The Department of Physics is dedicated to providing students an exceptional Integrative Learning experience.
With outstanding laboratories, equipment, and first rate professors and instructors, students graduate with a firm foundation that leads them to rewarding career opportunities or post-graduate degrees.
Are you good with computers? Do you also have an interest in the physical world around you? Combining these interests can lead to the concentration of Computational Physics. Click here for more information on this program.
When you look up at the night sky, what do you see? There are patterns of stars, planets, the moon, and some sights that you may not be able to explain. Click here for more information on this program.
Physics is the scientific study of matter and energy and how they interact with each other. This energy can take the form of motion, light, electricity, radiation, gravity . . . just about anything, honestly. Physics deals with matter on scales ranging from sub-atomic particles (i.e. the particles that make up the atom and the particles that make up those particles) to stars and even entire galaxies. Click here for more information on this program.
You enjoy the physical world around you. You are pretty good at math and like that it applies to something in the world. You like to gain understanding about phenomena like how electricity works, how the steam engine works, or why the sky is blue. But you are a people person who likes to help others to understand these types of things. Then you might like to go into Physics teaching. Click here for more information on this program.
Are you the type of person who always had to tinker with things? Were you the person who always had ideas for improving or inventing something? Did you take things apart to find out how they run? Are you practical and well directed in your efforts? Then you might be the type of person who should try our Engineering Physics concentration. Click here for more information on this program.
Engineering is problem solving. An Engineer may work in a number of different fields. For example, an Engineer may solve problems dealing with the production and transmission of energy, or he(she) may be involved in food production, product manufacturing, construction of bridges or dams, computer design, design of air or spacecraft, or any of a number of interesting areas! Click here for more information on this program.
"My research areas are theoretical physics and astrophysics. I have done research on compact X-ray sources, radiation processes in strong magnetic field, radiative transfer, and numerical hydrodynamics. More recently I have been studying the formation of the road surface mirage, as well as several topics related to asteroids: modeling of asteroid light curves, and calculation of maximum spin rates."
“I find lasers and optics fascinating. Recently I have been studying the polarization of light. In particular polarized light is expected to be transmitted by a polarizer aligned parallel to the direction of polarization. A crossed polarizer should block the light. However, what happens if the light does not impinge on the polarizer perpendicular to the surface? It may seem like this is a simple problem of geometry but it is much more difficult than that."
Physical Sciences Building Room 2131
Eastern Illinois University
600 Lincoln Ave
Charleston, IL 61920
(217) 581-3220
physics@eiu.edu
