A message from the Chair…

Dear Syracuse Physics Community,

It’s hard to believe that 2025 is almost over!  I am excited once again to write you and highlight some of the successes and exciting developments that we have experienced over the past year. In this newsletter, you will find those highlights, along with a few stories we’ve written about the celebration of the 10-year anniversary of gravitational wave detection, cool research projects our students pursued this past summer with amazing support given to us by an alum, and a fun tradition that we do every fall at the department picnic. As you’ll see, we remain just as active and fun a department as I’m sure we were whenever you were last affiliated with us.

Click the links below to learn about:

• A Summer of Discovery: Jay Zemel Fellowship Opens Doors for Physics Students
• Students vs. Faculty: The Battle That Built a Tradition
• A Decade of Discovery Celebrating 10 Years of Gravitational Waves   
• Alumni Updates: December 2025
• In Memoriam: Professor A.P. Balachandran

A Summer of Discovery: Jay Zemel Fellowship Opens Doors for Physics Students

Thanks to a $1.5 million gift from alumnus Jay Zemel ’49, 10 physics undergraduates spent last summer conducting hands-on research: from building lasers to studying gravitational waves.

Students vs. Faculty: The Battle That Built a Tradition

Each year at our department picnic, students and faculty compete in friendly games for the Penny Davis Cup, one of our most cherished traditions. The competition began in 2015 during Penny Davis’s final picnic before her retirement. Our former machinist Phil Arnold created the trophy and since then, the cup has moved back and forth between the two teams, with each year’s winner etched onto copper plaques.

Thank you for taking the time to read about the latest news from the SU Physics Department.  It’s been another fantastic year for members of our community, and we look forward to even greater things in the coming year.  We continue to encourage our past and present department members to share their news with us so can disseminate broadly in our weekly announcements and other venues.  That means YOU!  You can do that by sending a message to phyadmin@syr.edu.  Incidentally, if you’ve read this far send an email to that same address and mention the secret message of “Penny Davis Cup”, along with providing your mailing address, and we will send you a prize.

Finally, as I did last year, I want to conclude by offering a huge “Thank You!” to everyone who has donated to SU Physics during the past year.  This year we used those funds for a variety of initiatives, from supporting our undergraduate students pursuing research during the summer months to helping cover costs associated with events like CU*IP.  Simply put, those funds allow us to keep providing our community members with opportunities to learn and do great science. If you would like to make a donation you can follow the link below and contribute to the Physics Department General Gift Fund. 

Thank you again for your support and generosity,

Mitch