is majoring in physics. | application |
| DoD SMART Scholarships | U.S. citizen, GPA 3.0 or higher, willing to work for Deparment of Defense. | December - application |
| AAPT Barbara Lotze Scholarship for Future Teachers | U.S. citizens attending U.S. schools. Undergraduate students enrolled or planning to enroll in physics teacher preparation curricula, and high school seniors entiring such programs. | December - application |
| Affordable Colleges Online | Varied | Varied |
Previous Physics Student Recipients
Graduate School University Fellowship
2018-2019 - Tilak Malla, 2017-2018 - Logan Rice
Outstanding Department Senior Student
2017 Anthony Colangelo, 2016 Javier Diaz, Alison Peisker. 2015 Stephen Boi. 2014 Jacob Kalnins. 2013 Aaron Epps.
Outstanding Department/Graduate M.S. Student
2018 Bhattiprolu Prudhvi, 2017 Andrew Fiedler, 2016 Harsh Deshpande. 2015 (none). 2014 Mary Shenk. 2013 Hamoud Somaily.
Outstanding Department/Graduate Ph.D. Student
2018, Matthew Andorf, 2017 Blake Burghgrave, 2016 Blake Burghgrave, Laxman Thoutam. 2015 Francois Lemery. 2014 Michael Latimer. 2013 Stephen Cole.
Outstanding Department T.A.
2017 Sebastian Szustkowski, 2016 Aaron Epps, Ryan Churchill-DeRose. 2015 Daniel Stange, Nilanjana Kumar. 2014 Laxman Thoutam. 2013 Preeti Vodnala.
Outstanding University Ph.D. Thesis
2016 Francois Lemery. 2015 Stephen Cole.
Lincoln Laureate Award - Finalist
2015 Alison Peisker; 2015 Stephen Cole.
Dissertation Completion Award
2015 Keith Taddei. 2013 Tim Maxwell.
Dissertation Completion Fellowship
2018 Anusorn Lueangaramwong, 2017 Blake Burghgrave, 2016 Keith Taddei. 2014 Francois Lemery. 2013 Stephen Cole.
Most Outstanding Dissertation
2015-2016 Francois Lemery.
Dean's Award
2017 Wataru Hashimoto.
External Scholarships and Fellowships
- Scholarship Listings from The Nucleus
- Department of Homeland Security
- The Army Research Laboratory (ARL) invites exceptional young researchers to apply for the ARL Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowship.
- NRC fellowships - for graduate students
- IDA - STPI Science Policy Fellowship Program
- DOE Scholars
