Luther College junior Weber named Rossing Physics Scholar

Luther College junior Colin Weber of Rochester, Minnesota, has been awarded a $5,000 Rossing Physics Scholarship for the 2019-20 academic year. The Rossing scholarship is awarded annually to physics students of exceptional merit through the Thomas D. Rossing Fund for Physics Education.

Weber, a physics and mathematics double major at Luther, is the son of Kevin and Cindy Weber of Rochester and a 2016 graduate of Century High School. Upon graduation from Luther, he plans to attend graduate school for physics in order to continue learning about the natural world. Weber was selected for this award from a pool of exemplary physics student applicants from the 26 ELCA colleges across the United States.

In response to receiving this award, Weber commented, “it was an incredible honor just to be nominated, considering the incredible aptitude of all the physics students here at Luther. I would like to thank all of the physics professors: Professor Perez for showing me the simplistic beauty of physics; Professor Pedlar for forcing me to learn how to study hard for the most challenging exams I’ve ever taken; Professor Flater ’01, for holding me to high but attainable standards, so that I can begin understanding what it’s like to teach physics with excellence; and my adviser, Professor Wilkerson, for giving me an opportunity to study astrophysics with him, and for helping me learn about life beyond what equations and theories can tell us.

“I’d also like to thank Dan Marlow ’88, and the Career Center, as well as Mark Faldet ’82, for helping me find internships that shaped my career goals. I’d finally like to thank my sisters, Elise and Annika, and my parents, Kevin and Cindy, for supporting me in everything I do.”

In addition to his academic activities, Weber is also a member of Luther’s cross country, track and field, Jazz Orchestra, Trumpet Ensemble and the VIP mentoring program.

The Rossing scholarship is made possible through gifts from Thomas D. Rossing, Luther class of 1950, who created the scholarship fund through the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Foundation.

After graduating from Luther, Rossing earned master’s and doctoral degrees in physics from Iowa State University and served as professor of physics at St. Olaf College and Northern Illinois University. Now retired, he is currently a visiting professor at Stanford University.

A national liberal arts college with an enrollment of 2,005, Luther offers an academic curriculum that leads to the Bachelor of Arts degree in more than 60 majors and pre-professional programs. For more information about Luther visit the college’s website: http://www.luther.edu.