Sonoma State University

Announcing the revised B.S. in Physics starting Fall 2026!

Sonoma State University is proud to launch its revised Bachelor of Science in Physics, featuring a redesigned, student-centered curriculum available beginning Fall 2026. The revised program offers a rigorous physics foundation, small class sizes, close faculty mentorship, and flexible pathways that support timely graduation. Please see our degree programs page for more information.

What Physicists Do - Archive

Date Speaker Speaker Affiliation Lecture Title
Dr. Glenn Horton-Smith Stanford University E=mc2, Really
Dr. Michael Bolte UCO/Lick Observatory and the University of California, Santa Cruz the Age of the Universe
Dr. Janna Levin University of California at Berkeley How the Universe Got Its Spots
Dr. Dennis Derickson Hewlett Packard Recent Developments in Fiber Optic Communications
Dr. Alan Dressler Observatories Carnegie Institution of Washington Space Telescopes and the Search for Origins
Dr. Gregory Kilcup Ohio State University Small Particles and Large Computers
Matthew Davis Santa Rosa High School Experiences of a Neophyte Physics Teacher
Dr. Xiao-Dong Xiang Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory the Integrated Material Chip
Dr. Francis F. (Frank) Chen University of California, Los Angeles From Computer Chips to Potato Chips: How Plasma Physics Affects Our Everyday Life
Dr. Barry Kluger-Bell Lawrence Hall of Science and the Exploratorium Learning Physics Through Inquiry
Dr. Michael Riordan Stanford Linear Accelerator Center and the Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics the Invention of the Transistor
Dr. Richard R. Freeman Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Fundamental Physics and Real Life
Michael A. Porter Mike Porter Vineyards Consulting, Inc. Physics in the Vineyards
Dr. Michael F. Toney IBM Almaden Research Center X-Ray Diffraction From Technologically Important Interfaces
Dr. Mark Adler Jet Propulsion Laboratory Earth Invades Mars!  Details at 11:00
Dr. Steven J. Visco Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory New Cheap and Efficient Fuel Cells
Dr. Arthur B.C. Walker II Stanford University Probing the Mysterious Outer Layers of the Solar Atmosphere
Dr. Patrick Tam Humboldt State University Using Mathematica in Physics Education
Dr. Scott Sandford NASA Ames Research Center Comets, Meteorites, and the Origin of Life
David Lamb University of Alabama an Illuminating Discussion of the Display Industry