About Physics Department

Department Chair Welcome

The whole universe is the topic of study in physics. No facet is too small or too large to be considered. Physics is the assembly and application of the rational rules by which nature operates. Physics is the foundation for all other sciences. Physics pervades our lives, from the common experiences of powering our homes and driving to school to the most exotic merging black holes and creating new subatomic particles. Our modern technology is possible because of the systematic application of the laws of physics.

Humanity has always struggled to improve its understanding of the environment and to cope with environmental changes and problems. Physics has always been at the forefront of finding solutions to these concerns. The more technical our world becomes, the more critical our concerns with our environment become. When the environmental and engineering problems of today are solved, and when improvements to the technology of our day are made, it will be the physicists who will have found many, if not most, of those solutions.