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physics

A photo of a total solar eclipse, where the sun is completely blocked out by the moon.

How Witnessing a Solar Eclipse Can Help Prevent Global Disaster

Senior Danielle Casillas traveled to Western Australia on a NASA-funded trip to the site of a total solar eclipse, looking for clues to the "biggest mystery in the solar system."

Professor Kendall Hall gives a presentation to students.

Office Hours: Astronomer and Physics Professor Kendall Hall

Astronomer and physics professor Kendall Hall is taking fear out of physics and making it fun for all.

Farhan Rehman and Esteban Teran adjust the lasers that work to cool the atoms.

Ultracold Atom Lab Attempting to Cross ‘Unreachable’ Threshold

With the ultra-high vacuum chamber up and running, the University's ultracold atom chamber is ready to cool atoms to near absolute zero so they display their true quantum nature.

Nicholas Esparza looks through the high vacuum chamber in the ultracold lab.

Student Researchers Share Insight into Summer Projects

CSC² has supported nearly 300 students in undergraduate research projects across the three colleges.

Rebecca Hood plays a cello in a physics class.

Crash Course: Physics of Music

Bringing sight to a seemingly intangible concept is exactly the purpose of PHYS 307 by teaching students how each sound produces unique waves depending on instrument, pitch, and tone.

Eduardo Europa holds a sign that says "curiosity."

New Faculty Share Messages of Inspiration

As 17 new faculty join Chico State this semester, they spent a few minutes creating signs to inspire students with a word or phrase for the new school year.

Kendall Hall is framed in the light of a sunset.

CSU, Chico Recognizes 2020–21 Outstanding Faculty

These awards—among the highest at CSU, Chico—celebrate the excellence of eight phenomenal faculty.

Stars shine above Trinity Hall.

Fond Farewell: Physics Professor Emeritus Fred Boos

Professor Emeritus Fred Boos idolized Einstein and loved sharing his theories with the next generation of physicists.

The exterior of the science building includes large windows and native plant landscaping.

Science Building Readies for Opening

The new Science Building at Chico State is not only the most state-of-the-art facility on campus but also one of the most visionary buildings within the 23-campus California State University system.

Erin O'Donnell and Steve Vargas stand in a rice field.

Alumni Secure First US Rice Export to China

Alumni Erin O'Donnell and Steve Vargas made US agricultural history in their roles at Sun Valley Rice Company.

Predicting the Weather is Chaos

In this episode of "Out of Curiosity," Chico State physics professor Nick Nelson explains the chaotic business of weather prediction on planet Earth.

The new physical science building will be a state-of-the-art $101 million facility to help advance CSU, Chico’s role as a leader within the North State and across the 23-campus CSU system. Slated to open in fall 2020, the 110,200-square-foot building will include space for chemistry, physics, geological science, and science education labs, as well as active-learning classrooms, synergy between interior learning spaces and outdoor classrooms, graduate research studios, a dean’s suite, dozens of faculty offices, and administrative and support areas.

Groundbreaking for CSU, Chico’s New Physical Sciences Building Set for Wednesday Morning

The need for a new physical sciences building on the California State University, Chico campus was determined. Plans and blueprints were rendered. And the space has been cleared. Now, it’s time to start raising the University’s newest building.

Three men in protective eyewear do laser testing over a table.

Physics Research Institute Examines Space and Time

From using laser pulses to study reactions in unfathomably small time periods, to examining how stars behave over incredibly long ones, physics undergraduate researchers explored the universe this summer.

#WhyITeach, Chico State Style

Fifty-one new faculty members joined the Chico State family in August. Each were asked to describe their motivation to teach. Here’s a sampling of what they said.

Students Smash Pumpkins for Science

  [sliderpro id=”1″] Community members gathered Friday to see pumpkins fly off a top floor of Butte Hall and smash into the ground as part of the 28th annual pumpkin drop put on by California State University, Chico’s Society of Physics Students. The event is a theatrical reenactment of Galileo Galilei’s legendary Tower of Pisa […]

Computer code and graphic model of the earth

Modeling the Mystery of the Earth’s Movements

Understanding the shape and behavior of our planet is an absolutely classic problem, says senior Kyle Rocha-Brownell, who hopes to help illuminate it with his research project.