Physics and Astronomy

Physicist Wins Fulbright Scholar Award

rime — Fri, 06 Jun 2025 13:09:17 +0000

Physicist Wins Fulbright Scholar Award rime Fri, 06/06/2025 - 09:09

Padalino Receives American Physical Society Award

rime — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 20:06:41 +0000

Padalino Receives American Physical Society Award rime Wed, 10/16/2024 - 16:06

�鶹��ý�Ŷ� Adds Astrophysics Major

rime — Mon, 16 Sep 2024 14:08:56 +0000

�鶹��ý�Ŷ� Adds Astrophysics Major rime Mon, 09/16/2024 - 10:08

Astrophysics

barkan — Tue, 06 Aug 2024 19:45:57 +0000

Astrophysics barkan Tue, 08/06/2024 - 15:45

Sample Courses

Astrophysical Techniques
Extragalactic Astrophysics
Stars and Galaxies
Stellar Astrophysics
The Solar System

Popular Electives

Atomic and Nuclear Physics
Classical Mechanics
Electricity and Magnetism
Gravity Optics
Quantum Mechanics
Statistical Thermodynamics

Research and Teaching Fields

Astronomy and astrophysics
Computational sciences
Data analytics
Instrumentation
Optics
Physics

Astrophysics

Why study astrophysics at �鶹��ý�Ŷ�?

The astrophysics major is perfect for students who are passionate about space and want a quantitative, hands-on learning experience. The program prepares students for a variety of careers that require strong problem-solving, data analysis, image processing, and analytic skills. It is specifically designed for students thinking about careers in astronomy and space sciences or related fields.

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Program Options

BS in Astrophysics

Additional Options

Program Highlights

The only astrophysics program in the SUNY system.
A complete education in physics with options to pursue different career paths, including physics, astrophysics, optics, data analytics, and other related quantitative fields.
Specialized upper-division lecture courses in stellar and extragalactic astrophysics.
Senior capstone project-oriented course that allows students to engage with professional astronomical data.
Opportunities to collaborate with faculty on publishable research projects.
Field experiences that include visits to Kitt Peak National Observatory and NASA-funded summer research opportunities involving analysis of images from the Hubble Space Telescope, computational simulations of gravitational waves generated by black hole collisions, ground-based photometric and spectroscopic studies of open star clusters.

Recent Employers

Corning, Inc.
IDEX Health and Science
L3Harris
Lockheed Martin
Rochester Precision Optics
University of Rochester Lab for Laser Energetics

Recent Grad Schools

Indiana University
Penn State
Rochester Institute of Technology
University of Rochester

Contact Info

Savitri Iyer, Professor and Department Chair
iyer@geneseo.edu
ISC 234A
585-245-5540

Physics Department

Physics Faculty

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Astronomy

barkan — Thu, 25 Jul 2024 15:38:55 +0000

Astronomy barkan Thu, 07/25/2024 - 11:38

Program Highlights

�鶹��ý�Ŷ� has one of the largest physics departments at a primarily undergraduate institution in the nation.
The program prepares students for a wide range of careers in science and technology-related fields.

Astronomy

Why study astronomy at �鶹��ý�Ŷ�?

This minor exposes students to the basic principles of astronomy. It includes an observational component in which students will learn to use telescopes to view celestial bodies.

Program Options

Minor in Astronomy

Additional Options

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Sample Courses

Analytical Physics I and II
General Physics I and II
Observational Astronomy
Principles of Astronomy
Stars and Galaxies
The Solar System

Contact Info

Savi Iyer, Professor and Chair in Physics and Astronomy
iyer@geneseo.edu
ISC 234A
585-245-5540

Physics Dept

Physics Faculty

Request More Info

Applied Physics

barkan — Thu, 25 Jul 2024 15:35:23 +0000

Applied Physics barkan Thu, 07/25/2024 - 11:35

Sample Courses

Analytical Physics I–IV
Applied Mechanics
Calculus I–III
Chemistry I–II
Classical Mechanics
Differential Equations
Digital Electronics
Electric Circuit Analysis
Fluid Mechanics
General Biology
Historical Geology
Instrumentation and Interfacing
Mathematical Methods in Physics
Physical Geology
Programming in Physics
Quantum Mechanics

Applied Physics

Why study applied physics at �鶹��ý�Ŷ�?

Students in the applied physics program will learn to use scientific instrumentation to make measurements; analyze and make conclusions based on scientific data; design experiments to solve scientific questions; and communicate scientific results in writing and orally. The major prepares students for graduate studies, physics education, or technical careers.

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Program Options

Additional Options

Program Highlights

�鶹��ý�Ŷ� offers one of the largest physics programs in the nation among colleges and universities that do not offer a PhD in physics, which means that applied physics majors at �鶹��ý�Ŷ� join a large and thriving department focused solely on undergraduates.
�鶹��ý�Ŷ� ranked #2 out of more than 500 schools nationwide in the number of physics bachelor’s degrees produced at an undergraduate-only physics department (American Institute of Physics report, September 2022).

Example Careers

Acoustic Engineer
Computer Scientist
High School Physics Teacher
Meteorologist
Science journalist
Technical Writer

Contact Info

Savitri Iyer, Professor and Chair in Physics
iyer@geneseo.edu
ISC 234A
585-245-5540

PHYSICS Dept

PHYSICS Faculty

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Physics Major to Conduct Research in Germany

rime — Mon, 06 May 2024 14:17:51 +0000

Physics Major to Conduct Research in Germany rime Mon, 05/06/2024 - 10:17

Physics Dept at �鶹��ý�Ŷ� Earns Honors for Teacher Grads

patenaude — Thu, 11 Apr 2024 18:15:17 +0000

Physics Dept at �鶹��ý�Ŷ� Earns Honors for Teacher Grads patenaude Thu, 04/11/2024 - 14:15

Engineering 3+2

barkan — Fri, 29 Mar 2024 16:25:18 +0000

Engineering 3+2 barkan Fri, 03/29/2024 - 12:25

Sample Courses

Analytical Physics I and II
Applied Mechanics
Calculus I and II
Electric Circuit Analysis
Inorganic Chemistry
Mathematical Methods in Physics
Modern Analytical Chemistry
Organic Chemistry I and II
Physical Chemistry I and II
Programming in Physics
Quantum Mechanics

Popular Electives

Classical Mechanics
Differential Equations
Digital Electronics
Fluid Mechanics
Instrumentation and Interfacing
Intermediate Electricity and Magnetism
Principles of Biochemistry
Statistical Thermodynamics

Alumni Spotlight

Sarah Reeves Naioti ’17

Major: Chemical Engineering 3+2

Career: Sarah is strategic sourcing manager at the commercial aircraft group Moog. "I was able to achieve two degrees in minimal time/cost. This still is brought up whenever I am interviewing for new positions and is a wow factor to many employers. I was also able to negotiate my starting rate right out of college a little higher than the initial offer because of my additional background in chemistry."

Engineering 3+2

Why study engineering at �鶹��ý�Ŷ�?

Cooperative engineering allows students to combine studies in liberal arts and sciences with professional preparation in engineering. Students spend three years at �鶹��ý�Ŷ� majoring in either chemistry or physics, then transfer to a partnering engineering school for a final two years of study, earning degrees from both institutions.

Request Info

Visit �鶹��ý�Ŷ�

Apply

Cooperative programs offer a number of advantages. Most engineering schools have large classes and focus primarily on their graduate students. At �鶹��ý�Ŷ�, the largest technical classes have about 70 students, and professors focus solely on undergraduates, both for coursework and for opportunities to participate in faculty-sponsored research—a rarity for undergraduates at larger institutions.

Program Options

Program Highlights

Explore a number of liberal arts and science programs while maintaining the option to continue engineering studies.
Take up to three years to decide whether to pursue engineering.
Extend some forms of financial aid from four to five years.
Graduate with two degrees in five years.
Gain a decisive advantage in the employment market over candidates with a single degree.

Example Careers

Aerospace engineer
Analytical chemist
Biotechnologist
Chemical engineer
Civil engineer
Computer engineer
Electrical engineer
Environmental engineer
Materials scientist
Mechanical engineer
Nuclear engineer
Petroleum engineer
Pharmaceutical manufacturer

Formal Partner Schools

Case Western Reserve
Clarkson University
Columbia University

Historically, if a school offers an engineering degree, then that school can be considered for �鶹��ý�Ŷ�’s 3+2 program in engineering.

Contact Info

Kazushike Yokoyama, Professor of Chemistry and 3+2 Chemical Engineering Program Director
yokoyama@geneseo.edu
ISC 326F
585-245-5320

Edward Pogozelski, Associate Professor and 3+2 Physics Engineering Program Director
pogo@geneseo.edu
ISC 228D
585-245-5287

Request More Info

�鶹��ý�Ŷ� Announces New School of Arts and Sciences and Interim Dean

khowell — Thu, 15 Feb 2024 12:57:31 +0000

�鶹��ý�Ŷ� Announces New School of Arts and Sciences and Interim Dean khowell Thu, 02/15/2024 - 07:57