- AJ Shadrach ’13
- Hometown: Montgomery, New Jersey
- Major: Physics
My favorite professor at Mount Union is Dr. Bob Ekey, assistant professor of physics and chair of the Department of Physics. He’s also my advisor, and I like the fact that I get to work with him every semester by helping him teach Introduction to Physics labs. Dr. Ekey also is on the pre-health professions committee and has given me a lot of advice as it pertains to preparing for the MCAT and applying to medical school.
Physics Facilities and Equipment
The Department's offices and laboratories are located in Bracy Hall of Science.
Our facilities include both classrooms and laboratories for general physics, atomic physics, optics, electronics, and a machine shop for constructing apparatus. Students in the Department have access to an abundance of laboratory equipment. There are two student/faculty research laboratories. The Department also maintains a number of computers for student use, including Macintoshes, PCs, and Unix workstations.
Mount Union offers an unusually comprehensive preparation for those desiring to become professional astronomers. Observational facilities located on the roof of Bracy Hall are available to qualified students. The on-campus observatory includes: a 12-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope used for photometry, photography, and CCD digital imaging; an 11-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope; a historic 9-inch f/15 refracting telescope used for the study of planetary detail and binary stars; and a portable 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope. A small radio telescope is under construction.
Astronomical support facilities include various software packages for image processing (including IRAF, which is put out by the National Optical Astronomy Observatories).