Awards and Honors

The Department of Physics and Astronomy is proud of the accomplishments of all of our students. Our majors frequently receive awards and recognition for their outstanding academic and extracurricular achievements at Tufts and beyond.

Undergraduate Awards

2023 Recipients:

Cooper Nesmith received the Class of 1911 Prize Scholarship, honoring seniors of engaging personality who, from matriculation as freshmen to their senior year, have made the most progress as measured both by academic record and by successful participation in extracurricular activities of enduring worth.
Connor Courtney received the Prize Scholarship of the Class of 1882, which honors an undergraduate student with great potential for intellectual leadership and creativity.
Hannah Magoon received the Class of 1898 Prize, awarded annually to the students who, having completed at least two years at Tufts, have best demonstrated both high scholarly ability and a wide range of intellectual interest and competence.
Hannah Magoon received the Class of 1947 Victor Prather Prize, awarded to engineering or science majors who have demonstrated excellence in scientific research, enthusiasm for the pursuit of knowledge, and a dedication to scholarly achievement.
Yongqi Zhang received the Amos Emerson Dolbear Scholarship. The Dolbear scholarships are awarded to seniors who have shown promise in the field of either physics or electrical engineering.
Emmett Hamilton and Toki Nishikawa received the N. Hobbs Knight Prize Scholarship in Physics, recognizing outstanding ability in theoretical and experimental physics.
This year's recipients of the Howard Sample Prize Scholarship in Physics for outstanding performance in Physics 11 and Physics 12 are:
- Elias Benghiat
- Sophia Dinn
- Catherine Fagen
- Elizabeth Foster
- Yixin Guo
- Rachel Nathan
- Sean Smallets
- Cooke Tarlton
- Mathis Weber

2023 Sigma Pi Sigma

Founded in 1921, Sigma Pi Sigma is a member honor society of the Association of College Honor Societies. It exists to honor outstanding scholarship in physics; to encourage interest in physics among students at all levels; to promote an attitude of service of its members towards their fellow students, colleagues, and the public; to provide a fellowship of persons who have excelled in physics. Election to Sigma Pi Sigma is a lifetime membership, and the society has some 75,000 historical members. We are pleased to honor our Tufts majors who have been nominated for membership in this society.

Ryan Afzal
David Corro
Sophia Dinn
Luca Grossmann
Hannah Magoon
Miles Mamigonian
Ryan McFarlane
Rachel Nathan
Elizabeth Panner
Leo Sajkov
Noah Stiegler
Cooke Tarlton
Arielle Weinstein

Graduate Awards

William Kirby received the 2023 Tufts University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Award for Outstanding Academic Scholarship at the Doctoral Level.

Veritas Gassmann received the 2022 Tufts University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Award for Outstanding Academic Performance at the Masters Level.

Itamar Allali received the 2021 Tufts University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences' Outstanding Contributions to Undergraduate Education award recognizing excellence as a teaching assistant or in other roles such as mentoring undergraduates for students in the arts, humanities, natural sciences, or social sciences.

Andrew Clark Received the 2021 Tufts University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Award for Outstanding Academic Performance at the Doctoral Level.

Mudit Jain received the 2020 Tufts University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Award for Outstanding Academic Performance at the Doctoral Level.

Alec Drobac received the 2020 Outstanding Contribution to Undergraduate Education Award, given by the Tufts University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence as a teaching assistant or in other roles.

Anna Phillips received the 2018 Tufts University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences' Outstanding Contributions to Undergraduate Education award recognizing excellence as a teaching assistant or in other roles such as mentoring undergraduates for students in the arts, humanities, natural sciences, or social sciences.

Jeremy Wachter received the 2017 Robert P. Guertin Student Leadership Award, given by the Tufts University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding leadership.

Christopher Burke received the 2016 Outstanding Contribution to Undergraduate Education Award, given by the Tufts University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence as a teaching assistant or in other roles.

Dave Thomas received a 2015 student award from the North American Thermal Analysis Society. This award recognizes the best original contribution by a graduate student to the advancement of the field of thermal analysis.

Catherine Weigel was selected for the 2014 Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award sponsored by the American Association of Physics Teachers, and received the 2015 Outstanding Contribution to Undergraduate Education Award from the Tufts University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Wenwen Huang was awarded the 2013 Tufts University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Award for Outstanding Academic Performance at the Doctoral Level.

Spencer Smith was recognized for his exceptional teaching efforts with the 2012 Tufts University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences' Outstanding Contributions to Undergraduate Education award recognizing excellence as a teaching assistant or in other roles such as mentoring undergraduates for students in the arts, humanities, natural sciences, or social sciences.