Physics at Rollins

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t’s a common question from parents: What would my son or daughter do with a physics degree? If it’s a physics degree from Rollins, the answer is easy: You can do anything.

Graduates from the program are now lawyers, professors, bankers, programmers, and business owners. In fact, a lot of students enter the physics major through the back door, with interests in photography or cosmetics or earthquakes or music. Then they discover through exciting lab work that physics can be applied to any interest.

Students work together with instructors to think analytically, solve problems, and to write and present—skills that will set you apart in any field.

Why Study Physics at Rollins A Relational Approach From day one, the faculty takes a personal interest in you. It’s a tight-knit group, so every student feels comfortable asking questions and then working with a professor to find answers.

Research-Grade Equipment An acoustical lab. An optics lab. An atomic-force microscope. Lasers and high-speed cameras.

Undergrads learn to set up professional gear from scratch and use it instead of merely observing.

Empowerment for Success Most colleges offer research experience, but at Rollins you can start lab work after your first year.

The goal is not for professors to publish findings and present them—it’s for you to do it.

“People might wonder how my physics degree at Rollins helped with my career in economic and financial consulting.

The training in creative problem solving gave me the clarity and the confidence to tackle complicated topics of any kind. They’re the kinds of skills that will always be valuable, no matter how the marketplace changes.”

Emma Broming ’12

Associate and Equity Shareholder, Premier Quantitative Consulting, Inc.

Rollins Physics Careers Rollins physics grads are making tomorrow happen at some of the world’s most innovative companies.

Nicholas Bowers ’14

Program Manager, Amazon Flex

Ashley Cannaday ’11

Assistant Professor of Physics, Rollins College

Sarah Evans ’06

Undergraduate Coordinator, Initiatives in STEM, University of Central Florida

Aditya Mahara ’12

Product Development and Market Intelligence for Integrated Diagnostics, Siemens Healthineers

Mitch Verboncoeur ’14

Associate, McKool Smith Law Practice

Daniel Zietlow ’10

Producer, Director, Videographer, and Editor, Earth Initiatives; Education Generalist, UNAVCO, Inc.

Real World Experience From internships and research, physics students hone their skills in the real world.

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Popular Courses When a professor is honest enough to say “I don’t know,” it becomes the impetus to study anything from pianos to planets. It might even become a new stand-alone class.

• WCC 100 Science in the Art of da Vinci • PHY 115 The Physics of Music • MM 200 The Science of Superheroes • PHY 325 Computational Physics • PHY 412 Experimental Optics • PHY 451 Quantum Physics

Beyond the Classroom NSF Undergraduate Research Experience A competitive program supported by the National Science Foundation allows students to prepare research findings to be published and presented at national conferences.

Pre-Engineering Program Rollins provides students with the opportunity to combine a three-year program in the liberal arts with two years of professional academic work in engineering at one of three prestigious institutions: Washington University, Case Western Reserve, or Auburn.

Student-Faculty Collaborative Research Program Work with a professor on your research for a summer, continue it through the school year, and then present to an audience of PhDs at a major national or international conference—a rare opportunity for undergraduates.

ADM 1808-0175

Expert Faculty Physics professors at Rollins are at the top of the field and have chosen to teach here because of the satisfaction gained from creating a collaborative learning environment for every student, regardless of gender or background.

Ashley Cannaday, PhD | Assistant Professor of Physics Research interests: Lasers and optics; coherent light scattering

Whitney Coyle, PhD | Assistant Professor of Physics Research interests: Musical acoustics with an emphasis on woodwind instruments; understanding the complicated mechanisms that contribute to the playability of musical instruments

Samantha Fonseca, PhD | Assistant Professor of Physics Research interests: Computational molecular dynamics

Christopher Fuse, PhD | Associate Professor of Physics Research interests: Astrophysics and galaxy morphology

Thomas Moore, PhD | Professor of Physics Research interests: Laser-based methods for studying sub-micrometer motion; musical acoustics with an emphasis on brass instruments and piano

Anne Murdaugh, PhD | Associate Professor of Physics Research interests: Biophysics using atomic force microscopy

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