Topic for Fall 2013: Astrophysics and Plasma Physics
This course will treat aspects of two important areas of contemporary physics and their intersections: astrophysics and plasma physics. Astrophysics includes topics such as orbital mechanics, stellar structure and evolution, galactic dynamics, the origin and evolution of the Universe. Plasma physics explores the properties of hot, ionized gases: motion of charged particles in electric and magnetic fields, plasma kinetic theory, fluid models, waves and instabilities, and wave-particle interactions. These two subjects intersect in the treatment of the interstellar medium, the solar atmosphere, and the physics of accretion disks near compact objects, among others.

Topic for Winter 2014: Condensed Matter Physics
Explores the fundamental properties of condensed matter. This course will focus on atomic structures in the various states of condensed matter, phase transformations, crystal symmetries and the consequences for physical properties, electronic properties, phonons, magnetism, and the properties of reduced dimensionality systems. This course will emphasize advanced experimental and computational techniques.

Topic for Spring 2014: Particle Physics
This course will cover topics in particle physics including the phenomenological description of particles and their interactions using the standard model of particle physics. We will introduce the Feynman calculus and its use in quantum electrodynamics. Special topics will include neutrino oscillations and the Higgs boson.