Department of Physics at Lehigh University

Spring 2017.  Welcome back to the Spring Semester 2017. I would like to take this opportunity to reaffirm the Physics Department’s commitment to diversity and inclusion independent of gender, race, age, religion, national origin, citizenship, sex, sexual orientation, social class, economic class, ethnicity, gender identity, and gender expression. Reflecting on the recent news about a travel ban for citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries, I want emphasize that Physics is an international discipline and can only prosper through the open access and exchange of ideas. A department like ours benefits tremendously from access to talent from around the world. Consequently, our faculty represents nine different countries. Similarly, our graduate and undergraduate student bodies are very international and diverse. Unfortunately, several of our students are severely affected by the new immigration rules. At least two of them are unable to go home and come back to continue their studies. They also have no hope that their relatives can visit them. Already one student is stranded abroad and has to continue her studies remotely. These are excellent students who tremendously add to the intellectual signature of our department. And they are good people. It goes without saying that they are very welcome in our department and that they can count on our full support.

Volkmar Dierolf