| Department of Physics | February 9, 2026
|
|
|
Happy Monday! 🎉 I hope everyone had a great weekend! As always, The Compton Chronicle newsletter is where you'll find department updates, upcoming events, exciting opportunities, and ways to get involved in our growing community. Have a great week!Â
|
|
|
We’re excited to invite you to a department potluck in celebration of the Lunar New Year! 🎉
Please join us for good food, good company, and a chance to celebrate together. Attendees are encouraged to bring a favorite dish to share - let us know what you're bringing! The first 100 people in attendance will also receive free entry into a raffle for prizes! Please make plans to join us and help spread the word!Â
|
|
|
|
Chuanwei Zhang named co-director of Center for Quantum Leaps
“As I step into this role, one key lesson is the importance of building deep, sustained partnerships, both across disciplines within the university and with leading institutions nationwide,” Zhang said. “Our goal is to position CQL not as an isolated center, but as an integral part of the national quantum landscape, with strong ties to peer universities, federal agencies, national laboratories, and industry.”
|
|
|
|
For Zack Rehfuss, high-pressure physics makes diamonds
Zack Rehfuss relishes the wild and often unexpected ways that elements behave when pushed to their limits. That includes developing quantum sensors that can survive forces up to 300,000 times greater than Earth’s atmosphere, or studying materials at ultra-cool temperatures just north of absolute zero.
|
|
|
| The physics of philanthropy: One alumnus’ lasting impact
Bill Wells, PhD ’70, draws on a lifetime of research, mentorship, and community service to support the next generation of WashU physicists. “You don’t have to be a physicist to know we’re all part of something much bigger than ourselves,” he said. “We can all create change in our own small ways. That’s the true gift.”
|
|
| |
A day in the life of physics graduate student Mary Iskakova
In this video, Mary takes you along for a behind-the-scenes look at her routine, from her commute and time in the lab to department events and social moments with friends. It's a fun glimpse into graduate school that highlights the people, spaces, and experiences that shape life in our Physics PhD program.
|
|
|
Follow us on social media!
|
| |
|
|
