Scholarship Program to Boost STEM Teachers
Thanks to a new grant, GW students majoring in physics and other STEM fields can apply to receive two years of tuition in exchange for teaching after graduation in a high-need school district.
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Innovative thinkers pushing
the boundaries of discovery
Preparing the next generation of physicists in the classroom,
the laboratory and the world beyond
Who We Are
At the GW Department of Physics, faculty and students are at the forefront of transformative, interdisciplinary scholarship, as they seek answers to fundamental questions about matter, motion and the mysteries of the universe.
The department engages in collaborative research with some of the Washington, D.C., area's world-renowned centers and institutes, including the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, NASA and the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility.
Through in-depth research, faculty mentorship and unique learning environments, physics students are exploring the countless applications of physics to the working world.
News from the Physics Department
GW Researchers Help Build Advanced Astronomical Instrument
OCTOCAM will allow astronomers to study the visible and near-infrared light from astronomical objects in more detail than ever before possible. The completed instrument will be used at the Gemini...
Frederick Battista, BA ’10 asks, “Did you know that software engineering is less fun than studying the fundamental nature of the universe? You did? How sad! And yet, it is...
Research Areas
Astrophysics
Astrophysics explores the evolution of stars, galaxies and the entire universe. Undergraduates can major or minor in the field, and graduate students can join the department's astro group in collaborations with NASA, the Naval Research Laboratory, the University of Amsterdam and more.
Biophysics
The biophysics lab offers expertise in epigenetics, chromatin dynamics, bifurcation of diseases and more. The Physics Department offers a minor and a bachelor's degree in the field, as well as research opportunities for undergraduates, graduate students and postdoctoral researchers.
Nuclear Physics
GW hosts one of the largest university-based nuclear physics groups in the nation. The lab collaborates with top researchers in Virginia, Germany and Switzerland. Both undergraduate and graduate students can choose between Experimental, Theoretical and Nuclear Phenomenology research groups.
"As a physics major, I’m realizing that you can relate what you learn to anything you want to do. You’re not just restricted to doing research, you’re not restricted to academia. The skills that you learn are skills that employers want."
Jason Starita
BS '20, Astronomy and Astrophysics
