DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), symptoms include cough, shortness of breath, fever, chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, and a loss of taste or smell. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. Please stay home if you have any of these symptoms.

Unvaccinated individuals are required to complete Northwestern's Symptom Tracker whenever they come to campus as well as participate in twice-weekly COVID-19 testing. Individuals who are fully-vaccinated are no longer required to complete the Symptom Tracker. 

Please visit Northwestern's Health Monitoring website for more information about Symptom Tracker.

Currently there are two ways to access the Symptom Tracker:

• iPhone users can download the app in the Apple app store. Search for “Symptom Tracker: Northwestern” to download.
• Android smartphone users and community members who prefer to use a computer can access Symptom Tracker via a web browser at symptomtracker.northwestern.edu
  • The University is working with the Google Play store and will update everyone when the app becomes available for Android users.

Please visit Northwestern's Health Monitoring website for more information about Symptom Tracker.

To report any concerns you may have, please view the COVID-19 Reporting Policy/Guidance page. Here you will find several options for reporting noncompliance with guidance.

• Online through Risk Management’s incident reporting portal (login required)
• By phone at 847-467-8840 (Evanston) or 312-503-3437 (Chicago)
• Students and postdocs are encouraged to submit concerns via email to COVID19reporting@northwestern.edu
• By contacting the Office for Research Safety

If the report is more of an ethical nature, then you can visit NU EthicsPoint. This page contains instructions and other information relevant to filing a concern.

• Report Coronavirus / COVID-19 Self-Isolation or Quarantine 
• Report confirmed cases of Coronavirus / COVID-19 
• Report a Social Distancing Concern 
• NU Confirmed Cases of COVID-19

In preparation for a safe return, all faculty, staff and students must complete a brief online training module before returning to campus. This required training covers our core responsibilities and has other essential information on precautionary practices. You should expect to spend about 30 minutes completing the training.

Faculty and Staff

Employees have been automatically enrolled in an online training module called COVID-19 Phased Return to Campus Training. It is accessible in myHRLearn.

You can complete the training now, even if you are uncertain when you will be returning.

Students

Appointments will be required for ALL ID card visits to honor physical distancing and the health and safety of staff. Due to high volume of requests, expect delays with receiving your Wildcard. Please plan accordingly.

Please visit Northwestern's Wildcard website for more details.

All classes for Fall 2021 will be taught in-person and students should plan to attend in-person. Remote options are not available and students should speak to their advisor if they have any concerns about attending in-person.

*Due to the ever-changing nature of the pandemic, classes may be moved remote based on state and local guidelines.

All labs will be offered in-person. 

Graduate students who are off campus and cannot come to Evanston (e.g. international students waiting for student visas) are welcome to enroll in and participate in any of our course offerings. We do not require any graduate student to be on campus for the purpose of attending class.

New international students matriculating in Fall 2020 who are in the US must register for a minimum one credit of a course that is in-classroom, which includes hybrid courses.

Returning international students who are in the US, may register for a fully-remote course load.

Returning international students who are NOT in the US, may register for a fully-remote course load.

Students who have symptoms should call the Northwestern COVID-19 case management team at 847-491-8422. You will be instructed to self-isolate and to contact NUHS to schedule an appointment.

Please visit Northwestern’s COVID-19 website for the most updated information.

For students applying to the Physics PhD or the Astronomy PhD program, GRE (General and Physics) scores are not accepted.

For students applying to the Master's program, GREs are not required for admission in 2021, and reporting those scores is optional.

Faculty can register for the Practicum in Foundations of Online Teaching here.

Beginning in Spring 2020, Northwestern University began offering its instructors and teaching assistants a comprehensive practicum on remote instruction. Following successful iterations offered to those teaching during the 2020 summer term, The University invites instructors and teaching assistants who will teach courses during a 2020 fall term to participate in the program. This learning opportunity will: provide hands-on experience; enable our instructors to broaden their skills in teaching fully online courses; and provide a network of resources for them to call upon going forward.

• Office of Registrar 
• Remote Teaching
• Return to Campus Policy

Any faculty or staff members who demonstrate symptoms should contact the NU COVID-19 Case Management Team at 847-491-8422. If you are on campus when your symptoms develop, you will be directed to one of the Northwestern Medicine sites for testing. If your symptoms develop while at home, contact your primary care physician to arrange for testing and medical follow-up.

For more information about testing for faculty, post-doc and/or staff, please visit Northwestern's COVID-19 website.