Professor and leading theorist in the physics department Tin-Lun (Jason) Ho was awarded with the Distinguished Scholar Award.

Ho was nominated by his department and then chosen by a committee of senior faculty, which includes past honorees, for the award. For his accomplishment, he received a $3,000 honorarium and a $20,000 research grant to be used during the next three years.

Ho is highly regarded as a leader and authority in his field of research. His research involves the theory of Bose-Einstein condensation in trapped atomic systems.

“Jason is applying the ideas of condensed-matter physics to understand the behavior of ultra-cold atoms. He is so important in his area that Professor Ho is one of the most important theorists in choosing the direction in which cold-atom research is heading,” said Erich Mueller, physics professor and friend of Ho.

Ho recently spoke in Japan at the International Conference of Low Temperature Physics. Ho was one of two speakers at the event, one of whom was Eric Cornell, a Nobel Prize winner.

Ho is recognized by his colleagues for his outstanding contributions to physics and OSU.

“Jason Ho is one of the true intellectual leaders in the Physics Department at Ohio State,” said William Saam, professor and chair in the Physics Department. “Ho has made OSU an important center for the theoretical study of Bose-Einstein condenses through his attraction of excellent postdoctoral researchers and distinguished visitors.”

“It is a true pleasure to work with Professor Ho. He has a rare gift of being able to integrate distinct areas of research; finding the common thread and improving our understanding of each area,” said Mueller.

“Instead of worrying, the simplest way to get rid of fear is to get curious about what’s going on in nature,” said Ho, a physics teacher at Ohio State for the past 19 years.

He said that is the best advice he can give students to help conquer their fear and soothe their uneasiness about physics.

Ho understands that physics can sometimes be overwhelming, but said that students should not be afraid and should not let their confusion get the best of them.

“It is very important for students not to blame themselves too much. Some things are going to go over their heads – that’s OK,” Ho said. “It takes lecturers years to explain certain things, and it takes a lot of experience to be able to explain things.”

Ho said that there is a formula to making a successful physics student and students need to do their part.

“Students have to do their job and engage and be inquisitive. Ask questions: ‘Why are things happening?’ ” he said.

Ho was born and raised in Hong Kong with his two brothers and two sisters. In the late ’70s he moved to Minnesota then to Ithaca, N.Y. where he attended Cornell University and received his doctorate in physics.

Initially, Ho said he was more interested in research than teaching. He described himself has a “struggling teacher” in the beginning who had a terrible time trying to relate to his students and being an effective lecturer.

Part of the reason was his difficulty with the language. He said it took him longer than most to get used to English, humor, and culture, all the things that help with teaching.

“A lot more than subject matter is needed to make an effective teacher,” he said. “Monitoring the progress of students through their reactions is a psychological aspect of teaching that when I was younger I didn’t understand.”

He said now that he is older he enjoys teaching more because he is able to explain things better, now that he has broken the language barrier. He is also better at explaining concepts now that he better understands them himself, a skill that comes with time and experience through research, he said.

He said a very important component to a good teacher is a history in research.

“If one has a strong research background one is aware of all possibilities and intricate parts of the subject,” Ho said.

In the future, Ho plans to do a lot more and explore many new frontiers in the field of physics.

“Bose-Einstein is a highly interdisciplinary area that connects many different fields of physics-atomic physics, condensed meta-physics, nuclear physics, quantum information-there are many directions one can go. I have plans to go to some new areas in CO atoms and I’m very interested in quantum information,” he said.

Ho does not like to talk about his many academic achievements.

“My best achievement is raising my two daughters, it’s the best thing I’ve done in life,” Ho said.