College Physics - Physics And Astronomy
The Physics and Astronomy Department offers a wide variety of classes, including an ambitious curriculum of advanced seminars for our physics, astrophysics, and astronomy majors, but also many introductory classes for all students. As befits a department of scientists with a strong liberal arts outlook, these include several interdisciplinary offerings from gender in science to the earth and its climate.
College Physics - Physics and Astronomy
Students in our department have many opportunities for exploration and discovery, including frequent participation in original research with faculty members. These experiences prepare our students well for the top physics and astronomy graduate programs, and also for graduate programs in education, engineering, law, international relations, and other fields - as well as for a range of careers after they leave Swarthmore. In preparing our students for their lives after Swarthmore, we strive to convey the excitement of physics and astronomy, which explore the most basic and enduring questions about the universe. We also strive to build community and work collaboratively and create an environment where each person can learn and grow and have their contributions respected. Please read our statements on diversity, equity, and inclusion and also on academic support.
The Department of Physics and Astronomy at West Virginia University is dedicated to the study of the physical world and the processes that govern it. Our faculty train students in a wide-range of fundamental areas of classical and modern physics through a structured program of courses, individual and group research activities, department activities and advanced electives.
The WVU Planetarium presents free public shows on alternating Friday evenings. The shows provide a glimpse into the night sky, highlighting the wonders of the universe, its origins and our place among the cosmos. The observatory is located atop the physics department and is equipped with a 14-inch Celestron telescope for public viewing in concert with the planetarium shows.
What is matter made of? How long has our universe existed? How does a bicycle work? What about a battery or a laser? From subatomic particles to distant galaxies, physics provides a way to understand how and why the world works the way it does. At Oberlin, our students are encouraged to ask their own open-ended questions and test their ideas through hands-on undergraduate research, supplemented by a curriculum that combines theory and laboratory classes, from classical and quantum mechanics to electricity and magnetism, astronomy, optics, electronics, and more.
Undergraduate students with physics or astronomy research to share are encouraged to register! Those interested in presenting may register using the QR code on the event flyer, or by using this Google form (Stony Brook e-mail required).
The Society of Physics Students (SPS) is a professional association designed for students and membership is open to anyone interested in physics and related fields. SPS operates within the American Institute of Physics (AIP), an umbrella organization for professional physical science societies.
In cooperation with the faculty of Columbia University, Barnard offers a thorough pre-professional curriculum in both physics and astronomy. The faculty represents a wide range of expertise, with special strength and distinction in theoretical gravitational and condensed matter physics, and observational astrophysics.
Separate majors in physics and astronomy are offered. A major in astrophysics is also possible. Furthermore, there are many special interdisciplinary majors, such as biophysics, chemical physics,engineering physics, mathematical physics, and astrochemistry. There is a physics minor as well. Students should consult members of the department early on in their undergraduate careers in order to plan the most effective course of study.
The Department of Physics and Astronomy offers tracks in physics, astrophysics, astronomy and Earth, planetary and space sciences (EPSS). In all tracks, students receive a B.A. in physics. You can also minor in both physics and astronomy.
At Union, physics and astronomy classes are small and personal, instruction is characterized by individual attention, labs are taught by the regular faculty rather than by graduate students, and all students are encouraged to participate in undergraduate research with faculty. In the photo, faculty and students work with the Accelerator in the Union College Ion Beam Analysis Laboratory in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. Please also see Examples of Undergraduate Research Projects for a video about the accelerator and Summer 2022 undergraduate research projects available in the Department and nationally.
Our astrophysics and cosmology group explores such areas as the formation of galaxies; the production of dark matter in the early universe; and the properties, evolution, and death throes of massive stars.
PITT PACC coordinates local activities in experimental, observational, and theoretical particle physics, astrophysics, and cosmology Pittsburgh Quantum InstituteAt the Pittsburgh Quantum Institute, we bring together faculty and resources to further our mission statement.
Michigan State University's Department of Physics and Astronomy is one of the top-ranked departments in the country. It offers many diverse courses in physics and astronomy. Undergraduate programs are available with different emphases and mixes with other branches of science and engineering. It also offers graduate (M.S. & Ph.D.) degree programs with specializations in many sub-fields.
October 21, 2022 Two Faculty Elected APS Fellows Danny Caballero and Huey-Wen Lin are the latest two MSU Department of Physics and Astronomy Faculty to be elected APS Fellows. The APS Fellowship Program was created in 1921 for those in the physics community to recognize peers who have contributed to advances in physics through original research, innovative applications, teaching, and leadership.
The physics major at Bowdoin includes a rigorous introduction to the mathematics and physics common to all subfields of physics within the framework of a strong liberal arts education. Students should include upper-level courses in the humanities as well as upper-level courses in mathematics and physics in their studies. A strong preparation for advanced work, coupled with general intellectual growth and good scholarship, is our goal.
The METRIC program provides need-based scholarships and activities designed to facilitate students' scholastic and professional development and to prepare them for careers in STEM. The program is currently recruiting physics, math, geology, and chemistry.
The Physics and Astronomy Department at Vassar College offers students an engaging learning environment consisting of a rigorous program of study augmented by a diverse research agenda. The department faculty are dedicated to continuously using and exploring innovative and effective teaching strategies, and to developing a strong research program aimed at providing ample opportunity for undergraduate students to have hands-on experience. Physics and astronomy majors are adequately prepared for graduate studies in not only physics and astronomy, but also engineering, education, and medicine. The faculty is also committed to teaching courses that promote scientific literacy for students who do not choose to major in the sciences. A sample of the department's activities can be found at .
The study of physics at Vassar prepares students for a wide range of opportunities and experiences. Our students develop skills in deductive reasoning, critical thinking, and precision of thought, while building a familiarity with the scientific method and a useful understanding of technology. While a Vassar education in physics can prepare our students for advanced study in physics or related fields (over one-third of our majors choose to go on to graduate school), it can also prepare them to play a direct and important role in society as scientists, engineers, doctors, lawyers, teachers, writers, financial experts, and architects. The career options for Vassar physics majors are abundant.
Exposure to scientific reasoning and methods are important for all Vassar students, not just physics majors. The department also offers a number of accessible and interesting courses for students majoring in disciplines outside of the sciences. The topics of these courses include the interactions of subatomic particles, the science of sound, contemporary technologies, the philosophy of physics, and the study of motion in the real world using digital video analysis. The department also shares faculty with the Program in Science, Technology, and Society, and has a strong interest in the history of science and the influence of technology on contemporary culture and politics.
A number of Vassar physics students are also interested in engineering. Those looking for a liberal arts education with an engineering emphasis can arrange to spend three years at Vassar and two years at Dartmouth College, which results in a bachelor's degree from each institution. More information on this dual-degree program can be found on our site here, or through Dartmouth's engineering program site.
Our faculty and students collaborate with local and national research institutions, including the Naval Research Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, NASA, the Jefferson Laboratory, and many others to push the boundaries of physics and astronomy research.
Gravitational wave detectors have opened a new window to the universe by measuring the ripples in spacetime produced by colliding black holes and neutron stars, but they are ultimately limited by quantum fluctuations induced by light reflecting off of mirrors. LSU Ph.D. physics alumnus Jonathan Cripe, postdoctoral fellow, NIST, and his team of LSU researchers have conducted a new experiment with scientists from Caltech and Thorlabs to explore a way to cancel this quantum backaction and improve detector sensitivity. 041b061a72