The Department of Physics offers students opportunities to engage in the amazing opportunities that Southern California offers anyone interested in the cosmos.
Established in 1993, the Physics Club at Whittier College promotes both an interest in physics and lifelong friendships among the club members—not all of whom are majors in the field. Over the years, the club has sponsored the highly anticipated astronomy "star party," an overnight camping trip to the desert or the mountains; movie nights; lectures by astronomers and physics professionals; and other social and academic events.
The only requirements to join Physics Club are an interest in physics and a willingness to have fun! For more information about meeting times and upcoming events, contact the Department of Physics at 562.907.4513.
Madeline Acosta ’23 gained a new sense of appreciation towards astronomy thanks to the semi-annual Star Party.
“I wanted to take this opportunity to finally get to enjoy them (the stars) without the city lights getting in the way,” said Acosta, a biology major.
The Physics Club hosted the fall outing for students of any major at Joshua Tree National Park. The club provided dozens of students with transportation, tents, and food for the overnight camping trip to observe the moon and the stars.
Students were greeted by a beautiful desert landscape sought after for its stellar stargazing. Almost everyone in the United States lives somewhere where artificial light obstructs their view of the cosmos—but in the park, the skies are so dark and so clear that dozens of Whittier students could enjoy sights that were, quite literally, out of this world.
At Joshua Tree, students like Acosta were able to use a high-powered telescope to see the craters on the moon and multiple constellations.
“Around midnight, we took a hike into the desert trails and were able to make it through to an open valley where we at in silence and watched the stars,” she said. “Being able to go to sleep while looking at constellations is something I will never forget."
Standing in the landmark observatory atop Mount Wilson, Aaron Mendoza ’20 not only stepped into an amazing place to glimpse the wonders of space, but into the footsteps of astronomy legends, as well.
Mendoza and five fellow members of the Whittier College Physics Club took a break from their classroom studies to enjoy a docent-led tour of the Mount Wilson Observatory, which is stationed atop the nearby San Gabriel mountains.
Excusing himself for “nerding out”, the physics major was impressed to stand where Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking once did. (Their tour guide even showed them where Hawking left his thumbprint in the guest book.)
The observatory’s telescopes—which at times were the largest of their kind in the world—have extended astronomers’ visions into the cosmos for decades, leading to mind-blowing discoveries like the universe’s continuing expansion. Even competing with the bright lights of Los Angeles, the site continues to serve as a great resource for scientific discovery—one that club president Cassady Smith ’20 wanted her peers to learn more about.
“There are so many historical and outstanding landmarks for physics and engineering in Los Angeles that it would be a shame not to explore them,” Smith said.
