Quick Facts
Did You Know...
► There are about 70 undergraduate majors in the Physics Department, with 14 full time faculty members.
► 70% of physics undergraduates engage in research before graduation, and 15-20% of those are co-authors on research papers.
Access to Advising
Miami University's retention rate of 92% ranks it among the best in the nation for students returning for their sophomore year. A major in the physics department is assigned an adviser in their first year who will remain their adviser throughout their undergraduate education. View current advisors »
Student Activities
Miami University has an active chapter of the Society of Physics Students. Regular activities include weekly meetings, outreach, field trips, and fun, with two annual picnics and monthly pizza and movie nights.
Astronomy Club
The Miami University Astronomy Club meets regularly during the academic year. With a Questar, several other telescopes, and a remote observatory, students can observe in all types of weather.
Undergraduate Research
Undergraduates have the opportunity to conduct research beginning in the first year. Undergraduate and graduate students often work side by side to achieve their research goals. View current research groups »
Presentation experiences
Undergraduates in physics have the opportunity to present research findings at national meetings. Pictured are Perry Rice and his student, Ethan Stanifer, at the Frontiers in Optics conference in Orlando, FL.
Announcements and News
Physics chair and students mentioned in Talawanda HS tweet
CAS Dean's Scholars Announced
Congratulations to senior engineering physics & computer science double-major Hannah McDougall (faculty advisor Dr. Imran Mirza) on being named a 2023-24 College of Arts and Science Dean’s Scholar! Hannah submitted a project titled "Three-photon Hong-Ou-Mandel Effect in Cavity Quantum Electrodynamics".
Dean’s Scholars have the opportunity to work with some of Miami University's leading faculty members, based on their impressive academic accomplishments.
As a Dean’s Scholar, each have access up to $500 to be used for expenses related to the research and/or presentation of their work. Additionally, their mentors will receive a $500 professional expense account. There is an expectation the work of Dean’s Scholars will eventually be presented in national or international venues. We look forward to seeing the results of their scholarly efforts at the Miami University Undergraduate Research Forum scheduled for April 2024.
Congratulations to the Newest Sigma Pi Sigma Inductees
Pictured L to R: Graduate student Macbeth Julius, undergraduates Thomas Finn, Olivia Kline, Kyra Stillwell & Neha Sunil, graduate student Shakil Kashem, undergraduate Nishan Amgain, and Assistant Professor Carlo Samson
Faculty Fabby Promoted to Associate Teaching Professor
Faculty Mirza Selected as a University Junior Faculty Scholar
It is our pleasure to announce Dr. Imran Mirza has been selected by the University Senate's Committee on Faculty Research as a University Junior Faculty Scholar. The University Faculty Scholar Awards Program (formerly called the Distinguished Scholar Awards) celebrates the accomplishments of outstanding Miami scholars each year and honor faculty whose sustained excellence in research or other creative activity bringing them prominence in their fields. Awardees have demonstrated great potential in research or artistry and have achieved significant standing in their areas. Each recipient of a University Faculty Scholar Award will receive a grant of $2,000 for the pursuit of further research or creative endeavor and all persons selected for the award will be honored publicly.
Congratulations, Imran, on this excellent achievement!
Miami University Undergraduate Receives Doc Brown Outstanding Poster Award
Undergraduate physics major, Neha Sunil, was presented the Doc Brown Outstanding Poster Award at the EGLS (Eastern Great Lakes Section)-APS (American Physical Society) meeting this year, held at Oakland University. The award is given to only a single undergraduate research poster presenter at each session for the spring and fall meetings. In addition to a section commendation the award carries a cash prize. Sunil's poster is titled "Construction of an Optical Microscope with Video Projector Illumination" and her faculty advisor is Dr. Carlo Samson.
Congratulations!
Bali Group Featured on Scilight
Prof. Samir Bali's work bringing quantum applications of lasers to a student audience is featured in AIP Publishing's Scilight news site. The work involves both undergraduate and graduate student collaboration and demonstrates the slowing of light based on a quantum interference effect known as electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). A companion article that is a practical guide for producing EIT appears in the New Journal of Physics.
15th Super Bowl of Chili Cook-Off Results
We had an extremely close match for this years' competition with eight contenders. The first place victor won by a single vote and there was a tie for both second and third place. The chilis were rated on appearance, texture, flavor, and heat:
1st Place — Professor Samir Bali, veggie chili
2nd Place — Graduate Student Suraj Rajasekhar, spicy plant-based chili
Administrative Assistant Mandy Pettit, spicy chicken taco chili
3rd Place — Women in Physics members Mallory Campbell, Emily Kolesar, Leeanne Krabbe & Hannah McDougall, vegetarian chili
Assistant Teaching Professor Carol Fabby, Cincinnati-style chili
Honorable mention to the remaining participants, Graduate Student Stone Oliver with a vegan chili, Senior Program Assistant Ranett Manning with chili soup, and Emeriti Bill Houk with beer chili.
Thanks to all for the participation!
Faculty Bali Presented with Creativity & Innovation Award
Dr. Samir Bali was presented the Creativity & Innovation Award by President Greg Crawford at the recommendation of CAS Dean Dr. Chris Makaroff this past November. Recipients of the award are recognized for embodying creativity and innovation through wonder, zeal, focus, curiosity, fortitude and resourcefulness.
Congratulations, Samir!
What's College Research Life Like?
This summer, Muhammed Khan and Kai Brown from Talawanda HS, became the first high school apprentices in the Department of Physics at Miami University.
CAS students Elise Belanger (Engineering Physics) and Michael Mrsan (Physics and Premedical Studies) were presented the national Astronaut Scholarship by Astronaut Chris Ferguson
Physics Major Selected for 2022 Provost Student Academic Achievement Award
Senior physics major Kyra Stillwell, faculty advisor Dr. Mahmud Khan, has been selected as one of the winners of the 2022 Provost Student Academic Achievement Award! This prestigious award recognizes rising seniors at Miami University who have an exceptional record of academic achievement and sustained significant intellectual climate of their department, division or campus.
Kyra was also named as a 2022 CAS Dean's Scholar.
Congratulations, Kyra!
Proposal Awarded to Faculty Mirza
Dr. Imran Mirza, Assistant Professor, has been recently awarded two-year funding through National Science Funding (NSF) Launching Early-Career Academic Pathways in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences (LEAPS) program. The NSF-LEAPS is a fairly competitive program and has an emphasis to help launch the careers of pre-tenure faculty in Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) fields. Congratulations Dr. Mirza on this achievement!
Here is a summary of Dr. Mirza's NSF-LEAPS project:
Establishing strong light-matter interaction at the level of single atoms and single photons lies at the heart of several quantum information processing protocols. Through this project, Dr. Mirza plans to theoretically study pure quantum effects (such as entanglement and superradiance) generated in platforms consisting of one-dimensional waveguides/optical fibers strongly coupled with quantum emitters. Along with the development of more powerful analytic and numerical techniques to study many-atom problems, the generated quantum effects will be applied to the near future quantum computing and quantum information processing applications. Additionally, Dr. Mirza plans to incorporate quantum information science concepts in various undergraduate-level courses and will be offering quantum computing modules for underrepresented groups of high school students through the Miami University Summer Scholar Program.
APS Careers Guide
Want to understand the career opportunities available to you with a physics degree? You don’t have to feel limited to academia. The APS Careers guide shows you the breadth of opportunities in industry, national labs, and beyond. And it gives you the guidance you need to land one of those jobs.
Academic Advising
If you are interested in becoming a physics major or have questions and would like to meet with our department advisor remotely, head over to our academic advising webpage for more details.
Shopping for a Graduate School?
The highly-anticipated GradSchoolShopper magazine, created by the American Institute of Physics, is now available. The online resource is here to help students of the physical sciences make informed decisions about graduate school. That means providing everything from admission rates and financial aid information to data about the specialties of individual faculty members in an easy-to-use format. Read the inaugural issue here and check out our ad among all the great content awaiting students.
The student guide to grad school in physics, astronomy, and related fields