Physics is a basic natural science that tries to explain the workings of the Universe by studying the effects of force and energy on matter from the smallest particles to the largest galaxies.
At the core of modern science, physics has applications in all aspects of modern life including engineering, medicine and computing. Our department is committed to preparing students for the challenges of the 21st century through a rigorous curriculum that emphasizes active and hands-on learning experiences in experiment, theory and computation. Our exceptional faculty and research facilities allow students to gain real-life experience to prepare them for the future.
Professor and students spend summer researching at UNL
Professor Carolina Ilie and senior physics majors Ian Evans and Benjamin Swanson spent the summer researching at University of Nebraska at Lincoln, in a 2017 National Science Foundation summer fellowship with the Research Experience for Faculty and Students at Undergraduate Institutions program.
Department researchers present at SUNY Undergraduate Research conference
Physics professor and chair Shashi Kanbur and a number of Oswego-connected researchers presented posters at the SUNY Undergraduate Research conference at Fredonia.
Read moreBeyond the classroom
Oswego offers top notch internships and co-op opportunities, most notably with NASA's CalTech Jet Propulsion Laboratory, as well as Global Laboratory research partnerships in Brazil, India and Taiwan. Our students gain plenty of hands-on research opportunities, with many publishing papers in peer-reviewed literature or giving talks and presenting posters at leading regional, national and international conferences. Many have won awards for these presentations. Learn more
Spotlight
Kenny Roffo, '17
Physics, Mathematics and Computer Science
Meet Kenny Roffo, who discusses his astrophysics research opportunities at NASA and in India, why he loves tutoring and how he believes people can do anything. Kenny has been offered a job with NASA upon May graduation.
Watch videoFacilities
Laboratories in the new Shineman Center support work in optics, quantum physics, nanotechnology and nuclear and condensed matter physics. Additional resources not available on most campuses include a modernized digital planetarium and an automated astronomical observatory.
Preparing for the future
Students with a physics degree go on to work in engineering, finance, software engineering, the health industry and many other fields. A physics degree provides evidence to an employer that you have a critical, logical and systematic way of thinking that can tackle a wide range of problems.
News
OFFICE
Physics department
294 Shineman
