Welcome to the Department of Physics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison!
The UW–Madison Physics Department awarded its first PhD in 1899. Since then our students have earned degrees in virtually every area of physics, and our faculty have played key roles in myriad important research efforts. We are training over 170 PhD students as the next generation of physics researchers who are already earning recognition and making significant accomplishments in their field. Each year, our instructional teams teach introductory physics to nearly 2000 undergrads from majors across campus. And we’re proud to have the longest-running hands-on science museum (the Ingersoll Physics Museum), one of the longest-running science demonstration shows (The Wonders of Physics), and the first MS in Physics–Quantum Computing program in the country.
Student Awards & Scholarships
The 2020-21 Awards & Scholarships have been announced. Congrats to all the students who earned well-deserved recognition!
The Wonders of Physics — At Home!
Even though the pandemic forced The Wonders of Physics to cancel the 2021 in-person shows, the show must go on! This year, The Wonders of Physics hosted a video contest, where anyone could send in a 2-minute video demonstrating a physics concept. See some of the winning videos here.
Department operations during the COVID-19 disruption
Updated UW–Madison COVID policies went into effect May 14. To see how they affect the Department of Physics and access to Chamberlin and Sterling Halls, please visit our COVID-19 page.
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Upcoming Events
Code of Conduct
The University of Wisconsin-Madison physics department consists of members with varied national origin, ethnic background, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, gender, age, physical ability, and religion. As a community, we are committed to being positive and inclusive in all regards. We follow the University of Wisconsin-Madison code of conduct. The members of University of Wisconsin–Madison must maintain a professional environment in an atmosphere of tolerance and mutual respect and abstain from all forms of harassment, abuse, intimidation, bullying, and mistreatment of any kind. This includes, but is not limited to, intimidation, sexual or crude jokes or comments, offensive images, and unwelcomephysical conduct. Members must keep in mind that behavior and language deemed acceptable to one person may not be to another.
Land Acknowledgement Statement
The Department of Physics acknowledges that the University of Wisconsin–Madison occupies the ancestral lands of the Ho-Chunk, a place their nation has called Teejop since time immemorial. In an 1832 treaty, the Ho-Chunk were forced to cede this territory. Decades of ethnic cleansing followed when both the federal and state government repeatedly, but unsuccessfully, sought to forcibly remove the Ho-Chunk from Wisconsin. We commemorate the resiliency of the Ho-Chunk and other eleven First Nations of Wisconsin. This history of colonization informs our shared future of collaboration and innovation. Today, we respect the inherent sovereignty of the Ho-Chunk Nation, along with the eleven other First Nations of Wisconsin.
