The following options are available to satisfy the writing intensive curriculum (WIC). There is a formal class (PH317), or, students can write a senior thesis with one-on-one guidance from a research mentor. If working with a research mentor, you will enroll in PH401 (research) and PH403 (thesis).
PH317 - Adv. Phys. Lab
12 available projects
Project information
The advanced physics lab gives students experience with designing and performing physics experiments and writing advanced lab reports. The next offering of PH317 is Winter term, 2025.
David Craig
0 available projects
Continuing students: Jake Bullard ('25), Emmitt Allen ('26)
Project information
Quantum measurements
Canonical structure of loop quantum cosmology/Hamiltonian cosmology
Effective dynamics in loop quantum cosmology
Other topics in quantum theory or gravitation
Paul Emigh
1 available project
Continuing students: new!
Project information
- Physics Education Research: evaluating effectiveness and student attitudes toward new online book; evaluating effectiveness and improving quality of pedagogical representations in introductory physics
Elizabeth Gire
1 available project
Graduating students: Seghers ('23), Shapton ('24)
Continuing students:
Project information
- Students use of various sensemaking strategies in PH315 and PH335
- Development of course materials and assessments for Paradigms courses.
Matt Graham
0-1 available project
Current students: Logan Winder ('25), Patrick Moret ('25 or '26), Elijah Zacharia ('26, active URSA)
If interested, please consider applying to URSA-ENGAGE advertisement, SURE or other scholarship programs through with lab (http://sites.science.oregonstate.edu/physics/energetics/). End of the Spring term is the best time to inquire unless applying for a scholarship program (then ask early, ask often).
Project information
Optoelectronics: electronic confinement and current generation in emerging semiconductor materials. Optical laser spectroscopy.
Kathryn Hadley
0 available projects
Graduating students: Jones, C ('24), Jackson, D ('24)
Project information
Computational astrophysics: modeling protostellar systems; Rossby wave instabilities, plasma shocks
Patti Hamerski
1 available project
Continuing Students: New!
Project information
Physics education research — specializing in computational physics education and other topics. Reach out to learn more!!
Jeff Hazboun
1 available project
Graduating students: Peter Orndoff ('24), Maddie Thompson ('24)
Continuing students: Kyle Gourlie ('25), Trevor Le Rarick ('25)
Project information
Gravitational wave astronomy with pulsar timing arrays. Using signal analysis, Bayesian data analysis methods and astrostatistics to understand gravity. Computational astrophysics focused on supermassive binary blackholes.
Pavel Kornilovich (Hewlett Packard)
0 available projects
Project information
- (computational) Stable knots in nematic liquid crystals.
Davide Lazzati
2 available projects
Graduating students: Ian Busby ('24)
Project information
Computational astrophysics: 1) modeling gamma-ray burst light-cures and spectra and 2) 3D visualization of granular bodies collisions
Yun-Shik Lee
0 available projects for 24-25
Graduating students: Johnson, N ('24), Worrell C ('24)
Project information
- High-Field Terahertz spectroscopy of 2D materials
Yangqiuting (Doris) Li
3 available projects
Continuing students: new!
Project information
My research focuses on enhancing students' physics learning and motivational beliefs in both introductory and advanced physics courses. Specifically, one of my research directions is to investigate students' sense-making processes in physics learning and assist them in establishing connections among physics concepts and their various representations. Another goal of my research is to reduce demographic gaps in students’ academic achievement and motivational beliefs by investigating how to create an inclusive and equitable learning environment in which all students can thrive.
Ethan Minot
2 available projects
Graduating students: Bryce Wall ('24)
Continuing students: Ryu Joy ('25), Miller Nelson ('25)
Project information
1. Physics experiments using atomically thin semiconductor crystals. Both application-driven* and hypothesis-driven experiments**.
2. Numerical simulation of topological physics in a solid state device using split-step Fourier method to simulate 1d wave function in a time-dependent potential.
*Application example: single-pixel spectrometer that use voltage tuning and machine learning.
**Hypothesis example: we suspect that van-der-Waals junctions have a new degree of freedom.
Oksana Ostroverkhova
2 available projects
Graduating students: Jason Culley ('24), Claire Swartz ('24)
Continuing students: Madalyn Gragg ('25), Aidan Bagshaw ('25), Corey Cleveland ('26)
Project information
Light-matter interactions in organic microcavities and plasmonic nanostructures
Project 1: organic optoelectronic devices;
Project 2: properties of 2D magnets
Vanessa Polito
1 available project
Graduating students: Gessner, J. ('24), Guillen, R ('24)
Project information
Solar physics research projects will involve analysis of data from NASA satellites to study solar flares or other energetic events on the Sun and/or comparison with computational models.
Weihong Qiu
2 available projects
Graduating students: Owen Williamson (BB, '24)
Continuing students:
Project information
Experimental/Computation Biophysics
- Computational biophysics: modeling the interaction between molecular motors with microtubules;
- Experimental biophysics: determine how molecular motors determine the directionality of movement
Heidi Schellman
0 available projects
Continuing students: Phoebe Andromeda ('25)
Project information
Neutrino physics and large scale data analysis.
Xavier Siemens
Continuing students: Pelletier (?)
Project information
- Using radio telescopes to search for pulsars
- Using radio telescopes to perform gravitational wave observations (pulsar timing)
- Searching pulsar timing data for nanohertz gravitational waves.
Nick Siler
1 available project
Continuing students: Weigel, M ('24)
Project information
How will climate change affect extreme precipitation from atmospheric rivers in western North America? Involves analyzing numerical simulations using Matlab or Python.
Bo Sun
1 available project
Graduating students: Hanna O'Meara ('24), Ty Zuber ('24), Hailey Richter ('24)
Continuing students:
Project information
- computer model of cell migration
Rebecka Tumblin
Project information
- Computational astrophysics.
Metalicity of stars and planets, data mining, cluster analysis
Graduating students: Vincent Vaughn-Uding ('24)
KC Walsh
0 available projects
Graduating students: Toll, M ('23)
Project information
- Ecampus comparative study of introductory physics using educational data mining and learning analytics.
- Predictive modeling student success using various artificial intelligence methods.
- Language processing student's reflective writing.
Allied-disciplines, OSU advisors:
Chong Fang (Chemistry)
0-1 available projects
Graduating students: Bailey-Darland, S ('23)
Project information
Using steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopic methods to study fluorescence mechanisms of functional molecular systems (e.g., proteins, chromophores, biosensors) in solution. Contact Dr. Fang at Chong.Fang@oregonstate.edu or visit the group website.
Erin Pettit (CEOAS)
College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences
Paul Cheong (Chemistry)
Computational Chemistry
Brian Woods (Nuc. Eng.)
Graduating students: Holler ('23)
Continuing students: Miles, H ('24)
Project information
Inertial Electrostatic Confinement Reactor
Vince Remcho (Chemistry)
Graduating students: Chirica ('23)
