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Majors & Minors
We offer degrees in physics and in physics and astronomy, as well as many research opportunities for undergraduates.
Graduate Studies
Our PhD programs rank in the top twenty nationwide, according to the National Research Council.
Research
From subatomic particles to the structure of the Universe itself, our award-winning faculty study nature on every scale.
Feature Story
Earth to get a temporary 2nd moon
September 19, 2024
Spotlight
Physics Student Wins First Place in Art of Science Competition
Rayleigh Parker, a physics PhD student, won first place for Flocking Behavior. Parker shot video of a small flock of crows passing overhead on the Lehigh Valley Trail in Rochester and then collapsed the video down into a single frame using a script written in Python.
“Birds engage in flocking behavior that can produce mind-bogglingly complex structures in space and time, but the behavior of each individual bird can be reduced to a (relatively) simple set of rules,” wrote Parker in their submission. “Only in the aggregate does the structure of the flock emerge. While large flocks of birds such as starlings are the most immediately impressive, smaller flocks, even groups of only three birds, can be just as beautiful if you take the time to watch.”
Milder Receives Chiyoe Yamanaka Award
Avram Milder ’21 (PhD), a scientist in the Laser–Plasma Interactions Group at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics, has been selected to receive the Chiyoe Yamanaka Award at the International Conference on Inertial Fusion Sciences and Applications (IFSA). Milder has been selected for his trailblazing measurements of electron distribution functions performed at the Omega Laser Facility that has opened a new avenue for researchers exploring fundamental plasma-physics.
NSF funds multi-institutional design of world-leading EP-OPAL laser at Rochester
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded the University of Rochester nearly $18 million over three years to design and prototype key technologies for EP-OPAL, a new facility dedicated to the study of ultrahigh-intensity laser-matter interactions. Physics professor Antonino Di Piazza is one of the co-principal investigators for the EP-OPAL project.
Kelly Douglass gives an interview about AAS Journal article on cosmic voids
Kelly Douglass (University of Rochester) chats about her AAS Journal article on voids, and where we can go from here given the published article.
Life of a Cosmology Graduate Student
Growing up, I never imagined that I’d become a physicist. I always enjoyed my physics classes, but was convinced that I’d study engineering in college. Yet as a high school senior, I took an electricity and magnetism course that really caught my attention. And as it happened, I attended a small liberal arts college without an engineering program. I made the decision to major in physics instead.
Ketevan Kotorashvili receives Tsinandli Award in Natural Sciences
Ketevan (Keti) Kotorashvili, a graduate student in the University of Rochester’s Department of Physics and Astronomy and a Horton Fellow of the Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE), recently received the Zurab Zhvania Foundation’s 2023 Tsinandli Award in Natural Sciences for her research on the evolution of stars.
Partnerships
The Department of Physics and Astronomy is committed to increasing the diversity of its student body, faculty, and staff. We are a partner institution in the APS Bridge and Cal-Bridge programs.
Physics, Optics, and Astronomy (POA) Library
The POA library houses a comprehensive collection of journals, monographs and online data bases, supporting the research and teaching activities of the department.
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