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The Physics Department is taking learning out of the lab and into the field. Physics 100/200 and Physics 190 classes have been experimenting with launching pressure rockets behind the campus athletic fields. Faculty members Kristen Burson, Viva Horowitz, and Seth Major, and Director of Laboratories/Head Technician Adam Lark are making the most of this outdoor lab to teach the concepts of pressure and distance.

In the U.S, buildings account for about 40% of primary energy use and 40% of C02 emissions. Improving energy conservation and efficiency is important for individuals today, but more so, for future generations. One way to increase efficiency is through accessible information for individual homeowners. This summer, physics and environmental studies double major Anna Mowat ’18 is tackling this issue by studying the heating efficiency of residential buildings. Her goal is to develop an accurate model that helps understand and improve the efficiency of residential houses. The research is supervised by Professor of Physics Seth Major.

Ten women participating in summer research in the Hamilton College Chemistry, Computer Science and Physics departments have been recognized as Clare Boothe Luce Undergraduate Research Scholars. Funded through a grant from the Henry Luce Foundation and matching funds from Hamilton College, these awards provide stipends and funding for equipment, supplies, and travel to encourage women to either begin or continue research projects in the three disciplines.

Professor of Physics Seth Major was quoted in an Inside Science article titled “Spacetime May be a Slippery Fluid.” The article described theories about the nature of gravity and how the cosmos works in its entirety.

Dean of Faculty Patrick Reynolds announced the promotion of seven Hamilton faculty members to the rank of professor. Mark Bailey, computer science; Kevin Grant, history; Elaine Heekin, dance and movement studies; Seth Major, physics;  Robert Martin, government; Joseph Mwantuali, French; and Stephen Wu, economics,  were promoted effective July 1.

Six members of the Hamilton faculty were recognized for their research and creative successes with the Dean’s Scholarly Achievement Awards, presented by Dean of Faculty Patrick Reynolds at Class & Charter Day on Friday, May 4. The Awards recognize individual accomplishments, but reflect a richness and depth of scholarship and creative activity across the entire faculty.  The awards were made in three categories: Career Achievement, Early Career Achievement and Notable Year Achievement.

Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity changed the way we understand the world. Now, Abrar Ahmed ’13 is working with Associate Professor of Physics Seth Major on thought experiments that would modify Einstein’s Special Relativity.

"Shape in an atom of space," a paper by Associate Professor of Physics Seth Major, was published in Classical and Quantum Gravity on Oct. 20. This paper, completed while visiting the Perimeter Institute in Waterloo, Canada, develops a model of how the discrete microstructure of space ( if one exists!) might leave its imprint in data from high energy particle scattering experiments.

The paper "Stable Homology as an Indicator of Manifoldlikeness in Causal Set Theory" by Associate Professor of Physics Seth Major and collaborators David Rideout (Perimeter Institute, Waterloo, Canada) and Sumati Surya (Raman Research Institute, Bangalore, India) was published Friday, Aug. 14, in the journal Classical and Quantum Gravity.