The Instituto de Física (Physics Institute) was created in 1964 while the UFRJ (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro) used to be the Universidade do Brasil (University of Brazil). Today, it is an institute of the Centro de Ciências Matemáticas e da Natureza – CCMN (Centre of Mathematical and Nature Sciences). Its structure is made of four departments that share the research, teaching and extension activities: Mathematical Physics, Nuclear Physics, Solid Physics and Theorical Physics.

Regarding ?undergraduate education, the Institute is responsible for the courses BSC in physics, medical physics and licentiate in physics. Besides these three courses, the Institute offers several disciplines (of service?) to thousands of undergraduate  students from four centers of the university: the CCMN itself, the Centro de Tecnologia – CT (Technology Center), the Centro de Ciências da Saúde – CCS (Center for Health Sciences) and the Centro de Letras e Artes – CLA (Center of Arts). The Instituto de Física is also at the CEDERJ (consortium for distance education), being responsible for the disciplines of physics in all districts of the state.

By 1970 the Institute had the goal to be a high-level center of research in the various theoretical and experimental areas of physics. At this time began the first lines of research and, with them, the masters activities, which were accredited in 1978 by the CFE. Doctoral activities started in 1979 and accredited in 1983. The graduate program in physics at the Institute is supported by CAPES-PROEX program with program concepts of 6 and 7 for several years.

The graduate program in physics is strongly coupled to scientific research activities within the Institute. The Institute of Physics of the UFRJ has stood for excellence of its research, developed at the frontier of knowledge, and plays a role of scientific leadership in several areas of current research in physics. The impact and international visibility of scientific production can be inferred by the significant number of articles published in Nature group journals, Science and Physical Review Letters.

Besides the graduate program, the Institute has the professional master’s program in physics education, recognized by the MEC in 2007. The program goal is the professional improvement of physics teachers and the development of methods and textbooks for the physics teaching materials.

In the extension activities, the Institute is actively working with scientific divulgation through speaking at events for the general public and the interviews given by their teachers to mass media. The Laboratório Didático do Instituto de Física – LADIF (Didactic Laboratory of the Institute of Physics) has an important collection of experiences and didactic videos. It has scheduled visits from schools of primary and secondary education.

Instituto de Física Logo and Website History

The first website of the Instituto de Física da UFRJ, created by the teachers Ricardo Barthem and Carlos Bertulani went on-line in 1995. They were also responsible for the Institute’s logo.

In 1997 a new website, created by the same teachers went on-line with a new logo.

In 2000, the website of the institute also has a new version.

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In 2010, after 10 years, the employees of the Institute, Ana Lucia de Moraes Santos and Cristina Coelho, took the initiative to redesign the website and leave it with a more modern look. The logo for this version was initially conceived by Diego Carvalho for the central computer center.

This version of the site was online until March 2013, when the new and current page of the Instituto de Física was created.