Marshall University Physics

05/18/2026

Dr. Sachiko McBride recently visited Guyandotte Elementary School with the portable planetarium to share the wonders of space with K–4th grade students!

05/06/2026

Congratulations to Niko Faulcon, Tyler Parsons, Diesel Bryant, Marshall Smith, Paul Varney, and Tanner Hey in the Physics program! They have either earned awards, scholarships, and/or presented at various venues throughout the semester such as Research Day at The Capitol, the College of Science Research Expo, the MU Student Research and Creativity Symposium, and within the program. You have all done a fantastic job!

04/23/2026

The 2026 Marshall University High School Science Day on April 22nd was a large success! Thank you to all the teachers, chaperones, demonstrators from all backgrounds, and especially the students that attended. We were thrilled to have 6 returning high schools and welcomed 8 new high schools to the event! Over 430 high school students and their teachers attended along with over 2 dozen Talented and Gifted (TAG) elementary school students from nearly a dozen different local schools! This opportunity was made possible by the NASA West Virginia Space Grant Consortium, Grant # 80NSSC25M7079. This event was jam packed with STEM activities from piloting a flight simulator and seeing sound with fire to petting reptiles, experiencing smoke cannons, and participating in real organ dissection with a whole lot of variety of events in between. Many thanks to the faculty and undergraduate student groups within the College of Science, College of Engineering and Computer Sciences, Marshall Advanced Manufacturing Center, and Division of Aviation who provided demonstrations. We are also very thankful for a variety of other on and off campus groups who have come to celebrate and showcase STEM demonstrations in their fields! Students also got to see the College of Science Scanning Electron Microscope, the portable planetarium, and get a taste of liquid nitrogen ice cream. Thank you to the countless faculty, staff, student groups, off campus institutions, vendors, and undergraduate and graduate student volunteers that helped make it an awesome day for the students and teachers in attendance! Without such an army of support, events like this could not happen! Well done to all involved!

04/22/2026

Hopefully everyone had fun at the 2026 High School Science Day at Marshall University! More pics to follow soon!

04/11/2026

Many great discussions were held between future students and current faculty in the Department of Mathematics and Physics at today’s April 11th Green and White Day! For those interested in learning more about what a degree/career in Mathematics and/or Physics can provide, please reach out ([email protected]). More information about the Mathematics and Physics Department programs, MU admissions, and MU Green and White Days can be found in the below links:
https://www.marshall.edu/cos/math-physics/
https://www.marshall.edu/admissions/
https://www.marshall.edu/admissions/greenandwhiteday/
Please reach out to us if you have any questions. Let’s start discussing your future! Thank you to all the faculty involved that support this event!

04/08/2026

Good job Bennett, Cooper, and David!

04/03/2026

Congratulations to Ellie White on her defense of her physics master’s thesis titled, "The Link Fantastic: Detecting and Linking Simulated, Nongravitationally-Accelerating Objects with the Rubin Observatory Pipeline." The research focused on investigating the capabilities of the Rubin Observatory for detecting anomalous, or weird, objects (both natural and technological) in our Solar System. Specifically, the main goal is to investigate Rubin's effectiveness at detecting Solar System objects that experience non-gravitational accelerations -- in other words, acceleration due to other sources than gravity, such as cometary outgassing or even artificial sources like thrusters. After completing her master's at Marshall University, Ellie will be joining the Physics PhD program at West Virginia University starting in Fall of 2026, where she is very excited to continue her astrophysics research and outreach. Ellie is extremely grateful for all the support she has received from the wonderful faculty, staff, and students here at Marshall! White was the second Marshall student ever who has been a recipient of the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship.

03/31/2026

03/27/2026

High School Educators! Are you interested in attending High School Science Day at Marshall University with your STEM focused students on April 22nd 10-1:30 pm? Recently, several spots (~50-60 students) have opened up. Contact Dr. Sean P. McBride to reserve your spot ([email protected])!

03/17/2026

The hovercraft is ready for Family Science Fun Day, are you? See you soon, March 28th 1-5 pm, the Science Building, all floors, on Marshall University's Huntington campus.