100 Years of Physics Accomplishments

The Department of Physics, created in 1904, will celebrate 100 years of accomplishments during the 2004-5 academic year. Major events planned include:

• The Physics Centennial Reunion will be held on campus Friday, October 22. The focus of the reunion will be a retrospective on the history of the department. In addition, some of our prominent faculty will give lectures on relevant physics topics. The day will culminate with the Physics Alumni Banquet.

• The Midwest Solid State Conference in October. Purdue physicists initiated this annual conference over 50 years ago. It attracts faculty and graduate students from across the Midwest. We will use this year's conference to share our history with this group of the larger physics community.

• The department will host a reception at the "March Meeting" of the American Physical Society. This is the single largest physics meeting of the year. Many of our alumni will be in attendance at this meeting, held in Los Angeles during the week of March 22, 2005.

• A "Grand Finale" Symposium at Purdue on April 16, 2005, coupled with the annual College of Science Distinguished Alumni Banquet on the prior evening. This daylong symposium will feature eminent scientists for a day of talks that look to the future of science at Purdue.