Applied Physics Major

Real World Multi Year Project

You will complete 6 semesters of Project Lab, where you work with a professor on a real research problem and present your findings. You’ll impress future employers with your deep understanding of the projects you’ve worked on, experience with specialized research equipment and software, and ability to tackle new and difficult challenges. Gain critical experience designing and using state of the art instruments and software by working on projects such as:

• Small particle accelerator design (Cyclotron)
• Crystal structure and formation in thin films
• Electrostatic confinement fusion (Fusor)
• Scanning electron microscopy
• X-ray diffractometry
• Scanning tunneling microscope design
• Nuclear detector simulation (Geant4, MCNP)
• Parity Violation in the weak nuclear force
• Inertial confinement fusion

Classes Include Labs & Projects

Houghton’s small class size allows demonstrations, laboratory activities, discussions and lectures to be woven together into the same seamless class session. There's no need to wait a week for a separate lab section. Projects in upper-level theory classes allow you to see how the content can be applied to real situations.

Experiential Learning

Each summer have the opportunity to conduct research at Houghton University’s Shannon Summer Research Institute. Work closely with faculty mentors on research projects for five to ten paid weeks before you present your findings at local or national conferences. Past research projects have involved the following collaborations: Cornell Center for Materials Research (CCMR), SUNY Geneseo, Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE),  Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Ohio University Edwards Accelerator Lab, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

Physics

Undergraduate - BS, BA

Computer Science

Undergraduate - BS

Data Science

Undergraduate - BA