“A Sloan Research Fellowship is one of the most prestigious awards available to young researchers, in part because so many past Fellows have gone on to become distinguished figures in science [including 59 winners of the Nobel Prize and 79 winners of the National Medal of Science].”
– The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
UMassGives is here, and we ask you to invest in the innovative curriculum and cutting-edge research at UMass Physics in a broad set of fields, which include quantum matter and quantum information, particle and nuclear physics, statistical and soft matter physics, and bio-inspired materials.
As one of only four 2025-2027 Departments of Distinction selected by the Commission of Education of the American Physical Society, we celebrate UMass Physics’s recent accomplishments:
- Professor Andrea Thamm was awarded a 2026 Sloan Fellowship [Read about Thamm’s cutting edge research with physics professor Michael Baker in The New York Times]
- Professor Emeritus John Donoghue received the 2026 APS J.J. Sakurai Prize for theoretical particle physics.
- Undergraduates received 1 Goldwater Scholarship and 2 Rising Researcher Awards
- UMass SPS chapter organized the New England Zone conference with 80 participants.
"[The J.J. Sakurai] Prize continues a bright departmental tradition of APS awards in this field, with two current members of the physics faculty recognized with the Hermann Feshbach Prize for Theoretical Nuclear Physics: Barry Holstein in 2019 (John Donoghue’s doctoral advisor!) and Michael Ramsey-Musolf in 2023.” –Andrea Pocar, Chair, UMass Physics
Our students learn core physics concepts, practice critical and innovative thinking, and develop quantitative analysis, computational, and problem-solving skills in the classroom, in the laboratory, and through peer learning. More than 80% of Physics students can list experiential learning in their curriculum, with research projects carried out under the direct mentorship of our faculty.
Your donation today enables us to grow departmental initiatives including:
- Undergraduate Research Travel Funds
- Summer Undergraduate Research Fund
- Graduate and Undergraduate Student Awards
- Outreach Activities
- Student-run organizations:
- Society of Physics Students
- Women+ in Physics
- Physics Community Organization
And we have a match!
If UMass Physics receives 50 donations – of any size – we will unlock a $10,000 match from an anonymous donor.
Please double your impact and make your gift today.
“In my experience, UMass offers all the advantages of a big state school, in terms of resources and opportunities, along with the attention and guidance from faculty that you’d expect at a smaller school.– Milo van Mooy, Rising Researcher ‘26, UMass Physics
https://www.umass.edu/physics/
https://www.umass.edu/physics/news
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| Rank | Prize | Department/Group/RSO/Fund | Donors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2,000 | Student Alumni Association | 128 |
| 2 | $1,000 | UMass Women into Leadership | 112 |
| 3 | $500 | Dept. of Food Science | 90 |
| 4 | $500 | Golf Club | 53 |
| 5 | $500 | iCons | 40 |
| Rank | Prize | Department/Group/RSO/Fund | Donors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2,000 | Women's Club Ice Hockey | 180 |
| 2 | $1,000 | Women's Rugby | 95 |
| 3 | $500 | Department of Polymer Science and Engineering. | 71 |
| 4 | $500 | UWW Completion Fund | 57 |
| 5 | $500 | PRSSA | 51 |
| Rank | Prize | Department/Group/RSO/Fund | Donors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2,000 | Men's Rugby | 175 |
| 2 | $1,000 | Field Hockey | 102 |
| 3 | $500 | Women's Lacrosse | 96 |
| 4 | $500 | New2 U | 78 |
| 5 | $500 | Baseball | 54 |
| Rank | Prize | Department/Group/RSO/Fund | Donors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2,000 | Women's Ultimate Frisbee | 153 |
| 2 | $1,000 | Club Water Polo | 131 |
| 3 | $500 | S#arp Attitude | 117 |
| 4 | $500 | Doo Wop Shop | 98 |
| 5 | $500 | Choral Dilemma | 70 |
| Rank | Prize | Department/Group/RSO/Fund | Donors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2,000 | Stonewall Center | 196 |
| 2 | $1,000 | Club Swim | 127 |
| 3 | $500 | Minutemen Racing | 97 |
| 4 | $500 | Comparative Literature Program | 56 |
| 5 | $500 | Film Studies Program | 50 |
| Rank | Prize | Department/Group/RSO/Fund | Donors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2,000 | Minuteman Marching | 193 |
| 2 | $1,000 | Women's Rowing | 106 |
| 3 | $500 | Center for Women and Community | 78 |
| 4 | $500 | WMUA | 63 |
| 5 | $500 | Board of Student Businesses | 61 |
| Rank | Prize | Department/Group/RSO/Fund | Donors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2,000 | Men's Club Rowing | 268 |
| 2 | $1,000 | The Massachusetts Daily Collegian | 189 |
| 3 | $500 | CLACLS | 62 |
| 4 | $500 | Men's Club Volleyball | 48 |
| 5 | $500 | Fencing Club | 39 |
| Rank | Prize | Department/Group/RSO/Fund | Donors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2,000 | Duly Noted | 259 |
| 2 | $1,000 | UMass EMS | 118 |
| 3 | $500 | Vietnamese Student Association | 109 |
| 4 | $500 | Mock Trial Team | 96 |
| 5 | $500 | InterVarsity Christian Fellowship | 90 |
