Incoming Students

Staff Members to Know

Emily McGurgan - Graduate Administrator: Main point of contact for most questions

Sydney Seufer - Undergraduate Administrator

Michele Slogan - "Academic Operations Manager" 

Bob Breze - Payroll Coordinator

Lou Lane - Facilities Coordinator

Faculty Members to Know

Dr. Andrew Zentner - Department Chair

Dr. Brian Batell and Dr. Bob Devaty - Directors of Graduate Studies

Faculty Teaching Potentially Relevant Fall 2025 Courses 

Dr. Andrew Mugler - Graduate Dynamical Systems Professor

Dr. Daniel Boyanovsky - Graduate Quantum Professor

Dr. Gurudev Dutt - Undergraduate Quantum Professor

Dr. Joe Boudreau - Math Methods Professor 

Dr. Melanie Good - Teaching of Physics Professor 

Dr. Sandhya Rao - Physics and Astronomy Colloquium Professor

Dr. Rachel Bezanson - Intro to Astronomy (Special Topics) Professor

Graduate Students to Know

Tori Bonidie - DAC Treasurer, Union Bargaining Team Member

Chris Hernández - DAC President, APAGS President

Monica Leys - ASGSO President, DAC Vice President, APAGS Vice President, Union Organizer

Hamza Kalim - APAGS Treasurer

Elizabeth Meador - Ultra-VioLETS co-lead

Julissa Sarmiento - WMP President, Ultra-VioLETS co-lead

Lauren Elicker - WMP Vice President

Nathalie Chicoine - WMP Business Manager

Amelia Camino - LAGOS Public Relations Officer 

Ryan Koester - TA/TF mentor ?

• Complete any and all payroll forms

• Complete stipend advance form in BEFORE August 12, 2024 to receive an $800 stipend advance on September 11.

  • Important: This will reduce your monthly stipend by $200 for September, October, November and December. This reduction in your stipend is intended to "pay back" the advance.  

• Housing tips!

• Join the Physics and Astronomy graduate Slack! Ask an any officer of the graduate clubs/orgs for an invite link if you don't have one.

• Get your student ID/bus pass (After August 1st)

  • You should receive an email about submitting your information and photo for your Panther Card (student ID). Visit Panther Central (on the first floor of Litchfield Towers) and get your student ID printed as soon as you can. This ID will allow you to swipe into campus buildings and serves as your pass for free rides on any city buses.

  • If you want after hours or weekend access to Allen Hall or any of the attached buildings (Thaw Hall and Old Engineering Hall [OEH]), you must request access from Lou Lane. Your IDs will not have this access unless requested!

• Enroll in Health Insurance

  • You will get an email telling you how to enroll in Pitt's health insurance. The base coverage is paid for by the university, but you have to pay for vision and dental. If you are on fellowship, you may have to pay for everything. Your stipend is increased to reflect the difference in costs. 

• Pre-tests & Advancement/testing out exams 

  • There are two sets of exams that will be administered before classes start: pre-tests and advancement exams

    • Pre-tests are simply diagnostic exams to help your academic advisor better advise you on which courses to take.

    • Advancement exams are optional exams to test-out/place-out of the Physics Track core courses. You need to let the department know of your intention to take these exams before August 1st

  • Astro Track students do not have the option to take these exams

• Classes

  • Talk to your academic advisor about classes

  • Most students will take two of Quantum Mechanics, Stat. Mech., E&M, or Dynamical Systems. Astro-track students will typically take Dynamical Systems and astronomy courses (e.g., Introduction to Astronomy or Stellar Structure). All students are additionally required to take Teaching of Physics and Physics & Astronomy Colloquium. 

  • Physics communication for non native speakers

  • You do not need to take more than 2 classes!!!

• Welcome week events to expect

  • Required TA trainings (schoolwide and department only)

  • Title IX training

• Meet with your TA assignment professor

  • YOU DO NOT HAVE TO GIVE YOUR PROFESSOR YOUR PERSONAL PHONE NUMBER. THIS IS NOT NORMAL, BUT SOME PROFESSORS WILL ASK.

  • Discuss things like:

    • hours of availability/reachability 

    • preferred mode of communication

    • office hours

    • recitation expectations

    • grading

    • proctoring policies

  • See TA Resources for more details on TA requirements

• Start thinking about/talking to professors you want to work with

  • Meet with students in the group to get their perspectives

  • Don't be afraid to email/approach professors directly; most will have short projects available to help new students get acquainted with their research

• TA tips of who to talk to

  • Official TA/TF mentor, this will be announced at the beginning of the semester as it changes

  • Teaching of Physics Professor - Dr. Melanie Good

  • Student mentor - you are assigned a student mentor who has likely TA'd the class before

  • Link to handbook digest

• Who to contact for issues that come up

  • Emily (most things)

  • Sydney (room reservations)

• Mentors

  • You will get a faculty mentor in addition to a student peer mentor. 

We've compiled a list of common problems students face in their first year (and beyond). Each of these suggested solutions may apply differently to different situations. 

If there is any sort of harassment, go to the Title IX office, or the department Ombudsperson (Cindy Niznik) 

• Research/TA Professor is expecting too much, or not willing to meet one-on-one

  • Talk to other TAs or students in the lab group, remind the professor that you are expected to be on top of your coursework and cannot commit every waking hour to their needs. 

  • Talk to the Director of Graduate Studies 

• Working more than 20 hours per week on research or teaching

  • Our contracts are only for 20 hours per week. The rest of your time should be focused on coursework (or research if you are a TA)

• Working too much on homework assignments

  • Homework assignments should take ~10 hours per week per course. If a course regularly exceeds this, it may be worth seeing the section below

• Issues with core course professors (e.g. Professor ______ won't give us an equation sheet for our midterm/final)

  • Unless it is a take home exam, it is a normal occurrence to be allowed to bring in some independently filled out sheet with notes or equations.

  • With most professor issues, having a couple brave students talking to the professor is the best first step. 

    • Subsequent steps could include signing a petition (piece of paper) 

    • Talking to the Director of Graduate Studies

    • Talking to the Chair of the Department