FAQ

Open positions

I am not currently hiring for any postdoctoral positions.

I also do not currently have funding for new graduate research assistants. However, I am open to advising graduate students in research who are funded through a teaching assistantship. To learn more, here is info for prospective students.

Recommendation letters

I am generally open to writing letters of recommendations for students who have completed courses I teach or who I have worked closely with in other capacities. Please know that I receive many requests for recommendation letters. The more advance notice and details you can provide about the opportunity, the more likely it is that I can accept your request and write a strong letter.

Please email me to request, and include the following info:

  • A list of the opportunities you need a letter of recommendation for
  • A list of the deadlines for each opportunity (please know that I can rarely accommodate requests made within 2 weeks of a deadline)
  • Any specific experiences or skills you would like me to highlight in the letter

Undergraduate physics thesis requirements

Undergraduate physics majors must complete a (Writing Intensive Course) WIC requirement to graduate. This means completing either PH 317 (Advanced Physics Lab) or PH 403 (Physics Thesis, listed as 491/2/3 in future terms). I am the instructor for PH 403.

I get many questions about the course structure, timeline, and research coordination of the physics thesis option. These can usually be answered by this general overview of the thesis option and some FAQ.

I also get many questions about the eligibility, expectations, and approval of thesis research mentors who aren’t in the OSU physics. Here is detailed info about how to navigate that situation, as well as other detail about research mentor expectations.

If you are a physics major searching for potential research mentors, check out this list of available projects.

If you have any questions that aren’t answered in the links above, feel free to reach out to me over email: patti.hamerski@oregonstate.edu