Physics & Astronomy

student in a large classroom planetarium

Relative to enrollment, Hampden-Sydney College educates a large share of the nation's industrial, research, and teaching physicists. This is not by accident. The faculty, innovative in their teaching and active in research, teaches in modern, state-of-the-art facilities housing equipment not typically found in an undergraduate college. Students can work with faculty members specializing in astronomy, astrophysics, superconductivity, physical acoustics, condensed matter, nuclear physics, digital electronics, and computational physics. Hampden-Sydney boasts its own astronomical observatory housing a fully automated, research-grade, computerized reflecting telescope - one of the finest small-college facilities of its kind in the country.

Degree Offerings

H-SC offers:

  • Physics Major
  • Engineering Physics Major
  • Astronomy Minor
  • Physics Minor

Physics & Astronomy Department

Dr. Walter (Mike) McDermott, Chair
Professor of Physics and Astronomy
Pauley Science Center
Hampden-Sydney College | Hampden-Sydney, VA 23943
wmcdermott@hsc.edu

Physics & Astronomy Professors

Physics & Astronomy Professors

Steven Bloom

Professor of Physics and Astronomy

Pauley, 409
(434) 223-6170
sbloom@hsc.edu

View Steven Bloom

Stan Cheyne

Professor of Physics and Astronomy

Pauley, 408
(434) 223-6178
scheyne@hsc.edu

View Stan Cheyne

Glynn Holt

Visiting Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy

Pauley 412
(434) 223-6463
gholt@hsc.edu

View Glynn Holt

Jonathan Keohane

Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy

Pauley, 401
(434) 223-6176
jkeohane@hsc.edu

View Jonathan Keohane

Mike McDermott

Professor of Physics and Astronomy

Pauley Science Center
(434) 223-6152
wmcdermott@hsc.edu

View Mike McDermott

Hugh "Trey" Thurman

Sipp Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy

Pauley, 109
(434) 223-6177
hthurman@hsc.edu

View Hugh "Trey" Thurman

Journal of the Sciences

Hampden-Sydney's very own science publication, the Journal of the Sciences, showcases undergraduate scientific work taking place on our campus in the Divisions of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.