Physics Scholarships
KIHLSTROM SCHOLARS CLASS OF 2028
The Ken Kihlstrom Scholarship for Promise in Physics is an award that can be applied to tuition for the first year at Westmont. As part of the selection process, the physics faculty interviewed admitted students who indicated an interest in physics.
Students participating in the program commit to join a cohort with several activities planned for the fall. Scholarship recipients are expected to take at least one physics course during the first year of classes at Westmont, as well as participate in informal mentoring opportunities with upper-division physics students.
The Westmont Physics Department invites you to apply for the Kihlstrom Scholars Program, a scholarship designed for students who plan to study physics at Westmont starting in the fall 2025.
This scholarship was created to support passionate and talented students pursuing physics and is named after beloved Westmont physics professor Ken Kihlstrom, who recently retired.
To apply, submit the application form by March 7th.
After applying, you'll be contacted to set up a virtual interview, where you'll respond to a few short prompts (shared in advance) about your experience with physics and future interests.
STUDENT AWARDS
Summer Undergraduate Program for Exceptional Researchers (SUPER)
Berit Lunstad was awarded a US ATLAS SUPER award to work with Dr. Ben Carlson on ATLAS research during the summer of 2024 at CERN. The $6,000 award consisted of a stipend for Berit, as well as the opportunity to present her work along with other students in the SUPER program.
Senior physics major of the year
2024: Sean Ryan
2023: Daniel Rubin
2022: Lexy Gillette
LEXY GILLETTE
Physics and Chemistry Major Awarded Top Oxford Scholarship | Westmont senior Lexy Gillette, a double major in physics and chemistry, will attend the University of Oxford in the fall after earning the prestigious John and Daria Barry Foundation Scholarship.
KIRSTEN POTTS
Student Awarded Opportunity: Summer Undergraduate Program for Exceptional Researchers (SUPER) | Kirsten Potts was awarded a US ATLAS SUPER award to work with Dr. Ben Carlson on ATLAS research during the summer of 2022. The title of Kirsten's proposed project: "Search for low mass diphoton resonances with MET & triggers for photon + MET with machine learning." The $5,000 award consisted of a stipend for Kirsten, as well as the opportunity to present her work along with other students in the SUPER program.
CHISONDRI WARIOBA
Physics Alum Earns Prestigious Fellowship | Alumnus Chisondi Warioba ’21 has received a prestigious Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation. The five-year fellowship provides three years of financial support that includes an annual stipend of $37,000. Warioba, a second-year graduate student halfway through his doctorate in medical physics at the University of Chicago, applied for the fellowship to continue research on his project, “fMRI and DTI analysis of functional connectivity loss related to cerebral arterial occlusion.” He plans to attend medical school and aspires to become a physician-scientist.
MICHAEL HEMMETT
Michael Hemmett Awarded US ATLAS SUPER Award | Michael Hemmett was awarded a US ATLAS SUPER award for the project titled “Machine learning for calibration in the HL-LHC hardware trigger,“ consisting of a $5,500 stipend. He will work with Dr. Carlson from Westmont, alongside collaborators Elham Khoda and Shih-Chieh Hsu from University of Washington. The work will be based at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab.
George Blount Physics Scholarship
Summary: Established by the physics department in 2012, the George Blount Physics Scholarship honors the late physics professor Dr. George Blount. During his tenure, Dr. Blount anchored both the physics and engineering departments. Ever focused on teaching and pursuing ideas, Dr. Blount was known to begin his classes with a formula to draw students into a discussion on the implications of the formula on their lives.
Recipients:
- 2023-2024: Reese Toepfer
- 2019-2020: Luke Myers
- 2018-2019: Luke Myers
- 2016-2017: Matthew Walton
Theodore and Grace Cannon Physics Scholarship Endowment
Summary: Ted and Grace Cannon established this scholarship in anticipation that it assists physics students at Westmont in discovering a deep appreciation for God as the Creator. Founded in 2021, determinations are made by Student Financial Services in coordination with the physics department.
Recipients:
- 2023-2024: Michael Hemmett
- 2022-2023: Michael Hemmett
George Bate Science Scholarship Endowment
George Bate, professor emeritus of physics, taught at Westmont for more than 20 years. Former students of Dr. Bate established this scholarship to encourage Christians to study and conduct research in the sciences, primarily those studying physics. Determinations are made by the physics department.
2023-2024: Ellie Ludwig
2022-2023: Berit Lunstad
2021-2022: Kirsten Potts
2020-2021: Kirsten Potts
2019-2020: Daniel Rubin
William S. Klug Scholarship Endowment for Faculty and Student Research
Established in honor and memory of Dr. Bill Klug '97, the scholarship seeks to encourage a love of physics and engineering by recognizing high achieving and highly motivated students engaged in research within the physics and engineering department. Determinations are made by the physics department with consideration given to financial need.
- 2023-2024: Natalie Fogg, Berit Lunstad
- 2021-2022: Jared Lush, Chandler Baker
- 2020-2021: Faith Palombi, Lexy Gillette
- 2019-2020: Lexy Gillette
- 2018-2019: Zion Shih