Summer work is typically done in the department's facilities but on occasion may take place at a cooperating university or a national laboratory. A physics major may have the opportunity to become a teaching assistant for specific undergraduate laboratory courses each semester. This rewarding experience of passing on one's knowledge of physics to one's peers not only builds the skills necessary for communicating that knowledge but also helps to reinforce it. This results in a friendly and informal rapport between the faculty and the students. The small class sizes and friendly faculty contribute to creating an atmosphere of comeraderie among the students.
Students often depend on each other by means of study groups.
To further enhance this family-like environment, faculty and upperclassmen conduct regular help sessions to those students who desire them. Physics club, through which these sessions are organized, contributes weekly seminars, picnics, and an annual field trip to the list of departmental activities. The Physics department is home to the local chapter of Sigma Pi Sigma, the national physics honor society. Outstanding students are recognized and initiated into the society at an annual induction ceremony which is followed by a lecture delivered by a distinguished physicist. The diversity and solid foundation in science fundamentals provided by the program in physics will prepare a student for virtually any modern technical career.