Physics instruction at Cal Poly is conducted in a variety of formats by skilled professionals who focus on building an inclusive and welcoming learning community so that all students achieve proficiency. Learn by Doing is a guiding principle that permeates the physics curriculum. A major emphasis on laboratory investigations, especially at the upper division, complements students' theoretical and computational grounding. At the lower division level, several sections of courses are taught in a studio environment using materials developed on the basis of research on the learning and teaching of physics.
Modified from physics.calpoly.edu
Senior Projects from 2024
Comparison between GALFIT and Lenstronomy to Analyze the Host Galaxies of Reverberation Mapped Active Galactic Nuclei, Samantha Kay Allen
Identifying Ion-Scale Waves in Parker Solar Probe Sub-Alfvénic Intervals, Nicholas Henry Androski and Kristoff Paulson
Analyzing Hubble Space Telescope Images of AGN Host Galaxies with Keck Integral Field Spectra, Sebastian Contreras
Investigating the Relationship Between Single and Multiple Sersic Models of Active Galaxies Using GALFIT, Ellie H. Johnson
Non-Relativistic Limit of Selected Terms from The SME Dirac Lagrangian, Quinn Reece
The Role of Apparatus in Problem-Solving and Model Construction and Contemplation, Maré E. Sutphen and Laura Ríos
Senior Projects from 2023
Optimizing Solid Thermal Storage in Insulated Solar Electric Cookers, Stefan Avramov
Flash Cooking: Phase Change Thermal Storage with Solar Salt, Orion B. Barar
Calculating MBH Scaling Relations for AGNs using 2D Galaxy Decomposition Software to Analyse HST Images, Jewel A. Capili
Exploring the Mass to Light Ratio of Massive Galaxies with the Rubin DP0 Preview Dataset, Denvir Joy Higgins
A Monte-Carlo Simulation of Gamma Rays in a Sodium Iodide Detector, Ben Kessler
Xylitol as a Phase Change Material: Exploring the Replacement of Erythritol by Xylitol As A Phase Change Material, Elsa C. Micklin
Temporal and Spectral Analysis of 1ES 2344+514 in Two Flaring States Observed by VERITAS, Connor Poggemann
Diffusion-driven aggregation of particles in quasi-2D membranes, Oscar Gullickson Rausis
Optimization of Flagellar Locomotion in the low Reynolds Number Regime, Aidan M. Trodden and Aidan M. Trodden
Senior Projects from 2022
Energy Analysis for Neutron Induced Ternary Fission Events in the NIFFTE Fission Time Projection Chamber, Vanessa Aguilar
Developing Positive Thermal Coefficient (PTC) Heaters for Solar Electric Cooking, Katarina Ivana Brekalo and Andrew Shepherd
Building Structures from Mycelium, Noah M. Brown
Developing A New Gamma Ray Selection Criteria Based On χ2 For VERITAS, Brett W. Dinsmore
Solid Thermal Storage as an Energy Storage Device in Insulated Solar Electric Cookers: Thermal Modeling and Experiment, Michael Antonio Fernandez
Automation of the Transition Identification Procedure for Trapping Rubidium Atoms in a Magneto-Optical Trap, Michael P. Fletcher
Developing a Data Acquisition System for Use in Cold Neutral Atom Traps, Jonathan E. Fuzaro Alencar
A Comparison of EXOTIC and PyRaf in Analyzing Exoplanet Transits, Kailei A. Gallup
Thermal Degradation of Erythritol, Sudheendra Gamoji
Memory Capacity in a System of Swelling Particles, David T. Keating