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.
Upcoming Event
January 24-26, 2025 - The SPS is going to the National Radio Astronomy Observatory at Green Bank, WVa to spend a weekend doing radio astronomy!
We will gather data both old-school (yes, with a paper strip-chart recorder) as well as with a microcontroller-based digital data logger.
Radford University SPS Designated an "Outstanding Chapter" by the National Society of Physics Students
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 National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank, West Virginia, where students spend a weekend learning and doing radio astronomy.
All of this and more led to the National Society of Physics Students (SPS) presenting the Radford group with an “Outstanding Chapter” designation.
“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,” said the National SPS, a professional organization with international participation. “We are consistently amazed each year at how much time, energy and effort everyone devotes to their departments and local communities.”
At the SPS Regional Zone 4 meeting at Virginia Tech on March 29-30, 2024, SPS students presented their work from Alaska as well as research that some of them did in producing plasmas using a microwave oven as their energy source.
“This was such a positive experience, in fact, that the Radford University SPS was chosen to host the 2026 spring SPS Regional Zone 4 meeting” Herman said. Attendees will come to Radford from Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C., and other surrounding states.
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.