Schools' & outreach pages
We are working hard to broaden and deepen our engagement with schools. We already mount an extensive schools programme during National Science Week, hold Open Days, Open Evenings and Christmas Lectures. We also offer several talks whereby a member of staff can visit your school and deliver a talk. This page holds links to pages describing various activities that might be of relevance to schools, teachers, and pupils.
If you want to register an interest in any of the schools and outreach options on this page, you can fill out the form here.
Online posters and talks
As part of their first year course, postgraduate students in the department and the Institute of Photonics prepare and present talks and posters on their research aimed at a general audience. Follow these links to view or download their work:
School talks
The brightest and best young academics in the department are able to arrange to come to your school to present a class covering concepts in either the Higher or Advanced Higher syllabus and relate the importance of these concepts to cutting-edge science and engineering. We give a talks on the following topics (* - curriculum related):
- 'Lasers and Optoelectronics - making light work' *
- 'Waves - from ultrasound to ultraviolet' *
- 'What have Scotland’s physicists done for you ?' *
- 'Cold atoms – hottest topic in physics'
- 'Cool light'
- 'Chaos, physics, and finance'
- 'Nanoscale physics for medical applications'
- 'What makes supernovae super ?'
To arrange a visit by one of our staff, contact us.
Advanced Higher Investigations
On Friday afternoons, our 1 st and 2 nd year laboratories are made available for Higher and Advanced Higher students to come into the department and undertake their investigative projects.
Teachers' days
We will be holding half-day events for teachers from all over Scotland. These events will include Master Classes in physics topics relevant to the core Higher and Advanced Higher syllabi, hands-on practical fun experiments in the laboratory, the chance to meet with academic staff, and a summary of our most exciting research.
Career Resources
Open Evenings
In October, the department opens its doors for parents, pupils, and teachers to come by and get to know us. With a general introduction to the department, followed by tours of the teaching and research laboratories, and finishing up with a chance to chat informally with our teaching staff, ask loads of questions and generally meet our physics folks. This is a great opportunity for everyone to learn more about why its beneficial to study physics, about career prospects with a physics degree, and to get familiar with Strathclyde’s Physics department in particular.
Applicant Interview Days
Every student applying to study Physics at Strathclyde on their UCAS form is invited to a lunch and interview at the department. The visit gives students a chance to chat with current 1st and 2nd year students, learn more about university life in general, and Strathclyde (and Physics) in particular. Our academic staff will be on hand to answer queries.
Study physics at Strathclyde
The study physics at Strathclyde section goes through the nitty gritty of studying with us, entrance requirements, degrees, etc, etc. It also describes the sort of careers open to physics students and how we can help you with bursaries and in other ways. We hope you will apply to study physics with us and invite you to the departmental open evenings and UCAS lunches.
Alumni
The alumni section has been hugely expanded in 2006 and now has about two dozen stories from Strathclyde Physics alumni in which they explain how physics influenced their careers and what it was like to study physics. The stories range from students who graduated in 1964 to those who graduated in 2006 and their careers vary from academic to military and from industrial to Holywood stars. If you are an alumnus or alumna, we would very much like to hear from you and would ask you to contact either Neil Hunt or Klaas Wynne.
‘Fun Physics’
‘Science Week’
Our department organises several public-understanding activities related to the National Science week in March each year such as ‘Science on the Streets’: A walking tour through Glasgow highlighting locations in the city related to science. There is also an opportunity to drop-in on “Lightning, Rainbows & Silicon Chips” where you can get hands-on experience and see fun demonstrations in the physics lab at Strathclyde or why not bring your physics class to visit us for a two hour session?
David Elder Lectures
The David Elder Lectures originated in 1904 as a result of an endowment made by Mrs. Isabella Elder to the University and have free admission. The scope of the endowment is the maintenance of ‘Lectures of Descriptive Astronomy’ in memory of David Elder her father in law. Previous lectures featured astronauts, astronomers, and Heather ‘the weather’ Reid. We are planning another David Elder lecture for 2006.
Stars ‘R’ Us
The Stars ‘R’ Us hands-on exhibit is a joint project between Strathclyde University and four other collaborating institutes in England, aimed at 14-18 year-old science students. The exhibit highlights Astrochemistry: which molecules are in the universe and what role they play in astronomy. This manned exhibit will be part of our Science-week programme and will feature in the Royal Society’s Summer Exhibition in Glasgow in September 2006.
Physics computer wallpaper
Slightly silly but funny: Physics based computer wallpapers to make your computers look nicer and hopefully make your pupils think about studying physics.
Bios
Our website also has a small section with biographies of some of our current undergraduates and academic staff.
History
In the history section, you can find out about the long and illustrious past of the Physics Department or -- as it used to be known -- the Department of Natural Philosophy. Also here are the photo board of the Department of Physics from 1986 (not including Applied Physics). There is a large selection of photos taken from the Strathclyde archive (going back to 1902) and some photos taken in the 1980's by Ivan Ruddock.
Finally
We hope these highlights have enticed you and we are looking forward to welcoming you and your students into our department in the near future and / or one of our staff visiting your school. Please do stay in touch – by far the easiest way is by email. If you and your colleagues would like to join our email list, please send an email with your details to study 
phys.strath.ac.uk. You will then receive updates on all the events in the department, including those listed above, and direct access to us as an educational resource. If there is anything you think we can do for you, please let us know at the same email address.
We are here for you!
