The Horace L. Newkirk Assistantship

Each year an outstanding physics student is selected by the faculty to work with a member of the department faculty or staff at a position which is both educational to the student and useful to the department.

When physicist Horace L. Newkirk retired after three decades with the U.S. Navy at China Lake Naval Weapons Center, he and his wife moved to Santa Rosa to be near their daughter, Nadenia. For the remainder of his life he was a regular attendee at Sonoma State University's "What Physicists Do" series. In 1979 he gave a lecture in the series, describing how he developed a method to damp out the tumbling of one of the first American satellites in space.

A pilot, motorcyclist, and beekeeper, Horace Newkirk kept his sense of humor and enthusiasm even after a plane crash at age 78 slowed him down, and he continued coming to the lectures as long as he was able. After his death, Nadenia and other relatives and friends endowed the Newkirk Assistantship. Income from the endowment provides a stipend to the student.

Recipients of the Newkirk Assistantship

Kevin Zack 2013	Hunter Mills 2012	Cristhyan Alfaro 2011
Blaine Gilbreth 2010	Adam Dye 2009	Katherine Wyman 2008
Ryan Olson 2007	Daniel Nicholas 2006	Kris Tyson 2005
David Gray 2004	Jerilynn Schisser 2003	Jeremy Hieb 2002
Linda Lindsley 2001	Justin Wolfe 2000	Brooke Haag 2000
Angela Duprez 1999	Daniel Hogan 1998	Susan Webster 1997