Greg Crawford, dean of the College of Science, hosted the annual Dean’s Award Luncheon on Friday, May 17, 2013 in the Jordan Hall of Science Galleria. Over 250 students, family members, faculty, and staff were in attendance to celebrate the achievements of the college’s top graduates from the Class of 2013.
The Department of Physics was honored to have two of its graduating seniors recognized with the Dean's Research Award. Established in 2012, the award is presented in recognition of exceptional research within and across the traditional boundaries of scholarly disciplines to a graduating senior who embraces, facilitates, and fosters an environment of scientific inquiry.
Kevin Kelly of Troy, Mich. graduated with a double major in mathematics and physics. As an undergraduate, he was very active in particle physics, working with Michael Hildreth. He was also elected as the 2012-13 drum major for the Notre Dame Marching Band. Next year he will begin pursuing a Ph.D. at Northwestern University where he will continue his research in particle physics.
Kevin McDermott of Burr Ridge, Ill. graduated with a major in physics and was a member of the Glynn Family Honors Program. He began participating in undergraduate research during his sophomore year. He has worked on various projects regarding the Higgs boson analysis and his work will contribute to a publication this fall. Last summer he participated in the University of Michigan REU program at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland were he participated in the ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) project. Next year he will attend Cornell University to pursue his Ph.D. and continue his research in high energy physics.