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 2023
Calculating MBH Scaling Relations for AGNs using 2D Galaxy Decomposition Software to Analyse HST Images, Jewel A. Capili
Xylitol as a Phase Change Material: Exploring the Replacement of Erythritol by Xylitol As A Phase Change Material, Elsa C. Micklin
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
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
Recreating NASA Images Using Hubble Data: Two Populations of Stars in Messier 5, Adam N. Looper
An Inexpensive Maximum Power Point Tracking System for an Insulated Solar Electric Cooker using an Off-the-Shelf Buck Converter, Andrew A. Perez
Quantum Key Distribution Simulation using Entangled Bell States, Nayana Tiwari
Senior Projects from 2021
Plasma-Laser Wakefield Acceleration, Jonathan Babu
Direct Drive Solar Panel Control Circuit, Marcorios Bekheit
Swarming Oscillators With Time-Delayed Interactions, Nicholas S. Blum
Lorentz Violations and the Casimir Effect, Samuel G. Christensen
Insulation and Structural Support for Solar Electric Cooking, Jack J. Crofton
Rapid Warming Events in a Small Coastal Upwelling Embayment, Tatjana E. Ellis
Seasonal Controls on Nearshore Hypoxia in a Small Coastal Embayment, Stephen Alexander Huie
Quantum Computing: Resolving Myths, From Physics to Metaphysics, Jacob R. Mandel
Development of the ALICE FIT FT0-A Detector Frame in ROOT Geometry for Simulation, Jason R. Pruitt
Modeling Cherenkov Light Detection Timing for the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System, Keilan Finn Ramirez
Rigid Aggregation of Inclusions Embedded in Quasi 2D Fluids, Natalie Xochitl Ryan