Daniel Briggs Memorial Award

The Dan Briggs Memorial Award supports students and their sponsoring faculty annually as part of UCSC's Keeley Coastal Scholar program and will use the same criteria to select recipients. The Keeley Coastal Scholars program supports the continuity of research and education. It provides financial assistance to underrepresented students from California with an unmet financial need doing research connected to coastal sustainability. 

Daniel Briggs, a brilliant scientist and passionate adventurer, tragically passed away in a skydiving accident at just 34 in 1998. Born in San Francisco and raised in Mill Valley, he excelled in science and mathematics, becoming a Westinghouse Science Talent Search finalist in high school. Dan earned dual bachelor's degrees in physics and applied mathematics from Caltech. He later completed his Ph.D. in astrophysics at New Mexico Tech in 1995, where his groundbreaking dissertation set a new standard in interferometry.

After postdoctoral positions at the U.S. Naval Research Lab and the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, Dan was highly respected in astronomy and programming. Beyond his academic brilliance, he embraced diverse passions, including juggling, origami, dance, music, motorcycling, and skydiving, amassing over 500 jumps. Renowned for his loyalty, dedication, and zest for life, his legacy endures through an award created in his honor by his classmates, Gabrielle and Kenneth Adelman.

How to Apply:

A call letter for applications for the Daniel Briggs Memorial Award is sent each year to Divisional department chairs and undergraduate advisors in early winter.

Candidates must be in good academic standing and have established financial need.

Undergraduate and graduate students are invited to apply by submitting an online application, a project budget, a letter of support from a faculty mentor, and an unofficial copy of their transcripts. The sponsoring faculty member's letter must detail the student’s abilities and specific project responsibilities.  

Research related to coastal topics in any department in Social Sciences and Physical & Biological Sciences will be considered.  

Questions?

If you have any questions about the award, please contact Gina Hernan at 831-459-2919 or ghernan@ucsc.edu