News

Mel Torrie '97, MS'98 announces a $100K gift honoring the professor and longtime Get Away Special Team advisor that will benefit undergrad researchers participating on USU's student-led space research team.

Aggie alumna and Goldwater Scholar Jodie Ream '09, left, now a MIT space physicist involved in NASA's Psyche mission, returned for a recent visit with USU Physics faculty mentor Mike Taylor.

USU's student-led Get Away Special Team preps for the 2024 Small Satellite Conference, Aug. 3-8 at Utah State in Logan.

The GAS team at USU will send a satellite up into space in 2026 through the NASA CubeSat Launch Initiative.

More than 9,000 teens from throughout the Intermountain West descended on the Davis County amusement park during Utah State's popular outreach event.

USU Physics Day at Lagoon alumna Bethany Enger Cheney returns to May 10 event to create STEM learning magic.

Utah, home of Utah State University’s multiple campuses around the Beehive State, isn’t in the path of totality for Monday, April 8’s solar eclipse. But that doesn’t mean Aggies can’t enjoy the much-anticipated cosmic event.

Physics and math major, Honors student and Aggie First Scholar Agustina Peck, who conducts research with postdoctoral mentor Ivana Molina, is set to present findings at the Student Research Symposium during USU Research Week, April 8-11.

Atmospheric Waves Experiment Science Team hones communications skills while participating in research-project-of-a-lifetime.

USU physicist Boyd Edwards and USU computer scientist John Edwards are featured presenters for free, family-friendly event focused on rotational forces.

Undergrad physics researcher Joseph Cooney is among Aggies ascending Utah's Capitol Hill Jan. 18, to present to state legislators and the public. Cooney developed a computer simulation to study atmospheric ice nuclei under different electric fields.

Mike Taylor passes the torch of groundbreaking NASA-funded AWE science mission to fellow USU professor Ludger Scherliess.

With team members from NASA, Space Dynamics Laboratory and other institutions across the nation, Utah State University physicists look forward to the Nov. 5 launch of the Atmospheric Waves Experiment, known as AWE, to the International Space Station.

All are invited to a free screening of the documentary, 'Ultimate Weapon: The H-Bomb Dilemma,' Thursday, Oct. 19, at 6 p.m. in FAV 262.

NASA’s Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE) will study atmospheric gravity waves to understand the flow of energy through Earth’s upper atmosphere and space. AWE is led by Michael Taylor at Utah State University in Logan, and it is managed by the Explorer

USU Students of the Gravitational Theory Group embarked on a summer of scientific exploration.

Jeffrey Hazboun is among researchers featured in a June 29 briefing from NSF-funded North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves Physics Frontier Center

Abstract submission for APS 4 Corners Conference in October is now open! The Four Corners Meeting of the American Physical Society unites participants from colleges, universities, industry, and government laboratories within the states of Arizona, Colorad...

Heather Allen, now off to Penn State to pursue a Ph.D., honed her skills as a member of professor JR Dennison’s Material Physics Group

Ready, set, GO: It’s been a long winter and one of Utah State University’s favorite harbingers of spring — USU Physics Day at Lagoon — is ready to provide thrills, chills and STEM-learning fun Friday, May 12, at Davis County’s popular amusement park.

Ready, set, GO: It’s been a long winter and one of Utah State University’s favorite harbingers of spring — USU Physics Day at Lagoon — is ready to provide thrills, chills and STEM-learning fun Friday, May 12, at Davis County’s popular amusement park.

Maria J. Rodriguez, faculty member in the Department of Physics, has been named one of the "50 Most Influential Aggies" by The Utah Statesman to honor her contributions to Utah State University. These individuals were nominated by USU campus members and t...

For the celebration of 2023 International Women’s Day on March 8, the USU Women and Minorities in Physics (WaMiP) group organized a trip to the Christa McAuliffe Space Center in Pleasant Grove, Utah. There were two activities that the group participated i...

All are invited to USU's observance of International Women and Girls in Science Day, celebrated on campus Friday, Feb. 10, from 3-6 p.m. in the Taggart Student Center Big Blue Room.

The Fall Student Research Symposium is USU’s non-competitive celebration of undergraduate research and creative work. Each December, students from every discipline share poster or oral presentations to the broader public.

Inquiring minds of all ages are invited to learn answers to these questions and more at the Utah State University Department of Physics’ 15th annual November Demo Show on Friday, Nov. 18.

Utah State University physics professor Vincent Wickwar, an early pioneer in the field of aeronomy — the study of the upper atmosphere — died unexpectantly at his Logan, Utah home Sept. 27. He was 79.

The public is invited to view the night sky through the telescope at the USU Observatory. Admission is free and masks are welcome. (Photo: Steve Sellers, CC BY-SA 2.0)

Peak Fellow, Undergraduate Research Fellow and Honors student Zachary Zito, left, meets with faculty research mentors Brittany Gentry, postdoctoral fellow in USU's Philosophy group, and Physics Professor Charlie Torre.

In a USU Physics lab, undergrad researcher Heather Allen adjusts the control unit of an electron flood gun she's built to study simulated lunar dust. Allen is among USU’s 10 2022 Peak Summer Research Fellows.

Utah State University scholars are reacting with excitement to images from outer space, released this week by NASA, from the James Webb Space Telescope.

Transmitting data to Earth until its final hours, Utah State University’s student-built satellite appears to have re-entered Earth’s atmosphere and disintegrated May 24 after surviving a phenomenal 117 days in space.

After a two-year pandemic hiatus, USU Physics Day at Lagoon returned on May 13, 2022, for a day of thrills, chills and STEM learning fun.

SU Physics Day at Lagoon, among the West's longest-running STEM outreach programs, returns to an in-person event Friday, May 13. More than 10,000 Intermountain teens are expected to descend on Utah’s über-playground for a day of learning and fun.

Undergrad Trace Taylor uses a vacuum chamber in Physics Professor J.R. Dennison's lab to study materials flown on NASA’s LDEF satellite. Taylor is among Aggies presenting at Research on Capitol Hill Feb. 8 in Salt Lake City.

Utah State University’s Get Away Special Team CubeSat successfully deployed Jan. 26 from the International Space Station. It’s alive, well and communicating with Earth.

Members of USU's 2021-22 Get Away Special Team traveled to Florida’s Kennedy Space Center to witness the Dec. 21 launch of the team’s cube satellite to the International Space Station. The team now eagerly awaits deployment of the satellite from the ISS....

In USU's 2021 episode of 'The College Tour,’ student Jack Danos examines the GAS team’s GASPACS cube satellite. The CubeSat launches Dec. 21, to the ISS and is scheduled to deploy into space the first week of Jan. 2022.

USU's Student Chapter of the Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering, known as SAMPE, is hosting an on-campus, public watch party for the Dec. 22 launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, starting at 4:30 a.m. in ESLC 130.

The public is invited to view the night sky through the telescope at the USU Observatory Friday, Dec. 3, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Admission is free and masks are encouraged.

Inquiring minds of all ages are invited to USU Physics' 14th annual November Demo Show Friday, Nov. 19, at 7 p.m. in the Eccles Science Learning Center Auditorium. Admission is free.

The public is invited to view the night sky through the telescope at the USU Observatory Friday, Nov. 5, from 7-9 p.m. Admission is free and masks are encouraged. James Coburn.

In-person activities for USU Physics Day at Lagoon 2021 have been postponed. While the future looks bright and things continue to improve, the size of this event has necessitated that we hold off for one more year. Virtual events are being developed.

Utah State University’s Space Dynamics Laboratory announced that it has successfully completed the Key Decision Point (KDP) C for NASA’s Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE).

The Utah State University Observatory opens its doors to the public Friday, Sept. 7. All are invited to view Cache Valley’s night sky from the observatory telescope from 8:30-10:30 p.m. All ages are welcome and admission is free.

Utah State University Science Dean Maura E. Hagan announces she is retiring from her post and from the university effective December 31, 2020. USU Executive Vice President and Provost Frank Galey announced Hagan’s decision publicly

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, USU, INL and Lagoon officials announce decision to forgo this year's long-running STEM event, which draws nearly 10,000 teens each year for day-long amusement park STEM fun.

Utah State University Student Sustainability Office and Sustainability Council are celebrating the 50th anniversary of Earth Day and honoring the campus community’s sustainability award winners

Eight Utah State University scholars are honorees of the prestigious 2020 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship search. The Aggies, whose awards are collectively valued at about $828,000, are among nearly 2,000 students selected from mo...

The Utah State University Observatory opens its doors to the public Friday, Dec. 6. All are invited to view Cache Valley’s night sky from the observatory telescope from 6-8 p.m. Admission is free.

What makes an airplane fly? What keeps a heavy battleship afloat? Inquiring minds of all ages are invited to learn answers to these questions and more at the Utah State University Department of Physics’ 12th annual November Demo Show Friday, Nov. 22.

The Utah State University Observatory opens its doors to the public Friday, Oct. 4. All are invited to view Cache Valley’s night sky from the observatory telescope from 8-10 p.m. All ages are welcome and admission is free. “We invite the Cache Valley comm...

As part of a research project, Utah State University physics major Matthew Hogan sits in a lab and watches plants grow. And it’s a far-from-boring exercise, he says. “It’s a new learning experience every day,” says the Undergraduate Researcher.

Since its earliest days, women at Utah State University have had a huge impact on the cultural, scientific, economic, and social fabric of the institution since its earliest days. The Year of the Woman shares these critical voices simply because their sto...

As a pianist, Utah State University undergraduate researcher Christian Lange knows that listening to a music is best, when it’s in a quiet setting. A silent atmosphere, where the listener can experience every lyrical nuance, every pause.

Utah State University welcomes renowned scientist Vanda Grubišic of the Colorado-based National Center for Atmospheric Research to campus Friday, Sept. 27, 2019, for the public presentation, “NCAR Earth Observing Laboratory and the University Community Op...

Utah State University Science Dean Maura Hagan is among 100 U.S. scientists and 25 international associates elected this year to the National Academy of Sciences, one of the world’s premier academic institutions, which provides science advice to the U.S. ...

Aggies are invited to a special presentation this Friday, April 12, at 10:30 am on USU Innovation Campus: ’The Transformative Journey,’ a talk by Dr. Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator at NASA's Science Mission Directorate.

Nearly sixty years ago, renowned physicist Richard Feynman invited scientists to enter the emerging field of atomic-scale physics with the rousing invitation, “There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom.”

NASA has selected Utah State University’s Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE) mission to study space weather from the International Space Station. Planned for launch in August 2022, the AWE experiment...

Science enthusiasts of all ages are invited to the American Association of Physics Teachers Idaho-Utah Section Physics Demo Show Friday, March 1, 2019, at Utah State University. The free event begins at 7 p.m. in the Eccles Science Learning Center, Emert ...

Scientists get a bad rap for being poor communicators, says Utah State University physics alum and faculty member Rob Davies (Physics, MS’96, PhD ’99). “Some scientists are fabulous communicators,” says Davies.

The Utah State University Observatory opens its doors to the public Friday, Nov. 30. All are invited to view Cache Valley’s night sky from the observatory telescope from 6:30-8:30 p.m. All ages are welcome and admission is free...

Inquiring minds of all ages are invited to Utah State University Physics Department’s 11th annual November Demo Show Friday, Nov. 16. “A Night with Newton” is the theme for the event...

The Utah State University community is invited to enjoy brain-energizing fun as USU’s College of Science Student Council hosts ‘Science Week’ Nov. 2-9. “We invite all Aggies to channel their ‘inner geek’ and join us in some great activities,” says...

Utah State University Physics Graduate Students carved pumpkins and then took them to the roof of the SER building to freeze them in liquid nitrogen and toss them over the edge.

The Utah State University Observatory opens its doors to the public Friday, Nov. 2. All are invited to view Cache Valley’s night sky from the observatory telescope from 7-9 p.m. All ages are welcome and admission is free.

USU physicist Tonya Triplett is featured speaker for Science Unwrapped Friday, Oct. 26. The gathering begins at 7 p.m. in the Emert Auditorium, Room 130 of the Eccles Science Learning Center on campus. All are welcome.

The Utah State University Observatory opens its doors to the public Friday, Oct. 5. All are invited to view Cache Valley’s night sky from the observatory telescope from 7:30-9:30 p.m. All ages are welcome and admission is free.

Utah State University is one of 12 campuses in the United States and Canada selected by the American Physical Society to concurrently host the 2019 Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics.

Watching rollercoasters loaded with screaming teens zoom through the loops at Utah’s Lagoon amusement park looks effortless, but designing the rides is “not as easy as it looks,” said Farmington Junior High student Delaney Dunleavy. Her teammates Sara Gre...

Three USU undergrads were among just 40 students from around the world selected to participate in the prestigious Jürgen Ehlers Spring School 2018.

The Utah State University community is invited to hear insights about lasers, time, relativity and career pursuits from Nobel Laureate John L. “Jan” Hall and educator Lindy Hall Tuesday, April 17, 2018, at 3 p.m. in the Animal Science Building, Room 118....

While traveling to Europe, Utah State University undergrads Josh Hibbard, Hope Marks and David Maughan quickly learned about black holes: That’s where your luggage goes when your transatlantic flights get cancelled and you’re re-routed on an unexpected pa...

USU scholar David Maughan, who is majoring in physics and mathematics, received honorable mention from the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program, the nation's most prestigious STEM competition for undergraduates.

David Peak is the 2018 recipient of the national Council on Undergraduate Research-Goldwater Scholars Faculty Mentor Award

Utah State University physics professor David Peak is the 2018 recipient of the national Council on Undergraduate Research-Goldwater Scholars Faculty Mentor Award. Selected from 10 finalists nationwide, Peak has mentored, to date, more than 30 USU undergr...

USU physicist Maria Rodriguez with Stephen Hawking and colleagues at the International Centre for Theoretical Cosmology Conference in Cambridge, England in July 2017.

On this Pi Day 2018, Utah State University physicists and other Aggies, along with people around the world, are mourning the loss of Stephen Hawking. The pioneering British physicist died March 14, at his home in Cambridge, England. He was 76.

Dr. Varela’s work was recently recognized by the National Science Foundation.

Dr. Maria Rodriguez is the principal investigator of this National Science Foundation (NSF) award that will support research at USU on relativistic outflow mechanisms from black holes.

Physicists, l-r, Yucheng Zhao, Mike Taylor, Pattilyn McLaughlin, Jon Pugmire, Kenneth Zia and Mike Negale, hold an imager used to map gravity waves from Earth-bound sites. Taylor leads a NASA-funded study to develop an imager to fly on the ISS.

USU undergrad physicist Jonh Mojica displays equipment he's configured to monitor very low frequency radio waves during the Aug. 21 solar eclipse.

Ivana Molina, a doctoral student in USU’s Department of Physics, is one of nine scholars selected nationally for a 2017 NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship in heliophysics research.

Physics major Jake Christensen continues the long tradition of USU physics students becoming Goldwater scholars.

Nine Utah State University scholars are among the honorees of the prestigious 2017 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship search.