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Phys Astro 2026 NEWSLETTER
A NEW CHAPTER FOR PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY AT UTC The Department of Physics and Astronomy is now a standalone department for the first time in more than 30 years. After many years as part of the Department of Chemistry and Physics, we began a new chapter as an independent department in fall 2025. In our first year, we were named Department of the Year at the College of Arts and Sciences Faculty and Staff Awards. The award recognized several efforts across the department, including our role in developing educational programs in quantum information sciences, public programming through the Clarence T. Jones Observatory, new interactive learning displays, an active student club, and a growing undergraduate research collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory. As we grow, our focus remains on students. We serve physics and astronomy majors as well as students across UTC who take physics, astronomy, and general science courses. Through teaching, hands-on lab experiences, undergraduate research, and outreach, we help students build analytical, quantitative, and problem-solving skills for graduate study, health professions, industry, research, science education, and other technical fields. In 2025, six physics students participated in the annual summer Undergraduate Research Program. This past year brought more students, educators, alumni, and community members to campus through outreach and public programming. Through the Clarence T. Jones Observatory, we helped launch the Karel Hujer Memorial Lecture Series, honoring an important figure in Chattanooga’s astronomy history while reconnecting the public with the observatory.
We also hosted the Tennessee Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers meeting and welcomed high school students to campus for World Quantum Day, which featured hands-on STEM activities and conversations about science careers. As we look ahead, UTC now has the first Quantum Physics undergraduate degree in Tennessee and is rolling out a graduatelevel curriculum in Quantum Information Science and Engineering. We are grateful to the faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community partners who helped make this first year possible. We look forward to continuing this work with a focus on our students, our community, and the joy of exploring the universe. Left: Dr. Keenan Dungey leads an experiment with University High students participating in Quantum Day. Top right: Observatory Director Steven Kline presents “Love and Deep Space.” Bottom right: Dr. Rick Mukherjee, founding director of the Quantum Center.
URP 2025 In 2025, there were 6 physics students and 11 chemistry students who participated in our annual summer Undergraduate Research Program (URP).
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT Meet A.P. Horn
FACULTY SPOTLIGHT Meet Dr. Rick Mukherjee
Dr. Rick Mukherjee is the founding director of the UTC Quantum Center and an associate professor of physics at UTC. He earned his Ph.D. from the Max Planck Institute in Germany and held research roles at Rice University, Harvard University, and the University of Hamburg. His work spans atomic, molecular, and optical physics, optimal control, and machine learning, with applications in quantum simulations and information. He has authored nearly 40 peerreviewed publications, delivered invited talks at APS meetings and industry forums, and serves on the board of the Chattanooga Quantum Collaborative.
A.P. Horn turned undergraduate research at UTC into a path toward teaching. Horn graduated in December with a bachelor’s degree in physics and was active in undergraduate research, outreach, and student programming. Through the Office for Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavor, Horn participated in the Summer Learning Institute and later helped create resources for students interested in research. Horn worked with UC Foundation Professor of Physics Tatiana Allen and gained experience through student-led projects, conference presentations, seminars, and outreach with the Society of Physics Students. Those experiences helped shape Horn’s interest in making physics more accessible to younger students.
Dr. Rick Mukherjee
Horn is now pursuing a master’s degree in secondary education through the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship program, an NSFfunded fellowship that supports STEM graduates preparing to teach in high-need schools.
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
Below: As a UTC undergraduate, A.P. Horn, right, joined the Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavor as a student assistant, working for URaCE Executive Director, Dr. Lisa Piazza. Photo by Angela Foster.
Dr. Harold A. McAlister
UTC Physics Alumnus Returns for Karel Hujer Memorial Lecture UTC physics alumnus Dr. Harold A. “Hal” McAlister returned to campus this spring as the featured speaker for the inaugural Karel Hujer Memorial Lecture. A Chattanooga native and 1971 UTC physics graduate, McAlister built a distinguished career in astronomy as Regents Professor Emeritus of Astronomy at Georgia State University and founder of the Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy. McAlister’s connection to UTC and the Clarence T. Jones Observatory began long before his professional career. As a child, he visited the observatory during one of Dr. Karel Hujer’s class sessions, an experience that helped spark his lifelong interest in astronomy. He later worked with Hujer as a UTC student. His return marked a full-circle moment, connecting UTC alumni, the history of the observatory, and the department’s renewed public astronomy programming.
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