The
Faculty of Sciences, starting
with the Departments of Physics,
Chemistry and Geology, was established
in April 1939. Two more departments
were subsequently added: Mathematics
in 1942 and Biology in 1949. The
Department of Geology was reorganized
and expanded into the Department
of Earth and Planetary Sciences
in 1990. Staff members of the
Department of Mathematics moved
into the newly created Graduate
School of Mathematics in 1994,
but the teaching staff remain
responsible for instruction of
undergraduate courses (Department
of Mathematics). In April 1999,
the Graduate School of Sciences
was reorganized into five departments:
the Department of Fundamental
Physics, the Department of Molecular
Chemistry, the Department of Chemistry
and Physics of Condensed Matter,
the Department of Earth and Planetary
Sciences, and the Department of
Biology.
Staff undertake
research into basic phenomena
and principles governing the world
of nature, including: elementary
particles, molecules, condensed
matter, earth, planets and organisms.
The department conducts research
and teaching in order to answer
fundamental questions related
to the physical world. Many cooperative
research programs have been arranged
and are being pursued between
our laboratories and others in
Japan and foreign countries. A
large number of exchange scholars
and visiting professors are actively
engaged in our research activities.
The number of
faculty members, including professors,
associate professors and research
associates, was 178 as of May
2006. The number of undergraduate
students is 1,292. There are 348
graduate students in the course
for the degree of |
|
Master of Science
and 141 in the course for Doctor
of Science. The number of students
from abroad include 6 in the Master’s
Course, 10 in the doctoral course
and 3 research students.
The fields of
research in the Department of
Physics include elementary particle
physics, nuclear physics, solid
state physics, and statistical
physics. A tandem electrostatic
accelerator is one of our noteworthy
pieces of research equipment.
The Department also offers three
lecture courses on informatics.
Research activities
in the Department of Chemistry
cover a wide range of chemistry,
including inorganic, organic,
structural, physical, analytical,
biological and computational chemistry.
Eighteen laboratories participate
actively in their respective fields
while maintainig close connections
as well.
The Department
of Earth and Planetary Sciences
has been engaged in a variety
of fields including: Planetary
sciences, geophysics, geochemistry,
mineralogy and geology. The Department
also maintains one of the finest
mineral collections in Japan.
Major research
projects in the Department of
Biology focus on modern aspects
of molecular, cellular and population
biology. Advanced research and
instruction in biology are carried
out in close cooperation with
the Graduate School of Systems
Life Sciences.
For educational
and research purposes, the Faculty
maintains the Marine Biological
Laboratory in Kumamoto Prefecture,
the Institute of Seismology and
Volcanology in Nagasaki Prefecture,
and the Hakozaki Campus Cryogenic
Laboratory. |
NMR
experiment for organic chemistry
