Physics program honored nationally

December 14, 2015

You may not have seen it in your Twitter feed, but physics is trending.  

And not just trending this week or even this year: since 2000, the number of physics majors graduating from colleges across the country has doubled.  

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater is part of this national trend and recently received recognition from the American Institute of Physics as one of the top physics-degree-granting institutions in the United States.  

"In the past few years there's been phenomenal growth in the physics program at UW-Whitewater," said Steven Sahyun, associate professor. "Several years ago we'd have one or two graduates, but now there are 10 or 12."   

Sahyun, who joined UW-Whitewater in 2001, attributes the upswing in numbers, in part, to the university's excellent facilities and equipment. The campus completed a two-phase, $40 million renovation of Upham Hall in 2005, and upgraded all lab computers within the last year.  

"When prospective students come to visit and they see the labs and the equipment they'll get to work with, and watch the interaction students here have with faculty, they realize UW-Whitewater has a lot to offer," Sahyun said.   

Some of the state-of-the-art equipment includes high-powered microscopes, and machines for imaging, scanning, centrifugation and spectrophotometry.  

Currently, students in Sahyun's optics class are working on designing objects for a 3-D printer that will increase accessibility for students with visual disabilities.  Students have created braille slates, a campus map, wavelengths and mathematical patterns all using a 3-D printer.   

Students are also conducting their own research: building a robotic hand, making glass and crystal from powder, perfecting a wind turbine electric bicycle, creating object-recognition software for drones, and exploring the Milky Way galaxy using NASA equipment.

Another reason, Sahyun noted, is the job market. "Business and industry are looking for people who can think on their feet and who are able to solve complex problems," Sahyun said.  "That's what physics majors are great at doing."  

Alumnus Patrick Slane '77, senior astrophysicist at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and lecturer of astronomy at Harvard University, credits the faculty in the physics department for his successful career as a research astrophysicist.   

"My original career intent was to teach mathematics, but members of the physics department, in my first year, encouraged me to pursue a second major in physics," Slane said. "The classes were small, the lab classes taught me a good deal about experimental physics, but the biggest leap was being provided the opportunity to carry out independent research, which led to my first publication and presentation at a scientific meeting."  

Slane was recently selected as an American Physical Society Fellow, an award that recognizes exceptional contributions in the areas of physics research, leadership and contribution to physics education.   

"While my ultimate career as an astrophysicist required a lot of additional training in graduate school, there is no question that the UW-Whitewater physics department opened that door for me," he said.