Physics and Astronomy

A photo of Grace Murray Hopper from the Vassarion. Hopper has dark hair and is dressed in formal attire, wearing a pearl necklace and facing the camera.

CelebratingGrace Murray Hopper ’1928

Grace Hopper is often credited for creating modern computing. In many ways, Vassar helped to create Grace Hopper. Read more about Hopper’s life and work.

The Physics and Astronomy Department at Vassar College offers students an engaging learning environment consisting of a rigorous program of study augmented by a diverse research agenda.

The department faculty are dedicated to continuously using and exploring innovative and effective teaching strategies, and to developing a strong research program aimed at providing ample opportunity for undergraduate students to have a hands-on experience. Physics and astronomy majors are prepared for graduate studies in not only physics and astronomy, but also engineering, education, and medicine. The faculty is also committed to teaching courses that promote scientific literacy for students who do not choose to major in the sciences.

News

Person speaking to an an audeince in front of a window with trees in the background.

Vassar Celebrates 50 Years of Science, Technology, and Society Program with Two-Day Event

Students, faculty, alums and scholars from several colleges and universities took part in a celebration of more than 50 years of teaching and learning in Science, Technology and Society at Vassar.

Associate Professor of Astronomy Colette Salyk was quoted in an article for Space.com about a star consuming a planet, after the two collided, along with the mention of the observatory honoring noted astronomer Vera C. Rubin ’48.

A group of people in a classroom standing behind a computer.

Vassar Acquires Powerful Quantum Computer for Use in the Classroom and Student Research

Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy enabled Vassar to acquire a powerful quantum computer that will be used as a teaching tool for physics majors and others at the College.

Two people standing in a classroom speaking to each other with other people and classroom tables in the background. One of the people speaking is wearing a camouflage, military uniform.

Science and Tech Bring Vassar and West Point Together

Professor of Physics and Astronomy Jenny Magnes kicked off her leadership of Vassar’s West Point Initiative with a visit by six members of the West Point faculty to explore how the two institutions can share their scientific equipment, including Vassar’s new quantum computer.

Annie Dickson-Vandervelde, Faculty Research Associate in Physics and Astronomy, spoke to Science about a study on Jupiter’s moons.

A portrait of Stephen Andrade, a person with short black hair and beard, glasses, and a dark suit coat.

Vassar’s Newest Professors Hail from Burbank to Bulgaria

Vassar welcomes 15 new tenure-track faculty members—the largest cohort in more than 20 years—to the campus this fall.

20 people sitting around a large oval table in a room with large paintings, floor to ceiling windows, and long, gold drapery.

Convening in Edinburgh, International Group of Education Leaders Collaborate on Liberal Arts Initiatives

In March, representatives of Vassar, the University of Edinburgh, University of Global Health Equity in Rwanda, and the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay convened on the campus of the revered University of Edinburgh in Scotland to collaborate on initiatives incorporating the principles of the liberal arts.

Colette Salyk, Associate Professor of Astronomy and Chair of Physics and Astronomy on the Marisa Mitchell Chair at Vassar College poses in the library.

Colette Salyk Secures Grant from Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)

Colette Salyk, Associate Professor of Astronomy and Chair of Physics and Astronomy on the Maria Mitchell Chair, has secured a Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) grant award in collaboration with her colleague from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in support of a research program titled "Building on ALMA: a James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) legacy survey of the chemical evolution of planet-forming disks."

Vassar Prof on NASA Team That Makes Discovery on How Planets Are Formed

A Vassar astronomy professor is part of a team of scientists that has made a breakthrough discovery revealing how planets are formed.