Awards

NCS-AAPT Awards

The Walter C. Connolly Award for Teaching at the Pre-College Level

The Walter C. Connolly Award has been set up to reward excellence in teaching physical science at the pre-college level. An Awards Committee of the North Carolina Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers headed by the Section Representative seeks nominations from members and others describing the qualities of such individuals teaching in North Carolina schools. Nomination forms and more detailed information can be gotten by contacting the Section Representative or the Secretary-Treasurer. Recipients receive a certificate, a cheque for $300, a one-year membership in the national AAPT, and donated items from sponsors.

Contributions to the fund are encouraged and are tax deductible.

Walter C. Connolly Award Recipients:

Spring 1999 Elizabeth Woolard

Spring 2000 Patricia (Patty) Blanton

Spring 2006 Teresa (Terri) McMurray

Spring 2007 Sam Wheeler

Best Pedagogical Paper

Best Pedagogical Paper Recipients:

Spring 1996 Elizabeth A. Rieg

Fall 1996 NO AWARD

Spring 1997 Robert J. Beichner

Fall 1997 J. Aaron McAlexander

Spring 1998 Plinio Santos -Filho

Fall 1998 Donald F. Collins

Spring 1999 P. Joseph Heafner

Fall 1999 Donald F. Collins

Spring 2000 NO AWARD

Fall 2000 NO AWARD

Spring 2001 Tom Tretter

Fall 2001 Aaron Titus

Spring 2002 Thomas A Dooling

Fall 2002 J.B. Sharma

Spring 2003 Michael Paesler

Fall 2003 Harlan Devore

Spring 2004 Duane Deardorff

Fall 2004 Anthony Crider

Spring 2005 Wolfgang Christian

Fall 2005 Bruce Sherwood

Spring 2006 J.B. Sharma

Fall 2006 Joe Heafner

Spring 2007 Mario Belloni

Fall 2007 Shawn Weatherford

Spring 2008 Ken Rathbun and Wolfgang Christian

Fall 2008 William McNairy

Spring 2009 Jeff Regester

Fall 2009 Claudine R. Moreau & Thomas A. Dooling (tie)

Spring 2010 Duane Deardorff

Fall 2010 Donald Smith

Spring 2011 Jeffrey Regester

Fall 2011 Aaron Titus

Spring 2012 Gordon Aubrecht, Ohio State University

Fall 2012 Jarrett Lancaster, James Madison University

Spring 2013 Austin Griffin, UNC Pembroke

Fall 2013 James Perkins and Judith Beck, UNC Asheville (Joint)

Spring 2014 Rebecca Stamillo Ehret

Fall 2014 Jeff Regester

Spring 2015 Anthony Crider

Fall 2015 Colleen Countryman

Spring 2016 Colleen Countryman

Fall 2016 Judy Beck

Spring 2017 Laurie McNeil 

Fall 2017 Regina Dewitt 

Spring 2018 Grant Thompson and Isaac Yeboah Aning 

Fall 2018 Jarett Lancaster

Spring 2019 Aaron Titus

Fall 2019 Kyle Altmann 

Fall 2020 Nandana Weliweriya, (University of Georgia) 

Fall 2021 Jonathan Bennett

Spring 2022 Jarrett Lancaster

Fall 2022 Jeff Regester

Best Graduate Student Paper

At each meeting of the NCS-AAPT graduate student papers are considered for an award that includes a cheque for $100. Attendees submit suggestions to any officer and the officers meet and vote on a suitable candidate.

Best Graduate Student Paper Recipients:

Spring 1996 Eric Ayars & Otis Petefer (tie)

Fall 1996 Nicholas Remmes

Spring 1997 Aaron Titus

Fall 1997 Duane Deardorff

Spring 1998 Suzanne Huerth

Fall 1998 NO AWARD

Spring 1999 Duane Deardorff

Fall 1999 Lisa Grable

Spring 2000 Melissa Dancy

Fall 2000 NO AWARD

Spring 2001 NO AWARD

Fall 2001 NO AWARD

Spring 2002 NO AWARD

Fall 2002 NO AWARD

Spring 2003 NO AWARD

Fall 2003 NO AWARD

Spring 2004 Tonya Coffey

Fall 2004 NO AWARD

Spring 2005 Lin Ding

Fall 2005 NO AWARD

Spring 2006 Shawn Weatherford

Fall 2006 NO AWARD

Spring 2007 NO AWARD

Fall 2007 Shawn Weatherford

Spring 2008 Shawn Weatherford

Fall 2008 Alexander Lesov

Spring 2009 NO AWARD

Fall 2009 Jon D.H. Gaffney & Zhengang Wang (tie)

Spring 2010 Jon D. H. Gaffney

Fall 2010 Shawn A. Weatherford

Spring 2011 Mary Bridget Kustusch

Fall 2011 John Mark Aiken

Spring 2012 Brandon Lunk (NCSU)

Fall 2012  Colleen Lanz and Will Sams (NCSU) Joint

Spring 2013 Eric Raymer (NCSU)

Fall 2013  John Aiken (Georgia State University)

Spring 2014 NO AWARD

Fall 2014

Spring 2015 Colleen Lanz Countryman (NCSU)

Fall 2017 Phillip DeVille and Mark Sprague (ECU) 

Fall 2018 Timothy Sault, Hunter G. Close (ECU) 

Best Undergraduate Student Paper

Best Undergraduate Student Paper Recipients:

Fall 1998 Sarah Baxter

Spring 1999 John Conowall

Fall 1999 NO AWARD

Spring 2000 NO AWARD

Fall 2000 NO AWARD

Spring 2001 Chuck Olbert & Chris Clearfield (Joint)

Fall 2001 Sam Hendrix

Spring 2002 Oliver Serang

Fall 2002 Jean Rockford

Spring 2003 Ji-Seon Park

Fall 2003 Bryan Nelsen

Spring 2004 Katie Scholl

Fall 2004 Jennifer Cooper

Spring 2005 Kiril Simov

Fall 2005 Michelle Snyder (Elon University)

Spring 2006 Tie: Cyrus Buffum and Laura Gilbert

Fall 2006 David Sheibley

Spring 2007 Jason York & Michael Everhart [joint]

Fall 2007 George Hall (Elon University)

Spring 2008 Matthew Hoover and Michael Everhart [joint]

Fall 2008 NO AWARD

Spring 2009 Bradley Eidschun & Michael Everhart [joint]

Fall 2009 Daniel Glass (Elon University)

Spring 2010 Elizabeth Messina

Fall 2010 Melissa Guzman

Spring 2011 Jesse Jones

Fall 2011 Rob Argue (Elon University)

Spring 2012 Austin Griffin (UNC Pembroke)

Fall 2012 Andrei Makhanov (High Point University)

Spring 2013 Luis Guadalupe (UNC Pembroke)

Fall 2013 Helen Meskhidze (Elon University)

Spring 2014 Mariah Birchard (App State)

Fall 2014 Anna Wade (UNC Pembroke)

Spring 2015 Helen Meskhidze (Elon University)

Fall 2015 [TIE] Bjorn Ordoubadian (Davidson College)

Fall 2015 [TIE] Natalie Kamitsuka, Jack Hendrick, Nathan Hodges, Chris James, Mike Kuczkuda (UNC Asheville)

Spring 2016 Ben Kaiser (Elon University)

Fall 2016 James Howe (Southwestern Community College) and Hunter Stark (Appalachian State University)

Spring 2017 Ellie Prim (Appalachian State University) 

Fall 2017 Christopher Allen (Appalachian State University) 

Spring 2018 Killian McDonald, James Barstrom, and Sandra Huneycutt (UNC Pembroke) 

Fall 2018 Sandra Huneycutt, Raj Pulugurtha, Janet Tocho, Abasifreke Ebong (UNC Pembroke)

Fall 2020 Aubrey Parks (Davidson College)

Spring 2021 Kerri Prinos (Davidson College)

Fall 2021 Aidan Keaveney 

Spring 2022 Isaac Parker (High Point University)

Fall 2022 Jenny Aguirre (High Point University)

Outstanding Undergraduate Student Award

An annual award to recognize broad academic achievement in a rising junior or senior as indicated by such factors as: GPA, GPA in physics courses, reference letters, research projects or seminars carried out, and a brief narrative provided by the nominee describing what excites him or her about physics, and a description of his or her future plans. The Awards Committee seeks nominations from any NCS-AAPT member. Awardees will receive a certificate and a cheque for $100.

The John L. Hubisz Award for Outstanding Service to the Section

The Awards Committee considers on an irregular schedule nominations for this award. The awardee receives a certificate and a cheque for $500.

The John L. Hubisz Award for Outstanding Service to the Section Recipients:

Spring 1999 John L. Hubisz

Fall 2004 Wolfgang Christian

Spring 2006 Charles A (Chuck) Stone

Spring 2014 Karl Mamola

Fall 2014 Dr. Jose D’Arruda 

Spring 2022 Denise Wetli

Conrad "Bo" Wessell Award for Outstanding Teaching and Service at the Two-Year College Level

The Award has been established to reward excellence in both teaching and service at the two-year college level in North Carolina. For consideration, a nomination letter, as well as two supporting letters detailing the nominees teaching and/or service at the two-year college level, must be sent to the Section Representative or the Secretary-Treasurer. Recipients receive a certificate, a cheque for $300, a one-year membership in the national AAPT, and donated items from sponsors.

Conrad "Bo" Wessell Award for Outstanding Teaching and Service at the Two-Year College Level Recipients:

Spring 2008 Conrad "Bo" Wessell   

Spring 2022 Joe Heafner