Awards and Prizes
New Horizons DEI Awards
With the New Horizons Award, the Division of Engineering and Applied Science annually recognizes and honors individuals within the EAS community who have actively contributed to our goal to be a diverse, equitable, and inclusive engineering community. The award is available to members of the EAS community, including current students, postdoctoral scholars, staff, and faculty, whose activities have impact and may include demonstrated leadership, advocacy and community organizing, development of equity and inclusion resources, and engagement in engineering outreach to local schools or communities.
Nominations are solicited each spring – click here for how to nominate.
EAS Chair Scholars Program
The EAS Chair Scholars Program recognizes high-achieving graduate students with the potential and interest to advance issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the EAS Division and Caltech. EAS Chair Scholars and Caltech Presidential Fellows participate as a cohort in faculty mentorship and supplementary programming designed as a "fast-track" to academic and leadership success. Scholars and Fellows will connect with faculty members and peers to receive mentoring and professional development opportunities within the numerous EAS departments.
At Caltech and the EAS Division, we believe the best ideas, best decisions, and best outcomes come from diverse groups of people working and collaborating together.
Founded in 2020 as part of the EAS Division's commitment to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion, this fellowship program involves graduate students of high academic achievement who have also shown a commitment to diversity, either through personal experience or community-building in STEM.
Key benefits of participating in the EAS Chair Scholars Program include:
- An attractive financial offer, including a two-year fellowship and $3,000 professional development fund per year for two years to cover professional costs.
- Membership in a diverse cohort of scholars for the duration of graduate degree enrollment, and networking opportunities which will extend beyond residency at Caltech.
- Formal mentorship from EAS leadership and faculty.
- Fast track to teaching, which will develop and refine teaching skills early in participants' graduate careers.
- Access to optional outreach opportunities through engagement with national conferences, Caltech's Center for Learning and Outreach (CTLO) and Student Faculty Programs (SFP), and Caltech Y outreach to local schools.
EAS Trailblazers Lecture Series
The EAS Trailblazers Symposium seeks to recognize and provide professional development opportunities for outstanding early career researchers who advance the frontiers of research in engineering and applied science. Graduate students and postdoctoral scholars within 1-2 years of applying for faculty positions are encouraged to apply. We especially encourage applications from candidates who are committed to enhancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the areas of research, teaching, and/or outreach.
The event will consist of a division-wide symposium consisting of high-level talks from each of the participants, professional development opportunities, a one-hour seminar aimed at an audience from the participant's discipline/department, and meetings with faculty throughout the Division.
Applicants should apply online and request their advisor (and any other references) to submit letters of recommendation. Applicants will be selected based on their research accomplishments and their potential to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in engineering and applied science. The Trailblazers Symposium will occur on November 7, 2024.
Richard Bruce Chapman Memorial Award
The Richard B. Chapman Memorial Award is given to an EAS graduate student in hydrodynamics who has distinguished themself in research.
Henry Ford II Scholar Award
The Henry Ford II Scholar Award is awarded annually to engineering students with the best academic record at the end of the third year of undergraduate study.
Demetriades - Tsafka - Kokkalis Prizes
The Demetriades - Tsafka - Kokkalis Prizes were endowed by a generous grant from Sterge Demetriades and his wife Anna Kokkalis Demetriades.
A cash prize is awarded at a special dinner to each PhD candidate selected for the best thesis, publication, or discovery in the following fields:
- Biotechnology or Related Fields,
- Environmentally Benign Renewable Energy Sources or Related Fields,
- Nanotechnology or Related Fields, and
- Seismo-Engineering, Prediction, and Protection
Also a prize in Entrepreneurship or Related Fields is awarded to a graduating student for the best business plan, proposal, start-up, or related efforts at Caltech.
Northrop Grumman Prize for Excellence in Teaching
The Northrop Grumman Prize for Excellence in Teaching is awarded to an EAS professor or lecturer who demonstrates, in the broadest sense, unusual ability, creativity, and innovation in undergraduate and graduate classroom or laboratory teaching.