Physics

A Bachelor of Science in Physics equips you with critical problem-solving skills and technical tools to prepare you to work in research and development departments for high-tech companies, in government labs, or as a high school or junior college teacher. You’ll learn about proper methods for conducting research, and you'll develop proven techniques for observing, measuring, interpreting and developing theories to explain physical phenomena using mathematics.

Through lectures and labs, you’ll learn the fundamentals of scientific problem solving, mathematics skills, physics principles and modeling and simulation. You’ll also gain experience using lab and instrumentation equipment in your exploration of the many subareas of physics, including:

• Mechanics
• Electronics
• Light
• Atomic and nuclear physics
• Quantum mechanics
• Electricity and magnetism
• Thermodynamics
• Materials science
• Solid-state physics
• Astronomy/astrophysics

You'll receive personal attention from our outstanding faculty, with opportunities to fully participate in faculty and graduate student research programs. 

To gain a competitive advantage in the job market, many physics majors earn a second degree in a related field, such as: 

• Mathematics
• Engineering
• Computer and information sciences
• Astronomy and astrophysics
• Chemistry
• Education, plus teaching certification
• Economics/business
• Law (patent law)
  
  

Prepare for Success

If you are looking to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Physics, you should have strengths in mathematics, chemistry and physics, with an interest in spending some of your time in a laboratory. To prepare for the program while in high school, it is a good idea to take precalculus, trigonometry and a calculus class. You should also explore other subjects that interest you, such as astronomy, philosophy or computer programming. This will give you a broader perspective as you begin to study physics and learn how to identify and analyze various patterns in the universe.

Your First Year

During your first year, you will complete core university requirements and typical first-year classes for physics students. Many of these courses also include lab requirements:

• Calculus 1 (Math 170)
• Core Communications I (Eng 102)
• Principles of Chemistry I (Chem 112)
• Core Discovery 1 (Core 103-149)
• Physics 1 (Phys 211)
• Calculus II (Math 175)
• Principles of Chemistry II (Chem 112)
• Core Discoveries (Core 153-199)

What You Can Do

With a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Physics, you may become a:

• Research physicist (government lab or high-tech industry)
• Core technology scientist
• Electro-optic engineer
• Applications engineer
• Manufacturing tools project leader
• Reactor coolant system engineer
• Project engineer
• Senior noise engineer
• Senior scientist
• Highway designer
• Teacher
• Medical physicist
• Professor (university and college level)
• Remote sensing scientist

Opportunities

Our physics graduates are in demand by today’s top well-paying employers, specifically in the areas of research and development. The federal government, software companies, engineering firms and science laboratories are always looking for graduates with an extensive science background like physics. They are particularly interested in students who can apply fundamental properties of the natural world in the development and design of new technologies and discoveries.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual earnings of physicists was $94,240 in May 2006, with the lowest 10 percent earning less than $52,070, and the highest 10 percent earning $143,570.

Below is a list of employers in Idaho that recently hired University of Idaho graduates with a B.S. Physics:

• Bechtel Corporation
• BestBuy Corporation
• Dell Computers
• Micron Technology
• GoNano

You’ll also have the option to pursue an advanced degree in physics or in a related field such as mathematics, chemistry or computer science.

Current Research

Our program is unique in that as an undergraduate you’ll have excellent opportunities to get involved in some exciting research projects. Our graduate students and faculty are committed to giving undergraduates access to high-quality research experiences. Some of the most significant research efforts in the University of Idaho Department of Physics are happening in the areas of:

• Condensed matter physics
• Nuclear physics
• Biological physics
• Astronomy

Current faculty research projects include:

• Ultraviolet (UV) photoluminescence and raman spectroscopy of wide-bandgap semiconductors and nanostructures (Dr. Bergman)
• Electron/phonon transport and electro-mechanical effects in discrete nanosystems (Dr. Berven)
• Non-perturbative renormalization of Chiral Effect Field Theory (Dr. Machleidt)
• Nanowires and nanosprings - Mechanical and electrical properties and their applications in biology, sensors and hydrogen cells (Dr. McIlroy)
• Size-dependent magnetic properties of nanoparticles, nanoparticle-assembled materials, and their applications in biomedicine and environment (Dr. Qiang)
• A broad view from terrestrial and astrophysical systems (Dr. Sammarruca)
• Spintronics and magnetic tunneling junctions (Dr. Yeh)
• Computational and theoretical studies of biological molecules (Dr. Ytreberg)

Activities

By joining the University of Idaho Society of Physics Students, you’ll have the opportunity to meet fellow students who share your same interests, and you’ll learn about job opportunities and discoveries in the modern world of physics.

Also, the Department of Physics Colloquia organizes a variety of lectures and workshops on campus and at neighboring universities.

Hands-On Experience

As a student in the University of Idaho Department of Physics, you'll have opportunities for group projects, internships and research assistantships that allow you to apply your knowledge in and outside of the classroom.

Undergraduate physics majors have outstanding opportunities to engage in top research programs alongside our leading faculty and graduate student researchers. Many of our faculty members have secured funding from their research grants to support undergraduates during summer research assistantships. We also give class credit for undergraduates who work in our labs during the school year.

The National Science Foundation/Research Experience for Undergraduates Program provides additional undergraduate research opportunities.

Facilities

The University of Idaho has extensive research facilities and tools, including:

• Physical Characterization
• Electrical Characterization
• Fabrication/Synthesis
• Theory/Modeling
• Machine Shop
• Observatory
• Demonstration Room
• Micro- and Nanotechnology Clean Room

Faculty Involvement

Regardless of what emphasis area you choose, you’ll benefit from direct interaction with faculty and instructors who genuinely care about your success. As an undergrad, you’ll also have significant opportunities to contribute to important research activities happening on campus. You will be assigned one of our faculty to be your adviser, and because our department is not too big, you are ensured of getting to know many of the faculty quite well before you graduate.

Gwen Barnes, Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professor
Specialty: Planetary Science
» gbarnes@uidaho.edu

Jason W. Barnes, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Specialty: Astronomy and Planetary Science
» Email Jason Barnes

Leah Bergman, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Research Interests: Optical and phonon dynamics of semiconductors and their nanostructures, Wide-bandgap novel-nanomaterials, UV-photoluminescence and Raman micro-spectroscopy, Optical and structural properties of nanomaterilas under extreme conditions of pressure and temperature
» lbergman@uidaho.edu

Christine Berven, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Prof. Berven has over a decade of experience performing electronic transport characterization measurements on reduced-dimensional submicron-scale devices. Prof. Berven's research has been primarily on systems that because of their extremely small size, the physics at play spans the Classical/Quantum Divide.
» berven@uidaho.edu

David Jeffery, Ph.D.
Senior Lecturer
Speciality: Experimental Nanoscale Condensed Matter and Device Physics
» jeffery@nhn.ou.edu

Ruprecht Machleidt, Ph.D.
Professor
One of my main research interests is the theory of nuclear forces. I have performed research at both stages of the history of nuclear forces: the meson theory stage and, in recent years, in the framework of chiral effective field theory.
» machleid@uidaho.edu

David N. McIlroy, Ph.D.
Professor
Research Area: Experimental Condensed Matter Physics
» dmcilroy@uidaho.edu

John (Jack) McIver, Ph.D.
Professor & Vice President of Research
Specialty: Non-Linear Systems/Laser Physics Dr. Jack McIver was appointed the Vice President for Research at the University of Idaho in 2008 and in this role he oversees, coordinates, and facilitates all UI research activities, including sponsored and internally funded research, center and institute research, interdisciplinary research programs, and research related to the university's land grant mission.
» jmciver@uidaho.edu

Liudmila Pozhar, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Specialty: Theoretical Condensed Matter Physics
» lpozhar@uidaho.edu

You Qiang, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
My research interests mainly include two areas: (1) Nanomagnetism of clusters and cluster-assembled materials for biomedical and environmental applications, and (2) Magneto-optical properties of ZnO based spintronic nanoclusters.
» youqiang@uidaho.edu

Francesca Sammarruca, Ph.D.
Professor
Research Interests: Theoretical nuclear physics, Nuclear forces in the nuclear medium, Nuclear structure and nuclear reactions, Computational physics
» fsammarr@deepthought.phys.uidaho.edu

Bernhard J. Stumpf, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Research Interests: Experimental Atomic Physics
» bjstumpf@uidaho.edu

Wei Jiang Yeh, Ph.D.
Department Chair & Professor
Research Interests: Synthesis and chararacterization of uniform nano-dots and uniform nano-wire. Study ferromagnetic tunneling junctions (spintronics) and its fabrication as magnetic sensor. Growth of ferromagnetic materials, magnetic oxides, metallic thin films, and high temperature superconductors, by sputtering and other vacuum techniques. Study electrical and magnetic properties, and phase transitions of these materials by resistivity, electrical, ac susceptibility, magnetization measurements.
» wyeh@uidaho.edu

F. Marty Ytreberg, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Applying the principles of computational and theoretical physics to problems in biology, chemistry and physics; Extending the timescale for simulations; RNA fluctuations; Binding affinity computation
» ytreberg@uidaho.edu