Giving

UC Davis Physics & Astronomy is honored and grateful for the continued support from the numerous donors who are committed to ensuring quality education and research now and beyond. Please see below information regarding our amazing donor awards and funds:

Paul Brady Graduate Fellowship

The fellowship shall be awarded for the purposes of both recruiting intellectually promising graduate students entering their first year of graduate-level study and retaining outstanding continuing graduate students. The fellowship recipients shall be known as Brady Fellows. Preference for the fellowship will be given to students with interests in the areas of nuclear and particle physics. Students with interestes in other areas of academic discovery may also be considered for the Fellowship. This award was established in 2010 by Professor Emeritus of Physics F. Paul Brady.

Applications of Physics to Environmental Problems Research Fund

Established in 2017 by Thomas and Virginia Cahill, this fund supports multi-year research by tenured faculty and their graduate students in the Department of Physics to address critical environmental concerns.

Ling-Lie Chau Graduate Fellowship in Physics

Supports high-achieving first-year graduate students in the Department of Physics at UC Davis, to enhance quality of graduate student recruitment and to reduce the recipients' first quarter graduate student teaching assistant work load. This award was established in 2012 by Professor Emerita Ling-Lie Chau who has been a Professor with UCD since 1986. She established this endowment to show her gratitude to UCD for recruiting her as the only female Professor of Physics in the department until 1994.

Hui-Hwa Chiang Endowed Scholarship in Physics

Provide student support to undergraduate students having majored in Physics at UC Davis for at least one year.

James D. Cone Graduate Fellowship

Awarded by the Department of Physics for the purpose of recruiting intellectually promising graduate students entering their first year of graduate-level study and for retaining outstanding continuing graduate students. The award was established in 2016 by James D. "Dave" Cone, an alumnus of UCD. He received his MS and PhD in physics in 2010 and 2013, respectively. Dave was a very successful businessman before he decided to change careers and applied to study physics at UC Davis. Preference for the fellowship will be given to students with interests in the areas of condensed matter. Students with interests in other areas of academic discovery may also be considered for the fellowship. Fellowship recipients shall be known as the "Cone Fellows."

Ryan Couch Memorial Endowment travel award

Supports travel awards for graduate students to present papers at major conferences and to support graduate education in physics at UCD. Criteria for these awards shall include: 1) The excellence and impact of the work to be reported (as attested to in writing by the faculty advisor and any preprints or drafts of paper). 2) Whether papers have been previously presented on this or any other topics (preference may be given to students presenting their first paper). 3) Financial need (as judged by other available resources). This award was established in 1995 by the family of Ryan Couch. Couch was a Ph.D. candidate in the Dept of Physics when he passed away in 1995. An endowment was created in 1996 in his honor by his parents.

Ryan Couch Memorial Fellowship

Supports one or more graduate students in the Department of Physics. Established in 2009 by the parents of Ryan Couch through a partial bequest. Couch was a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Physics when he passed away in 1995.

Frederica Darema Speaker Forum

This fund, established in 2019 by Dr. Frederica Darema, supports a speaker forum in the Department of Physics. This Forum serves as an opportunity for invited speakers to showcase their search work in any area of physics, or in any area where physics interfaces with other STEM fields. The invited speakers should be lectureers who are tenure-track assistant professors at a US university, prefereably in their 4th, 5th or 6th year, whose life experiences have given them the unique perspective of understanding and overcoming obstacles consistent with those identifying as underrepresented scholars (women or other underrepresented minorities). Exceptional tenured or tenure-track research staff in US Federal or private sector research laboratories (preferably in their 3rd, 4th, and 5th year) are also eligible.

C.Y. Fong Graduate Fellowship In Physics

To provide support to graduate students pursuing a Ph.D. in physics with a research topic in condensed matter physics. The award was established in 2015 by Distinguished Professor CY Fong and his wife Jane-Lin. CY Fong has been a Professor of Physics at UCD since 1969, studying in the area of his Fellowship (condensed matter theory).

John F. and M.M. Ann Gunion Fund for the Support of High Energy Phenomenology

This award supports study, research and teaching in High Energy Phenomenology in the Department of Physics.

Nancy and John Jungerman Graduate Award in Physics

Supports one or more graduate students yearly. Established in 2010 by Nancy and John Jungerman. John was Chair and Professor Emeritus of Physics at UCD from 1951-1991. He was also the founding director of the Crocker Nuclear Lab.

Richard L. Lander Data Analysis and Visualization Laboratory

Supports building renovations and enhancements to the Physics building to create a lab that will sustain the international high enery particle physics lab.

Roderick V. Reid Graduate Student Fellowship

Provides a fellowship for one or more outstanding graduate students annually that may be awarded at the department's discretion regardless of the student's research area in physics. Endowed in 2012 by Charles Reid, the brother of Roderick V. Reid. Reid was Professor Emeritus of Physics at UCD. He was known for his development of the "Reid Potential". Multiple donors contibuted to his memorial fund after he passed away in 2011.

Saxon-Patten Prize Fund

Awards a senior who has achieved academic excellence and shows interest and promise in continued work in physics and/or the physical sciences. Established by a gift from UC President David S. Saxon in 1976. Later renamed to Saxon-Patten in honor of Professor Patten, the first Chair of the Physics Department who passed away in 1985.

John M. Rodgers Memorial Grant For Experimental High-Energy Physics

To be used for expenses related to research, equipment, supplies and travel, in connection with high-energy physics in the Dept of Physics at UC Davis.

Brinson Prize Fellowship

Support of a Brinson Prize Fellowship within the Tyson Group within the Department of Physics.

Michael and Ester Vaida Endowed Chair in Cosmology and Astrophysics

Gives special recognition to an individual selected and to provide supplemental financial support for teaching, research, outreach and all other related purposes. The Endowment was established by Michael and Ester Vaida. Michael received his PhD from UCD in 1973 in computational physics and computer science.

Michael and Ester Vaida Graduate Fellowship in Physics

This gift will provide support to graduate students in the Department of Physics. Established through a bequest by Michael and Ester Vaida. Michael received his PhD from UCD in 1973 in computational physics and computer science.

Robert and Adrian Shelton Prize

Awards a student graduating with a degree from the Physics & Astronomy Dept.