The Department encourages the involvement of undergraduate students in research, even at the freshman level. To support this involvement and research efforts, YSU is home to the X-Ray Effects Laboratories (XEL and XEL2). These unique facilities host more than $1,000,000 in state-of-the-art nuclear detection and x-ray generating equipment. Students participate in cutting-edge experiments at various national and international laboratories (as undergraduates!) such as the United States' Brookhaven National Laboratory, Canada's TRIUMF nuclear facility and the world's largest synchrotron, Japan's SPring-8 (Super Photon ring). Students interact with top scientists from around the world, many of which visit YSU regularly to participate in experiments.
In addition to opportunities for undergraduate research, the Department of Physics and Astronomy offers a nuclear physics course with laboratory.