John Cumalat, professor of distinction in the University of Colorado Boulder Department of Physics, has been awarded the 2025 Hazel Barnes Prize.
Established in 1991 by former chancellor James Corbridge to honor the late Hazel Barnes, CU Boulder professor of philosophy from 1953-86, the $20,000 Hazel Barnes Prize celebrates the enriching interrelationship between teaching and research and is the largest and most prestigious award funded by the university.
“Professor Cumalat is an exemplary educator and researcher whose contributions to his students, this university and the field of physics are highly deserving of recognition,” said Chancellor Justin Schwartz. “His selection as the Hazel Barnes Prize winner reflects his dedication and ingenuity, and I am so proud of all the ways he utilizes these qualities in service to CU Boulder and to humanity.”
Cumalat completed his PhD in physics from the University of California Santa Barbara in 1977 and his postdoctoral work with Fermilab in Batavia, Illinois, in 1979. Since joining the CU Boulder physics faculty in 1981, he has garnered multiple honors, including the Best Should Teach Award in 2003, the Robert L. Stearns Award in 2010 and the BFA Excellence in Service Award in 2013. He became a professor of distinction in 2014.
