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Overview

The Division of Physics (PHY) supports a wide range of activities in the different sub-fields of physics. The primary mode of funding is to individual investigators or small groups. The division also funds the operation of two large-scale accelerator facilities (the Cornell Electron Storage Ring and the Michigan State University National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory), the Laser Interferometer Gravity Wave Observatory, several smaller scale accelerators, a number of centers in atomic, molecular, and optical physics and in theoretical physics; and a new program of Physics Frontiers Centers.

The research activities in the Physics Division are inextricably linked to education and support about 800 graduate students who are fully engaged in research. Some of these activities involve substantial numbers of undergraduate students as well, especially the summer activities that are centered around the Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program (REU). The division now supports approximately 50 REU sites. Research activities at 4-year colleges are supported through the Research at Undergraduate Institutions (RUI) Program. The division also supports Research Experiences for Teachers through grants to provide grade K-12 science teachers with research training opportunities. In addition, the division offers significant training opportunities for young people through its support of about 500 postdoctoral positions. The division also supports outreach activities coupled to research that are intended to convey the excitement of physics to students in grades K-12 and to help educate the public at large in forefront science.

PHY supports the following programs and activities:

More Information

Write to the Division of Physics, National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Room 1015, Arlington, VA 22230; or contact the division by telephone, (703) 292-8890; or visit the PHY home page, http://www.nsf.gov/mps/divisions/phy.


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