Announcements archive

Some degree programs (majors and minors) at Oregon State University will be eliminated as a result of mandatory budget cuts. Engineering Physics is one of the programs. Students who currently have declared this major, either at Oregon State University or at a Community College, will be permitted to complete their degree. These students should continue to work with the Head Adviser in Engineering Physics to make sure that their program fulfills all degree requirements. New majors will not be admitted into the Engineering Physics program.

At the College of Science Awards Day on September 23, Chris Coffin was a finalist for the Loyd Carter award for inspirational undergraduate teaching and Henri Jansen was a finalist for the Olaf Boedtker excellence in advising award. Congratulations!

To all students who need to take PH 211 and cannot get in: as you have noticed the course is full, because we are out of laboratory space. This also happened in the last few years, and we were able to resolve most problems by the end of the first week of classes, but this year the number of students who need to get in is larger than ever. We have already warned advisers about the problem in Fall term. We do not have the resources (equipment, personnel) and space to add duplicate laboratory sessions. Because of the larger number of students involved, this year we do not give any overrides. Your options are:

• Keep watching for openings. Students do drop their registration, and openings do come up. Traditionally, and in particular in the first week of classes, a number of students will drop the course. This also means that if you try to change your registration, you will probably not be able to get back in!
• Take PH 211 in Summer, and continue the normal sequence in Fall. This year it is an eight week course, and we will have sufficient space.
• Take PH 211 in Fall, and continue this trailer sequence. Pre-engineering students will still be able to fulfill their physics requirements for entry into pro-school this way in a timely fashion.

We apologize for not having a more satisfactory answer. Unfortunately, this is not a case with an easy solution.

Breakthrough Made in Metamaterial Optics: Prof. Viktor Podolskiy from OSU Physics in the news, see http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/newsarch/2008/Dec08/metamaterial.html

Our Paradigms in Physics program is presented in a very nice article in the latest Terra magazine, see http://oregonstate.edu/terra/departments/inquiry/thinking-like-physicist.php for the details!

There will be an open house for prospective new graduate students on Friday February 29 and Saturday March 1. The schedule for our open house for prospective new graduate students is found HERE.

The Physics Department has received a generous gift of computing equipment from the HP Employee Product Gift Giving Program to support our radio telescope project. This gift will help to move the project forward rapidly and to enable our students to study the universe even in our cloudy environment.

The College of Science is pleased to announce the inception of the Ben and Elaine Whiteley Endowed Fund in Materials Research, recently established by long-time friends, donors, and volunteers, Ben and Elaine Whiteley. Elaine's father was Dr. Edwin Yunker. Professor Yunker was a member of the OSU physics faculty from 1925 to 1968 and was department chair from 1949 to 1966. The Yunker lecture was established in his honor. Ben and Elaine live in Portland, and are delighted to have made this contribution in support of the materials science program, which has also been counted toward the challenge made by the Valley Foundation for the College of Science to raise $15 million in program support.

Students who are interested in pursuing a minor in physics need to contact the head advisor or department chair to set up an approved program of study. For more information see the undergraduate programs page.

The system that sends an automatic message to all subsribers to our mmm mailing list of all events for the coming week on Friday at noon is turned off for the Summer. Notices about upcoming events will be sent to the mmm mailing list when appropriate. If you would like to add yourself to this mailing list, go HERE .

We are very happy to welcome Dr. Dedra Demaree as a new faculty member in the Department of Physics. Dedra will start her appointment on September 16, 2007. The focus of her work at OSU will be the investigation and incorporation of methods to improve education in our large enrollment service courses.

The Paradigms in Physics group invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research Associate position.

The schedule for our open house for prospective new graduate students is found HERE .

The Physics Department is currently advertising for a full-time, tenure-track faculty position at the Assistant Professor level. In order to apply, follow jobs.oregonstate.edu and go to search postings. Search for posting number 0000081. You need to enter all five leading zeros. Under jobs, click on view, and this leads to the application button.

DEADLINE: due to the switch to a new system in the Office of Human Resources, the dead-line for full consideration is now January 19, 2007.

Note to students and advisors. Our course sequence for Ph211-2-3 has changed slightly. Ph 211 still covers mechanics. Ph 212 covers rotational motion, waves, optics. Ph213 covers electricity and magnetism. See here for sample curricula for Ph 211 Ph 212 Ph 213 For transfer students there are no consequences if the whole sequence is transfered, or if only ph211 is transfered.

Please contact the following advisors for advising appointments:
Computational Physics: Prof. Rubin Landau
Engineering Physics: Prof. Henri Jansen
Physics: Prof. David McIntyre