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Physics & Astronomy

Undergraduate Resources

Undergraduate Research Opportunities

We encourage undergraduate students to become involved in research as early as possible. By participating in research, you begin to learn how a scientist does science and how the scientific community works.

Below we list opportunities for research with our faculty, sorted alphabetically within the six research areas in our department. Click on the name for more information about the research.

After deciding which opportunities you are most interested in, contact the faculty members listed to find out if they can accept you into the research program and to learn more about what you would be doing. We encourage you to visit with several faculty members before making your final decision.

Browse this page or follow the links below to find more information about a specific group.

Acoustics
Astronomy
Atomic, Molecular, and Optical
Condensed Matter
Plasma
Theoretical and Mathematical

Acoustics

Timothy W. Leishman
Excitation, measurement, modeling, and control of sound fields; audio acoustics, architectural acoustics, and active noise control
Ideal number of Undergraduates: 2, current number of Undergraduates: 5.
Ideal number of Graduates: 2, current number of Graduates: 4.
Scott D. Sommerfeldt
Active noise control and energy-based acoustics
Ideal number of Undergraduates: 2, current number of Undergraduates: 0.
Ideal number of Graduates: 2, current number of Graduates: 3.
Kent Gee
Nonlinear acoustics, physical acoustics, aeroacoustics, active noise control
Ideal number of Undergraduates: 4, current number of Undergraduates: 1.
Ideal number of Graduates: 2, current number of Graduates: 3.

Astronomy

Clark G. Christensen
Ideal number of Undergraduates: 1, current number of Undergraduates: 0.
Ideal number of Graduates: 1, current number of Graduates: 0.
Eric Hintz
Variable stars across the HR diagram (Observational)
Ideal number of Undergraduates: 9, current number of Undergraduates: 9.
Ideal number of Graduates: 2, current number of Graduates: 0.
Michael Joner
Stellar photometry (Observational)
Ideal number of Undergraduates: 5, current number of Undergraduates: 0.
Ideal number of Graduates: 3, current number of Graduates: 4.
J. Ward Moody
Galaxy nuclear variability, remote observing, large-scale galaxy distribution
Ideal number of Undergraduates: 5, current number of Undergraduates: 1.
Ideal number of Graduates: 2, current number of Graduates: 2.
Benjamin J. Taylor
The Galactic Cluster Reddening Project
Ideal number of Undergraduates: 0, current number of Undergraduates: 0.
Ideal number of Graduates: 1, current number of Graduates: 0.
Denise Stephens
Brown Dwarfs, Kuiper Belt Objects
Ideal number of Undergraduates: 2, current number of Undergraduates: 0.
Ideal number of Graduates: 2, current number of Graduates: 2.

Atomic, Molecular, and Optical

David D. Allred
Thin films, Extreme Ultraviolet Optics and Mars Simulations
Ideal number of Undergraduates: 5, current number of Undergraduates: 5.
Ideal number of Graduates: 1, current number of Graduates: 0.
Scott D. Bergeson
Cold atoms (experimental)
Ideal number of Undergraduates: 2, current number of Undergraduates: 2.
Ideal number of Graduates: 4, current number of Graduates: 1.
Dallin Durfee
Matterwave interferometry and Laser Cooling (Experimental)
Ideal number of Undergraduates: 5, current number of Undergraduates: 2.
Ideal number of Graduates: 2, current number of Graduates: 1.
Justin B. Peatross
High-Intensity Laser Physics (experimental)
Ideal number of Undergraduates: 4, current number of Undergraduates: 5.
Ideal number of Graduates: 2, current number of Graduates: 0.
Lawrence B. Rees
Nuclear Physics: ion-beam analysis and neutron detector development
Ideal number of Undergraduates: 1, current number of Undergraduates: 1.
Ideal number of Graduates: 0, current number of Graduates: 0.
R. Steven Turley
Extreme ultraviolet and thin films
Ideal number of Undergraduates: 5, current number of Undergraduates: 3.
Ideal number of Graduates: 1, current number of Graduates: 0.
Michael J. Ware
Quantum Optics
Ideal number of Undergraduates: 3, current number of Undergraduates: 1.
Ideal number of Graduates: 2, current number of Graduates: 0.

Condensed Matter

Branton Campbell
Materials physics - nanoscale structure property relationships (Experimental)
Ideal number of Undergraduates: 4, current number of Undergraduates: 4.
Ideal number of Graduates: 2, current number of Graduates: 0.
Robert Davis
Nanoscale fabrication and microscopy (experimental)
Ideal number of Undergraduates: 10, current number of Undergraduates: 3.
Ideal number of Graduates: 4, current number of Graduates: 2.
Bret C. Hess
Calculation of excited state spectra, electronic properties and transport in nanostructures.
Ideal number of Undergraduates: 6, current number of Undergraduates: 4.
Ideal number of Graduates: 2, current number of Graduates: 2.
Harold T. Stokes
Structural phase transitions in solids (computational)
Ideal number of Undergraduates: 1, current number of Undergraduates: 0.
Ideal number of Graduates: 1, current number of Graduates: 0.
Richard Vanfleet
Atomic and near atomic scale studies of materials by transmission electron microscopy (experimental)
Ideal number of Undergraduates: 6, current number of Undergraduates: 4.
Ideal number of Graduates: 2, current number of Graduates: 1.
Gus Hart
Computational Condensed Matter
Ideal number of Undergraduates: 5, current number of Undergraduates: 5.
Ideal number of Graduates: 1, current number of Graduates: 0.
John Colton
Optical investigations of electron spin in semiconductors
Ideal number of Undergraduates: 0, current number of Undergraduates: 0.
Ideal number of Graduates: 0, current number of Graduates: 0.
Karine Chesnel
Ideal number of Undergraduates: 2, current number of Undergraduates: 0.
Ideal number of Graduates: 1, current number of Graduates: 0.

Plasma

Grant W. Hart
Experimental investigation of non-neutral plasma physics
Ideal number of Undergraduates: 2, current number of Undergraduates: 2.
Ideal number of Graduates: 2, current number of Graduates: 0.
Bryan G. Peterson
Experimental investigation of non-neutral plasma physics
Ideal number of Undergraduates: 2, current number of Undergraduates: 4.
Ideal number of Graduates: 2, current number of Graduates: 1.
Ross L. Spencer
Theory and computation in plasmas, including waves, instabilities, and fluid flow
Ideal number of Undergraduates: 3, current number of Undergraduates: 0.
Ideal number of Graduates: 2, current number of Graduates: 0.

Theoretical and Mathematical

Manuel Berrondo
QFT, Quantum Chemistry, Holistic Dynamics
Ideal number of Undergraduates: 2, current number of Undergraduates: 1.
Ideal number of Graduates: 1, current number of Graduates: 1.
Eric Hirschmann
General relativity, nonlinear field theories, computational physics
Ideal number of Undergraduates: 2, current number of Undergraduates: 3.
Ideal number of Graduates: 2, current number of Graduates: 1.
David Neilsen
General relativity; computational fluid dynamics
Ideal number of Undergraduates: 4, current number of Undergraduates: 2.
Ideal number of Graduates: 2, current number of Graduates: 2.
Jean-Francois Van Huele
all aspects of quantum theory
Ideal number of Undergraduates: 3, current number of Undergraduates: 2.
Ideal number of Graduates: 2, current number of Graduates: 1.
 
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