Sigma Pi Sigma Chapters Honor Outstanding Service

Each year, Sigma Pi Sigma Outstanding Service Awards are presented to individuals and groups who have performed meritorious service to the field of physics and/or the society at the local, national, or international level. Awardees can be chosen by a Sigma Pi Sigma chapter or group of chapters for their positive impact and, if not already members of Sigma Pi Sigma, may be received into membership when the award is presented.

This fall, the SPS and Sigma Pi Sigma Executive Committee recognizes several recent recipients of this high honor.

Jim Porter

Awarded by the ΣΠΣ chapter at Abilene Christian University (ACU)

Award citation

For his longtime support of the Department of Engineering and Physics at ACU. Mr. Porter helps build relationships and stimulate entrepreneurship among our students, faculty, and staff. Mr. Porter has supported faculty members during their sabbaticals, contributed to our capital campaign for new science buildings, and helped to launch the Nuclear Energy eXperimental Testing Lab (NEXT Lab).

Biography

Jim Porter graduated with a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Texas A&M University, then earned an MBA from Harvard University. Later, he attended Stanford University’s Advanced Management Program and Babson College’s Entrepreneurial Education Program. A former Air Force captain, Porter has always maintained a healthy mix of commercial business and “give back” activities. He was a principal participant in two early-stage companies and directed Wall Street public company fundraising of about $500 million. He has extensive merger and acquisition experience and served for five years as entrepreneur-in-residence on the College of Business Administration faculty at ACU. Porter is a trustee of ACU, a member of the NEXT Lab Oversight Committee, and the principal and owner of Porter Capital Partners.

David Halbert

Awarded by the ΣΠΣ chapter at Abilene Christian University (ACU)

Award citation
For his support for the mission of Abilene Christian University (ACU), the Department of Engineering and Physics, the NEXT Lab, and his humanitarian efforts.

Biography
David Halbert is a graduate of ACU and the University of Texas Medical School. He served as captain and flight surgeon in the US Air Force, and as a general surgeon in Abilene, Texas, for more than 40 years. He has started several companies and currently serves as president of Clavél Corporation. Halbert’s quest to address the root causes of extreme poverty globally led him to study clean, safe, and affordable energy sources. After learning about the promise of advanced molten salt reactors, he was instrumental in forming the Nuclear Energy eXperimental Testing Lab (NEXT Lab) at ACU. Halbert was the first to contribute funding to the project and continues to serve on the NEXT advisory board.

Brittney Hauke

Awarded by the ΣΠΣ chapter at The Pennsylvania State University

Award Citation
For fully exemplifying the pillars of service through their steadfast dedication. They are always one of the first people to volunteer their time and efforts to the society.

Biography
Brittney Hauke is a PhD candidate in materials science and engineering at Penn State, where they study the fundamentals of glass relaxation and how it impacts glass properties. Hauke graduated with a master’s in materials science from Arizona State University in 2019 and received bachelor’s degrees in both physics and studio art from Coe College in 2017. Hauke has been a local and national leader in SPS since they were an undergraduate and is currently serving on the 2025 Physics Congress Executive Program Committee. They also served on the programming committees for the 2016 and 2019 Physics Congresses. In their free time, Hauke draws digitally and traditionally, paints with watercolors, and dabbles with photography.

Stephen J. Mackwell

Awarded by the ΣΠΣ chapter at The George Washington University

Award Citation
In recognition of his many years of support of student involvement in physics and astronomy, his leadership and support for SPS and Sigma Pi Sigma, and dedication to the pillars of Sigma Pi Sigma.

Biography
Stephen Mackwell is a former faculty member at Pennsylvania State University and Bayerisches Geoinstitut in Bayreuth, Germany. He served as corporate director of science programs at USRA, an independent, nonprofit research organization founded in 1969 by retired NASA administrator James Webb and Rockefeller University president (and former AIP board chair) Frederick Seitz. Mackwell is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Geophysical Union, and the Mineralogical Society of America. In 2016, the International Astronomical Union recognized his contributions by naming Asteroid 5292 Mackwell in his honor.

George F. Spagna

Awarded by the ΣΠΣ chapter at Randolph-Macon College

Award Citation
For 30 years of dedication to the ΣΠΣ chapter of the Randolph-Macon Department of Physics, Engineering, and Astrophysics and upholding the pillars of Sigma Pi Sigma.

Biography
George Spagna was a physics faculty member at Randolph-Macon College for 35 years. During this time, he served as director of the Keeble Observatory, facilitator of the astrophysics minor, physics department chair, and Sigma Pi Sigma advisor. Spagna was devoted to increasing the public’s understanding of science and to making physics more inclusive and diverse. For example, he modified an astronomy course for the visually impaired and served on several committees to improve the college climate for minorities. As the longtime director of the Keeble Observatory at Randolph-Macon, Spagna spearheaded a major overhaul of the facilities. The new observatory, built in 2017, houses a state-of-the-art Ritchey-Chretien telescope with a 40-cm primary mirror—the largest telescope between Washington, DC, and the Blue Ridge Mountains.