Bridgewater College Presents 2023 Physics Award

A gold and red graphic that has the Bridgewater College seal and reads "College Awards: Honoring Outstanding Students"

Bridgewater College junior James Francis was awarded the Dale V. Ulrich Physics Scholarship Award, which honors a late professor of physics and dean and provost of the College.

The scholarship, based on academic merit, is awarded annually to an outstanding student in the Department of Engineering and Physics.

Ulrich, who came to Bridgewater in 1958, served for 38 years on the Bridgewater faculty—15 years as dean of the College, nine years as provost and 14 years as professor of physics. He retired in 1999 and lived in Bridgewater, Va., until his death in March 2021.

Francis, an applied physics major minoring in mathematics and leadership from Scottsburg, Va., is a member of the Flory Honors program and the Philomathes Society. He is also a member of the ethics debate team and the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu club.

During his time at BC, he completed a research project titled “Laminar and Turbulent Numerical Analysis on Tree-Shaped Disc Heat Convection with Different Solid/Fluid Configurations,” which he co-authored with Assistant Professor of Applied Physics-Mechanical Engineering Dr. Derli Amaral and other BC students.

After graduation, Francis plans to attend graduate school and pursue a master’s degree or a Ph.D. in engineering or physics.

Media Contact: 
Logan Bogert 
Communications Coordinator 
lbogert@bridgewater.edu 
(540) 828-5486 

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