Ernst von Meerwall Endowed Fund in Physics

The Ernst von Meerwall Endowed Fund in Physics was established in 2008. by The University of Akron Department of Physics and by Marianne H. von Meerwall, Dr. von Meerwall’s spouse, as a retirement gift. It supports deserving students pursuing bachelor’s or master’s degrees in physics. Originally named The Ernst von Meerwall Endowed Scholarship in Physics, the fund was revised in May 2019.

Ernst D. von Meerwall was born in Vienna, Austria in 1940 and immigrated to the United States in 1956, where he finished his high school education in Chicago. He obtained his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science (Physics) degrees from Northern Illinois University, and his Ph.D. (Physics) from Northwestern University in 1969. After two years as a research associate in the Materials Research Laboratory at the University of Illinois in Urbana, he joined The University of Akron physics department in 1971. He served as department chair from 1993 to 2000.

During his University of Akron career, he held posts as Distinguished Professor of Physics, Chemistry, and Polymer Science; was a member of the Maurice Morton Institute of Polymer Science; and was associate dean of the College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering. Most of his research has involved polymers and chemical/biomedical physics, particularly diffusion and molecular motions via nuclear magnetic resonance, but has also included structure-­property relations, numerical methods and simulation. A Fellow of the American Physical Society, Dr. von Meerwall retired from active University service in 2008 but continues his research and professional activities as emeritus and adjunct faculty member. He resides in Bath, Ohio, with his wife, Marianne, and two Labrador Retrievers.

The Ernst von Meerwall Endowed Fund in Physics will be awarded by the physics department at The University of Akron in support for its graduate researchers. To be eligible for consideration, students should be making satisfactory progress toward a master’s degree in physics, be in good academic standing and display distinguished performance in research. Additionally, candidates may be graduate students involved with assistantships in the Department of Physics. Selected recipient(s) may use the award for tuition and fees listed on their student account as a scholarship applied directly to their student account. Scholarships may be renewable provided the recipient meets the criteria established by the department chair and enough funds remain available. Recipients may use the award for other educational purposes, or for professional development or living expenses, and such awards may be reportable and/or taxable to student recipients. The physics department chair will select recipients with input from the von Meerwalls.