Physical Sciences

The Physical Sciences Department is comprised of the disciplines of Astronomy, Chemistry, Geology and Physics. The goals of the department are to develop scientific literacy for general and continuing education students, prepare students for upper level health, science and engineering courses at transfer institutions, train students for employment in the chemical industry and support other departments at GRCC. To achieve these goals, the department offers a variety of 100 and 200 level courses that serve general education, health, science and engineering programs.

The Physical Sciences faculty is committed to offering high-quality and rigorous science education. The full-time and adjunct faculty have earned advanced degrees in the disciplines in which they teach. Small class sizes facilitate communication between the students and faculty and allow for mentoring and academic and career advisement. In addition to receiving assistance during faculty office hours, students are supported by the Advanced Math and Physical Science Tutoring Lab, which offers tutoring for Physical Science courses on a walk-in basis.

The Physical Sciences Department is housed in the Calkins Science Center (CSC) on the downtown Grand Rapids campus. The CSC houses lecture spaces and computer and science laboratories that feature high-quality technology and instrumentation. The laboratories are well equipped and offer students the opportunity to learn basic through advanced lab skills in both traditional and inquiry-based formats. The laboratory assignments are designed to make the lecture material more meaningful for students and to offer "real world" situations that inspire learning. It is our goal to prepare students to work in their chosen careers and achieve success upon transfer to baccalaureate granting institutions and beyond.