Physics and Astronomy

Clemson Elementary School Science Fair

On March 8th, 2024, we had volunteers from the Clemson University’s Department of Physics and Astronomy prepare the Clemson Elementary school science fair winners for their presentations at regionals. This proved to be a great success because these students won 4 out of 10 of the awards that were given out that day! We are […]

Obituary

Donald D. Clayton, Professor Emeritus of Physics and Astronomy (March 18, 1935—January 3, 2024).   Donald Clayton was born in Shenandoah, Iowa and grew up Dallas, TX. He earned a B.S. in Physics in 1956 from Southern Methodist University, where he also played on the golf team. He then attended the California Institute of Technology, where he […]

Physics Major Channels Michael Jackson at Clemson’s National Pan-Hellenic Council Fall Fest Step Show

Physics and Astronomy junior, VJ Mattison, joined his brothers in the Kappa Lambda Chapter of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity to compete in last fall’s NPHC Fall Fest Step Show. The group performed a Michael Jackson-themed routine, which featured different members portraying Jackson throughout different stages of his career. Mattison portrayed a mid-career Jackson, performing […]

Clemson Astrophysics Alum Featured in NASA’s Early Career Scientist Spotlight

Dr. Ross Silver (Ph.D., 2023) was recently featured in NASA’s “Early Career Scientist Spotlight” series. After graduating with his Ph.D. in 2023, Dr. Silver accepted a position as a postdoctoral fellow at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. His research is centered on active galactic nuclei (AGN), and since joining NASA, he has contributed to three […]

PandA Graduate Student Awarded Prestigious Research Award

Congratulations to PandA doctoral student, Madeline Clyburn! Clyburn, who works with Dr. Jonathan Zrake, recently won a prestigious NASA FINESST award for her research on black holes! The award includes a stipend as well as financial support for computing equipment and to attend astronomical conferences in the U.S. and abroad. Learn more about Clyburn’s research […]

PandA Grad Student to Give Invited Talk at Space Technology Conference in Taiwan

Atmospheric and Space Physics graduate student Deepali Aggarwal is scheduled to give an invited talk at the International Conference on GPS Radio Occultation in Taipei, Taiwan. The conference, which takes place in November, 2023, aims to integrate science, technology, and industry in the space domain. Deepali, a second year graduate student, will present her research […]

Prof. Chad Sosolik Appointed Interim Chair of Physics and Astronomy

Dr. Chad Sosolik, who was appointed acting chair of Physics and Astronomy following the departure of Dr. Sean Brittain, officially accepted College of Science Dean, Cynthia Young’s offer to serve as interim chair of the department on August 17, 2023. Dr. Sosolik is an experimental condensed matter physicist with a PhD in Physics from Cornell […]

GSO Led Symposium Highlights Student Research

The Clemson Physics & Astronomy Graduate Student Organization (GSO), led by outgoing GSO president, Benjamin Amend, hosted the annual Symposium for the Introduction of Research in Physics and Astronomy (SIRPA) on Monday, August 21 at the Madren Conference Center. SIRPA is an event highlighting current student research across the various subfields of physics and astronomy […]

Congratulations to our August Graduates

Congratulations to Clemson P&A’s newest Ph.D.s! Receiving doctoral degrees at the August 10th Ph.D. Hooding Ceremony were Rick Mattish (adviser, Prof. Joan Marler), Aniruddha “Ani” Pan (adviser, Prof. Catalina Marinescu), Samalka Anandagoda (adviser, Prof. Dieter Hartmann), and Yang Yang (adviser, Prof. Endre Takacs). We are so proud of the accomplishments of this group, and we […]

PandA Grad Student to Give Talk at TEDxMirandola in Italy

Astrophysics graduate student, Andrealuna Pizzetti is scheduled to give a talk about one of her favorite subjects–the moon–at TEDxMirandola in Italy this Saturday, June 24! Pizzetti will discuss how the world, society, and technology would look if the moon were destroyed or had never formed. “If you think about the 1950s and the ‘60s, everyone […]