Student Awards
Whitford Prize
The Whitford Prize, named for the famous Lick astronomer and former director Albert Whitford, is awarded to the second-year Astronomy and Astrophysics graduate student who, in the judgment of the faculty, attains the highest achievement in research, coursework, and teaching. The award includes a $500 cash prize, and is awarded on an annual basis.
All rising 3rd year graduate students are automatically considered for the Whitford Prize at the annual Department Review. Students who have not TA’d by the end of their 2nd year may be evaluated without consideration of the teaching component.
Recent past recipients:
2025 – Courtney Carreira
2024 – Adita Sengupta, Alejandra Rosseli Calderon
2023 – Kyle Davis
2022 – Sagnick Murkherjee
Excellence in Teaching Award
This award recognizes those students who demonstrate an exceptional talent for and interest in teaching. Students who would like to be considered for this award should ask a faculty member to nominate them (in most cases, this is an instructor who supervised the student’s TA-ship during the previous year). Students may optionally submit their Student Experience of Teaching Surveys (SETs), which will be considered along with the faculty nomination. The recipient is chosen on recommendations of faculty, student evaluations, other forms of teaching and mentoring activities, and an optional teaching statement from the nominated student. The award includes a $250 cash prize, and is awarded on an annual basis. (Award term: September-August, i.e. Summer 2022 GSIs and TAs would be nominated as part of the 2021-2022 Department Award nomination cycle.)
Recent past recipients:
2025 – Alejandra Rosseli Calderon
2022 – Brian DiGiorgio
Excellence in Mentoring Award
This award recognizes an Astronomy and Astrophysics graduate student who has excelled in the mentoring of our undergraduates, specifically in the area of research. The recipient chosen must be exceptional for his/her contribution to the education of undergraduates in research. Students who would like to be considered for this award should ask a faculty member to nominate them. The award includes a $250 cash prize, and is awarded on an annual basis. (Award cycle: September-August, i.e. Summer 2022 mentors would be nominated as part of the 2021-2022 Department Award nomination cycle.)
Recent past recipients:
2025 – Sierra Dodd
2022 – Madelyn Broome
Barbara Walker Best Paper Award
This award recognizes the graduate student or postdoctoral fellow who is lead author on a particularly well-written and impactful paper published during the previous academic year (September – August). In cases where the publication date is ambiguous, the paper may only be nominated for the award once. Refereed papers and SPIE papers are eligible.
Recent past recipients:
2025 – Maissa Salama
2024 – Sagnick Murkherjee
2023 – Aarynn Carter
2022 – Alex Mannings
Lloyd Robinson Undergraduate Research Award
The Lloyd Robinson Undergraduate Research Fellowship funds summer internships for UCSC undergraduates working on astronomical instrumentation. Students will have the opportunity to participate in the construction of specialized instruments for telescopes at Lick Observatory and W. M. Keck Observatory. The students will earn a stipend and gain hands-on laboratory experience, preparing them for careers in engineering and/or physics, as well as graduate school.
Recent past recipients:
2025 – Gwendolyn Weber Stover, Dylan Brocchini Rose
2024 – MK Ripley, Tiffany Nguyen
2022 – Aditi Gangadharan, Alina Aguilar
National Science Foundation (NSF)
The purpose of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) is to help ensure the quality, vitality, and strength of the scientific and engineering workforce of the United States. Since 1952, the program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students who are pursuing full-time research-based master’s and doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, including STEM education. NSF GRFP was established to recruit and support individuals who demonstrate the potential to make significant contributions in STEM, including STEM education. NSF encourages applications from the full spectrum of talent that the U.S. has to offer.
Recent past recipients:
2025/2026 – Jenna Karcheski, Anavi Uppal, Anna Gagnebin, Diego Garza, Christopher Evan Davis, Mikayla Wilson, Isabel Kain
Osterbrock Fellowships
Osterbrock Mini-grant projects are the core of the OLP training experience. Selected and managed by the Fellows and supported by small grants from the OLP endowment, Mini-grants are 12-month-long projects that offer unique opportunities for hands-on leadership training. All students in the Astronomy department are eligible to propose for a Mini-grant. The Advisory Council selects the winners, awards the budgets, and provides oversight and guidance.
Recent past recipients:
2025 – Jordan Diaz, Nicholas Scarsdale, Joseph Murphy, Dominic Sanchez, Vivian Tang, Matthew Demartino, Madelyn Broome, Alejandra Rosselli-Calderon, Sierra Dodd, Mikayla Wilson
2024 – Joseph Murphy, Alejandra Rosselli-Calderon, Madelyn Broome, Cesar Rojas Bravo, Matthew Demartino, Vivian Tang, Dominic Sanchez, Nicholas Scarsdale, Jordan Diaz