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DEPARTMENT NEWS AND NOTICES
Save the date: Prof. Rainer Weiss Symposium and memorial service
Who: All Students
When: Friday, February 27, 2025
Where: TBD
The MIT Department of Physics and Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research would like to share with you plans for a symposium and memorial service honoring Professor Rainer Weiss, Nobel Laureate in Physics (2017) and longtime member of our faculty, whose visionary work made the discovery of gravitational waves possible.
- Symposium: Friday, February 27, 2026 (all day) — A day of scientific talks and reflections celebrating Rai's pioneering contributions to physics and his profound influence on generations of researchers.
- Memorial Service: Saturday, February 28, 2026 (morning) — A gathering of family, friends, and colleagues to honor his life and legacy.
We invite members of the scientific community, alumni, collaborators, and friends to join us in celebrating the life and work of Rai.
Both events will take place at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with further details — including venues and programs — to follow in the coming weeks.
We ask you to kindly indicate your intent to attend by using this form: Weiss Event Form.
Latest Physics news
UPCOMING COLLOQUIA & SEMINARS
MONDAY AFTERNOON SCIENCE TALKS
Monday, December 15, 2025 at 4:00pm ET at Marlar Lounge (37-252) and Zoom
Rebecca Surman, University of Notre Dame
Victoria DiTomasso, Harvard CfA
UPCOMING COURSE ANNOUNCEMENTS
IAP: Hands on Holograph
Who: All Students
When: IAP: Jan 7th, 9th, 12th, 14th, 16th (M, W, F) 10 AM–Noon
Posted: 12/12/2025
What is holography? It's not just beautiful art – it's also a range of measurement techniques that let you record a 3D light field. Come learn the theory of wave optics, interference, and diffraction, and then make your own holograms in our hands-on lab! See what your favorite image looks like when turned into a computer-generated hologram. We'll also do demos and visit the newly renovated MIT Museum, home of the world's most comprehensive collection of holographic art. No prior background required. Must register by 12/20/2024
Dates: Jan 7th, 9th, 12th, 14th, 16th (M, W, F) 10 AM–Noon
Time: 10AM - 12PM EST
Location: MIT Beaver Works - 300 Technology Square, Suite 200
Registration Opens: October 27 1, 2025
To register email: holography@ll.mit.edu. Limit 30 students. NOTE: All 6 class sessions are required.
IAP: 2026 MIT CERT (Campus Emergency Response Team)
Who: All Students
When: IAP: Tuesdays and Thursdays thru January 2026
Posted: 12/12/2025
What is CERT?
CERT training covers basic skills that are important to know in a disaster when emergency services are not available. With training and practice, and by working as a team, you will be able to protect yourself and maximize your capability to help for the greatest number of people after a disaster.
CERT Training Covers:
- Disaster Preparation
- Emergency Operations Organizational Structure
- Disaster Medical Operations
- Disaster Psychology
- Fire Safety
- Light Search and Rescue
- Terrorism and CERT Response
At the conclusion of the 20 hours of training, scheduled in eight class sessions, most of them in-person, a new MIT CERT member will be active to participate in emergency response and large-scale activities hosted on campus as a part of MIT's emergency operations.
Location: 26-204
When:
- Tuesday, January 6, 2026 12:30pm to 3:00pm EST
- Thursday, January 8, 2026 12:30pm to 3:00pm EST
- Tuesday, January 13, 2026 12:30pm to 3:00pm EST
- Thursday, January 15, 2026 12:30pm to 3:00pm EST
- Tuesday, January 20, 2026 12:30pm to 3:00pm EST
- Thursday, January 22, 2026 12:30pm to 3:00pm EST
- Tuesday, January 27, 2026 12:30pm to 3:00pm EST
- Thursday, January 29, 2026 12:30pm to 3:00pm EST
IAP: Teaching Days 2026
Who: All Students
When: IAP: January 26–30, 2026
Posted: 12/5/2025
Before the start of each semester, TLL offers a series of workshops for TAs and teacher trainees to help them prepare for the roles and responsibilities of teaching at MIT. Topics include giving feedback, presenting a class session, and facilitating office hours, among other practical subjects related to teaching. Please visit our Teaching Days page to view the full schedule and detailed descriptions of the workshops.
Register on Canvas
IAP: Asteroid Impact Alert! A Planetary Defense Simulation Workshop
Who: All Students
When: IAP: Wednesday Jan 14th and 21st | 9:30-11:30AM // Friday Jan 16th and 23rd | 2:00-4:00PM
Posted: 12/5/2025
(Non-credit | Just for fun | Open to all)
An asteroid may impact Earth — what should we do?
Join us for a hands-on planetary defense exercise where you'll step into the role of scientists, engineers, and policymakers racing to save our planet. Together, we'll:
🪐 Assess the risks of an asteroid impact
🚀 Design a spacecraft mission to scout and deflect it
🌍 Calculate what happens if all our efforts fail
Along the way, you'll learn how to:
- Run simple orbital and impact physics calculations
- Analyze real spacecraft images
- Understand how planetary defense works in the real world
- …and maybe even avenge the dinosaurs 🦖
When:
Wednesday Jan 14th and 21st | 9:30-11:30AM
Friday Jan 16th and 23rd | 2:00-4:00PM
Sign up for the workshop here: https://forms.gle/6v7szUYswZPLXdYR6
Instructor: Dr. Saverio Cambioni | cambioni@mit.edu
Format: Lecture + hands-on group activity each session
Requirements: Basic knowledge of how to code in Python
💫 Explore how NASA and others protect Earth from near-Earth objects (NEOs), discover the science of asteroid impacts, and test your own planetary defense strategy in this out-of-this-world IAP workshop!
IAP: Introduction to Passamaquoddy
Who: All Students
When: IAP: January 5–16, 2026, 5:00–6:30 PM
Where: Zoom
Global Languages will continue its IAP tradition of spotlighting indigenous languages and cultures with a non-credit offering, Introduction to Passamaquoddy, scheduled for IAP 2026. The course will meet virtually via Zoom from January 5–16, 2026, 5:00–6:30 PM.
This course introduces students to interactive communication in Wabanaki dialects, specifically Passamaquoddy. Participants will explore foundational speaking, writing systems, and online language portals. Through a blend of lectures and discussions, students will practice greetings, conversation, and questioning in a Wabanaki dialect, while gaining insight into how words and sentences are constructed.
The course culminates in a final project, where each student delivers a brief self-introduction in Passamaquoddy—fostering both language proficiency and cultural engagement.
Instructor: Roger Paul
Enrollment: Limited to 20 participants, with the expectation of attendance at all sessions. Open to all members of the MIT community.
Registration Details:
- Opens: Monday, November 24, 2025, at 2:00 PM
- Notifications: By December 15, applicants will receive confirmation of enrollment or placement on a waitlist (in the event of over-enrollment).
Please visit the Global Languages website to register (Kerberos credentials required)
IAP: Introduction to American Sign Language (ASL)
Who: All Students
When: IAP: January 6–20, 2026, with ten sessions held via Zoom from 10:00–11:30 AM (ET)
Posted: 11/14/2025
Global Languages is offering a non-credit IAP activity: Introduction to American Sign Language. This virtual course will run from January 6–20, 2026, with ten sessions held via Zoom from 10:00–11:30 AM (ET).
Designed for beginners with no prior experience, the class introduces the fundamentals of ASL and Deaf culture. Participants will develop basic signing skills and explore topics such as ASL's role in Deaf history and contemporary culture. The course provides a strong foundation for future ASL study.
Sessions will be led by Andrew Bottoms, a native ASL user born into a Deaf family in North Carolina. He holds dual bachelor's degrees in American Sign Language and Deaf Studies from Gallaudet University.
- Enrollment: Limited to 20 participants
- Attendance: Full participation in all ten sessions is required
- Eligibility: Open to all members of the MIT community
Registration Timeline
- Opens: Monday, November 24 at 2:00 PM
- Closes: December 8 (or earlier if capacity is reached)
- Notifications: All applicants will be informed of their enrollment status by December 15
Due to high demand, seats will only be offered to those who can commit to attending all ten sessions—no exceptions.
For more details and to access the online application form, please visit the Global Languages website (Kerberos credentials required).
Spring: Four new/revised EAPS courses
Who: All Students
When: Spring 2026
Posted: 12/12/2025
🌫️ 12.422 Planetary Atmospheres (meets with 12.622)
Undergraduate / Graduate
Prereq: 12.003 or permission
Schedule: WF 1:30–3:00 PM (54-911) | Units: 3-0-9
Instructor: R. Pierrehumbert
This is an intermediate undergraduate course meant to follow on from 12.003. It will have a particular emphasis on exoplanet atmospheres, their origins, evolution and observations. It will provide students with expertise needed to undertake original research on exoplanet atmospheres. While intended primarily as an undergraduate course, it will be open to graduate students, who will be given more challenging problem sheets and an expanded term project. Graduate students complete an additional research project.
🪐 12.423 Planet Formation (New) (meets with 12.623)
Undergraduate / Graduate
Prereq: 8.02 & 18.03 or permission
Schedule: TR 11:00–12:30 PM (54-820) | Units: 3-0-9
Instructor: R. Teague
Explores the formation and physical and chemical evolution of planetary systems and the astronomical techniques that allow us to study these processes in situ. Topics include the formation and evolution of protoplanetary disks, disk instabilities, grain growth, core formation, atmospheric accretion and disk dissipation. Students taking the graduate version will complete an additional research project.
🚀 12.013 Planetary Explorations (New)
Undergraduate — REST
Prereq: None
Schedule: TR 9:30–11:00 AM (54-911) | Units: 3-0-9
Instructors: G. Stucky de Quay & J. Soderblom
Introductory survey of the Solar System based on decades of spacecraft exploration. Topics include planetary formation, surfaces, interiors, atmospheres, small bodies, and habitability. Students analyze mission data and develop a planetary mission proposal.
🔬 Special Seminar in Planetary Science: Cosmochemistry & Planetary Formation (New)
Graduate (undergraduates welcome, consult instructor)
Instructor: N. Nie
Schedule: Tuesdays 2:00–5:00 PM | Units: 3-0-9 (P/D/F)
Explores the chemical perspectives of planetary formation, differentiation, and evolution. Introduces the principles of isotope geochemistry and their applications to understanding the origin of the Solar System and the building blocks of planets. Topics include nucleosynthetic anomalies as tracers of nebular and pre-Solar materials; stable isotope fractionation as a probe of physical and chemical processes; the causes of volatile element depletion in planetary bodies; and the magmatic differentiation histories of rocky planetary bodies. Discusses how geochemical observations from meteorites, planetary samples, and spacecraft missions constrain models of accretion, core–mantle-crust differentiation, and the origin of volatiles on terrestrial planets.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Disagreeing Well
Who: All Students
When: Jan 7th, 9th, 14th, 21st, 28th (M, W, F) 11AM–1PM
Where: W11, Main Dining Room
In these polarized times, what does it mean to disagree well? This mini-course of four sessions is a workshop to equip you with skills of empathic intelligence. If you've ever avoided a hot-button topic because you were afraid of conflict — or if you've alienated people because you've expressed unpopular opinions — this course will walk through practical ways to disagree better.
We'll meet over a catered lunch every week, because disagreement is always better over a shared meal. Each session will include a lecture and then roundtable discussion with other members of the MIT community. The course draws on a curriculum developed by thinkers at the Ideos Institute, experts in empathic intelligence and producers of the documentary film "Dialogue Lab: America."
https://octetcollaborative.org/wisdom // Register
Wednesday, January 7, 2026 11:00am to 1:00pm EST
Wednesday, January 14, 2026 11:00am to 1:00pm EST
Wednesday, January 21, 2026 11:00am to 1:00pm EST
Wednesday, January 28, 2026 11:00am to 1:00pm EST
Tools and Tips for Thesis Authors
Who: All Students
When: Wednesday, January 7, 2026 1:00pm to 2:30pm EST
Where: ONLINE
So it's time to write your thesis. What do you need to know about the process? What tools and experts are out there to help? This session will cover the required specifications for submitting your thesis, writing with the Overleaf LaTeX thesis template, ways to approach your literature review section, tools for organizing your literature, and options for managing and sharing related data and code. We'll review some common copyright questions related to theses, including whether you need permission to use certain figures in your thesis, and what is involved when you want to publish parts of your thesis before or after the thesis is submitted. This session is appropriate for anyone who is currently or planning to write a thesis at MIT. Save yourself time and frustration!
Since many topics are MIT-specific, this workshop is limited to MIT community members. The workshop will be on Zoom, and the link will be sent to registrants. Instructors will be available at the end to answer specific questions. Register
Martin Luther King Jr. annual luncheon celebration
Who: All Students
When: Wednesday, February 11, 2026 11:30am to 1:30pm EST
Where: Building 50: Walker Memorial
Mark your calendars for the annual MIT MLK Jr. celebration luncheon. More information to come!
The MIT community gathers every February to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The Institute began its annual celebration of Dr. King Jr. in 1975 with memorial activities and lectures by prominent speakers, including a keynote address by Coretta Scott King in 1994. Martin Luther King Day was designated an Institute holiday in 1976, a decade before its first official observance as a federal holiday.
Hosted by MIT President Sally Kornbluth, these celebrations feature remarks from MIT leadership, from current MIT community members, and from a keynote speaker who is a prominent leader, nationally or in the local community, in accordance with Dr. King's dual emphasis on global and local issues.
We are committed to making this event fully accessible to everyone who wants to attend. Please let us know if there is anything you need to participate fully in this event by e-mailing mitmlkcelebration@mit.edu
SpaceTime TeaTime
Who: All Students
When: Saturday, February 28, 2026 from 1:00pm to 2:30pm ET
Where: MIT Museum ($15 General Admission, $5 for MIT ID Holders)
Explore the weird and wonderful qualities of time travel and black hole physics with MIT physics professor Scott Hughes and his students.
Using movies and TV shows as the serving platter, you'll nosh upon different facets of astrophysical relativity and chat about their intersection with history, technology, pop culture, and the universe as we know it today.
This special afternoon "relativi-tea" includes a delicious traditional afternoon tea, offering a selection of teas, pastries, and finger sandwiches to enjoy while you ponder the conundrums of time and space around a black hole. Food for thought has never been so tasty!
If you have dietary restrictions, please email kswilson@mit.edu
FELLOWSHIPS/GRANTS
Summer undergraduate research at Caltech
Who: Undergraduate Students
Deadline: January 9, 2026
Posted: 11/7/2025
Caltech recognizes that differences of perspective, experience, and thought is essential to achieving and maintaining scientific excellence. The WAVE Fellows program supports this goal by increasing visibility and accessibility to our PhD programs to undergraduates in STEM fields who are seriously considering attending graduate school.
WAVE Fellows is a 10-week undergraduate research program that provides robust programming in the areas of academic and professional development.
Eligibility: Students must be current sophomores through non-graduating seniors and must be U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents, or students with DACA status. A minimum GPA of 3.4 is required.
Competitive applicants will have completed sophomore-level courses in desired research field, have demonstrated through academic and/or co-curricular activities a passion for research, and can articulate how their interests align with Caltech's research areas. The most competitive applicants will have prior research experience.
The WAVE Fellows program is open to anyone regardless of race, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual identity, and/or any other protected characteristic.
Support: WAVE Fellows will receive a $6,000 award for the 10-week period, plus campus housing, and a dining and travel supplement of ~$1,000.
Application: Online applications are due January 9, 2026.
Program information session will be held throughout November. Register now!
Click here for more information or reach out to Carol Casey, casey@caltech.edu, with questions.
Washington University - McDonnell Center Postdoctoral Fellowship
Who: Graduate Students
Deadline: December 20, 2025
Posted: 11/7/2025
Washington University in St. Louis invites applicants to conduct independent research as a postdoctoral fellow of the McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences (MCSS) in the broad field of space sciences. We welcome applicants with interests in Astromaterials, Cosmochemistry, or Meteoritics; Experimental, Theoretical, or Observational Astrophysics; Planetary Science; Particle and Nuclear Physics, Cosmology and Gravitation; and Earth as a Planet. In their application materials, the candidate should describe their research interests and list potential collaborators from among the faculty fellows of the MCSS.
Employment in this fellowship is planned to begin in July 2026 for an anticipated initial one-year term, with the possibility of renewal for a second year. Additional information about the postdoctoral program at Washington University is available at https://postdoc.wustl.edu and https://artsci.washu.edu/postdoctoral-appointments-arts-sciences.
Qualifications
Candidates must have a PhD or be a May 2026 degree candidate specializing in one of the fields listed above and have a record of excellent scholarship. Ideal candidates will have demonstrated expertise in relevant observational, lab-based, theoretical, and computational methodologies.
Application Instructions
Applications should include a curriculum vitae and a 2-page statement of interest or research proposal, and the names and contact information for three professional references. Applicants are responsible for contacting referees. Referees will need to have their letters uploaded to the link provided by the application site. Applications and reference letters are due December 20, 2025, and should be submitted (along with reference letters) to apply.interfolio.com/176796. Questions related to the search or application process may be directed to Vickie Gee at spacesciences@wustl.edu.
OTHER OPPORTUNITIES
2026 DOE Scholars Program
Who: All Students
Deadline: 2/16/2026 8:00:00 AM ET
Posted: 12/12/2025
Explore opportunities in exciting fields like:
- Artificial Intelligence
- Nuclear Security
- Energy Security
- Cybersecurity
- Environmental Management
- Research, Technology and Economic Security
- Emergency Response
…and much more!
As a DOE Scholar, you will:
- Dive into DOE's mission, culture, and operations to see how your education and skills can make a difference.
- Use your knowledge and abilities to contribute to projects that matter.
- Build the skills and experience needed for careers in research, technology, science, and policy.
- Learn about potential career paths and gain the knowledge and preparation needed to compete for future opportunities that support DOE's mission and contribute to global innovation and competitiveness
Note: U.S. citizenship is required.
Participant Support:
- Undergraduate student stipend: Minimum of $700 per week.
- Graduate student and post-graduate stipend: Minimum of $750 per week.
- Travel reimbursement: Up to $1,000 for participants living more than 50 miles one-way from their assigned hosting site.
The DOE Scholars Program offers multiple opportunities throughout the year to align with the needs and schedules of individual sponsoring offices. Each opportunity will include specific details regarding eligibility requirements, deadlines, and participating offices.
Consider applying to multiple opportunities!
https://orise.orau.gov/doescholars/applicants/current-opportunities.html
Learn More:
Visit https://orise.orau.gov/doescholars or contact doescholars@orise.orau.gov.
Now accepting applications to the Applied Physics Graduate Program at Northwestern University
Who: Undergraduate Students
Deadline: January 8, 2026
Posted: 10/17/2025
Wake Forest University offers MS and PhD degrees in Physics. Beginning Fall 2026, we will also offer an MS and a certificate in Quantum Information Sciences (QIS). Our program combines the resources of a research university with close faculty–student mentoring.
Research areas: computational and experimental biophysics; condensed matter (including organic electronics); quantum computing, quantum materials, and quantum optics; and astrophysics.
Key details
- Applications for Fall 2026 are open. Deadline: January 8, 2026. (GRE not required.)
- Faculty & students: 16 tenured/tenure-track faculty; 37 PhD students.
- Outcomes: alumni in academia, industry, finance, and national labs.
- Support: PhD students receive full tuition & fees scholarship plus a stipend (projected $31,236 for AY 2026–27) via RA/TA. MS students receive a 75% tuition waiver.
- Facilities: state-of-the-art experimental labs and the DEAC high-performance computing cluster.
- Interdisciplinary connections: Center for Nanotechnology & Quantum Technologies; Center for Molecular Signaling; Center for Functional Materials (Reynolda Campus); Center for Structural Biology; Comprehensive Cancer Center; Center for Redox Biology in Medicine (Health Sciences Campus).
TSMC Summer DNA Internship in Arizona or Taiwan
Who: Undergraduate Students
Deadline: ASAP
Posted: 11/21/2025
Program Benefits
- Obtain practical work experience in your field of interest
- Network with other interns and industry professionals
- Receive personalized coaching and mentorship
- Participate in training and development sessions
- Work on real projects and initiatives
- Earn a competative salary
Application periods:
- TSMC Headquarters (Taiwan): Now - Feb 2026
- TSMC Arizona: Now - Mar 2026
Internship periods:
- TSMC Headquarters (Taiwan): May - Sep 2026 (Flex start/end dates)
- TSMC Arizona: Jun - Aug 2026
More info:
Kaufman Teaching Certificate Program
Who: Graduate Students
Deadline: Friday, December 19, 2025 by 11:59 PM ET
Posted: 11/26/2025
Applications for the spring 2026 session of the Teaching + Learning Lab's Kaufman Teaching Certificate Program will be open from Monday, December 1 through Friday, December 19. Anyone interested in improving their teaching practice is encouraged to apply!
This engaging and interactive workshop series is intended for graduate students and postdocs interested in careers in the academy or looking to develop skills to support their teaching at MIT. Upon completion of all remote workshops, associated homework assignments, and two microteaching sessions, participants will receive a certificate and letter of completion from Vice Chancellor David Darmofal. To learn more, review the program schedule and find answers to frequently asked questions, please visit our dedicated KTCP page.
Submit your application HERE. Applications must be received by 11:59 PM on Friday, December 19.
2026 NASA Heliophysics Summer School
Who: Graduate Students
Deadline: January 31, 2026 by 5:00pm MT
Posted: 11/26/2025
The Summer School will take place in Boulder, Colorado on UCAR's campus from July 21 - 29, 2026. Admission is competitive; up to 28 students are selected to attend this year. The deadline for applications is January 31, 2026. Learn more here
The 2026 Theme: Data Driven Heliophysics
UCAR Cooperative Programs for the Advancement of Earth System Science (CPAESS) is now accepting applications for this unique summer school focusing on the physics of space weather events that start at the Sun and influence atmospheres, ionospheres, and magnetospheres throughout the solar system.
The focus of the 2026 Summer School will be on the connection between our understanding of fundamental physical processes throughout all domains of the heliosphere and the observational methods and subsequent data analysis to uncover those principles. Processes across the heliosphere - such as solar wind evolution and interactions with planetary bodies, solar EUV emissions, or atmospheric outflows from planets - are described by the evolutions of physical parameters - e.g. temperature, magnetic field, energetic particle, or UV spectra. Spacecraft and ground-based observations generate a tremendous amount of data that can be used to further our understanding of heliophysics. Emerging approaches and algorithms that extract information from data produced by physical sensors, discover patterns and causations, make predictions, and advance foundational understanding using a variety of tools including artificial intelligence and machine learning will be explored.
Through expert lectures and interactive experiences, participants will explore the fundamental observation strategies and emerging data analysis used to infer the physical parameters and how they are used to address scientific questions throughout the domains of heliophysics.
Find Out More and Learn How to Apply by January 31, 2026 by 5:00pm MT. |
