Centre graduate physics major Darren Hudson, presently a graduate student at the University of Colorado , 2001 physics Nobel laureate Eric Cornell, and Professor Marshall Wilt stand before the optical table where Cornell created the first Bose-Einstein condensate. Wilt was visiting Colorado to discuss atomic physics research with Cornell and associates.

 

The Physics Program at Centre

Centre's physics program is designed to prepare students for graduate level studies in physics and engineering, entry level positions in industry and government, or participation in the dual-degree undergraduate engineering program. The curriculum provides all areas of physics central to a physics degree; mechanics, electricity and magnetism, thermodynamics and statistical
mechanics, optics, quantum physics, and experimental physics. In addition, exceptional students may have an opportunity to participate in collaborative research programs with a faculty member.

The Physics Program emphasizes critical thinking, particularly analyses, deductive reasoning, and synthesis. Physics students develop abilities to conduct scientific experimentation, and to communicate the ideas and concepts of physics in oral, written, and mathematical form.