In a recent Nature Physics article, an international research group including MSU P-A faculty members Alexandra Gade and Hironori Iwasaki, working at the NSCL, describe the results of their study of the structure of the nucleus of the isotope silicon-34.

In October 2016, Professor Megan Donahue and Associate Professor Brian O'Shea were named Fellows of the American Physical Society.

Physics & Astronomy Professor Lisa Lapidus and her colleagues have published a paper in the 04 August 2016 edition of the journal ChemPhysChem which describes their work using lasers to observe the behavior of a number of peptides (strings of amino acids) which are associated with neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.

Physics & Astronomy University Distinguished Professor and Dean of Lyman Briggs College Elizabeth Simmons has been appointed MSU's Associate Provost for Faculty and Academic Staff Development.

The origin of the elements in the Universe is one of the big unsolved questions in science. Nuclear fusion reactions in stars are responsible for creating most of the light elements up to iron. Heavier elements are produced in a network of nuclear reactions and decays, mainly involving the capture of neutrons by unstable nuclei that only exist for fractions of a second. Therefore, it is essentially impossible to measure the majority of these rates directly in the laboratory because the unstable nuclei involved cannot be made into targets for irradiation with neutrons.

The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation announced on Wednesday, 15 June&2016 the selection of 62 WW New Jersey Teaching Fellows for 2016. Among them is Michigan State University alumnus (M.S. 2016) Walter Buhro. The new Fellows were introduced at an event today with Governor Chris Christie.

The highly competitive program recruits both recent graduates and career changers with strong backgrounds in science, technology, engineering, and math – the STEM fields – and prepares them specifically to teach in high-need secondary schools.

In earlier research, described here, MSU Physics & Astronomy Professors Mark Voit and Megan Donahue, along with other astrophysicists from other institutions, presented an explanation of the differing rates of star formation in different galaxy clusters which used analogies to rain formation in our own planet's atmosphere.

The 2016 Department of Physics & Astronomy Awards were presented at a reception held at 3:00 pm on Thursday, 28 April 2016 in the main conference room, 1400 BPS Bldg.

The award presentation was followed by a concert by the Grand Canonical Ensemble (Physics Choir).