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UNCA Physiscs Department to Receive an Astronomy Observatory

Welcome

Welcome to the Department of Physics, which excels in quality education with small classes for majors and research with one-on-one interactions between students and faculty. Physics is an excellent major with many job opportunities having competitive salaries. The profession is open to committed students and today it has a relatively strong presence of women and minorities. Physics also serves as an excellent preparation for Medical School and Law School. Check out the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics to learn about some of the cutting-edge areas in physics today.

The Department's long historical commitment to undergraduate research led to its playing a crucial role in 1987 when UNC Asheville founded the annual National Conferences on Undergraduate Research (NCUR). The first, second, tenth, and twentieth conferences were held at UNC Asheville. Check out our extensive website on NCUR20. We also have a very active Society of Physics Students Chapter and we are part of the National Honors Society in Physics, which is called Sigma Pi Sigma.

Our Dr. Brian Dennison is the endowed Glaxo Wellcome Professor and does research at the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI) in Rosman, North Carolina. Dr. Bennett, author of Principles of Physical Optics (published by Wiley) has conducted much research with the nearby Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Faculty Judy Beck has authored instructor's resources for the Walker and Wilson/Buffa physics texts. Dr. James Perkins has most recently joined our faculty having received his Ph.D. from North Carolina State University.

Dr. Michael J. Ruiz was featured as a top story on CNN in the area of science/technology for his innovative online e-texts. Dr. Randy Booker, who has done research in molecular physics, is a consultant on applications using quantum mechanics. Lecturer Lyubov Nichols comes to us from the Ukraine with distinction as a Teacher-Methodologist and she teaches introductory physics and astronomy. The Department also has a few specialized adjunct teachers. See the Faculty and Staff for more information.