Department of Physics and Astronomy

An instructor displays how to use a device for a pupil
A new set of guidelines, a lab manual and multiple groups at Pitt are working to reduce bias in academic science and increase diversity in STEM fields.
Gurudev Dutt in a red shirt, holding a piece of electronic equipment
From mailing circuit boards to students’ homes to rolling 80 containers of duckweed down Forbes Avenue, lab instructors got creative in the shift to online learning.
Jeremy Levy in a striped blue dress shirt
Most people are familiar with solid, liquid, gas and plasma, but there are other states of matter too. Jeremy Levy and Patrick Irvin of Pitt recently uncovered an electronic state that adds to the field’s understanding of quantum physics.
Rachel Coombs
The new space, meant to forge connections and encourage cross-campus collaboration, is the result of efforts led by the Graduate and Professional Student Government.
Jeffrey Newman, with a monitor displaying two dimensional stars and galaxies
A new 5,000-eyed instrument is searching the skies for dark energy, and a star survey recently unveiled the smallest known black hole. Two teams in the Department of Physics and Astronomy are working to unravel the universe’s mysteries.
a black and white photo of Hapke in a suit, holding a vial of moon dust
As a postdoctoral researcher, Bruce Hapke helped NASA determine the consistency of the moon’s soil, which helped engineers create the proper boots, rovers and wheeled equipment for the Apollo 11 landing, which happened 50 years ago this Saturday. Hapke and others at Pitt have helped build on a legacy of space research.