Notice of the current week's speaker and topic will be posted in the department, and also will be available through the departmental web page. The speakers are usually physicists from outside the university, but occasionally people from our department and others within the university will discuss their research as well. On occasion, because of scheduling difficulties, a colloquium may not be held, or may be shifted to a non-standard time. In the latter case, you are encouraged to attend, but are not required to do so.
Colloquia are primarily lectures given by scientists describing their current research.
They should be given at a level which will be comprehensible to a technically trained audience, and not only to experts in their particular subfield of science. The degree to which a particular speaker accomplishes this objective is highly variable, however. As advanced undergraduates and beginning graduate students, it is to be expected that the amount of material which you will fully comprehend is limited. None the less, there are always valuable things one should learn. Include the speaker's name and background, the title of the talk, and the date and time.