Programs

Course Details

PHYS 101. INTRODUCTION TO PHYSICS II (4)
Three hours of lecture and one three-hour lab per week. Lab fee required.
Prerequisite: PHYS 100
A non-calculus based introduction to the concepts and principles of physics. The areas covered include electromagnetic theory, light, and atomic and nuclear physics. Practical examples will be used to illustrate the relationship between physics and other disciplines, especially the life sciences, and to develop problem-solving skills. Laboratory sessions will include computer-simulated experiments.
GenEd: B1

PHYS  103. HOW THINGS WORK (4)
Three hours lecture per week
Introduces the concepts behind everyday objects and experiences. Concentrates on ideas and on familiar scenarios.  Designed to excite students' interests in science while conveying a substantial understanding of our everyday world.

PHYS  107. THE STARS AND BEYOND (3)
Three hours lecture per week
A tour through the stars and galaxies will uncover some major mysteries of the Universe.  Topics include: the historical development of astronomy; the laws that govern the behavior of the Universe; the birth, life and death of stars; the collision of galaxies; and evidence for the birth and end of the entire Universe.

PHYS 201. GENERAL PHYSICS II (4)
Three hours of lecture and one three-hour lab per week. Lab fee required.
Prerequisite: PHYS 200
A calculus-based introduction to the concepts and principles of physics. The areas covered include electromagnetic theory, light, and atomic and nuclear physics. Practical examples will be used to illustrate the relationship between physics and other disciplines, including the life sciences, and to develop problem-solving skills. Laboratory sessions will focus on computer-simulated experiments.
GenEd: B1

PHYS/ART 208. The Physics of Art and Visual Perception (3)
Two hours lecture and two hours lab per week.
Prerequisites: none.
A course on the physics of light, color, art and visual perception. The course will cover the nature of light and optical phenomena, the perception and psychology of color, the reproduction of color in different media, and the analysis of art from a science perspective. The emphasis is on factors which permit the artist and observer to understand and more fully control the design and interpretation of images of all kinds. Demonstrations, experiments, and video/computer simulations are used to analyze signals received by the eyes or instruments.
GenEd-ID: B1,C1

PHYS  310. ELECTRONICS (4)
Three hours lecture and two hours activity per week
Prerequisite: PHYS 101 or PHYS 201
This course covers the basic analog and digital electronic circuits used in a scientific laboratory.  Students  will be introduced to  the operation of simple electronic devices, the basic underlying theory of their operation, and  the applications of a few analog and digital ICs. The emphasis is on applications rather than theory. Consequently there is a strong hands-on component to the subject to enable students to gain practical experience. Experiments will include the testing of actual and virtual circuits, and data acquisition

PHYS/MUS 335. THE PHYSICS OF MUSIC (3)
Two hours of lecture and two hours of lab activity per week.
Prerequisite: None
This course is designed to give a useful understanding of music and sound for students interested in music, speech, and language. Other students will find it an interesting and understandable introduction to the methods of science. Extensive use of demonstrations and sound analysis computer programs will be used to accomplish these objectives. The format will include lectures, demonstrations, and hands-on use of the computer programs. The student will be responsible for a term project of his or her own choosing using the computer programs.
GenEd-ID: B1, C1.

PHYS/BIOL 416 RADIOBIOLOGY AND RADIONUCLIDES (3)
Prerequisites: PHYS 201 ; BIOL 300
Nature and effects of ionizing radiation on biomolecular structures and living cells. Applied radiobiology and radionuclides. Genetic effects of ionizing radiation and methods of protection. Dosimetry

PHYS/PA  436. PHYSICS OF THE PERFORMING ARTS (3)
Three hours lecture per week
Prerequisites:  PA 202
Introduction to the physics of movement, lighting, sound and visual/aural perception.  The course emphasizes factors that permit the performance artists to understand and more fully control their performance, with special attention to the study of audience perception.  Demonstrations, experiments and video/computer simulations are used to analyze signals received by the performer and the audience.

PHYS/COMP/MATH 445. IMAGE ANALYSIS AND PATTERN RECOGNITION (3)
Three hours of lecture in the lab per week.
Prerequisite: PHYS/COMP/MATH 345 or consent of instructor.
The course addresses the issue of analyzing the pattern content within an image. Pattern recognition consists of image segmentation, feature extraction and classification. The principles and concepts underpinning pattern recognition, and the evolution, utility and limitations of various techniques (including neural networks) will be studied. Programming exercises will be used to implement examples and applications of pattern recognition processes, and their performance on a variety of diverse synthetic and real images will be studied, and an individual project report will be completed.
GenEd-ID: B1, B4.

PHYS/BIOL 464 Medical Instrumentation (4)
Three hours of lecture and two hours of lab activity per week, including two field trips per course.
Prerequisite : BIOL/PHYS/HLTH 434
The detection, acquisition, processing and display of diagnostic clinical images. The course will concentrate on the fundamentals of the design of the instruments and the use of appropriate reconstruction algorithms in (computed) radiography, (digital) fluoroscopy, computed tomography,ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging and radionuclide imaging. The mathematics will be kept to a minimum. Activities will include image reconstruction examples, investigation of recent innovations, and two trips to local Radiology departments.

PHYS 492. Internship (3)
Six hours per week.
Prerequisites: Upper division standing and consent of instuctor.
Supervised work and study in industrial or scientific setting involving development of skills related to applied physics. All students are required to present their projects at the Senior Colloquium. Graded CR/NC.

PHYS 494. Independent Research (3)
Variable hours per week.
Prerequisites: Senior standing and consent of research advisor.
Contracted laboratory and/or library research in selected areas within applied physics conducted under the supervision of a faculty member. All students are required to present their projects at the Senior Colloquium.

PHYS 497. Directed Studies (3)
Variable hours per week.
Prerequisite: Senior standing and program approval of written proposal.
Supervised project involving reading and library research in the field of applied physics. All students are required to present their projects at the Senior Colloquium.

PHYS 499. Senior Colloquium (1)
Prerequisites: Senior standing.
One hour of seminar. Oral presentations of current advances in the field, reports on students’ projects in PHYS 492, 494 or 497 courses, and invited lectures.