Luther College President Paula Carlson and Dean of the College Kevin Kraus have announced promotions and grants of tenure for current faculty members.

The Luther College Physics and Chemistry departments invite community members to experience optical illusions and laser displays, make rockets and enjoy the mystifying side of science during their Haunted Lab from 6-8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, and 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31.

Whether building a pyramid or designing an engine, friction has long been a prominent factor in human innovation. Inventors must take into account the effects of friction on materials. Jesse Hitz Graff, Luther College senior of Winona, Minnesota, is experimenting with aluminum oxide to determine how the compound fares when friction is taken into account in certain technologies.

Todd Pedlar, Ph.D., Luther College associate professor of physics, has received a $150,000, grant renewal from the National Science Foundation for his research in elementary particle physics.

The Luther College chapter of the Society of Physics Students will host their annual Haunted Lab from 7-9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24 and 2-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25, in the basement of Valders Hall of Science. The Haunted Lab boasts classic physics favorites and new Halloween-themed physics demonstrations to play with and be amazed by.

An article in Radiations (the publication of the physics honors society Sigma Pi Sigma) was published in Spring 2014 about Luther Physics department activities, past and present.

Luther College junior David Pfotenhauer of Madison, Wis., received a Rossing Physics Scholarship for the 2014-15 academic year. The $10,000 scholarship is highly competitive and is awarded annually to five physics students of exceptional merit through the Thomas D. Rossing Fund for Physics Education.

Dec. 5, 2012

Luther College students, Erik Linn-Molin, Shane Wilson, Donald Lee-Brown, Sarah McRoberts and Clara Olson, presented at the 2012 "Undergraduate Research Symposium in the Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Computer Science," Nov. 2 - 3 at Washington University in St. Louis.

Oct. 23, 2012

The Luther College physics department faculty and students invite community members to experience mystifying optical illusions, laser displays, magnetic levitation and other physics wonders during their Haunted Lab from 6-9 p.m. on Sat., Oct. 27.

St. Olaf News Item on Physics collaboration

A recent publicity item on the St. Olaf website describes the activities of collaboration between Luther Professor Erin Flater and St. Olaf Professor Brian Borovsky. Both Professors Flater and Borovsky recently traveled to Colby College in Waterville, ME in July 2012 to present on their collaborative research on friction studies.

May 24, 2012          

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute announced today it has selected Luther College as one of 47 small colleges and universities in the United States to receive grants totaling more than $50 million that will enable the schools to work together to create more engaging science classes, bring real-world research experiences to students and increase the diversity of students who study science.

May 16, 2012

Tory Hegrenes, a U.S. Navy lieutenant and flight officer, has been named the recipient of the Luther College Young Alumni Award for 2012.