The Department of Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy conferred a series of awards and honors at their annual Commencement Luncheon on May 20, 2005.

The Robert Resnick Prize was awarded to Jeffrey Levesque. This prize is given to an outstanding student in physics.

The J. Erik Jonsson Prize was awarded to Joseph Yasi. This prize is awarded at Commencement to a senior who has spent at least three years at Rensselaer and has achieved the highest academic record in the class.

The Hillard B. Huntington Award was given to Deli Liu and Kai Liu. This prize was established by friends and former students of the late Hillard B. Huntington, professor emeritus of physics. It is awarded to an outstanding graduate student in physics.

The Eppenstein Award was awarded to Thomas Parker. Established by friends and colleagues of Walter Eppenstein, professor emeritus of physics, to honor his contributions to education at Rensselaer. It is awarded to one or two graduate students for outstanding contribution to our teaching program.

The G. Howard Carragan Award was awarded to Jackson DeBuhr. An annual award based on the income from funds contributed by friends and former students of Professor Carragan, the prize is awarded to a senior in the Department of Physics for outstanding scholarship.

The Karen and Lester Gerhardt Prize in Science and Engineering went to Deli Liu. This prize was established to honor a full-time engineering or science doctoral candidate, who by the originality and insight of his or her work emphasizes the tradition of excellence that is Rensselaer.

Published May 23, 2005