The Physics Department is active in several areas of physics research. ?Faculty members regularly publish articles in refereed journals and present papers at conferences in the areas of astrophysics, biophysics, nuclear physics, physics education, surface and materials physics, theoretical/computational physics, and quantum optics. ?The Physics Department stands out in its emphasis on undergraduate research. ?Students typically work with a faculty member on a research project in their specialty area. ?This mode of instruction gives students hands-on learning opportunities which are very?different from the traditional classroom experience.