Facilities, Support and Student Groups

The Physics Computer Facility provides computing and networking services to the department’s faculty, staff and students. It has a professional staff of six, assisted by a number of capable undergraduate students. They provide support services as varied as assisting customers in purchasing, installing and operating computer systems to obtaining licenses for distribution of commercial software of interest to the physics community. In addition, they provide maintenance of student computers in physics teaching labs and dedicated labs for undergraduate

physics majors and for physics graduate students.

Their goal is to increase the productivity of the department’s employees and students, allowing them to concentrate their energy on physics issues rather than computer support.

While each research group is a separate entity, there are a number of excellent departmental facilities shared by all. These include a well-staffed machine shop, an efficient student shop with supervised training classes, an electro-mechanical shop (electronics design and fabrication, low temperature and optics support), liquid helium and nitrogen facilities and the NanoSystems Laboratory with state-of-theart focused ion beam/scanning electron microscopy, electron beam lithography, Direct Laser Writer, nanomanipulation, EDS X-ray microanalysis, X-ray diffractometry, SQUID magnetometry, two ambient and one low temperature/high magnetic field atomic force/magnetic force microscopes, two Physical Property Measurement System, new chemical vapor deposition and sputtering/electron beam deposition systems, low temperature magnetotransport measurements and a Langmuir-Blodgett trough monolayer deposition facility. For more information on the NanoSystems Laboratory, visit ensl.osu.edu.

The Department of Physics is housed in a 233,739-square-foot, state-of-the-art building with department offices and conference space, as well as 210 laboratory modules. The design features a stunning open atrium and adjoining patio space. Frequent and relaxed interaction is the focus of the open spaces, and highlights  on the atrium floor are the Smith Seminar Room and Vernier Physics Commons.

We have recently designated space for a Wellness Room, a private room suitable for breastfeeding mothers or others with mental or physical health needs served by a private, quiet space.

 

The Physics Graduate Student Council (PGSC) is the representative body for physics graduate students at Ohio State. The PGSC is an active and engaged group that advocates and facilitates communication and activities between the department and graduate students on all matters of mutual interest, including grad student representation on several departmental committees. The PGSC holds quarterly meetings and meets regularly with the department chair and vice chairs to discuss issues of concern to graduate students. The council also hosts regular social events (picnics, graduation receptions, etc.), mentors new graduate students (at both individual and group levels), helps publicize graduate student research opportunities, organizes an annual graduate student research poster competition and “core-course” faculty teaching awards and generally enhances the social, academic and research experience for all physics graduate students.

organizes colloquia and workshops and supports independent outreach programs. Members work closely with undergraduate physics groups and high schools to extend the benefits of outreach activities and to provide mutually beneficial mentor-mentee connections

between undergraduate and high school students and SWiP members. In addition, SWiP coordinates annual fundraising events to promote its mission in the broader Columbus community.