Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
STEM
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
STEM

A&S Professor Wins National Nuclear Physicist Award

Wednesday, June 19, 2013, By Rob Enslin
Share
AwardsResearch and Creative

souderPaul Souder, professor of physics in The College of Arts and Sciences, is the co-recipient of the 2013 Outstanding Nuclear Physicist Award from Jefferson Science Associates (JSA). He shares the award with Douglas Beck, professor of physics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Souder and Beck were selected by JSA for their leadership in the development of parity-violating electron scattering as a tool for the study of nucleon and nuclear structure, as well as for precision studies of the Standard Model of particle physics.

“Professor Souder is a truly outstanding physicist who has made major contributions to our understanding of the internal structure of the proton and neutron,” says Peter R. Saulson, the Martin A. Pomerantz ’37 Professor of Physics at SU. “His cutting-edge work in medium-energy particle physics is one of the most successful experimental research programs in our department.”

Souder and Beck were honored at a special ceremony at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (also known as Jefferson Lab or JLab), a nuclear physics research laboratory in Newport News, Va.

“This award to Doug Beck and Paul Souder recognizes two outstanding nuclear physicists for leading distinctive and incisive physics programs at Jefferson Lab,” says Hugh Montgomery, president of JSA and director of JLab. “Both Doug and Paul have also been enormously supportive of the entire Jefferson Lab enterprise. It should also be noted that [this] is an implicit tribute to the builders of the accelerator, which has the special properties required by these particularly demanding experiments.”

Souder is a national leader in experimental medium-energy particle physics. At JLab, he helped establish the Hall A Precision Parity EXperiment (HAPPEX) Collaboration, which has carried out numerous experiments utilizing parity-violating electron scattering. By “bouncing” electrons off of atomic nuclei, Souder has been able to gather precise information about the size and charge distribution of protons and neutrons—information critical to the study of the fundamental processes in nuclear physics.

“The present base instrumentation in Hall A has been used with great success for experiments that require high luminosity and high resolution in momentum and/or angle for at least one of the reaction products,” says Souder. “These precise measurements have implications for neutron star astrophysics and the analysis of atomic parity violations.”

Saulson credits Souder’s vision for the HAPPEX Collaboration, in addition to his intellectual leadership and pioneering research techniques. “Paul has trained a whole new generation of capable experimentalists,” he says.

Saulson also acknowledges the role of the physics machine shop, which built a specialized apparatus for Souder’s experiments. Located in the basement of the Physics Building, the shop provides conventional and computer numerical control (CNC) milling, turning, precision grinding and sheet metal fabrication and welding.

“SU machinists pride themselves on quality work, innovative solutions and prompt turnaround. Our experiments would not be possible without their contributions,” says Souder, echoing Saulson’s sentiments.

Souder joined SU’s faculty in 1983, following appointments at Harvard and Yale universities. He is a fellow of the American Physical Society and a recipient of the Award for Research Excellence from Sigma Xi.

The JSA Outstanding Nuclear Physicist Award, established in 2011 and awarded biennially, recognizes an individual who has made outstanding and sustained contributions in experimental and/or theoretical research related to the nuclear physics program at the Jefferson Lab. The award is funded through the JSA Initiatives Fund Program and is managed by the JSA Programs Committee.

  • Author
  • Faculty Experts

Rob Enslin

  • Peter R. Saulson

  • Recent
  • Doctoral Candidate Wins Grant for Research on Infrastructure, Violence and Resistance in Pakistan
    Friday, August 1, 2025, By News Staff
  • Co-President of Disability Law Society Eyes Career in National Security Law in Washington
    Thursday, July 31, 2025, By Jordan Bruenger
  • Lender Center New York Event Gathers Wealth Gap Experts
    Wednesday, July 30, 2025, By Diane Stirling
  • After Tragedy, Newhouse Grad Rediscovers Her Voice Through Podcasting
    Wednesday, July 30, 2025, By Chris Velardi
  • Back-to-School Shopping: More Expensive and Less Variety of Back-to-School Items
    Tuesday, July 29, 2025, By Daryl Lovell

More In STEM

New Study Reveals Ozone’s Hidden Toll on America’s Trees

A new nationwide study reveals that ozone pollution—an invisible threat in the air—may be quietly reducing the survival chances of many tree species across the United States. The research, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres is the first…

Inspiring the Next Generation of STEM Enthusiasts

A friendly competition is brewing in the corner of a basement classroom in Link Hall during the annual STEM Trekkers summer program, where students are participating in a time-honored ritual: seeing who can build a paper airplane that travels the…

5 Surprisingly Simple Ways to Use Generative Artificial Intelligence at Work

Not too long ago, generative artificial intelligence (AI) might’ve sounded like something out of a sci-fi movie. Now it’s here, and it’s ready to help you write emails, schedule meetings and even create presentations. In a recent Information Technology Services…

NSF I-Corps Semiconductor and Microelectronics Free Virtual Course Being Offered

University researchers with groundbreaking ideas in semiconductors, microelectronics or advanced materials are invited to apply for an entrepreneurship-focused hybrid course offered through the National Science Foundation (NSF) Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program. The free virtual course runs from Sept. 15 through…

Jianshun ‘Jensen’ Zhang Named Interim Department Chair of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

The College of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS) is excited to announce that Professor Jianshun “Jensen” Zhang has been appointed interim department chair of mechanical and aerospace engineering (MAE), as of July 1, 2025. Zhang serves as executive director of…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • X
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2025 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.