Grants, Facilities, and Equipment

The Physics Department at Fairfield and its faculty have been the recipients of several instructional and research grants in recent years primarily from the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy and the Research Corporation. In addition, the Department has received grants from private foundations and industries such as the Keck Foundation, the Perkin-Elmer Corporation and the Southern New England Telephone Company. The instructional laboratories in General Physics, Optics and Lasers, Advanced Experimental Methods and in Analog and Digital Electronics are fully equipped. Research laboratories in opto-electronics, solid state and materials science, and nuclear spectroscopy techniques provide additional opportunities for undergraduate research and learning experiences. Examples of the level of sophistication of the instrumentation in Physics research and instruction are the Department's scanning electron microscope (SEM), a scanning tunneling/atomic force microscope (AFM/STM), computer based nuclear counting equipment, a number of different laser systems, and a wide range of instrumentation with computer interfaces. The Department's machine shop and electronics shop are valuable facilities to students involved in research.

Computer facilities within the Department itself include both PC and MAC based systems. The University also has a number of student computer laboratories for both PC and MAC users. Computers facilities are networked throughout the campus, as all instructional buildings and dormitories are connected by a high-speed fiber-optic communications system. Fast communications via Internet and the resources of the World Wide Web are available to students.