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Physics and astronomy majors at the College of Charleston find inspiration for research everywhere, from billiard balls to binary stars and from coastal sea breezes to gamma-ray bursts. They become confident, innovative thinkers, well prepared for success, whether they seek immediate employment or further education in graduate or professional school.
- Opportunities for physics majors who hold a bachelor’s degree include many engineering positions, technical sales, technical field representative, education, technical writing, medical equipment maintenance, repair or operation, computer programming, and technical support positions.
- If you love astronomy, but choose not to go on to graduate school, there are many exciting jobs open to you. NASA and various other government supported organizations often have support positions available to people with bachelor’s degrees.
- If you want to teach, job opportunities are very good. Most private schools do not require a teaching certificate, and in many cases public schools can hire technically oriented teachers and postpone the need for a teaching certificate. Several of our graduates in recent years have entered satisfying careers in public and private education.
Approximately 40 percent of our graduates enter graduate school or professional school. The universities that have accepted recent graduates include:
- Louisiana State University (astronomy)
- Duke University (medical physics)
- Boston College (physics)
- University of California at Berkeley (physics)
- Louisiana Technical University (biophysics)
- Georgetown University (physics)
- Wake Forest University (nano-science)
- University of Iowa (astrophysics)
- North Carolina State University (meteorology)
- University of South Carolina (engineering; physics)
- Georgia State University (astrophysics)
- The Pennsylvania State University (physics)
- Virginia Polytechnic University (engineering)
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (physical chemistry)
- Clemson University (civil engineering; electrical engineering; astrophysics)
Research.You’ll find many opportunities to engage in research with faculty, as well as academic-year and summer-research appointments elsewhere. All physics and astronomy majors are required to complete a research capstone course under the guidance of a faculty research mentor. Students are also encouraged to participate in research activities prior to this capstone requirement. Funding is currently available for a number of these activities through agencies such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Annual Scientific Research Poster Session. A great way to share your research efforts with others. This is excellent preparation for presentations at other professional meetings.
Professional publications and conferences. Students and faculty often have the results of their joint research projects published in scientific journals or present them at professional conferences.
Society for Physics Students. Open to all members of the college community who are interested in physics-related fields.
Computer lab, Science Center. Our computer lab features computers loaded with general-use software, specialty software for more advanced users (Mathematica, LaTeX, IDL, etc.), as well as astronomy simulation and research software.
Advanced computing
- A campus Beowulf cluster for advanced computations
- A network of UNIX workstations for research
- A variety of packages are used for the analysis of astronomical data from ground- and space-based telescopes. Students learn how to use the common astronomical packages (e.g., IRAF, AIPS, XSPEC) and programming languages.
- The UNIDATA software package on a Sun workstation is available for meteorology and atmospheric physics research.
Astronomy and astrophysics
- 16" telescope on Science Center roof. The 0.4-meter Cassegrain telescope is used in introductory astronomy labs and includes a 1024x1024 Apogee Ap6EP CCD and a six-position filter wheel with standard 50mm UBVRI filters.
- Other local telescopes. Over 30 Celestron 8" telescopes and roof mounted pedestals for observations during laboratory periods; 30 Meade 8" GPS-equipped telescopes; and portable telescopes, such as a computer-controlled 10" Meade and a 7” Meade.
- Automated Photometric Telescope, Arizona. The department is part of a four-college consortium that operates this telescope at the Fairborn Observatory. Several student projects each year make use of its data.
- Telescope on St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. The College is a consortium partner with the University of the Virgin Islands to maintain and operate this automated 0.5 m Cassegrain telescope. It is equipped with a large format (2048 x 2048) CCD for imaging and a 12-position filter wheel with UBVRI filters. Telescope operation and control can be performed directly from the campus.
Physics and biomedical optics
- Lasers and optics. Our research equipment is mostly in the fields of medical uses of lasers, laser optics, nonlinear optics, holography and spectroscopy. We have several infrared, red and green cw lasers, and a pulsed nitrogen laser that operates in the ultraviolet, as well as an assortment of spectrometers and related equipment for measuring ultraviolet, visible and infrared emission, absorption, transmission and scattering.
- Resonant Ultrasound Spectrometer – for investigating mechanical properties of exotic materials
- Photo-Acoustic Spectrometer – to probe optical characteristics of advanced optical materials and nano-materials
- Other equipment – gamma spectrometer with alpha- and beta-counting capability; digital imaging and video capable microscopes; a scanning electron microscope and a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer.
Meteorology and atmospheric physics.
We are involved in the Charleston Harbor Project, the Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program, the National Science Foundation West Antarctic Ice Sheet Initiative, and are affiliated with the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), the managing organization for the National Center for Atmospheric Research.
“One of my favorite aspects of the College of Charleston physics department was the accessibility of the instructors and their constant willingness to discuss classes, research, and the occasional, not-so-brilliant epiphany on my part.”
Stephanie Tulley ’04
PhD. candidate, Louisiana Technical University
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