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Home > About

Tate Laboratory of Physics, home of the School of Physics and Astronomy.

photo by Jonathan Chapman

The School of Physics and Astronomy includes the Astronomy program, the William I. Fine Theoretical Physics Institute and the History of Science Technology and Medicine. Physics at the University of Minnesota offers a world-class education and cutting edge research to its 120-130 graduate students and growing undergraduate major population. We have 43 faculty members who teach over 3000 undergraduate students per year in their core courses for the Institute of Technologyand other colleges of the University. Our award-winning faculty members also do research and serve the community. As a public university our mission is to serve the people of the state through education, excellence in physics research, and outreach.

Physicists associated with the University of Minnesota have won six Nobel prizes [J. Bardeen (two), W. Brattain, A. Compton, E.O. Lawrence, and J.H. Van Vleck]. Professor J. Valesek discovered the phenomenon of ferroelectricity in Rochelle salts in the 1920s. Professor J. Tate edited the Physical Review at Minnesota from 1926 to 1950, while otherwise carrying on a distinguished career in teaching and research. Under Tate's guidance, the journal went from a secondary journal, to become one of the most important peer-review physics journals in the world. Using the technique of mass spectroscopy, Professor A.O.C. Nier first isolated a detectable amount of U-235 in the basement of Tate Laboratory on February 29, 1940. Read more about our history here.

We are doing cutting edge research in pure and applied physics. Our faculty, postdocs, graduate students and undergraduate students are making important contributions in the areas of:

• Astrophysics & Cosmology
• Biological Physics
• Condensed Matter Physics
• Elementary Particle Physics
• Space and Planetary Physics
• Nuclear Physics
• Physics Education

Our research programs are sponsored by government agencies and awards from the University and private foundations. After receiving a great foundation in physics our alumni go on to work in a variety jobs from teaching physics at major universities to working in National Laboratories. Find out more about where our Alumni go here.

We would love to talk with you about our programs. Please contact us here.