PhysCon Competitions

“If there is any take-home message from the [PhysCon] poster session, it is that students are capable of great things and should be encouraged to pursue these opportunities.”
-St. Peter’s College SPS chapter

Two of the most energetic and dynamic sessions during the 2012 SPS Quadrennial Physics Congress (PhysCon) were the joint poster and art sessions. Over 200 student presenters engaged with peers, science faculty, and practicing physicists, while discussing research, outreach, and artwork in more than two dozen categories. A small army of volunteer judges did a fantastic job critiquing and ranking those who participated in the poster and art competition, and several sponsors contributed funds and other prizes for the most outstanding presenters.

Outstanding Student Poster Award, sponsored by The OSA Foundation of Outstanding Posters

Outstanding Posters

Michael Alemayehu, Morehouse College
Andrew Peterson is pictured accepting award on his behalf (3)
Kelsey Schafer, Ohio State University (4)
Adam Simpson, Abilene Christian University (1)
Morgan Smathers, Rhodes College (6)
Christopher Trennepohl, Davidson College (7)

Honorable Mention

Adeyemo Adetogun, North Carolina Central University (5)
Valerie Jacobson, Colorado State University (2)

Outstanding Student Astronomy Poster Award, sponsored by The American Astronomical Society

First Prize
Mary McDaniel, University of North Alabama (1)
Second Prize
Rachel Smullen, University of Wyoming (5)
Third Prize
Jennifer Kadowaki, University of California, Los Angeles (4)
Honorable Mention
Andrew Miller, Abilene Christian University (2)
Macarena Sagredo, Florida International University (3)

Physics and Society Students Poster Award, sponsored by The American Physical Society Forum on Physics & Society

First Prize
Allen Scheie, Grove City College (5)
Second Prize
Kofi Christie, Morehouse College (3)
Matthew Goszewski, Grove City College (4)
Honorable Mention
Jeremy Johnson, Angelo State University (1)
Yulu Liu, Southeast University, China (2)

To see the abstracts of the winning posters, visit the PhysCon website at

PhysCon Art Contest Awards, sponsored by the American Association of Physics Teachers

Best in Show (pictured above)
Glenn Marsch, Grove City College
Artists’ Choice & People’s Choice
Christopher Frye, University of Central Florida
Connecting Worlds
Jordan Guzman, University of Central Florida

Space and General Science
Lauren Dallachiesa, Grove City College
Physics for Everyone
Natalia Guerrero, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Honorable Mention
Prajwal Niraula, Saint Peter’s University
Sarah Rozman, University of Central Florida
Glenn Marsch, Grove City College

To see photos of the artwork, visit the PhysCon website at www.spscongress.org .