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Undergraduate degrees: B.A., B.S.
Undergraduate minor
Archimedes, Newton, Einstein, and... you?
The laws of physics have a jurisdiction that encompasses the known, and perhaps the unknown, universe. Past discoveries in physics have revolutionized the way we think of the world, and current research working toward satiating the human tendency to figure out how things work.
As a physics major, you will have numerous opportunities to participate in research. Dean Livelybrooks, a senior physics instructor, serves as a liaison between students and physics faculty members, making sure that students find research opportunities that fit their interests. “Several research groups within the department have long histories of including undergraduates in major research projects,” says Livelybrooks.
“Motivated undergraduate researchers are encouraged to participate vigorously in the creation of new knowledge.”
Current students are working on high-profile research projects such as the International Linear Collider (ILC), a global project involving hundreds of physicists from around the world who are designing a particle collider more than twenty miles long that will hurl subatomic particles at velocities approaching the speed of light. Scheduled to be built in 2010, scientists say that the collider will provide researchers with information key to understanding the composition of dark matter and the existence of extra dimensions.
However, department head Davison Soper is quick to point out that, “our majors have quite a variety of opportunities, so it’s not just to clone ourselves and make more faculty members in physics,” he says. “The world is bound to a large extent in technical stuff and not too many people know how to do it.” Soper adds that undergraduate studies in physics is perfect for a number of business applications, explaining that one of his former graduate students is now an executive at a New York hedge fund with investments near $7 billion.
Soper says that a strong physics background is also perfect for going into law. “Many patent lawyers don’t know how things work and will miss some of the subtleties,” he explains.
Regardless of where your knowledge takes you, you can be sure that the UO will prepare you to excel in your chosen field. “We’re not just training people for jobs,” says Soper. “We’re training people for life.”
Points of Interest
- The UO physics faculty receives an average of $6 million in funding each year.
- A wide scope of research opportunities exists in physics labs headed by internationally recognized faculty members.
- The physics department has advanced labs in laser optics, electronics, and instrumentation, which are utilized in undergraduate courses.
- Two UO physics professors, Greg Bothun and Brian Matthews, made the ISI Web of Knowledge list as two researchers whose works are most often cited in peer-reviewed journals. Those on the list make up less than one-half of one percent of publishing researchers in the world.
- Physics classes typically comprise fifteen to twenty-five students, which guarantees individual attention. These courses are taught by faculty members who bring their research interests into the classroom.