Ph.D. Thesis Prize

Annual Prize

Assuming continuation of funding, the User Group awards an annual "JSA Thesis Prize" for the best Jefferson Lab related thesis in a given calendar year. The prize includes a monetary award and travel to the Annual User Group Meeting (typically in June of the following year), where the prize is awarded and the winner gives a presentation on her or his research. The deadline for submission of nominations for any given year is usually in late January of the following year.

2012

For the 2012 competition, the deadline is February 1, 2013 (we thank JSA for once again fully funding this prize). A complete package requires a nomination letter by a senior scientist giving the name and institution of the person being nominated and the names of three people who will send letters of recommendation, along with a copy of the thesis. All materials must be submitted electronically. The three letters of recommendation must be sent before the deadline, as well; it is up to the nominator and the candidate for the Prize to follow up on this.

Theses completed during the calendar year 2012 are eligible, as well as theses completed during the last quarter of 2011 (if they haven't been submitted before). The thesis prize submissions will be judged initially by members of UGBoD, followed by a panel of independent experts to select the final winner. Criteria for evaluation are: quality of written thesis (40%), contribution of student to work (30%), impact of work (15%), service to JLab physics (15%). On behalf of the judges, we strongly encourage students considering a submission to keep their theses as short as possible (preferably under 200 pages). All materials must be sent by email to Lorelei Chopard (lorelei at jlab.org). Please contact the chair of UGBoD (skuhn at odu.edu) for any questions.

This prize is supported by the JSA Initiatives Fund Program, an annual commitment from the JSA owners, SURA and CSC/ATD, to support programs, initiatives, and activities that further the scientific outreach, and promote the science, education and technology missions of Jefferson Lab and benefit the Lab user community.

Past Thesis Prize Award Winners

2011: Biplab Dey (Carnegie Mellon University)

2010 : Xin Qian - Measurement of Single Spin Asymmetry in n(e,e'π^+/-)X on Transversely Polarized ³He

2009 : Daria Sokhan - Beam Asymmetry Measurement from Pion Photoproduction on the Neutron

2009 : Andrew Puckett - Recoil Polarization Measurements of the Proton Electromagnetic Form Factor Ratio to High Momentum Transfer

2008 : Guy Ron - The Proton Elastic Form Factor Ratio at Low Q²

2007 : Michael Williams - Measurement of Differential Cross Sections and Spin Density Matrix Elements Along with a Partial Wave Analysis for γp --> p ω Using CLAS at Jefferson Lab

2007 : Ian Cloet - Nucleon Structure Functions, Their Medium Modifications and the Polarized EMC Effect

2006 : Jianglai Liu - A Measurement of the Strange Quark's Contribution to the Electromagnetic Form Factors of the Nucleon

2005 : Carlos Munoz Camacho - Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering in Hall A of JLab

2004 : Karl Slifer - Spin Structure of ³He and the Neutron at Low Q²; A Measurement of the Extended GDH Integral and the Burkhardt-Cottingham Sum Rule

2003 : Ludyvine Morand - Measurement of the Electroproduction of ω Mesons at Large Four-Momentum Transfer

2002 : Xiaochao Zheng - Precision Measurement of Neutron Spin Asymmetry A1n at Large X_bj Using CEBAF at 5.7 GeV

2001 : Dave Gaskell - Longitudinal Electroproduction of Charged Pions from Hydrogen, Deuterium, and ³He

2000 : Maud Baylac - A Measurement of the Polarization of the Jefferson Laboratory Electron Beam Via the Compton Effect for the HAPPEX Experiment on Parity Violating Elastic Electron-Proton Scattering

1999 : Bart Terburg - High Energy Two-Body Deuteron Photodisintegration

1999 : Ioanna Niculescu - Inclusive Resonance Electroproduction Data from Hydrogen and Deuterium and Studies of Quark Hadron Duality