The student experience is enriched by a strong research element, and possibilities exist for external research collaborations with a variety of regional institutions. Our particularly high faculty-to-student ratio in the physics program ensures attentive personal guidance from a talented, scholarly faculty. Students also have hands-on access to modern, research-grade instruments and computer-based data acquisition. They can participate in faculty research projects as early as their freshman year and can engage in co-curricular professional-related science activities through our active chapter of the Society of Physics Students. Students are eligible to receive merit-based financial support from several endowed physics scholarships that are distributed annually.