Progress in biophysics is intrinsically connected with the development of novel technologies and experimental methodologies to characterize the nature of living organisms. In the past, optical techniques have played a key role in expanding our vision into the biological realm, and the frontier is equally promising. Our current research areas include:
In the Physics Department almost all of our majors are involved in undergraduate research. Over the past 5 years, students in the Biophysical Optics Research Group have presented a total of 41 talks, posters or contributed papers at regional or national meetings, including NCUR, Sigma Xi, Posters on the Hill, Annual Meetings of the Biophysical Society and the Optical Society of America. Students are trained in all aspects of equipment design, software development, experimentation, data analysis, writing and presentation. Master's students, with even more time devoted to their independent research endeavors, also have an impressive track record. A total of 10 master's theses have been completed over a the last 10 years. If you are a student and interested in participating in Biophysical Optics Research, please contact Dr. Nichols. Current Students and Collaborators can login to access additional content.