The Department's new Chair, Dr. Saeid Rahimi, has led the discussion of changes in the curriculum.

Curriculum Changes Discussed
The faculty of the SSU Department of Physics and Astronomy have been examining the Bachelor of Science programs, including the B.S. with a concentration in Applied Physics, this year. Proposals have been made to put new emphasis on optics, electronics, computational physics, and health physics. In addition, the faculty are considering the addition of a 3+2 engineering program which would enable students to study at SSU for three years and then continue their studies elsewhere for two. They would receive a physics degree from SSU and an engineering degree from the other institution.
The optics and electronics concentration is a response to the growing number of employers in Sonoma County in photonics (including opto-electronics), fiber optics communications, lasers, detectors, and optical thin films. Dr. Saeid Rahimi, who not long ago spent a sabbatical at Hewlett-Packard working on diode lasers, is planning new courses, including laboratory courses, in lasers, fiber optics, and detectors. The theory and practical aspects of diode lasers will be emphasized in these courses. The current solid state and semiconductor physics courses will probably be combined into a semiconductor electronic devices course with a laboratory. It is hoped that these moves will increase the number of physics majors and will enable more graduates to find positions in the local area.
The computational physics orientation is aimed at providing students with advanced computational skills. Proposals are being discussed to reduce the analytical treatment in theoretical courses and to add more numerical work. In the fall Dr. Sam Greene's students in the analytical mechanics and quantum mechanics courses will use Mathematica  , powerful computer software written by a physicist. A new course on computational physics is being designed to include more advanced numerical methods, including data analysis and statistics.
A new emphasis in health physics is being led by Dr. John Dunning, who is already including many health-related projects in the applied nuclear chemistry and physics courses, and is now thinking about a new X-ray course. Other faculty have introduced several health-related experiments in the introductory labs.
To make the proposed changes, of course, new equipment will be needed. The National Science Foundation is considering the scanning electron microscope proposal submitted by Dr. Dunning and other SSU faculty.
According to Professor Rahimi, "We are determined to include the best available elementary and advanced instruments in our laboratories."
The changes under consideration are not limited to courses. The faculty would like to make the department even more friendly and accessible than it is now. Students are encouraged to voice their opinions and participate in the changes. Plans for construction of a new student room on the third floor of Darwin have been drawn up and will be implemented as soon as fund-raising efforts prove successful.