Shang-Fen Ren Creative Thinking Award for Physics Students
Shang-Fen Ren served as the first tenured female professor in the Department of Physics at Illinois State University from 1994 to 2011 and is a Fellow of the American Physical Society. Scholarship: To provide financial assistance for students meeting the following criteria: - Recipient must be a junior or senior undergraduate student, or a graduate student, in the Department of Physics at Illinois State University. - Scholarships will be awarded for the following term: One-Time Award - Preference may be given to students who demonstrate strong academic achievement within their major field of study, as evidenced by performance in coursework related to the student’s academic discipline and overall academic standing. - Applicants must submit a brief written statement, not to exceed 500 words, describing a problem they have faced or are currently facing and how they approached or are approaching it using creative thinking. Clear, thoughtful responses are encouraged; formal or technical writing is not required. - Selection shall be based on the following criteria: The problem presented is meaningful and grounded in the student’s academic, personal, or research experience. The student demonstrates the ability to approach the problem from unique or unconventional perspectives and proposes original ideas or solutions. The student presents multiple ideas, approaches, or lines of thinking in addressing the problem.