Physics & Astronomy Research Resources

Research Funding

Organizations

Online Journals and Abstracts

Butler University Research Programs

Butler Physics and Astronomy majors are highly encourage to apply to the Butler Summer Institute (BSI) during their sophomore and/or junior years. Here you can find information on programs sponsored by the University. Students should pay particular attention to:

Internships and Summer Research Positions

Why: An internship is the best way to learn physics, astronomy, and/or engineering. The truth is, nothing can compete with real experience.

What: You get to do real science with world-class equipment. Internship work is often published and often pays fairly well.

Where: You can do an internship at a federally funded national laboratory such as Los Alamos or at a corporation such as Raytheon. The web allows you to apply to internships all over the country with unprecedented convenience.

When: Start hunting for summer internships in the fall. The application process isn’t bad but it can stretch out a bit as you gather your materials and decide what you are looking for. You can also do local internships for credit or pay during the semester on a part-time basis. You can even take a semester off and spend it in the lab.

How: Point and click. Many of the sites below have downloadable applications. Fill them out and send them off. The hard part is deciding where you want to go and what sort of work you want to do.

Visit the Past Paid Summer Research Positions & Internships page in order to learn more about paid summer research and internship opportunities for Butler University Physics majors.

Butler Summer Institute

The Butler Summer Institute has been developed to provide an opportunity, and privilege, for “the best and brightest” of Butler’s students to engage in learning that is creative, experiential, and investigation oriented, interact with Butler faculty, and to build a community of learners. Physics majors can apply for this program at the end of either their sophomore and/or junior years.

National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)

Visit the NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates page for more information. It is suggested that Butler Physics and Astronomy majors apply to the (REU program for the summers after their junior year.

Department of Energy

Internships for physics majors are also available at DOE. Visit the DOE Scholarships & Internships page to learn more.

Oak Ridge National Lab (ORISE)

Internship programs for undergraduate students at national laboratories and other federal research facilities across the United States.

https://orise.orau.gov/stem/internships-fellowships-research-opportunities/undergraduates.html

Ascend Indiana

Ascend is a non-profit organization that helps students find jobs or internships.

http://ascendindiana.com/

Other Possibilities

Here are several very good websites for summer research and internships:

auburn.edu/cosam/students/career/career-physics.htm

seas.upenn.edu/be/undergrad/SummerInternships.html

http://www.wolftechnical.com/

GRE Preparation

For any students interested in going onto graduate school you must take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). This test is put on by the same people who give the SAT. The test consist of a GRE General Test and a GRE Subject Test. The general test measures verbal, quantitative, and analytical skills that have been acquired over a long period of time and that are not related to any specific field of study. The subject test consists of approximately 100 questions most of which relate to the first three years of undergraduate physics. Topics include classical mechanics (20%), fundamentals of electromagnetism (18%), atomic physics (10%), physical optics and wave phenomena (9%), quantum mechanics (12%), thermodynamics and statistical mechanics (10%), special relativity (6%), and laboratory methods (6%). The remaining 9% of the test covers advanced topics such as nuclear and particle physics, condensed matter physics, and astrophysics.

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