PHYSICS & ASTRONOMY

Announcements

Campus Observatory Open House Program for Fall/Winter 2023 (find the observatory in 7D on this map)

New scholarship available for African-American Astronomy majors, up to $10,000 per year

Nuclear Physics Group Awarded $362,000 Grant Renewal

Dr. Hillwig Awarded $217,400 NSF Grant for Binary Star Studies

Faculty

With seven professors and around 30 majors, the department has a small student to faculty ratio, allowing students to benefit from personal relationships and one-on-one advising.

All faculty members also conduct research, and they use those projects as opportunities to mentor students in the lab. Their research and expertise includes:

• Nuclear & Particle Physics
• Observational Astronomy
• Computational Condensed Matter
• Nanoscience

Facilities

Valpo students have access to research-grade laboratories and multiple astronomical observatories.

With the help of the physics and astronomy faculty, students learn how to use these tools to probe the smallest particles and the widest reaches of space.

Mission Statement

The Department of Physics and Astronomy at Valparaiso University is dedicated to the study, research, and instruction of the most fundamental structures of our physical universe, seeking to find and characterize orderliness in a seemingly complex environment ranging from the most elementary constituents of matter to objects of the astronomical realm.

This study and research is motivated by a conviction that there is an underlying order, symmetry, and beauty in nature, which are God’s manifestations.

We enthusiastically strive to communicate this knowledge and its limitations; to motivate students to achieve a greater understanding, appreciation, and support of scientific inquiry; to overcome widespread scientific illiteracy; and to promote the development of morally responsible citizens, concerned about our environment and our society.