Physics & Astronomy

Northeastern Illinois University

News & Events

Physics Department will be Offering Courses in Summer 2020.

The Physics department is offering PHYS 201L - College Physics I with Lab and PHYS 202L - College Physics II with Lab. This is the algebra based sequence that is intended for pre-health majors. The schedule of classes can be found at the following link . If you are not a NEIU student, you must apply as a Student at Large at the admissions webpage . Once admitted you must follow the instructions at the Physics Summer registration page . The PHYS 201L courses are schedule as online courses with virtual laboratories components.

Summer Research by Physics Faculty

Faculty from the Physics department will be offering opportunities for Student Summer Research in Summer 2020. These opportunites will be funded internally by the Student Center for Science Engagement (SCSE) and by the National Science Foundation (NSF) . To learn more about these opportunities contact Dr. Paulo Acioli , Dr. Greg Anderson , or Dr. Orin Harris.

Physics Major Receives Award at ILSAMP and is accepted to Northwestern University REU Program

Erica Albrigo, Physics Senior was awarded 1st Place for her poster presentation at the 2020 Illinois Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (ILSAMP) Symposium. Erica was also accepted to the Northwestern University Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA) Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program.

NEIU Society of Physics Students named Distinguished Chapter

This year, the Northeastern Illinois University SPS chapter has earned the designation of a Society of Physics Students Distinguished Chapter! Congratulations to our students, the chapter officers and our SPS advisor.

NSF Dark Matter Research Project

Dr. Orin Harris and collaborators from Indiana University South Bend and Penn State University were awarded a $770,500 grant to develop and mantain software for the PICO collaboration. Read more details about this announcement in the following link.

Dr. Acioli earns Northeastern research professor award

Professor of Physics Paulo Acioli has been honored with Northeastern Illinois Universitys 2018 Bernard J. Brommel Distinguished Research Professor award. Bernard J. Brommel, Professor Emeritus of Communication, Media and Theatre, established the award to be given annually to the tenured or tenure-track member of the Northeastern faculty who best demonstrates excellence in research and scholarship. link .

Dr. Orin Harris and Three Students Visit SNOLAB

Northeastern Illinois University Assistant Professor of Physics Orin Harris, and three of his students, Karl Amjad-Ali, Patrick Dowdle, and Sam Pate, attended a collboration meeting at SNOLAB. SNOLAB is a research lab 2 miles underground in Canada that is focused in the direct detection of dark matter. For more information about SNOLAB and Dark Matter research visit Dr. Harris's webpage in the following link .

This vist was made possible through the financial support provided by the NEIU Physics Foundation and the College of Arts and Sciences Indirect Funds.

Undergaduate Student Posts Videos of The Tocal Solar Eclipse on Facebook

Northeastern Illinois University Undergraduate Student Brian Urban posted videos of the Aug. 21, 2017 total solar eclipse from Chester IL. To check the postings visit the NEIU Physics Facebook page.

Paulo Acioli Published in Journal of Physical Chemistry C

Northeastern Illinois University Physics Professor and Department Chair Paulo Acioli published in collaboration with his Argonne National Laboratory Collaborator Julius Jellinek a new article "Theoretical Analysis of Photoelectron Spectra of Pure and Mixed Metal Clusters: Disentangling Size, Structure and Composition Effects" in the prestigious Journal of Physical Chemistry C. In this article Acioli and Jellinek propose a new method to analyze experimental photo-electron spectra using state of the art density functional theory computations. In this analysis they were able to explain the remarkable difference in spectra on atomic clusters that differ by a single atom in terms of size, structure and composition effects. This methodology, together with advances in synthesis techniques, will become an indispensable computation-based aid in the design of controlled synthesis protocols for manufacture of nanosystems and nanodevices with precisely desired electronic properties and characteristics.
The full article can be found online at the Journal's website .

Lunar Eclipse Viewing on September 27, 2015

The NEIU Chapter of the Society of Physics Students together with Faculty from Physics hosted a viewing party of the supermoon eclipse on September 27, 2015 on the top floor of the Main Campus parking garage. Additional pictures can be found in the NEIU Physics facebook page.