Your support has a real effect on our students’ experiences
Your gift to the Physics Department at BU makes a huge difference. Donations help the department and our community thrive across all activities. By giving to the department, you will also help amplify the commitments made by our existing donors. These generous gifts allow the department to fund student-run clubs and student-centered programs, and to expand our colloquium series.
Student Groups
One of the signature features of our department are our student groups and student-focused programs. Photon and PRISM are both integral parts of the physics student community and strongly enhance our student’s learning experiences. From demos and mentoring to sweatshirts and events, our groups and programs rely on the support we receive from our donors.
Dean Edmonds Colloquium
In addition, these funds have been used for the annual Dean Edmonds Colloquium, an important annual departmental event. Over the years, the Edmonds Lecturers have featured esteemed researchers (often Nobel laureates) who stimulated our curiosity and gave us a deeper understanding of the mysteries of the physical world.
The Stanley Physics Opportunity Fund
One of the world’s leading authorities on polymer studies, Professor H. Eugene Stanley, has been an inspiring teacher to thousands of undergraduates, an enthusiastic proponent for diversity in science in the public arena, and an exceptional mentor to dozens of graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and junior faculty for the past 40+ years. A William Fairfield Warren Distinguished Professor, the highest academic honor conferred by Boston University, Gene has also been one of our most productive and highly regarded scientists.
The fund he has generously donated to BU is primarily for the support of gender diversity (faculty research, graduate student support, and PK-12 outreach) and under-represented minorities. Donations will be used to supplement this fund and expand our outreach programs.
For example, this fund is supporting student participation in APS Conferences for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CUWiP) as well as other professional and student meetings around the United States. Here is an example of how one of our undergraduate students benefited from the 2019 CUWiP Conference:
“As a conference that catered towards undergraduate physics majors, it was helpful to get advice from industry professionals, professors and graduate students on what options are available after getting an undergraduate degree. We also got advice on what graduate schools look for in applicants, what industry professionals consider to be desirable skills for the future and how to look for summer internships… I also networked with other physics undergraduates and got to introduce myself to people from several graduate schools and industries.”