Paul and May Chu Undergraduate Research Award
The Paul and May Chu Undergraduate Research Awards are given annually to reward physics undergraduate students with excellence in research. The regulations for selecting the awardees are described below.
[1] Award
The total amount of the award, to be awarded to one or more students, will be $51,000, provided that the maximum limit of scholarship allowance of a student, which is his/her tuition fee plus $50,000, is not exceeded. If the award leads to the maximum allowance of a student being exceeded, a partial amount of the award will be given. If the maximum allowance of a student has already been reached, the student is still qualified to receive the honor of the award.
[2] Eligibility
All Physics major undergraduate students who have attained a cumulative GPA of 2.85 (university requirement) or above are eligible to apply for the award.
[3] Criteria
The selection of the awardees will be based on their research potential and performance. In the first round, each candidate will be asked to submit an application form and a short report summarizing his/her research, as well as arrange at least one recommendation letter from their research supervisors. In the second round, a shortlist of candidates will be selected by the Task Group to make a presentation.
[4] Short Report and Presentation
The short report and the presentation of a candidate can be based on his/her research project (such as those in PHYS 2090, 3090, 4090, 4498 courses, or UROP), or his/her own The Department Scholarship Task Group will assess them with respect to the following aspects: (1) Can the candidate demonstrate a high research potential? (2) Can the candidate demonstrate a deep understanding of physics? (3) Can the candidate demonstrate independence and innovation in research?
[5] Procedure
There are two channels for being a candidate for this award/prize: student initiation and faculty nomination. Note, the candidates from both channels will be considered in an equal position by the committee.
(1) For the channel of student initiation (traditional channel):
(a) Eligible students who would like to apply should fill out the application form (download the application form).
(b) Please email the completed application form, a transcript, a short report on the student's research, and any other supporting documents to phaward@ust.hk on or before 15 September. (We accept applications only through email.)
(c) Please ask your project advisor to email one-page recommendation letter to phaward@ust.hk on or before 22 September. The letter should include the information on the project achievements, their scientific significance, and the applicant’s role and performance in the project.
(2) For the channel of faculty nomination (new channel):
(a) Eligible faculties (project advisors) who would like to nominate should fill out the nomination form (download the nomination form).
(b) Please email the completed nomination form to phaward@ust.hk on or before 15 September. (We accept nominations only through email.)
(c) Please ask your nominated student to email a transcript, a short report on his/her research, and any other supporting documents to phaward@ust.hk on or before 22 September.
The shortlisted candidates will be invited by the Scholarship Task Group of Physics Department for presentations. Presentations will be scheduled before mid October. The results will be announced in mid or late October.
[6] Relationship with Other Scholarships
The research awards can be awarded concurrently with other scholarships.
[7] Inquiries
Inquiries can be made to the Physics Department Scholarship Task Group (Email: phaward@ust.hk).