Nellie Yeoh Whetten Award
Scholarship Sponsored by American Vacuum Society
Purpose
The Nellie Yeoh Whetten Award honors and promotes outstanding achievement by women pursuing graduate-level studies in the scientific and technical fields of interest to AVS.
Eligibility
- Nominees must be female graduate students enrolled at an accredited academic institution on the application deadline.
- Candidates are generally expected to remain enrolled (i.e., not have completed their degree) before the award selection is made.
- Each individual may receive this award only once.
Selection process
- After the Awards Committee meets in the spring/summer, ten (10) leading student nominees are chosen to present their research in a virtual interview held in late summer.
- Following those interviews, eight (8) final awardees are selected.
- Among those eight, the highest-ranked student is designated as the Whetten Award recipient.
- Selection is based primarily on excellence in research and on the student’s academic record.
Award components
Recipients receive a monetary prize, a certificate, and reimbursed travel expenses to attend the AVS International Symposium.
History and funding
The award was established in 1989 to reflect the spirit of Nellie Yeoh Whetten and to support excellence by women in graduate studies relevant to AVS. Funding for the prize was provided by Timothy J. Whetten, Nellie Yeoh Whetten’s family and friends, and AVS.