There are two awards sponsored by the Accelerator Section:
You can find the history of the section awards in Awards for Accelerator Health Physicists by Ralph Thomas (June 2010).
You can also find additional awards presented to members of the Accelerator Section by traveling to HPS Awards Sponsored by the Accelerator Section.
H. Wade Patterson Memorial Award
Established in 2003, the H. Wade Patterson Memorial Award is presented each year at the annual Health Physics Society meeting to recognize outstanding student presentations on accelerator health physics. The winner receives a check and plaque.
The award is a tribute to H. Wade Patterson (1924-1997), who was the first president of the Accelerator Section of the Health Physics Society and is generally regarded as the first professional accelerator health physicist. His work at Lawrence Berkeley and Lawrence Livermore national laboratories established him as one of the world’s experts in shielding at high-energy accelerators. As a life-long educator and organizer of the first accelerator radiation protection training programs, Patterson is an apt role model for students aspiring to a career in accelerator health physics.
The following students have been honored to receive the H. Wade Patterson Memorial Award.
2023: Sherry Adadi 
Sherry Adadi received the H. Wade Patterson Memorial award for the paper: “Shielding Study of a Miniature Klystron Emitting 60 keV Electrons”. Presenting the award is Marcia Torres (right).
2022: Jordan Hillis, Texas A&M University
Jordan Hillis received the 2022 H. Wade Patterson Memorial Award at the HPS Meeting in Spokane, Washington, in recognition of her presentation, “Analysis of Relative Hazards and Detection Capabilities for Radionuclides at the Spallation Neutron Source”.
2019: Ernesto Ordonez
Presenting the award are President Marcia Torres (Left) and President-elect Matt Quinn (Right)
2013: Shraddha Rane, Idaho State University
Shraddha Rane received the 2013 H. Wade Patterson Award at the HPS Accelerator Section Business Meeting in Madison, Wisconsin in recognition of her presentation, “Feasibility study of the photo-nuclear production of Ac-225”
2012: Marilyn Magenis, Colorado State University, Fort Collins
Marilyn Magenis received the 2012 H. Wade Patterson Award at the HPS Accelerator Section Business Meeting July 24, 2012 in Sacramento, California in recognition of her presentation, “Verification of Cosmic Ray Rejection on a Liquid Scintillation Counter.”
2011: Santosh Bhatt, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Santosh Bhatt (left) receives congratulations from HPS Past President Howard Dickson (right) and Accelerator Section President Mike Grissom (left center) and President-Elect Rich Brey (right center).
2010: Michael I. Hall, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Michael I. Hall (right) receives congratulations from HPS President Dick Toohey (center) and Accelerator Section President Linnea Wahl (left)
2009: Eric Burgett, Georgia Institute of Technology
2008:Deirdre Elder, Colorado State University
2007: Bryan Bednarz, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
2004: Vakhtang Makarashvili, Idaho State University
2003: John Shanahan, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Lutz Moritz Memorial Award
Established in 2009, the Lutz Moritz Memorial Award is presented each year at the annual Health Physics Society meeting to recognize outstanding student presentations on accelerator health physics. The winner receives a check and plaque.
The award is a tribute to Lutz Moritz (1943-2008), who was a founding member of the Accelerator Section and served as president of the section in 1996. Lutz’s distinguished career at TRIUMF, Canada’s National Laboratory for Particle and Nuclear Physics, earned him an international reputation as Canada’s foremost expert on accelerator radiation safety. He served on the board of the Canadian Radiation Protection Association and on many international review panels for important accelerator projects, including the Superconducting Super Collider, the CERN Large Hadron Collider, and the ORNL Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility. As a dedicated teacher and gifted researcher, Lutz will be remembered not only by those who knew him personally but also by the future generation of health physicists who will receive the Lutz Moritz Memorial Award.
The following students have been honored to receive the Lutz Moritz Memorial Award.
2023: Patrick Connolly
Patrick Connolly received the 2023 Lutz Moritz Memorial award for the paper: “Studies of Residual Doses for the MEC-U Laser Facility”. Presenting the award is Marcia Torres (right).
2022: Andrew Rosenstrom, Georgia Institute of Technology
Andrew Rosenstrom received the 2022 Lutz Moritz Memorial Award at the HPS Meeting in Spokane, Washington, in recognition of his presentation “High Power Beam Dump Shielding Design for the LCLS-II-HE Low Emittance Injector”.
2019: Kayla Stinson
Pictured here are Ernesto Ordonez (Left), Marcia Torres (Center), and Kayla Stinson (Right)
2013: Dayton McMillan, Colorado State University
Dayton McMillan received the 2013 Lutz Moritz Award at the HPS Accelerator Section Business Meeting in Madison, Wisconsin in recognition of his presentation “Characterizing Significance of High LET Electrons for Cell Death with 64Cu-diacetyl-bis(N4-methylthiosemicarbazone)”
2012: Audrey Evelan, Idaho State University, Pocatello
Audrey Evelan received the 2012 Lutz Moritz Award at the HPS Accelerator Section Business Meeting July 24, 2012 in Sacramento, California in recognition of her presentation “Contamination Analysis of Radioactive Samples in Focused Ion Beam Instruments.”
2011: Jeremy Rogers, Texas A&M University, College Station
Jeremy Rogers (left) receives congratulations from HPS Past President Howard Dickson (right) and Accelerator Section President-Elect Rich Brey (center).
2010: Samuel L. Brady, Duke University
Dr. Samuel L. Brady (right) and Dr. Terry Yoshizumi (left), his graduate advisor at Duke University.
HPS Awards Sponsored the Accelerator Section
2012 Elda E. Anderson Award: Jason Harris
Jason Harris received the 2012 Elda E. Anderson Award.
2012 Volunteer Award: Keith Heinzelman
Keith L. Heinzelman (left) is shown receiving the 2012 HPS Accelerator Section Volunteer Award from Northern California Chapter HPS President and HPS Accelerator Section Director Jack Topper (right) on May 17, 2012 at the NCC HPS’s Spring Meeting at Scott’s Seafood Restaurant, Oakland, CA. The caption on the certificate/plaque reads: ‘The Accelerator Section of the Health Physics Society Recognizes Keith L. Heinzelman For Outstanding Volunteer Service in 2012 Within His Distinguished Capacity as Pro Tem Newsletter Editor.’
Photo courtesy of Quang Le (LBNL).
2011 HPS Founders Award: Ralph Thomas, Ph.D. (Ret.)
Ralph H. Thomas Received the 2011 HPS Founders Award.
2006 Elda E. Anderson Award: Scott Schwahn
Scott Schwahn received the 2006 Elda E. Anderson Award.
Last Updated: June 23, 2025 (JSC)