Jun 07, 2005 - Claremont, Calif. -

By Rebecca Lopez 

Adam Pivonka '05 has been awarded the prestigious Fannie and John Hertz Foundation Graduate Fellowship Award. The award provides recipients with up to $240,000 in funding for graduate study over a five-year period.

Pivonka is a 2005 graduate of Harvey Mudd College (HMC), where he earned his bachelor of science degree in physics. Hailing from Billings, Montana, Pivonka described the feeling of receiving the award as "Incredible. I definitely couldn't calm down for 15 minutes or more."

The Hertz Fellowship is unique to most awards and grants; it allows the recipients to be creative and independent with their research. The recipients are not inhibited by existing grants, and are encouraged by the financial stability of the fellowship to develop their interests and pursue new areas of research. Pivonka said of the opportunity, "The wonderful thing about this fellowship is that I can take a good idea and run with it."

The Fannie and John Hertz Foundation (http://www.hertzfoundation.org/) was established in 1957 by automotive-industry pioneer John Daniel Hertz. The foundation has sponsored over 1,000 fellows, providing more than $100 million in direct financial support. The foundation attempts "to select Hertz Fellows who will become leaders in applied scientific and technological advances, exemplars of teaching skills in the applied physical sciences, and key contributors to the advancement of national technological capabilities on which the long-term well-being of the United States largely depends."

Pivonka heard of the fellowship and foundation from the legacy of previous Harvey Mudd College recipients. Kevin Esvelt '04 and Nate Stern '03 both received the fellowship.

The Hertz Foundation receives about 700 applicants and only selects 15 individuals. The applicants submit general information, transcripts, GRE scores, as well as four essays covering topics such as career plans and research topics. Faculty recommendations are also necessary.

John Townsend, Susan and Bruce Worster Professor and chair of the Department of Physics at HMC, said of Pivonka, "Adam is an unusually thoughtful student who raises really perceptive questions. On an oral exam for one of my courses, Adam showed a striking ability to start every question/problem at the right point."

In fall 2005, Pivonka will be attending Harvard University to pursue a Ph.D. in physics. Possibilities for his graduate research range from the use of fusion to address energy concerns to scanning tunneling microscopy to superconductivity. Pivonka is still exploring his long-range goals but is fueled by his passion "to make a substantial positive difference in the world by applying technical knowledge."