From the 2010 Physics Alumni Newsletter
Last year we offered our majors and grad students two “Career Events”. One was by Andrew Frey who received his B. S. degree from WFU in 1998. Andrew currently has a postdoctoral position at McGill University. The other was given by two representatives of the Navy, Lt. Gibbons and Lt. Rose. They came to talk about the Navy’s educational and career opportunities within the programs for Nuclear Propulsion Officers, Nuclear Power Instructors, and Naval Reactor Engineers. If you would be willing to join our students for lunch and talk about your career, please let me know. Our students need to know the rewards and joys of all the careers our alumni have chosen. You can help them broaden their horizons.
Our tradition of broad involvement in undergraduate research continues. In the last 3 years, over 60 different undergraduates have engaged in research with our faculty. When you visit, if you look around the building, you will see posters and publications in our halls bearing the names of our students. You can also read about some of students and their research projects at http://www.wfu.edu/physics/profiles/profiles.html.
The number of students majoring in Physics has grown significantly in the last two years, and we now count 41 majors in their junior or senior years. This year we will also offer, for the first time, a Bachelor of Science in Biophysics. About a dozen of our majors have chosen this option.
I want to give special thanks to all of you who designated the Physics Endowment Fund as part of your alumni giving. This fund enables us to send students doing research to national and international conferences, and it also allows us to provide lunches at the career advising events. In addition this fund supports the annual faculty and student awards, and it is used to support student research and scholarship. This year, for the first time, we will have two Randall Ledford Scholars in the department: Zac Vance, a senior physics major from Statesville, NC, and entering first-year student Bradley Hicks, of Morganton, NC. Your generous contributions to the department create opportunities for our students that significantly enhance their educational experiences. The members of the Physics Department and the university community greatly appreciate the support of our alumni.
Please come by Olin Physical Laboratory and join the fun. We are looking forward to seeing you.
If you can’t make it to Homecoming, please drop me a note or give me a call and tell me what you’re up to. If this letter was forwarded to you, please let us know your current address.