Four departmental awards were given to six selected graduate students this year for exemplary research and teaching. At the end of each spring semester, the department of Physics and Astronomy hosts a catered reception to celebrate and honor our graduate students. The food and fellowship are followed by a ceremony to present the four departmental graduate awards to their recipients. Each award comes with a certificate, a monetary prize, and an engraved nameplate displaying the recipient’s name on a plaque in the Physics building lobby. The 2023 departmental Graduate Awards were held on Thursday, April 20. Extra kudos to our Robert Wood Teaching Award Recipient, Sarita Shrestha for winning the Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award for 2023! The Center for Teaching and Learning administers the Outstanding Teaching Assistant (OTA) award, sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Instruction. This award recognizes teaching assistants who demonstrate superior instructional skills while serving in the classroom or laboratory. Bill Cummings Award: Dilimulati Aierken & Eric Goetz Dilimulati Aierken & Eric Goetz, Bill Cummings Award Recipients Anderson-Pioletti Award: Shishir Bhusal Shishir Bhusal, Anderson-Pioletti Award Recipient Kirkpatrick Award: Garret Floyd Garret Floyd, Kirkpatrick Award Recipient Robert M. Wood Teaching Award: Steven Hancock & Sarita Shrestha Steven Hancock, Robert Wood Teaching Award Recipient Sarita Shrestha, Robert Wood Teaching Award Recipient