BS in Physics

Program Highlights

Physics Summer Research Institute (PSRI)

PSRI is an ongoing mentorship program designed to provide our students with scientific research experience. Selected physics students are sponsored by various scholarships and funds to work closely with faculty mentors on various research projects for ten weeks. As part of this professional training, the PSRI students are also supported to present their research results at national and international physics conferences and publish their work on peer-reviewed journals.

Physics faculty Dr. Hyewon Pechkis and Dr. Joe Pechkis work closely with students Will Mixter and Michael Doris during the Physics Summer Research Institute. Both students were sponsored by CSC^2 summer research awards, and this rich research experience taught our students valuable skillsets that allowed them to compete on a national stage: Will Mixter got a summer internship to work at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and Michael Doris got a summer internship to work at the National Institute of Standards and Technology!

Physics students are able to design, build, and analyze various electrical circuits and electronic devices during PSRI. Student Carissa Leveille was focused on building her circuit during the 2017 PSRI. This research experience allowed her win a very competitive summer internship position at Iris for summer 2018!

Physics students meet and interact with well known physicists

Physics students interacted with well-known physicists Dr. William Phillips and Dr. Bill Hassenzahl during their visits to the Ultracold Atomic Lab in April 2018. The students were so inspired by their passion for physics and their curiosity to search for truth in nature.

Physics students Will Mixter and Jason Mickel presented their PSRI projects at the American Physical Society Fall 2017 Far West Section Conference at UC Merced in October 2017. Their projects were co-authored by their faculty mentors Dr. Hyewon Pechkis, Dr. Joe Pechkis, and Dr. Anna Petrova-Mayor.

PSRI stellar astrophysics and computation lab

Physics senior students Jose Baranda and Austin Pollard present their PSRI projects, co-authored by their faculty mentor Dr. Nick Nelson, at the American Physical Society Fall 2017 Far West Section Conference at UC Merced in October 2017.

The Society of Physics Students (SPS) – Outstanding Chapter at Chico State

SPS students talk to Dr. William Phillips

SPS students Kirk Williams, Jerad Sweatman, Austin Pollard, Nathan Fulmer, and April Nuestro talk to Nobel Laureate Dr. William Phillips during his visit to the Department of Physics in April 2018.

SPS students participating in the annual pumpkin drop

Senior students Lisa Pham and Carissa Leveille drop two pumpkins at the 30th Annual Pumpkin Drop, a popular science education outreach event that attracts hundreds of elementary school and college students to attend on Halloween Day.

Physics student April Nuestro works with junior high students

Our physics students and faculty actively participated in the STEM Girl Mayhem 2018 event on February 3, 2018. Student April Nuestro was working with junior high school girls on a physics experiment during the event. April plans on becoming a high school physics teacher when she graduates, and she has won a summer internship scholarship from the American Physical Society to do research at Stanford in Summer 2018.

SPS students on the annual spring field trip at Stanford

Physics students Austin Pollard, Logan Storm, April Nuestro, and Jose Baranda attended the SPS sponsored Annual Spring Field Trip to tour the SLAC National Accelerator Lab at Stanford on May 4, 2018. The students received first-hand observations about physicists' professional life and working environment at a national lab.

A getting-together brunch held at Dr. Hyewon Pechki's home

On February 4, 2018, Dr. Hyewon Pechki held a brunch for female students, staff, and faculty in physics and engineering. Carissa Leveille is pictured sharing her Chico experience with high school juniors at this well-received event, which induces one or two female students into physics majors. Now, about 26% of the physics majors at Chico State are female, which is higher than the national average of 16%.

Graduate Success

The record of success of our graduates can be summarized by the following data from the past six years:

33% of our graduates have entered advance degree programs which is consistent with the national average of 36%.
53% of them have entered technical careers in the private sector or at government laboratories or military, which is higher than the national average of 42%.
4% of our graduates are pursuing a career in high school physics instruction.
About 10% of them have no updated information.