Research
The research component of our program is very strong. Each graduate must finish at least one research experience either on or off campus before graduation. Every summer, the physics professors conduct research projects that directly involve physics students. On average, students have at least two research experiences by graduation: one on campus and the other off campus. All of our students present their results at regional or national meetings. Recent research experiences on campus include:
- Mossbauer Spectroscopy
- Laser Ablation and Mass spectroscopy
- Material synthesis
- X-ray diffraction
- Observational Astronomy
- Computational Physics
Recent research experiences off campus include:
- Nuclear physics at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)
- Laser Ablation at ORNL and at the University of Tennessee (UT)
- Material Synthesis at IBM Almaden Research Center, CA
- Spectroscopy at Vanderbilt University
- Observational Astronomy at Alabama
Such an experience also shows students how science is done and excites them in science.