Description of Funds
You can donate at myadv.ucr.edu.
Albert Staats Fund
Supports an award to the graduate student(s) who best utilizes the prototype building facility to conduct his/her research.
Albert Staats was the first head of the prototype building facility in the Physics Department. To show his passion for research and teaching, he and his family have endowed the Albert Staats Prize. This is awarded to the graduate student who has best utilized the prototype building facilities to conduct his/her research.
Anne Kernan Endowed Fund for Physics
This fund shall be used to provide support for graduate students in the Department of Physics under the direction of the chair. If, in the future, the Physics department should be incorporated into a larger entity, it is the donor's desire that support be given to students majoring in the sciences. Selection of the recipients of the award will be made by the Chair, in consultation with the Graduate and Undergraduate Advisors.
Anne Kernan graduated from University College, Dublin, Ireland with a Ph.D. in Physics in 1957. She joined the faculty of the Physics Department at UCR in 1967 and was a founding member of the Experimental High Energy Physics Research group. She rose to leadership positions in the American Physical Society serving as a Divisional Councelor for the Division of Particles and Fields, and on campus she served as Chair of the Department and later as vice Chancellor of Research. After a very successful career, including the discoveries of the W and Z bosons at CERN in 1983 and the discovery of the top quark at Fermilab in 1995, she retired from active research in 1995.
Michael Devirian Physics Student Award Fund
The Michael Devirian Student Support Fund was established in March 2005 by Michael Devirian in order to support undergraduate or graduate students in Physics. Mr. Devirian graduated from UCR in 1966 and later went on to have a successful career at the Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, California. The fund may be applied to any educational needs, including University fees and tuition, books and special educational opportunities such as academic conference attendance.
Benjamin C. Shen Endowed Fund in Physics
Distinguished Professor of Physics, Benjamin C. Shen graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a Ph.D. in Physics in 1965. He joined UCR in 1969 and devoted 38 years of service at the University of California, Riverside. He was instrumental in the founding of the Experimental High Energy Physics group at UCR and to the building of the UCR Department of Physics (now Physics and Astronomy).
Brown Williams Endowed Undergraduate Student Award Fund
Brown Williams was a skilled physicist who described himself as "a technical guy." He engaged his talents in three successful careers, starting with 23 years as a leading research scientist at RCA Labs managing the Electro-Optics Laboratory in Princeton, New Jersey. When GE bought the company, Brown left to co-found Princeton Video Image, Inc., (PVI), patenting the computer system that digitally inserts virtual billboards and ads into sporting events and other live broadcasts. The most familiar application is the first down line seen in NFL games. The major work of his last years was developing and promoting solar power applications, including overseeing the building of American factories in China and consulting to various start-ups and to the Department of Energy.
Robert Wild Family Endowed Scholarship Fund
The award is given to one or more undergraduate or graduate students whose area of focus is physics and/or math. For undergraduate student prospects, preference is to be given to a student who is participating in NCAA athletics with a grade point minimum of 3.0. Equal consideration is given to women and men. Selection is by a committee named by the Physics Department
The late Dr. Robert I. Wild was the first Physicist to join the UCR faculty and was responsible for establishing the Physics laboratories on campus. During his academic career at UCR, he served three terms as Chair of the Department of Physics, was named Fulbright Lecturer during the 1981-82 academic year, and National Science Foundation Fellow. In 1973, he received UCR's Distinguished Teaching Award. In June 1992, with gifts of the income from their Charitable Remainder Annuity Trust, Dr. Wild and his wife, Elleta, created the Robert Wild Family Endowed Scholarship. The funds support undergraduate or graduate students in the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences whose studies focus on math and/or the physical sciences.
