Student Research Opportunities

The Physics Department believes that developing finely tuned laboratory skills is a critical component of every physicist's training. The department is committed to offering courses that teach basic and advanced laboratory techniques and to offering opportunities for students to work on independent research projects. Students are encouraged to work on in-depth research projects, and that work can take a variety of forms.

Students may apply for a Stetson Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) grant that pays a stipend for students to do research during the summer.

There are also several federally funded programs that students can apply for that pay a stipend and travel expenses for them to do summer research internships at a variety of universities and national laboratories around the country. More information on these competitive internships can be found on our Summer Opportunities page.

And, while students are encouraged to pursue topics of their own individual interests, they are also invited to work on the professional projects of our faculty as well. These projects do not offer any stipend; however, the Department will support the equipment needs of the project as much as possible with departmental funds. Students should seek out a faculty mentor if they are interested in pursuing such an opportunity.

Finally, the capstone of the physics major is a comprehensive laboratory project. Every physics major is required to do a senior research project, and if a student wishes to expand this project additional work can be done as an independent study.