Dear all,
Congratulations on your recent results and entry onto the physics programme at Swansea University. We are all very much looking forward to meeting you and working with you over the coming years.
Welcome Week begins with a Welcome and Induction Lecture, in which we will give an overview of the first year of study on your physics degree. After the lecture there will be an informal gathering at the “Event Horizon”, our social and study space for students and staff. This will be a nice opportunity to meet the lecturers on your programme, and get to know the other physics students.
Throughout the week, there will be several other information sessions, covering topics such as student support, employability, and Welsh language and culture. Finally, at the end of Welcome Week there is a social event which is coordinated by our undergraduate student society, Physoc.
Perhaps you are eager to start thinking more about the academic aspects of your course, and what it will be like to be a physics student. If so, take a look at some of these videos of our post-graduate research students tackling physics problems, from alpha decay and the blackbody spectrum, to binary stars and exoplanets.
You may be curious to get some flavour of the interesting topics you'll be studying in the coming years, and how these relate to the research interests of your lecturers. Your studies will cover the full range of physics topics, from the fundamental constituents of matter (particle physics) to the origin and evolution of the universe (cosmology). The research interests of our staff span a similarly broad range, including experimental studies of antimatter and nanotechnology, and theoretical research into the quark-gluon plasma and particle physics beyond the standard model. Here is an inspiring overview of the big ideas in physics from the Institute of Physics.
University is not just about academic study of course – it is also an opportunity to join new societies, make new friends and cultivate new and existing hobbies, sports, and interests. Swansea has a lot to offer in terms of culture, heritage, parks and beaches, and we hope you will thoroughly enjoy your time here.
We look forward to meeting you soon!
Dr Tim Burns (Programme Director)
