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.

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.

California State University San Bernardino is seeking support for the construction of a modern teaching astronomical observatory. The 1,700 square foot state-of-the-art facility, to be located on a hill at the back of the campus, will consist of two observatory towers, a lecture theater and equipment facilities. One tower will house a research grade 20-inch Ritchie Chretien telescope for night-time observing, while the other will hold a telescope dedicated to solar observing. The observatory will be used primarily for faculty and student research projects, and to provide future scientists and science teachers with hands on experience in modern observational astronomy and imaging. It will also serve local schools and the community of the Inland Empire.

The campus has recently received a very generous challenge grant of $600,000 from the W.M. Keck Foundation to help support its construction, the first major award of its kind from the Keck Foundation to a CSU campus. The Los Angeles based Keck Foundation, a world renowned supporter of scientific research and education, is probably best known for its funding of the two largest optical telescopes in the world, Keck1 and Keck2, on Mauna Kea in Hawaii.



The Keck award will cover about half the cost of the total project. Several corporate and other partners have already contributed toward the project, including California Portland Cement, Yeager/Skanska of Riverside, Associated Engineers, Inc. of Ontario, and Newport Beach based architects Hill Partnership, Inc. In addition to seeking support from within the CSUSB community, the University welcomes contributions from new partners and friends. Naming opportunities and endowment support are available. Anyone interested in contributing and participating in this exciting venture is asked to contact: Dean B. Robert Carlson, College of Natural Sciences, (909) 537-5300.