The National Office of American Physical Society announced yesterday that freshman physics major Ashley Kelsey has been awarded the 2009-2010 American Physical Society Scholarship for Minority Undergraduate Physics Majors. This is a great honor for Ashley and for McMurry. This is highly selective scholarship with only about 30 of these scholarships awarded every year.  Applicants come from across the nation, from all institutions of higher education offering undergraduate physics degrees.

According to APS web site:

The goal of this minority scholarship is to increase the number of under-represented minorities obtaining degrees in physics. It provides funding and mentoring to minority physics students to enhance their education and help them prepare for success in various careers. Through the generosity of corporate and individual donors, the APS has been able to offer the APS Scholarship for Minority Undergraduate Physics Majors (formerly known as the Corporate-Sponsored Scholarship for Minority Undergraduate Students Who Major in Physics). This program, which began in 1980, has graduated students who have received their Ph.D.s in physics and are now working as physics faculty members in universities, as well as research scientists at corporations and national labs. Some past scholars have also become high school physics teachers.

Ashley will receive the scholarship award in two installments.  The first was presented at the beginning of the University Physics class.  The small award ceremony was attended by faculty and students.  Ashley is to be congratulated!

In addition to awarding the scholarship,   APS will help support the Physics Department with mentoring efforts and activities to specifically enrich the educational  experience of the minority scholar and under-represented minorities in the department.  The members of the department are currently planning a number of activities to meet this goal.