What is Physics?

Physics is the study of matter and energy and how they interact. Students in physics study all aspects of nature — from the study of subatomic particles to the study of astronomical objects many times larger than the sun. Physicists attempt to understand the particles that make up the universe and the forces with which they interact. The goal of physics is to formulate comprehensive principles that bring together and explain the world around us.

A Major in Physics

Students majoring in Physics can choose from one of the following degrees:

  • B.Sc. Three-year
  • B.Sc. Four-year
  • B.Sc. Honours
The Department also offers a minor in Astronomy in conjunction with a
Three-year, Four-year or Honours degree in any discipline in Arts & Science.

Outstanding Students and Faculty

  • As a professor of Physics at the University of Virginia, Alumnus Blaine Norum has contributed to the initiation of the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility — a continuous electron beam facility for subatomic physics research.
  • Stephen Rempel, who received a B.Sc. Honours degree in Physics, is currently working on his Ph.D. in medical imaging through the University of Manitoba and the National Research Council. His research focuses on preventing atherosclerosis, heart attacks and strokes.
  • Professor Kaori Tanaka has been awarded an NSERC University Faculty Award for Women on her work in condensed matter
    physics theory.
  • Professor Akira Hirose and Professor E.J. (Ted) Llewellyn are two of the seventeen University of Saskatchewan professors who have been elected Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada, an honour that is this country’s highest academic accolade. Dr. Hirose is also a current holder of a Canada Research Chair in plasma based materials science.
  • The Department currently has four Canada Research Chairs: Dr. Akira Hirose is a Canada Research Chair in plasma based materials science; Dr. Alexander Moewes is a Canada Research Chair in materials science with synchrotron radiation; Dr. John Tse is a Canada Research Chair in materials science; and Dr. Jean-Pierre St.-Maurice is a Canada Research Chair in environmental sciences.

Getting Involved!

Join the Astronomy Club and the Physics Students' Society (PSS), both of which host many academic and social events. Each year, members of the Physics Students' Society attend the Canadian Undergraduate Physics Conference. Students from universities across Canada come together to discuss new and interesting developments in undergraduate physics.

Represent other Physics students on the Undergraduate Liaison Committee. Faculty members and students meet frequently to discuss such issues as course and program delivery, facilities, scientific equipment, textbooks and other materials and time tabling.

Join other students in promoting physics and raising awareness of careers in physics and engineering physics to high school students. This includes giving presentations or hands-on programs to school students at the U of S or elsewhere in Saskatchewan.

Students in Physics also have the opportunity to apply for summer positions, in most of the Department research groups including the Canadian Light Source (Synchrotron). During the term there are also part-time teaching assistant positions available in the Department such as marking assignments, tutoring students and providing laboratory assistance.

Research Facilities

The Department houses a number of excellent research facilities that benefit graduate and undergraduate students. These include the Canadian Light Source (Synchrotron), The Plasma Physics Laboratory, the Institute of Space and Atmospheric Studies, the Subatomic Physics Institute, Cluster computing facilities and a Scanning Probe Microscope facility. There are also on- and off-campus astronomical observatories.

History of the Department

The discipline of physics has existed at the University of Saskatchewan since 1910. Some early physics faculty members who achieved international prominence include Gerhard Herzberg, whose research in molecular physics led to a Nobel Prize in 1971, and Harold Johns who led the world in the use of (high-energy) radiation  for the treatment of cancer, first with the 22 MeV betatron (commissioned in the physics department  in 1947), and later with the development of Cobalt-60 cancer therapy. This tradition of  excellence and innovation has continued into the present era with two of our current faculty having been elected Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada.

In the 1950s Balfour Currie, who was an outstanding researcher in Auroral and Atmospheric Physics, developed undergraduate courses in meteorology and climatology, and a graduate program of ‘Upper Atmospheric Physics’ concerned primarily with aurora and airglow. This activity led to the founding of the ‘Institute of Space and Atmospheric Studies’ in 1957. In 1958 Harvey Skarsgaard joined the faculty and initiated a research program in Plasma Physics.  He developed the world’s first plasma betatron, which attracted world attention to the work in Saskatchewan. This work led to the eventual formation of the ‘Plasma Physics Laboratory’, which continues as a major research group in the Department. In 1962, the Linear Accelerator Laboratory was opened under the leadership of Leon Katz. Housing a 160-MeV electron linear accelerator (LINAC) it replaced the betatron and Nuclear Physics became another major research focus in the department.

Throughout this period, the Department offered Majors and Honours Physics programs in the College of Arts and Science and a Bachelor of Engineering program in Engineering Physics in the College of Engineering. There was also an active graduate program with about 50 graduate students in M.Sc. and Ph.D. programs. An addition to the Physics building was opened in 1966, which expanded our laboratory space for teaching and research and provided superb teaching theatres.

In the 1970s, the Plasma Laboratory began development of the tokamak system for plasma confinement and study of fusion processes. From within the Institute of Space and Atmospheric Studies (ISAS), Alex Kavadas created the ‘Space Engineering Division’ for the development of experimental systems for Rockets & Satellites, and became president of what is now SED Systems Ltd. The LINAC was upgraded to 300 MeV during this time.

In the early 1980s, the Linear Accelerator Laboratory, under the directorship of Henry Caplan, was awarded a grant to build a Pulse Stretcher Ring EROS (Electron Ring of Saskatchewan), creating large duty factor electron beams that allowed nuclear physics experiments not before possible. The facility became known as the Saskatchewan Accelerator Laboratory (SAL) and was a mainstay of the department’s experimental subatomic physics research program and became an international user facility.

As information and communication technology became more important, students flocked to the Department, especially in Engineering Physics. Indeed the dominant program taken by our students is now a B.E. in Engineering Physics, often taken simultaneously with a B.Sc. in Computer Science.  In 1990 the process was initiated to change the name of the Department to the ‘Department of Physics and Engineering Physics’ to reflect the changes in our clientele and our orientation.

The 1990s have been extraordinary years in the life of the Department, leading to changes in teaching programs and research-unit focus.  There has been a major turnover of staff and a rejuvenation of the Department.  These younger people have had an excellent effect on all aspects of the operation of the Department.  The teaching program in Engineering Physics is strong, as evidenced by consistently high rankings in the Gourman report, and is fully accredited by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB). The Honours program in Arts and Science is small in numbers but high in quality, with graduates achieving recognition with the top College and University graduation awards, and placing well in National and International competitions. Innovative program changes have occurred. Interdisciplinary links between Physics, Mathematics and Computer Science have been made, and a very popular minor in Astronomy has been introduced.

The Research Groups are flourishing. CFI funding for the ‘Canadian Light Source’ (CLS) was announced on April 1, 1999. Its establishment will have a profound impact on all Science Departments in the University, and on Saskatoon. A condensed matter research group has been established in the department in conjunction with this development. The Department has appointed three faculty members in this area. Akira Hirose has been appointed as a Canada Research Chair and we have nominated two other Canada Research Chairs in material science. Research themes in the Plasma Physics Laboratory are being expanded to include plasma based material science and a tenure track faculty position has been created in this area.