Physics and Physical Oceanography
Welcome
The Department of Physics and Physical Oceanography provides quality programs leading to B.S. and B.A. degrees in Physics, Coastal Engineering, or 3+2 Physics/Electrical Engineering degrees.
Within a physics degree, students have an option of General Physics, Applied Physics, Environmental Physics, or Physical Oceanography.
We provide courses that stimulate intellectual curiosity, imagination, rational thinking, and thoughtful expression, and we have a strong commitment to providing research opportunities for students in our department.
Please feel free to wander our website. Here you will find how our department excels in teaching, research, and service.
Upcoming Events
Departmental Seminars/Colloquia
- USACE-ERDC Deployable Coastal Video Monitoring Stations
Dr. Brittany Bruder, September 25, 2020, 2:00pm via Zoom
Please request Zoom link information from humphreyc@uncw.edu
Dr. Brittany Bruder is a Coastal Research Engineer at ERDC’s Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory Field Research Facility in Duck, NC. As a member of the Remote Sensing Work Unit , Dr. Bruder utilizes technologies such as photogrammetry, Lidar, and unmanned aerial systems to obtain quantitative measurements of the nearshore environment. Her applied research interests include developing turn-key coastal imaging systems for USACE district use (Mini-Argus). Such systems will provide districts with near real time quantitative imagery and engineering data without subject matter experts, allowing for cost-efficient monitoring and adaptive management practices of federal beach projects. In addition these systems have been used for R+D purposes, such as measuring high frequency 3D water surfaces using stereo photogrammetry for improved modelling and understanding of swash zone processes. She will be presenting recent Mini-Argus applications at Duck, NC, New Smyrna Beach, FL, and Sunset Beach, HI.
The department is supported by a generous and inspiring community of friends and alumni.
News
March 2020 - Dr. Qianqian Liu, published Probabilistic forecast of microcystin toxin using satellite remote sensing, in situ observations and numerical modeling Environmental Modelling and Software, 10.1016/j.envsoft.2020.104705
January 2020 - New Coastal Engineering facility to house teaching and research space is currently in the planning stages. WECT news story
January 2020 - The department welcomes Dr. Qianqian Liu, Physical Oceanography; Dr. Ryan Mieras, Coastal Engineering; and Cheryl Humphrey, Administrative Associate with the start of the spring semester.
December 2019 - Professor Alexanian published Quantum Rabi Oscillations in Coherent and Squeezed Coherent States Via One- and Two-Photon Transitions Armenian Journal of Physics, 12 (4). pp. 304-315.
September 2019 - Professor Alexanian published Statistical Entropy of a Schwarzschild-anti-de Sitter Black Hole. Armenian Journal of Physics, 12 (2). pp. 178-184 (2019).
March 28, 2019 - Amanda Ceroli ’19, a physics major, has received a Fulbright Research Grant. The Fulbright Program is a highly competitive, merit-based grant for international educational exchange for students, scholars, teachers, professionals, scientists and artists.
March 15, 2019 - Dr Till Wagner's paper on the many faces of a small glacier, a collaboration with scientists at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, was published today in The Cryosphere.
March 7, 2019 - Professor Alexanian’s paper, Integral representation of the cosmic microwave background spectrum, has been accepted for publication in the Physical Review D.
February 2, 2019 - Congratulations to the Physics team for winning UNCW Homecoming's CAS 5K Run on Saturday!
