What is Photon?
Photon is a student-run organization at Boston University tailored specifically for undergraduates who enjoy physics and the physical sciences in general. In particular, it is a chapter of the Society of Physics Students (SPS), a subset of the American Institute of Physics dedicated to helping “students transform themselves into contributing members of the professional community” (see “About SPS” below) while promoting interest in the physical sciences in the community at large. While a part of SPS, we emphasize that you need not be a physics student to attend. Many of our members do not study physics; all you need is to bring is your curiosity and your enthusiasm for science to make your attendance worthwhile.
For the elementary particle, see Photon .
Our Mission
Photon’s mission can be divided into two very general goals:
- To spread enthusiasm for the physical sciences!
- To provide resources and support for our physical science majors.
Goal 1. occurs over many layers. For instance, we seek to infect our members and majors with enthusiasm via exciting experiments, projects, and guest speakers, demonstrating the fascinating mysteries that physics has to offer. We also reach out to the BU community with events such as the Pumpkin Drop and alliances with other BU clubs. In the next layer, we collaborate with local SPS chapters. Finally, we have elected two Outreach Officers to lead our quest to inspire local aspiring thinkers in the local middle schools and high schools.
Goal 2.
When and where do we meet?
Unless otherwise noted, Photon meets every Thursday at 6:00 pm in SCI 352. Meetings typically end between 7:00 and 7:30 pm, but feel free to drop in or leave as desired. Delicious pizza, beverages, and occasionally other food items are provided by the physics department for every meeting.
What do we do?
When we’re not building a Tesla Coil or Rube Goldberg machine, going to the Museum of Science, or hosting a physics-related outreach event, we typically enjoy physics related activities in SCI 352. These include, but aren’t limited to, running small weekly experiments, enjoying the presentations of guest speakers and students in the sciences, and watching movies with very good or very bad physics. For detailed information about Photon activities, see Activities.
About SPS
Here you can find some information about SPS.
Questions? Contact Us!
If there is something you would like to see, let us know! If you’re interested feel free to contact the current officers, including president Hichem Bouchamaoui (bouchamaouihichem AT gmail DOT com) and vice president Steve Kim (stevekim AT bu DOT edu). You might also have success with our faculty advisor, Robert Carey (carey AT bu DOT edu).