Physics and Astronomy
Welcome to the Department of Physics and Astronomy at BGSU! Here we explore how the universe works – from the vastness of the cosmos to the nature of subatomic particles. We do that by studying the properties of matter and energy and the laws that govern them. It’s not surprising, then, that physics and astronomy have helped us to understand our place in space-time and led the way to new technologies. With society’s ever-increasing pace, the need for discovery accelerates the demand for trained physicists. Physicists and astronomers are exceptional problem solvers with skills that are in high demand in a wide range of scientific and engineering careers in industry, academia, and government.
Students actively participate with our faculty on cutting-edge scientific research in the fields of astrophysics, materials science, nano-science, solid-state physics, and computational physics. In addition, our Planetarium and Observatory offer opportunities for astronomy research, education, and community engagement activities. These experiences are crucial for developing the credentials that graduate programs and employers seek.
Events
For information on BGSU Planetarium shows open to the public, including dates, times, and titles please follow the link above. Planetarium Director Dr. Kate Dellenbusch is developing a set of Fall shows, followed by rooftop observing at the BGSU Observatory (weather permitting).
Photo: Craig Bell, BGSU
Wow! Did you see the total solar eclipse in BG on April 8, 2024? We hosted a watch party at the Doyt Perry stadium that drew 5-10,000 people including BGSU students, faculty, staff, and visitors from near and far! You can see news articles, photos, and other artifacts at our Eclipse Memories webpage. In the weeks before the eclipse, we also hosted a series of evening talks with wide-ranging topics relating to science, history, music, art, and literature; recordings are available on BGSU's YouTube channel. More links and information remain available at the BGSU Eclipse webpage and/or the BGSU Firelands Eclipse webpage.
Is Physics for you?
What can you do with a physics degree?
A degree in physics opens the door to a wide array of exciting and challenging careers.
News and Stories
Student Awards
Congratulations to our award-winning students from 2024. Shown above are undergraduate Physics majors Matthew Fyfe (UL), Maxwell Kannen (UR), and Hallie Knorr (LL) who won Overman Awards for academic excellence. Thomas Judd (LR) received the Bowman Family Undergraduate Research Award for his work in Dr. Sun's lab on confirming the increase in the crystal lattice of PbS nanosheets, contrasting it with the behavior of bulk PbS.
Our graduate Overman Award winners are shown below, Sudhir Panthi, Andrew Prostor, Akul Rishi, Sohan Muslim, and Julia Evangelista (clockwise from UL). Congratulations on your academic achievements!
OSGC Scholarships
In July 2024, BGSU joined the Ohio Space Grant Consortium and opened up access to a variety of research and training opportunities in Physics, Astronomy, Engineering and other STEM fields. We also had two Physics majors apply for and receive OSGC Scholarships for the 2024-25 academic year. Katie Douglas and Nick Doughman are working with Dr. Layden on the light curves and period changes of RR Lyrae variable stars in the globular star cluster M107. They will present their results in Columbus in April 2025 along with OSGC Scholarship recipients from across the state. Applications for up to 7 new OSGC Scholarships for 2025-26 are due on March 1.
Science Writer
If you are frequent reader of our News and Stories section, you may recognize the initials "HHM" as the author of many articles seen here in the past year or two. We are overjoyed that Hannah Means graduated in May 2024 with a BS in Physics and a minor in Astronomy, and is progressing nicely with her planned career in science communication.
In addition to her STEM courses at BGSU, Hannah took a lot of English classes including creative writing, with the aim of building her own curriculum around science writing. Hannah also did a summer internship with the American Institute of Physics magazine Physics Today in summer 2023 in Maryland, and wrote articles for them through December 2024.
Over that time, Hannah published over a dozen news stories in this "trade magazine" which gets sent monthly to every physicist and astronomer with a membership in the AIP (circulation over 100,000 people!). A few favorites include:
- NASA cancels flight-ready lunar rover (13 December 2024)
- UK coalition gears up to demonstrate commercial viability of fusion energy (Physics Today 77 (12), 22–23 (2024) )
- What’s up with Planet Nine? (Physics Today 77 (11), 22–23 (2024) )
- Impending ship retirement leaves ocean-drilling researchers adrift (Physics Today 76 (9), 21–22 (2023) )
Hannah is excited to report that she has started working as a journal specialist at Frontiers (a scientific journal publisher) helping curate research article collections with researchers around the world. We wish her the best in her new role, and look forward to other science articles she authors!
CURS Award
We are excited to report that BGSU Physics student Thomas Judd won first prize out of 130 entries in the spring 2024 Undergraduate Award for Best Poster Presentation at the spring 2024 Center for Undergraduate Research and Scholarship competition. His poster, titled Surface Ligand Effect on the Crystal Lattice of Colloidal Nanosheets reflects his work with the research group led by Professor Liangfeng Sun from Physics and Astronomy. Thomas graduated in May 2024 and is staying on the get a Masters of Science in Physics while continuing his research in Sun lab.
Diving into Dots
Dr. Zamkov's research group studies semiconductor nanomaterials, also known as quantum dots. The discovery and development of quantum dots won three scientists the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2023. BGSU’s students are helping progress this research, which has many important applications, from high color purity LED TVs to the advancement of biomedical technology. The work done in Dr. Zamkov’s lab has led to collaborations with the Los Alamos National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, and more.
Graduate students Dulanjan Harnkahage, Jiamin Huang, and Barbra Kayira spend their days in the lab synthesizing nanomaterials and characterizing them with multiple techniques. They also have opportunities to work with laser spectroscopy in their research. This means they are usually working on a few different projects at a time throughout the day. Occasionally, they break away from the lab to attend a national conference on nanomaterials.
The students emphasize that the research done in Dr. Zamkov’s lab is great for careers in both academia and industry. They mention an important aspect of being involved in a new and innovative field is being able to handle failure, which happens all the time. They say to choose research that you are passionate about and allows you to learn from hardships. Trying out different research areas in the Physics and Astronomy department can help hone in your interests and help you decide if quantum dot research is the right fit for you.
-Hannah Means
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the baccalaureate degree, students in Physics are expected to be able to:
- Demonstrate thorough conceptual understanding of the basic field of physics;
- Describe and manipulate fundamental physical constructs and solve problems with mathematics and computational methods;
- Use basic experimental apparatus common to the study of physical phenomena;
- Communicate scientific ideas effectively, both orally and in writing.
Accreditation and/or Program/Cluster Review
Bowling Green State University [BGSU] is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. BGSU has been accredited by the Higher Learning Commission since 01/01/1916. The most recent reaffirmation of accreditation was received in 2022 - 2023. Questions should be directed to the Office of Institutional Effectiveness.
The Physics program will undergo Program/Cluster Review during the Academic Year 2019-20.
Updated: 01/09/2025 10:46AM