Getting a physics degree at Utah State University (USU) is not just about taking courses and passing tests. A USU physics degree is about learning how to do physics and, most importantly, learning how to teach oneself the physics needed to solve problems as well as engaging in research and experiments in order to discover new aspects of the field. All physics majors finish their USU degree by doing just that. Through the capstone course, Research in Physics, each student teams up with a faculty mentor to perform research in a variety of physics topics over one or more semesters. Upon completion of their project, each student prepares a written exposition and gives a public presentation of their work. Many of these projects are documented here.
2014
Constructing a Flat Field for Scientific Astronomical Imaging, Catharine Bunn
Computational Modeling of Doped Helium Clusters, Ryan Carlsen
GASPACS Structure: Designing to Survive, John Ellis
A Study of Anisotropic Chemical Etching on Crystalline Silicon, Gregory D. Erickson
High Precision Rapid Convergence of Asian Options, Mario Y. Harper
Creating Hertzprung-Russel Diagrams Of Open Clusters, Margaret Jensen
Rainich Geometrization of Real Massless Scalar Fields, Dionisios Krongos
Diffusive Electron Heat Flow and Temperature Variance Along Magnetic Field Lines, Michael Kushlan
Improved Measurements in Conductivity for Highly Disorganized Resistive Materials, Phil Lundgren
Soft Circuits: Improving Attitudes Toward Circuits Through Crafternoons, Darren McKinnon
Carbon Nanotube Sensors and Field Emitters, Ben Pound
Global Nightly OH and O2 Mesospheric Airglow: Examining a Decade of Measurements Using the NASA SABER Satellite Sensor, Jonathan Price, Jordan C. Rozum, Gene Ware, and Doran Baker; The Journal of the Utah Academy of Sciences, Arts, & Letters
Analyzing Solutions to the Einstein Equations Using Differential Geometry, Jordan Rozum
2013
Forward Model for Temperature Derivation from Atmospheric Lidar, Jaren Hobbs
The Potential of Educational Video Games, Phillip Hunt, Jan J. Sojka, Stephen Clyde, William Bermudez, Gortdon Fjelsted, Ryan Lauritzen, and Sam Shwartz
Studying Light Pollution in and Around Tucson, AZ, Rachel K. Nydegger