2023 Winner
Rebecka Mähring
Princeton University
Essay: "Hilde Levi: A Jewish Woman's Life in Physics in the 20th Century"
Rebecka Mähring graduated in May 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in Physics from Princeton University. Her senior thesis research was on dark matter phenomenology. While at Princeton, she also developed a strong interest in the history of science, which led to a research visit at the Niels Bohr Archive in Copenhagen, Denmark, during the summer. The APS essay is the result of this research.
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Winning Essay
2023 Runner-ups

Stefano Farinella
University of Hamburg
Essay: “Galileo’s Use of Mathematics in its Historical Context”
Stefano Farinella is a first-year Ph.D. student at the University of Hamburg. He completed his B.S. in Physics at the University of Padua, and his M.S. in Theoretical Physics at the University of Amsterdam. He is now part of the Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures in Hamburg, and his research focuses on the interplay between processes of transformation of knowledge and early modern manuscript culture in the notes of mathematician and natural philosopher Thomas Harriot (1560-1621).
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Preetha Sarkar
University of Illinois
Essay: “Meghnad Saha: A Win for Science”
Preetha Sarkar is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Physics and the Illinois Materials Research Science and Engineering Center at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her research focuses on understanding how the electronic properties of two-dimensional van der Waals materials, such as graphene, are modified under mechanical strain by conducting low temperature electron transport experiments. She is passionate about science outreach and diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in STEM. In her free time, she enjoys painting, writing poetry, singing, swimming, reading history and fiction, and volunteering for social causes.
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Jessica Schonhut-Stasik
Vanderbilt University
Essay: “The Transit of Venus, King Kalākaua, and Indigenous Knowing.”
Jessica Schonhut-Stasik is a Ph.D. candidate in astronomy at Vanderbilt University, specializing in Galactic Archaeology. After being diagnosed with autism, ADHD, and OCD at age 27, Jessica became a neurodivergent self-advocate and is the Program and Communications Manager at the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation, housed in Vanderbilt’s School of Engineering. She works remotely from her home on Hawai'i Island, where she lives with her husband, dogs, and cats. Jessica has become deeply rooted in the community since emigrating from the U.K. in 2015 to live and work in the Hawai'i astronomy community. She participates in outreach and education initiatives such as the Maunakea Scholars program. She hosts the AstronomerAND podcast, which interviews non-traditional astronomers to elevate the voices of marginalized communities.
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