Welcome from the Chair
Welcome to the Department of Physics at Oakland University!
Our highest priority is to provide an outstanding education in physics to Oakland University students. The Department offers both undergraduate and graduate programs. Our undergraduate program leads to BA and BS degrees in Physics, BS in Medical Physics and Engineering Physics, and includes Secondary Teacher Education Program (STEP) in Physics. It produces more bachelor degrees per faculty member than does any other physics department at comparable universities in Michigan. The Department of Physics provides undergraduate students with numerous opportunities for research, and many OU undergraduate students published peer-reviewed scientific papers in leading physics journals in collaboration with their faculty supervisors. The MS program in Physics provides the opportunity to deepen you knowledge in Physics and participate in more advanced research projects. Students in our interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in Medical Physics are trained to be research scientists. Many of the program alumni have become leaders in the field of Medical Physics.
All faculty of the Department of Physics are leading scientists in their respective fields, actively engaged in research in one of three areas: Medical Physics, Condensed Matter Physics, and Gravitational Physics. Two of our faculty (Prof. Bradley Roth and Prof. David Garfinkle) are Fellows of the American Physical Society. Prof. Michael Chopp is Fellow of the American Heart Association. The research at the Physics Department is supported by grants from external agencies such as the National Institute of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF), U.S. Army Research Office (ARO), Research Corporation, etc. Over the last five years, the Department has averaged over $100,000 of external grant support per faculty member per year (total of more than $5 million for five years); five papers in the most respected scientific journals and four presentations at national and international conferences per faculty per year. In terms of research productivity per faculty member, the Physics Department at Oakland University is one of the best in Michigan.
The Department of Physics sponsors a colloquium series, held Thursdays at noon. The Physics Colloquium at OU attracts outstanding speakers from the leading research centers in the USA and abroad and is popular among the OU students and faculty.
Andrei Slavin, Professor and Chair