RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES

Undergraduate research is an essential part of a complete physics education. Therefore, our students are strongly encouraged to participate in the research activities of our department. Our department has active research programs in optics, nanotechnology, biophysics, astronomy and physics education. Many of our students also conduct off-site research during the summer at other university, government and industrial settings.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR INVOLVEMENT

Students are also given the chance to grow as physicists and gain valuable experience by working for the department as a laboratory assistant and/or student tutor. There is an active chapter of the Society of Physics Students whose purpose is to develop a closer interaction between students and faculty in both social and professional activities. Monthly dinners are held during the school year where students have an opportunity to meet with the department faculty and hear talks from guest speakers. Each fall the department hosts a tailgate party at homecoming where current students, faculty, and alumni come together to share memories, get caught up, and even discuss physics! The department also seeks to recognize academic achievement. Students who qualify are invited to join Sigma Pi Sigma, a national physics honorary society, which recognizes outstanding students in the field of physics. 

INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

Internships are a great way to gain experience in an area of physics, learn about job possibilities, and apply what has been learned in the classroom. All physics majors are encouraged to apply for internships, which typically occur after the sophomore or junior year. In recent years our students have obtained internships at major universities and laboratories including Cal Tech, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Jefferson Laboratory, Penn State University, the Universities of Delaware, Oklahoma, Maryland, and Minnesota as well as many others. Industry interns have included such companies as Verizon, Manpower Technical Services, and Instron/Satec Systems and others.

CAREER AND GRADUATE SCHOOL OPPORTUNITIES

Students who are interested in physics often ask, “What can you do with a physics degree?” Probably the best response to this question is to say, “What do you want to do?” The reality is that physicists are found in many walks of life, and a degree in physics opens a wide variety of opportunities. The broad applicability of a physics degree stems from the universal nature of the analytical problem-solving skills learned in physics coursework. Upon graduation, you will be prepared for graduate work in physics; teaching at the secondary level; medical, dental or law school; technical sales; earning an MBA…the list goes on and on. Just a few examples highlight the diversity of what our former students are doing. We have graduates who are students in physics Ph.D. programs, college professors, high school and middle school teachers, computer programmers in business and government, researchers in government labs and industry, and students in seminary. Additional information about careers in physics and related fields can be found at the Web site of the American Institute of Physics (http://www.aip.org).