The Department of Physics at UB is committed to excellence in both education and research and needs the support of donors and our community to achieve its goals.
We are grateful for the donations and endowments we have already received in support of our academic mission. We seek additional contributions from friends and alumni to either enhance our existing endowments or provide targeted endowments for research or student success. If you are interested in establishing a targeted endowment, please contact the department to learn more.
It’s easy to donate online or through the mail, and we invite you now to learn more about what your contribution can do for Physics at UB:
The Physics Excellence Fund is of paramount importance in achieving overall excellence in the broad mission of the Department of Physics. These expendable, undesignated funds support: recruitment of outstanding graduate and undergraduate students; outreach efforts to the community; upper level experimental laboratories; undergraduate research projects; and activities of The Society for Physics Students. In addition, the Physics Excellence Endowment funds provide partial support for the department's colloquium and seminar series, and for the tangible recognition of our outstanding faculty and students.
The Physics Resource Fund provides partial support for department’s special initiatives, including graduation and award receptions for physics undergraduate and graduate students, a welcome picnic in the Fall for new students, undergraduate Society of Physics Students activities and activities of graduate student association, outstanding teaching assistant award, and more.
The Physics Graduate Student Memorial Fellowship Endowment was established in January 2010 with a generous endowment from former CAS Dean Bruce D. McCombe, SUNY Distinguished Professor, to provide critical financial assistance to international graduate students in the Department of Physics, with a preference given to Asian students and first-year PhD candidates who demonstrate financial need and academic promise.
Generously established by the wife of the late Dr. Jiping Cheng, Dr. Rose Wang, and SUNY Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Dr. Bruce D. McCombe, the Jiping Cheng Graduate Student Academic Achievement Award was created in 2022 to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Cheng. This endowed fund will be used by the Chair of the Department of Physics, with input from department faculty, to provide an annual award to a graduate student in the Department of Physics that demonstrates the most academic promise after their second year of study. Applicants’ GPA, complexity of coursework, and faculty assessment will be taken into consideration while choosing a recipient each year.
The John Ho and Martha Leung Scholarship Fund was established in 2015 with a generous endowment by our colleague Professor John Ho and his wife Dr. Martha Leung. The Scholarship aims at providing support to physics graduate students in their academic pursuits. At present, the scholarship is used to recognize academic achievement of early-career graduate students, particularly those who come to UB unsupported.
The Frank B. Silvestro Fund was established in 2000 and is funded by the donations of Frank B. Silvestro, BA '62 and MA '68. This fund is used to support physics graduate students who show academic promise and demonstrate financial need.
The Dr. Stanley T. Sekula Memorial Scholarship Fund was established in 1990 through a generous endowment from Mrs. Anne H. Sekula in honor of Dr. Stanley T. Sekula, BA '51. The endowment income is used to recognize outstanding undergraduates who show academic promise and demonstrate financial need.
The Om and Saraswati Bahethi Foundation Fellowship Fund was established in 2018 with a generous endowment by our alumnus Om P. Bahethi and his wife Saraswati Bahethi. Dr. Bahethi received his PhD from our department in 1973 under the supervision of Professor Emeritus Michael Fuda, after receiving his undergraduate and masters degrees in India. He is the founder and the Chairman of the Board of Science Systems and Applications (SSAI). This endowment is used to offer undergraduate and graduate (both masters and PhD) scholarships to students who are showing great promise for future success, especially those with difficult socio-economic backgrounds, as Dr. Bahethi had.
The Ta-You Wu Memorial Lectureship Fund was established through a generous endowment in remembrance of former physics colleague, Professor Ta-You Wu. Professor Wu served as a faculty member from 1966 to 1978, and chairman from 1966 to 1969. The lectureship is supported by former colleagues, friends, and students who wish to remember the strong influence Professor Wu had on their careers and lives.
The Moti Lal Rustgi Memorial Lectureship Fund was established in 1993 through a generous endowment from the Rustgi family to honor and remember former physics colleague, Professor Moti Lal Rustgi. The lecture is given annually by distinguished researchers in a broad area of physics study.
The Lucile P. and Francis M. Gasparini Endowment for Excellence in PhD Research was established in 2018 through a donation from Emeritus Professor Francis M. Gasparini and Lucile P. Gasparini and is used for a recognition prize, known as the Gasparini Prize, to be given each year to a graduating PhD student who has demonstrated outstanding performance in his or her research and thesis dissertation.
The Physics and Arts Exhibit opened on May 5, 2006. It was made possible through the contribution of many of our alumni. This Exhibit is a permanent installation in Fronczak Hall. It involves a series of displays, many interactive. The displays have added a welcoming atmosphere to the building and have provided the multitude of students who frequent the building with a quick graphical exposure to physics. This has been, and will continue to be, an excellent source for University and community outreach. The Exhibit involves a unique presentation of physics at interactive, conceptual and artistic, and historical levels. Donations to this Exhibit will support the continued evolution, development, and upgrade of the Exhibit.
The Moti Lal Rustgi Professorship in Physics was established in 2006 through a generous endowment from the Rustgi family to honor and remember former physics colleague, Professor Moti Lal Rustgi. The endowment provides support for the Rustgi Professor, a title held by one of the Department's tenured professors. The current Rustgi Professor is Andrea Markelz. Income from the endowment supports research and other scholarly pursuits.