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Physics & Astronomy

Exploration of how and why things work, from the very big to very small.

Findings of physicists shape society’s understanding of the universe, technological advancements, astronomical venturing, medicine, law, business and engineering. Physics and astronomy majors at DePauw University gain expansive knowledge into the way the world physically works – from the very large (structure of the universe) to the very small (atoms, nuclei and even smaller matter). They do it in rigorous courses taught in small class environments, enabling personal connections between student and professor. These relationships result in student-faculty research projects involving experiment and data analysis both on campus and in national and international collaborations. Students also collaborate with one another in the classroom, the Society of Physics Students, the Sigma Pi Sigma physics honor society and the historic McKim Observatory.

CAREER OPTIONS

  • Financial analyst
  • Lawyer
  • Medical physicist
  • National security analyst
  • Physician
  • Systems analyst
  • Teacher

Internship & Graduate

INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

Kitt Peak National Observatory, Tucson, Ariz, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, N.M., Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tenn., National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Charlottesville, Va., NIST Center for Neutron Research, Gaithersburg, Md., Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, Newport News, Va.

GRADUATE INSTITUTIONS ATTENDED

Carnegie Mellon University, Columbia University, Duke University, Indiana University, Johns Hopkins University, Northwestern University, Purdue University, University of Arizona, University of Kentucky, University of Michigan, University of Minnesota, University of North Carolina, University of Pennsylvania, University of Tennessee, University of Wisconsin, Washington University, St. Louis

ALUMNI ACCOMPLISHMENTS

OLIVIA CASTELLINI ’99

Olivia earned a doctorate in physics from the University of Wisconsin. She is a senior exhibit developer at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, where she was a member of the team that created “Science Storms,” an exhibition about the science that underlies natural phenomena. She has been interviewed on several television programs and by the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times.

ALUMNI ACCOMPLISHMENTS

EVAN ZELESNIK ’16

Evan is pursuing a master’s degree in aerospace engineering at Utah State University, where he does energy analytics for Tesla Inc. and its solar-energy subsidiary, SolarCity Corp. He was a summer intern at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

FACULTY

Avery Archer, Ph.D., Washington University, St. Louis. Interested in high-energy astrophysics and particle physics.

Howard Brooks, Ph.D., University of Missouri- Rolla. Conducts balloon-assisted stratospheric experiments.

Thomas Grier ’18, physics lab manager. Interested in physics education and light pollution.

Jacob Hale, Ph.D., Purdue University. Interested in high-speed fluid dynamics.

Mary Kertzman, Ph.D., University of Minnesota. Interested in high-energy gamma ray astrophysics.

Alexander Komives, Ph.D., Indiana University. Studies nuclear physics and weak interactions.

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