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<p class="MsoNormal">Congratulations to Xavier for winning the 2026 Hyer Award <a href="https://engage.aps.org/taoaps/honors/prizes-awards/hyer-research-award">
<span style="color:blue">Prizes & Awards - Unit - TAOAPS</span></a>!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Bao-An Li<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">From:
<b>Gunaratne, Gemunu</b> <<a href="mailto:phys57@central.uh.edu"><span style="color:blue">phys57@central.uh.edu</span></a>><br>
Date: Wed, Oct 21, 2026, 11:23</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">AM<br>
Subject: Congratulations as the winner of the Hyer Award<br>
To: <a href="mailto:xgrundler@leomail.tamuc.edu"><span style="color:blue">xgrundler@leomail.tamuc.edu</span></a> <<a href="mailto:xgrundler@leomail.tamuc.edu"><span style="color:blue">xgrundler@leomail.tamuc.edu</span></a>>, Kenneth_Park <<a href="mailto:Kenneth_Park@baylor.edu"><span style="color:blue">Kenneth_Park@baylor.edu</span></a>>,
Ren, Zhifeng <<a href="mailto:zren2@central.uh.edu"><span style="color:blue">zren2@central.uh.edu</span></a>>, Thomas Bilitewski <<a href="mailto:thomas.bilitewski@okstate.edu"><span style="color:blue">thomas.bilitewski@okstate.edu</span></a>>, Gunaratne,
Gemunu <<a href="mailto:phys57@central.uh.edu"><span style="color:blue">phys57@central.uh.edu</span></a>>, Holt, Jeremy W <<a href="mailto:holt@comp.tamu.edu"><span style="color:blue">holt@comp.tamu.edu</span></a>>, Kenneth Carrell <<a href="mailto:kenneth.carrell@angelo.edu"><span style="color:blue">kenneth.carrell@angelo.edu</span></a>>,
Khan, Amena <<a href="mailto:khan@utdallas.edu"><span style="color:blue">khan@utdallas.edu</span></a>>, Manciu, Felicia S. <<a href="mailto:fsmanciu@utep.edu"><span style="color:blue">fsmanciu@utep.edu</span></a>><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black">Hello Xavier<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black"> It is my pleasure to congratulate you on receiving the 2026 Hyer Award from the Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma Section of the APS. It is a highly competitive award
and your undergraduate thesis stood out from among the applicants we had.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black"> You will receive a plaque and $1000 to be presented at our fall meeting on November 6-8, 2026 at Texas A&M campus in Corpus Christ. You are expected to attend
the meeting.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black"> Thank you<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black"> Gemunu Guaratne<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black"> Chair, TAOAPS<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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