The department is proud to announce that two graduate students successfully passed their Thesis Proposal Defense in the last couple of weeks, granting them the status of PhD Candidates. Allison Molinari, advised by John Thompson, successfully defended her proposal, “Investigation of Student Understanding of Vectors Across Contexts and Class Levels,” on March 20. Ethan Cronk, […]
Read more
On March 28, 2024, three Physics majors were inducted into the Delta of Maine chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest and most prestigious honor society in the United States. According to their website, Phi Beta Kappa has “championed education in the arts and sciences, fostered freedom of thought, and recognized academic excellence” since 1776. […]
Read more
The Department is involved in many activities and events as part of the 2024 Maine Science Festival. This is an annual event celebrating the science (interpreted broadly) happening across Maine. All events are free and open to the public, and are geared for all ages. The program can be found here. Wednesday, March 20, 6:30pm, Seasons Restaurant, Main […]
Read more
We note the passing of two emeritus faculty who were longtime and central members of the department from the early 1960s to the late 2000s, both shaping the department in teaching, research, and sense of community. Gerald Harmon, Associate Professor Emeritus of Physics, passed away in August 2023. Jerry received his B.A. in Physics in […]
Read more
Three physics and engineering physics majors are recipients of 2023-24 Center for Undergraduate Research (CUGR) and Maine Space Grant Consortium (MSGC) academic year fellowships, all for work in FIRST. Adam Dugré, Engineering Physics, 2023-2024 Academic Year MSGC Research Experience “Development of a Thin-Film Reactor for the Synthesis of Atomically Precise Graphene Nanoribbons,” advised by Tomas […]
Read more
This Friday, December 1, Dr. Eric Burkholder, from Auburn University, will be presenting a Colloquium in the Department of Physics and Astronomy entitled Using real-world problem-solving to target structural inequities in introductory physics. The talk begins at 3:15 pm in 140 Bennett Hall. Refreshments will be served at 3:00 pm. Abstract Many groups of people […]
Read more
Due to multiple circumstances, the Department of Physics and Astronomy will not be accepting applications for any new graduate students, for either doctoral or Master’s programs, for Fall 2024 or Spring 2025. We will resume admissions for the 2025-2026 academic year in the Fall of 2024. If you have questions, please contact the Graduate Coordinator, […]
Read more
We’re hiring! We’re delighted to invite applications for two full-time, academic-year tenure-track Assistant Professor positions in Physics and Astronomy with a joint appointment in the Frontier Institute for Research in Sensor Technologies (FIRST, umaine.edu/first/). Applicants should have expertise in experimental and/or computational/theoretical condensed-matter physics, materials science, and sensor technologies. While all research specialties will be […]
Read more
The Full-Time Dean’s list for Spring 2022 was released. We have 21 students who earned their spot on the list. Those students include: Nial Gushue Ryan Corzo Apurba Kaphe Matthew Marston Brandon Martin Aleigha Morgan Vinh-Nhan Ngo Sonora Ortiz Bailey Smart Jack Adams Riley Brennan Stella Cotner Kell Fremouw Adam Hathaway Noah Hixon Hua Lin […]
Read more
Future December ’22 Graduate and Maine Learning Assistant for PHY236 Quantum Physics was featured for their work with nanotechnologies, 3D printing, and weeds. Check out the full piece here: Sonora Ortiz: Using physics to pull weeds
Read more