Radford University
Society of Physics Students
The Radford University chapter of the Society of Physics Students (SPS) is an active part of campus life for our physics majors. This group has consistently been recognized by the National Society of Physics Students as one of the best chapters in the nation, being designated either "Distinguished" or a rare "Outstanding" chapter for many years in a row.
The SPS is a strong source of support and camaraderie for our students. They meet regularly for both physics and social reasons, participate in both their own and department events, and are a close-knit community of learners.
The SPS has been active for decades as a formal group, and is always welcoming to all students. Come join the group (membership is free) and see what they are all about!
Where are we located?
The Radford University SPS has their own room in the Department that they use for homework, socializing, quiet time, derivations, and just a general hang-out location. The walls are covered in whiteboards and are always full of constantly-evolving equations, graphs, silly drawings, and whatever else the students want.
The students also have their own coffee maker and refrigerator, along with shelves and community books. It's a hub of activity at times, a place of quiet at other times, and a unique resource that supports our students.
Current Events
On March 27-28, 2026 the Radford University Society of Physics Students and the Physics Department were thrilled to host the SPS Regional Zone 4 Meeting. After months of preparation, everything fell nicely into place when the first SPS chapters began arriving in the early evening of Friday, March 27. We were pleased to welcome SPS chapters from Howard University, the University of Maryland - Baltimore County, Christopher Newport University, the University of Mary Washington, James Madison University, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Virginia Tech.
We had over 60 people in attendance, with the majority arriving on Friday evening. Our SPS members had arranged Jeopardy and Kahoot games in our planetarium for these arrivals. This was followed by a full-dome planetarium show that everyone enjoyed. The next day started with a breakfast provided by the Artis College of Science and Technology (ACSAT). This was followed by workshops, activities, and a poster session. After lunch (provided by ACAST), we had the first of our unique “Highlight Your Chapter” activities that used our amazing planetarium. Following this was a presentation by our guest speaker, Dr. Shane Larson of Clarkson University. The second and final poster session followed Dr. Larson’s talk. The afternoon ended with the second “Highlight Your Chapter” session that featured both Radford University’s SPS as well as highlights from our unique Arctic Geophysics Research Experience.
Radford University SPS Designated an "Outstanding Chapter" by the National Society of Physics Students - Again!
Our SPS students have been incredibly active, helping with numerous Science Days at the University, working at on-campus community-focused eclipse events as well as playing a role in the Artis College of Science and Technology Science Expo each fall. There are also research trips to Utqiagvik, Alaska, and to the Green Bank Radio Observatory in Green Bank, West Virginia, where students spend a full weekend learning about and personally performing radio astronomy observations. Our chapter holds weekly meetings that are focused on building a supportive community and their activities include movie nights in the planetarium (big screen! 5.1 Surround Sound!), games of Jeopary and Kahoot, the (in?)famous Pumpkin Drop contest, hikes, game nights in The Bonnie Student Center, potlucks and more.
In December of 2025 our SPS was once again designated an Outstanding Chapter by the National Society of Physics Students. “This is the highest level of distinction given to our chapters and is received by less than 15% of our top chapters annually, with just 78 of 844 chapters so honored this year. You and your chapter should be proud!” said the National SPS, a professional organization with international participation. This was the second year in a row, and third out of 4 years that our chapter has been honored with this designation.
Our SPS chapter took this momentum into hosting the 2026 SPS Regional Zone 4 meeting and our students presented multiple posters on their research alongside other undergraduate researchers from other schools in Virginia, Maryland and DC. This was our first time hosting and we look forward to continuing to participate in and again host Zone 4 meetings in the future.
Our "Mascot" Featured in the SPS Observer
You may have noticed someone in the picture of the SPS room. We would like you to meet Natural Log. One day, a few years ago, one of the SPS members found an old log – yes, a real wood log – being discarded by someone else in our building. Seeing the obvious, this student rescued the log, and the log immediately acquired epic proportions. The students rightfully recognized that this was their new buddy, and they realized that the name of this fine individual was Natural Log.
Natural log acquired their own identity, as evidenced by their fashion. The knit hat is all Radford University. However, the t-shirt is the official Radford University Physics t-shirt. Natural Log has strong arms, and a great smile to greet everyone in a friendly manner. Natural Log’s googly eyes take in everything, and those eyes see all mistakes in the students’ derivations on the whiteboards in their room.
Natural Log is helpful in all of the students’ activities. They even provided guidance during the process of the SPS securing University club funding to go on an overnight trip to the observatories at the University of Virginia in April, 2022. Natural Log helped in students’ final exam studying, finishing of their final projects, and even in overseeing the packing of students’ rooms and apartments as they headed home for the summer.
It should be noted that Natural Log was featured in the 2023 Winter Edition of the quarterly SPS Observer, the newsmagazine of the National Society of Physics students.