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Physics

Physics seeks to explain the natural world with a comprehensive set of fundamental laws. It teaches you how to describe the universe mathematically.

Randolph College students study the physics of rollercoasters

Why Study Physics at Randolph?

A physics major earned in the context of a liberal arts education prepares you for a wide variety of careers.

Governmental, academic, and industrial research are obvious options, but the training you receive in analytical reasoning also prepares you well for medicine, engineering, law, and business.

Randolph offers bachelor of arts and bachelor of science degrees as well as teacher licensure with a physics emphasis and a powerful 3-2 engineering program.

The program at Randolph is based on learning by doing.  Our students have numerous opportunities to conduct advanced research with professors, participate in internships, present their research and projects, and participate in one of the nation’s best student physics clubs.

Degrees offered

Bachelor of Science Degree in Physics

Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering Physics

Bachelor of Arts Degree in Physics

Bachelor of Arts Degree in
Physics Education

Minor in Engineering

Minor in Physics

Teacher Licensure with an emphasis in Physics

View the Physics Curriculum and Course List

Opportunities for Experience

Research

Students have many opportunities, on and off campus, for research. Recent research topics have included, among others, “Host Galaxies of Active Galactic Nuclei,” “Monte Carlo Simulations of Electron Cascades in Solids,” and “Surface Adsorption of Polymers.” 

Internships and Study Abroad

Many students participate in internships and study-abroad and summer research programs. Physics and engineering majors have participated in summer programs at:

  • NASA
  • University of Virginia
  • College of William and Mary
  • National Institute of Standards and Technology
  • Lehigh University
  • Bucknell University
  • Kansas State University, and
  • Thomas Jefferson National Laboratory

 

Summer Research Program

Spend the summer working closely with a professor and focused on a specific aspect of physics.

Randolph’s intensive eight-week Summer Research Program enables students to conduct research that is complemented by a thorough review of the relevant literature; live in a residence hall on campus, participate in on-campus summer events, attend special seminars with guest speakers; and share the progress and results of their research.

Learn more about the Summer Research Program.

Senior Capstone

Physics and engineering seniors cap their major by researching and presenting topics to faculty and students. Recent topics have included:

  • Measuring the Variable Star VZ Cancri
  • Design and Construction of a Nitrogen Laser
  • Scripting Interactive Physlets for Use as Teaching Tools
  • Cellular Automata as a Means of Modeling Physical Phenomena
  • Monte Carlo Modeling of JLab Spectrometers
  • Adsorption Isotherm of Nitrogen on a Nuclepore Surface at 77K

The Society of Physics Students

The College has an active chapter of the Society for Physics Students, dedicated to celebrating the fun side of science and promoting STEM through community service.

Consistently recognized as one of the most outstanding chapters in the nation by the national organization, recent activities include building a human-sized hamster wheel, giant Newton’s cradle, hosting a science festival for local schoolchildren, and attending conferences of the American Physical Society.

Community Service: Randolph College SciFest

Every year the Society of Physics Students organizes and hosts SciFest, a 3-day science and learning festival for local schoolchildren.

Randolph student and faculty volunteers lead activities, exhibits, labs, and talks designed to get young girls and boys interested in and excited about science, technology, engineering, and  math (STEM).  

In addition to science activites for both elementary and preschool students, guests enjoy national guest speakers, a Pi Day fun run, women in science panel,  poetry jam, LEGO league, drones and robots, petting zoo, and more.

The free event draws thousands of children and families to campus every year. 

Top Ranked Professors

Randolph College’s faculty are consistently recognized as among the best in the nation. The Princeton Review ranked the College in the Top 25 for most accessible professors in the most recent edition of its flagship college guide, The Best 389 Colleges.

Randolph has been ranked in the top 25 for most accessible professors for more than a decade.

Physics Faculty

Peter Sheldon

Professor of Physics, Natural Sciences and Mathematics Division Head

Read More... Peter Sheldon

Sarah Sojka

Associate Professor of Enviromental Studies and Physics

Read More... Sarah Sojka

Katrin Schenk

Associate Professor of Physics

Read More... Katrin Schenk

Only at Randolph

Randolph students can take advantage of unique programs which give them a more enriching education than can be found anywhere else.

Money for Your Research

The Randolph Innovative Student Experience (RISE) program provides every student a $2,000 grant to fund research, creative work, experiential learning or other scholarly pursuits.

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TAKE2

Two courses per half-mester means you get to focus in and dig deep into your coursework while still having time for the rest of the college experience. Two classes. Seven weeks. Repeat.

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The Randolph Plan

Randolph students work with faculty mentors to explore a broad range of disciplines as they chart their academic path.

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The Liberal Arts Advantage

Randolph graduates learn to think critically, solve problems and work well with others. They are prepared to succeed in all aspects of life.

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Department News

Summer research examining how satellite constellations affect astronomy

As satellites are launched into the sky, they leave traces of their transit on astronomical images, decreasing the scientific value of those images. 

Read More

‘The Bumpy Ramp Problem’: Students investigate AP physics test question

In 2016, a question on the Advanced Placement (AP) Physics 1 exam rankled some in the science community. 

Read More

Meet the graduates: Marcela Izquierdo Poza ’24

Poza will continue her studies next year in Boston University’s Physics PhD program.

Read More

Society of Physics Students recognized with Outstanding Chapter Award

The designation is given to fewer than 15 percent of chapters at colleges and universities in the U.S. and internationally, with just 73 of more than 800 chapters honored this year.

Read More

Kylee Bennett ’24 pursues engineering physics degree through Randolph’s Dual Degree Program

The unique opportunity allows Randolph students to earn two degrees in the time it normally takes to get one.

Read More

Summer research examining how satellite constellations affect astronomy

As satellites are launched into the sky, they leave traces of their transit on astronomical images, decreasing the scientific value of those images. 

Read More

‘The Bumpy Ramp Problem’: Students investigate AP physics test question

In 2016, a question on the Advanced Placement (AP) Physics 1 exam rankled some in the science community. 

Read More

Meet the graduates: Marcela Izquierdo Poza ’24

Poza will continue her studies next year in Boston University’s Physics PhD program.

Read More

Society of Physics Students recognized with Outstanding Chapter Award

The designation is given to fewer than 15 percent of chapters at colleges and universities in the U.S. and internationally, with just 73 of more than 800 chapters honored this year.

Read More

Kylee Bennett ’24 pursues engineering physics degree through Randolph’s Dual Degree Program

The unique opportunity allows Randolph students to earn two degrees in the time it normally takes to get one.

Read More
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Department Chair

Peter Sheldon

Professor of Physics, Natural Sciences and Mathematics Division Head

Credentials:BA, Amherst College
MA, University of Massachusetts
PhD, University of Massachusetts
Associated Departments:Physics, Engineering, Robotics and Mechatronics Engineering
Office:Martin 316
Phone:4349478488
Email:psheldon@randolphcollege.edu
Website:https://www.randolphscience.org

News Headlines

Peter Sheldon is the Charles A. Dana Professor of Physics & Engineering, the Chair of the Physics & Engineering Department, and the Director of the SUPER Program at Randolph College. He has a PhD and an MS in Physics from the University of Massachusetts, and has a BA in Physics and a BA in Mathematics from Amherst College.

Dr. Sheldon has received nearly $5 million in grants for research and programming, currently holding a $1 million S-STEM grant from the National Science Foundation to run the SUPER program (Step Up to Physics and Engineering at Randolph) which prepares Randolph College students to be the nation’s future scientists.

His research net includes a number of fields: he is by education a low temperature physicist, but has worked in the field of ultrafast laser spectroscopy, and more recently focuses on inertial navigation (the physics of rollercoasters) and science education research. He has more than 30 publications spanning across these fields.

Dr. Sheldon’s passion is bringing science to the public. He has recently held grants from the American Institute for Physics, the Virginia Foundation of Independent Colleges, and the Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation for two major outreach projects. He directs and works with the College’s Society of Physics Students to run the Randolph College Science Festival and the College’s Science Saturdays Program for high school students.

Dr. Sheldon is the past Chief Reader of the Advanced Placement (AP) Physics exam, and is also a board member for the United States Young Physicists Tournaments, Vector Space (Lynchburg’s Makerspace), and the Lynchburg Region’s Technology Council.

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Sarah Sojka

Associate Professor of Enviromental Studies and Physics

Credentials:B.A., Eckerd College
M.S., University of Virginia
Ph.D., University of Virginia
Associated Departments:Environmental Studies & Science, Engineering, Physics, Marine Science
Office:Thoresen 7
Email:ssojka@randolphcollege.edu

News Headlines

I fell in love with science as a child, balanced on my toes on a stool leaning over the sink with a friend, our “chemicals”, including dish soap and bubble bath, surrounding us, trying to remove the smell from black pepper. I remember the intensity with which we worked and the thrill of feeling that we were discovering something. My goal as a science educator is to foster that same sense of wonder and curiosity in all of my students.

I earned my undergraduate degree at Eckerd College in Environmental Studies-Public Policy. As a student at a small liberal arts college, I loved getting to know my professors and the opportunities for research, including a project studying water quality in Nicaragua.

My interest in water quality led me to the University of Virginia for an M.S. and Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences. I studied how physical processes affect the biological processes in shallow coastal systems. Unfortunately, we frequently study average or calm weather conditions in these systems and forget how much winds and waves can affect the primary producers. I used modeling, experiments and monitoring data to study how wind conditions affect light and nutrient availability for seagrass. I am continuing this research and look forward to involving students in it.

After graduate school, I took my work inland and began working on rainwater harvesting systems. These systems are designed to collect the rain that falls on the roof of a building and use it for irrigation, toilets and other uses.

My primary interest is how rainwater harvesting can be used to reduce stormwater runoff and protect coastal systems.

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Katrin Schenk

Associate Professor of Physics

Credentials:B.S., University of California at Los Angeles
M.S., Cornell University
Ph.D., Cornell University
Associated Departments:Physics, Engineering
Office:Martin 324
Phone:4349478489
Email:kschenk@randolphcollege.edu
Website:https://www.facebook.com/groups/234404713261414/

News Headlines

Katrin has a Ph.D. in theoretical physics from Cornell University and now does computational neuroscience/ethology research. She received her training in computational neuroscience during her tenure as a Sloan-Swartz Postdoctoral Fellow in Computational Neuroscience at the University of California, San Francisco.

Her research is focused on understanding the underlying dynamics of animal behavior and how knowledge of these dynamics can inform us about the effects of disease processes and environmental and/or genetic perturbations. Her research makes use of real behavioral data taken by collaborators in the fields of psychiatry, physiology, neurology, neuroscience and medicine and her main plans involve long term collaborations with experimentalists in the fields of geriatrics, psychiatry, and physiology.

She came to Randolph College because she is passionate about involving undergraduates in original research and because Randolph College’s high faculty to student ratio, flexible administration, and committed science faculty make it an ideal environment for fostering collaborations with undergraduates.

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