Physics Department

Overview

Why study Physics, Physical Science, and Astronomy?

     Physics is the basis of science and technology. The laws of physics describe the behavior of matter and energy and help us to understand the physical world. On the smallest scale, physicists study quarks, nuclei, atoms,and other basic constituents of matter. They also study the mechanical, electromagnetic, and thermal properties of solids, liquids, gasses, and plasmas. On the grand scale, physicists and astronomers study stars and galaxies, and apply physical principles to questions about the nature of the universe.

      More than 50,000 physicists work in industry, educational institutions, state and federal government, and nonprofit research centers in the United States. Some of them perform basic research in physics, while others apply their knowledge to solve human problems in such areas as energy sources, environmental protection, medicine, transportation, communication, meteorology, geology, and defense. These researchers are supported by those who teach science and engineering, providing students with the problem-solving and laboratory skills necessary for challenging the future.

      Physical science teachers are educated to work in the elementary and middle schools where children receive their first in-depth exposure to science and technology. Their work is crucial because the attitudes toward science instilled at this level generally persist for a lifetime. Physics teachers are trained to instruct in the high school or community college, and many physicists are employed as college professors. Besides educating future physics researchers, physics teachers provide the knowledge of physics that is required for such fields as medicine, engineering, technical writing, and environmental science.

Physics, Physical Science, and Astronomy at CMU

      The Department of Physics offers physics and astronomy courses to serve the needs of the following groups of students: those who contemplate graduate studies or professional employment in physics and astronomy; those who plan to teach physics or astronomy at community colleges and secondary schools; those who plan to enter the professions such as medicine or engineering, which require a thorough understanding of physical concepts; and those who plan to major in another academic discipline and desire an understanding of the fundamental processes which govern the physical environment.

     The department offers courses in physical science and astronomy designed to meet several needs. A student may: prepare to become a teacher of the physical science at the primary or middle school level; complete a portion of the requirements for an interdepartmental major or minor; or obtain as a major in another academic discipline a better understanding of the physical environment. The department also offers a variety of service and general education courses in introductory physics, physical science, and astronomy for students in programs that are not directly related to science. A student can take a major or a minor in physics. The university also offers engineering programs in cooperation with Michigan Technological University in which the first two years are taken at CMU and the remainder at MTU. An astronomy concentration is available on the physics major for students who intend to pursue graduate work in astronomy. Students who are headed for a teaching career have available to them the physics major and minor, an interdepartmental chemistry-physics major, and the physical science major and minor programs.

      The core of the physical science program consists of classes which are inquiry oriented and allow prospective teachers to become familiar with contemporary science units that are used in the schools. Any student interested in a departmental major or minor should contact the chair person as soon as possible to be assigned an advisor.

      Undergraduate and graduate students have opportunities for individual research projects in the advanced physics laboratory, the polymer fluid dynamics laboratory and the thin-films laboratory. Such projects are supported by two full-time technicians who staff a machine shop and an electronics shop. The department's classrooms, laboratories, and faculty offices are located in the Leon and Frances McDermott wing of the Dow Science Complex. The observatory and associated facilities are in Brooks Hall. The main collection of physics and astronomy books and serials is on the fourth floor of the Park Library. There is a departmental reading room in Dow 231, where tutors are available during the evening hours. Computers and terminals for accessing the university's mainframe computer are available in this room, as well as elsewhere in the department.