Hertz Foundation Thesis Prize Winners

What does the Foundation mean when it declares that 'Applied Physical Science' is the application of physical science to the solution of real-world problems? One perspective is to regard the work of the Hertz Doctoral Thesis Prize Winners in this context.

Each Fellow is required to furnish the Foundation with a copy of his or her doctoral dissertation upon receiving the Ph.D. Early in the summer of each year, members of the Foundation's Thesis Prize Committee examine the Ph.D. dissertations completed by Hertz Fellows during the preceding academic year for their overall excellence and pertinence to high-impact applications of the physical sciences. Some years there are no Thesis Prize winners; in other years more than one Prize is awarded.

Each Thesis Prize winner receives an honorarium of at least $1000. In addition, two faculty members, designated by Prize winners, who profoundly influenced the winner also receive honoraria. Some of the winning theses have resulted in patents, others have resulted in the formation of highly-successful companies, and still others have contributed to the solutions of major societal problems.