The 2010 Goodfellow Award for best paper resulting from PhD research in the field of condensed matter physics/materials science was presented to Dr. Lisa Coetsee at the annual South African Institute of Physics (SAIP) conference on October 1 in Pretoria. Dr. Coetsee's paper, entitled "XPS analysis for degraded Y2SiO5:Ce phosphor thin films," dealt with the degradation of Y2SiO5:Ce phosphor thin films ablated in Ar gas.
In announcing the award on behalf of SAIP's Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science (CMPMS) specialist group, Prof. Japie Engelbrecht noted that Dr. Coetsee's research represents groundbreaking research on the emission of light from Ce light emitting centres. The paper was selected by a panel of experts who evaluated a total of five papers during the evaluation process.
Dr. Coetsee (left) was unable to attend the conference, but the prize was awarded to her by Prof. Hendrik Swart, her supervisor and also head of the Department of Physics in Bloemfontein, South Africa.
The Goodfellow Award, the top honour bestowed by CMPMS at the SAIP conference each year, is funded by the Goodfellow Group of Companies, international suppliers of high-quality metals, polymers, ceramics and other materials to universities and other research facilities. According to Goodfellow Managing Director Stephen Aldersley, the Goodfellow Award - first given at the SAIP conference in 2000 - is a tangible example of the company's commitment to recognizing talented young scientists. "The innovative work that's being done by these PhD students is an inspiration to us all," says Aldersley. "We at Goodfellow are pleased to do our part in highlighting the research of these exceptional young professionals."