The home of the William H. Miller III Department of Physics & Astronomy, the Bloomberg Center, offers many facilities available to students, members of the Johns Hopkins community, outside companies and institutions, and the general public. These facilities are listed below in alphabetical order.
Bloomberg Center
Encompassing 238,000 square feet and seven levels, complete with a rooftop observatory dome, the Bloomberg Center for Physics and Astronomy is the largest building on Johns Hopkins University’s Homewood campus. The atmosphere is enhanced by the presence of NASA’s Space Telescope Science Institute, the scientific home of the Hubble Space Telescope, located just across the street.
Classroom Information
A listing of classroom information is available along with information on reserving a classroom in Bloomberg Center.
Johns Hopkins Instrument Development Group (IDG)
The IDG is an engineering services group within the Johns Hopkins University Department of Physics and Astronomy. The group specializes in developing instruments for scientific research, in particular instruments for physics research. We serve the Johns Hopkins community, its affiliates, and research partners. The group offers many engineering services with core competence in the following areas: analysis, electronics design, mechanical engineering and design, optomechanics, optical system design, and software development.
Maryland Space Grant Observatory
The Morris W. Offit Telescope is the major observing instrument in Maryland Space Grant Observatory, and is located under the Stanley D. and Joan F. Greenblatt Dome, on the roof of the Bloomberg Center. The telescope has, as its major optical element, a 20″-diameter parabolic mirror. Observatory Open House is every Friday evening, weather permitting, starting at dusk. Please come and observe the stars and planets with us, on any Friday evening that looks like “clear skies.”
Physical Sciences Machine Shop
The Physical Sciences Machine Shop, operated jointly by the Physics & Astronomy Department and the Chemistry Department, is a state-of-the-art facility offering a broad range of custom machining services. Shop personnel have a combined 40 years of experience and a wide array of expertise to handle the most complicated machining jobs.
Physics Undergraduate Computer (PUC) Lab
The PUC Lab in Room 478 Bloomberg Center, Upper Level, is a computer lab reserved for the exclusive use of undergraduate physics students at Johns Hopkins University. The computers run computational and instructional software used for physics courses offered by the Department of Physics and Astronomy.
Research Instrumentation
The William H. Miller III Department of Physics and Astronomy houses research instrumentation that can be utilized by appointment or through association. View a list of potentially available instruments and who to contact to gather more information about each instrument.
Schafler Auditorium
Located on the main-entrance level (second floor) of the Bloomberg Center, the Norman I. Schafler Auditorium features 320 cushioned seats, each with its own writing surface. The rows of seats are tiered and angled to provide more comfortable viewing. The audio-visual system features state-of-the-art presentation equipment, integrated so that the presenter/instructor has full control of the system from the multimedia lectern. For more information about Schafler Auditorium, contact the Registrar’s office at (410) 516-8080.
