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Department of Physics & Astronomy

Physics and Astronomy at CSUSB

At CSUSB we offer the entire range of undergraduate physics coursework in mostly small classes, providing ample opportunity for student-student and student-faculty interaction. Our faculty consistently receive outstanding teaching reviews. Many of our students receive financial support through faculty grants from agencies such as the National Science Foundation and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. They engage in cutting edge physics and astronomy research with CSUSB faculty members in areas such as ferroelectrics and piezoelectrics, complex fluid dynamics, and comet and asteroid studies. Several undergraduate physics majors have presented their research at scientific meetings around the country. Many students receive paid summer internships, gaining valuable experience working for local companies. Our strong commitment to undergraduate learning helps set us apart from many other physics departments that tend to focus more on graduate students.

Why Physics or Astronomy?

Is it possible to travel through time? Are there parallel universes? Could we ever teleport ourselves to the farthest reaches of the galaxy? Is it possible to build a quantum mechanical computer? Are there limits on the amount of information that can be contained in space itself? Could we ever build a holodeck or construct mimetic polyalloys? What is the world made of at the most basic level?

If you want to know the answers to these questions or others like them, then you should study physics. Physics is the most fundamental of all the sciences. The goal of physics is to understand the basic laws that govern the entire universe and everything within it, from the microscopic to the cosmic. Thanks to the efforts of some of the greatest geniuses the world has ever known, such as Aristotle, Galileo, Newton, and Einstein, our view of the universe and our place within it has been radically transformed. Almost every technological advance on the planet was made possible through the insights gained by the work of physicists, such as cell phones, spaceflight, nuclear power, lasers, and computers. Modern physicists are continually pushing back the boundaries of knowledge, transforming the world in which we live.