A major addition to Faraday Hall was completed in 1995, approximately doubling the space and equipment available to the Physics Department. Physics majors at NIU already have a wide variety of facilities available for their use. These include computers, a machine shop, an observatory, and the departmental library. Other research equipment is also available to students for laboratory courses and independent research projects. One should inquire either in the departmental office or with the department's computing system manager to determine what is currently available for use.
Any physics major may use the department's cluster of LINUX and PC computers. In addition, 20 personal computers are available in a new computer room. Some are equipped with GPIB electronics interface cards, which make them especially useful for control and readout of laboratory equipment. During half of each year these particular PC's are dedicated to an electronics laboratory course. Undergraduate students can use all of these PC's for many purposes during the academic year.
The student shop contains machine tools which are available for student use. These include circular and band saws, drill presses, lathes, a milling machine, and equipment for bending and cutting sheet metal. Our machine shop personnel can help students with instruction and advice on using the shop equipment.
The physics department has an observatory , with a 14 inch diameter telescope on a equatorial mount. Both a CCD camera and film camera are available. Some students in the past few years have used the telescope for independent research or undergraduate thesis projects.
Located in Faraday Hall, the physics and chemistry libraries at NIU are separate from the main library. This provides a convenient and quiet place for physics students to study, close to their classes, labs and professors. The library has general and specialist books in physics, as well as the physics journals needed to keep up with the latest discoveries.