Physics & Astronomy - Marlboro College

Physics & Astronomy from Marlboro College is a Campus Bachelor Astronomy degree that prepares you for a Science career. Physics is the science that tries to uncover the fundamental constituents of, and laws governing, the material world. It asks, in short: what's out there, how does it act, and how does it work? The physics curriculum largely follows the chronological development of the science in history: we begin by studying the forces through which familiar terrestrial objects interact, then slowly expand our understanding of the world by applying basic principles to the big (e.g., in astronomy) and the small (e.g., atoms). New categories of phenomena such as electricity, magnetism, heat and light are painstakingly incorporated into a growing body of mathematical laws and physical mechanisms that represents an ever-deeper understanding of the basic types of physical existents, their actions and interactions and the myriad phenomena to which they give rise. Although the various physics courses at Marlboro have unique goals and intended audiences, there is a common thread: each course is designed to allow students to understand and learn to practice the methods of science. These methods include designing experiments to ask pointed questions of nature, building up mathematical skills to help interpret the answers and developing a critical and logical outlook to help one consistently integrate one's discoveries into a coherent whole. Courses at the introductory level stress the historical and empirical origins of basic physics concepts, so students learn to appreciate physics (and science in general) as a way of knowing. More advanced courses for students doing Plan work in physics (and/or intending to pursue physics in graduate school) focus instead on developing the problem-solving and experimental skills used by practicing physicists. But across the board the curriculum is designed to encourage students to learn to think like a scientist (whether they intend to become one or not). My Ph.D. research involved trying to understand the dense interiors of neutron stars by extrapolating from what is known about the nuclei of ordinary atoms. During graduate school, I also developed a deep interest in the history and philosophy of physics (and science in general), with a special focus on the foundations and interpretation of quantum mechanics. This includes such topics as: Einstein's reservations about quantum theory, Bell's Theorem and the de Broglie-Bohm pilot wave theory. Plan level work at Marlboro, however, is by no means restricted to these topics. Students are encouraged to pursue their own interests after developing an appropriate foundation in standard coursework. Physics and astronomy students are also encouraged to develop breadth by exploring the other natural sciences, taking courses in the philosophy and history of science, and working to become clear and efficient writers?in addition to studying the arts, humanities and social sciences. All students graduating with physics or astronomy as their primary degree field must have passed (at C- or better) at least one course from each of the four broad areas of study. Astronomy, one of the oldest sciences, is today essentially one branch of physics; therefore, in addition to spending lots of time in the observatory on cold nights, astronomy students should take the standard physics curriculum, replacing some of the more advanced physics coursework with relevant tutorials in astronomy and astrophysics. In particular, prospective astronomy students should take General Physics I and II during their first year. View more details on Marlboro College . Ask your questions and apply online for this program or find other related Astronomy courses.