Physics Professor Earns National
Recognition
Murtadha Khakoo earns Prize for a Faculty
Member for Research in an Undergraduate Institution for his
research in electron-atom collisions.
May 10, 2005 :: No. 202
Murtadha A. Khakoo, professor
of physics at California State University, Fullerton, will
be honored May 18 with the American Physical Society’s
2005 Prize for a Faculty Member for Research in an Undergraduate
Institution.
Established in 1984, the honor recognizes a
physics faculty member who has achieved wide recognition,
as well as contributed significantly to the field of physics
and the professional development of undergraduate physics
students.
The American Physical Society’s citation
about Khakoo notes he was selected for the honor “for
his challenging and sophisticated experiments in electron-atom
collisions that have provided significant tests of atomic
theory and for his energetic, sustained mentoring of students
in his research.” The award will be presented to the
professor during the American Physical Society’s May
17-21 annual meeting of the Division of Atomic, Molecular
and Optical Physics in Lincoln, Neb.
Khakoo, who joined the Cal State Fullerton
faculty in 1989, is the recipient of more than $1.1 million
in grants and fellowships, including funding from the National
Science Foundation for study in the field of atomic collisions.
“We are one of only about a dozen institutions
in the country doing similar research, and we are the only
one to have undergraduate students working on experimental
electron scattering projects,” the researcher noted.
“Our students are very, very bright and have far exceeded
my expectations. We get requests all the time from doctoral
institutions for our students.”
One of Khakoo’s former students, Judy
Segura, graduated from Cal State Fullerton in 1994 with a
bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and physics,
and completed her doctorate last year at Stanford. Several
others are currently in physics Ph.D. programs at UC Irvine,
UC San Diego, UC Riverside and the University of Wisconsin,
Madison.
A resident of Fullerton, Khakoo earned a doctorate
in atomic physics at University College in London.
The APS Prize for Research in an Undergraduate
Institution, which includes a $5,000 stipend to the recipient
plus a $5,000 research grant to the recipient’s institution,
is underwritten by a grant from the Research Corp., a private
foundation for the advancement of science and technology.
Media Contacts: |
Murtadha A. Khakoo at 657-278-5275
or mkhakoo@fullerton.edu
Pamela McLaren of Public Affairs at 657-278-4852 or pmclaren@fullerton.edu |
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