Doctoral Students in Physics Win Jefferson Lab Graduate Fellowships

Two Old Dominion University students are among eight recipients of Jefferson Science Associates' (JSA) Jefferson Laboratory graduate fellowships.

Bill Ford is researching theoretical physics under the tutelage of Jay W. Van Orden, professor and eminent scholar of physics, and Subashini De Silva is working in accelerator physics with her adviser, Jean Delayen, professor of physics.

They are among eight doctoral students who will use the fellowships to conduct research at their universities and at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab), a U.S. Department of Energy nuclear physics laboratory in Newport News managed and operated by JSA.

Gail Dodge, chair of the physics department in ODU's College of Sciences, said Ford and De Silva faced stiff competition for the awards.

"These fellowships are quite difficult to get, which is why I am particularly pleased that two of our students received these awards this year. They are competing against students from all the (Southeastern Universities Research Association) institutions, including MIT," Dodge said.

The award consists of a semester's research assistant stipend plus a $2,000 supplement. Each student's home institution matches half the research assistantship stipend. An additional $2,000 is also available for research-related travel support for each of the students.

Other fellowship winners include students from the University of Maryland, North Carolina State University, Duke University and the College of William and Mary. ODU is the only school to have two fellowship winners.

The students' research proposals cover a broad scientific spectrum, including experimental physics, theoretical physics and particle accelerator research and development. Ford, a repeat JSA fellowship recipient, completed the 2010-11 academic year at Jefferson Lab.

The Southeastern Universities Research Association, a consortium of more than 60 leading research universities, built and operated Jefferson Lab before becoming a partner of JSA.