The Departmental of Physics curriculum combines fundamental physics courses with hands-on laboratory training and research projects.

We have a dedicated faculty and staff that support such student participation with state-of-the-art research laboratories, observatories and other educational programs that will enhance the students' future professional prospects.

The flexibility of the curriculum permits interdisciplinary exploration, not only among the physics and astronomy disciplines, but also the other STEM fields such as biology, chemistry, geology, environmental sciences, mathematics and computer science.

We expect our curriculum to result in physics graduates who are capable of applying and adapting their undergraduate education in a variety of scientific, teaching or engineering professions, as well as future educational endeavors.

News

Zachary Russell, assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Appalachian State University (center), works with student researchers Ethan Humphries and Hunter Corman in the Ion Innovations Scientific Instrumentation Development Lab in Boone. Image courtesy of Appalachian State

App State researcher develops AI-driven microscope to detect poultry parasites [faculty featured]

Researcher Zach Russell recently earned a grant from NCInnovation to develop his lab’s AI-driven robotic microscope....

A young girl looks through a telescope during an Evening at Dark Sky Observatory event held by App State on Aug. 11, 2024. Photo by Cory Dalton

App State awarded $367,088 National Science Foundation grant for telescope upgrades at Dark Sky Observatory

BOONE, N.C. — Thanks to a $367,088 grant funded by the National Science Foundation’s Major Research Instrumentation Program, Appalachian State Uni...

Dr. Zachary Russell, assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at App State, center, works with student researchers Ethan Humphries, a senior in physics major from Kings Mountain, and Hunter Corman ’24, an engineering physics graduate student from Morehead City, pictured in the background, in the Ion Innovations Scientific Instrumentation Development Lab in Boone to assemble 3D-printed components for rapid prototyping of microscope designs. Russell has been awarded a $2.3 million grant

App State awarded $2.3M to advance innovation in NC agriculture

BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University researcher Dr. Zachary Russell, assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy,...

Roland Kummer

Roland Kummer inducted into Spring 2025 Cratis D. Williams Society

BOONE, N.C. — In the Spring and Fall, Appalachian State University's Cratis D. Williams School of Graduate Studies seeks nominations for t...

The Cratis D. Williams School of Graduate Studies at Appalachian State University

CAS students, faculty receive awards from the Williams School of Graduate Studies

BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University's Cratis D. Williams School of Graduate Studies has announced the recipients of their 2024-25 awards. The...