The Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Oklahoma provides everything a talented graduate student needs to succeed: faculty members who are national and international leaders in scientific research, a well-designed graduate program that cultivates the skills needed in any scientific or technological career, and state of the art equipment for both experiment and theoretical work. This education is provided in the stimulating academic environment of the University, which has lively programs in the sciences, humanities and arts. All of these activities take place in a state famous for its friendliness and hospitality, its low cost of living, its beautiful Spring and Fall weather, mild Winters and unique Native American heritage.
In what follows you'll learn about the superb research and teaching that goes on in our department. I am especially proud of a number of recent achievements. Our externally funded research expenditures have more than doubled in the last decade. This will increase even further with our new Center for Semiconductor Physics in Nanostructures, (C-SPIN) a multi-million dollar research collaboration between OU and the University of Arkansas. We've just added a new wing to our building, and are planning additional construction to expand and improve our reseach labs.
I'm also pleased with the excellent recent additions to our faculty and anticipate more new hires in the coming year. In fact, nearly half the current faculty joined our department within the last eight years. This mix of talented junior and senior faculty has produced a department known for its excellence in teaching and research. Almost a third of them have received the prestigious Regents' Award for Superior Teaching at the University of Oklahoma, a truly remarkable record! Our faculty members include a Sloan Fellow, two Fellows of the American Physical Society, five NSF Career award recipients, two State of Oklahoma Gold Medalists for Excellence in Teaching, four OU Presidential Professors, eight Regent's Award winners for Superior Research, an Outstanding Assistant Professor in the College of Arts and Sciences award winner, and two chaired professorships for excellence in teaching and research.
Vistors are often struck by the collegiality of our department: we have a daily tea, a weekly general colloquium, weekly seminars in our major fields of research, and a variety of social get-togethers. In short, we are a community of scholars. Come and join us!
Ryan Doezema
Chair