The Physics Graduate Student Organization (PGSA) at Illinois Physics hosted the Physical Revue 2026 on Saturday, May 1, at the Illini Union. The event, which enjoys a decades-long tradition in the department, included 18 acts—live music, the game show “Phamily Pheud,” traditional North Indian dance, and even a revival of Paul Kwiat's short film “Physicists on Ice,” to name just a few. The full lineup can be viewed on the event website. A live auction benefiting the Daily Bread Soup Kitchen in Champaign raised over $2,000.
Scroll past the photos below to read the heartfelt thank-you note Illinois Physics Professor Lance Cooper, the associate head for graduate programs, wrote to the student organizers: PGSA co-presidents Sydnee O'Donnell and Paul Harmston, and graduate students (in no particular order) Edrick Wang, Shreenithi Katta, Lucas Ribaudo, Ritvik Gunturu, Aastha Bagree, Olivia Bitcon, David Roh, Isaac Long, Nicolas Guerra, Danielle Woods, Derek Pan, Xavier Mleziva, Suhas Sheikh, Rebecca Chan, Katie Gifford, Oliver Wolff, Layla Ahmed, and Sarah Rogers-Pastio.
Photos by Lance Cooper and Ritvik Gunturu.
A note from the associate head for graduate programs, Illinois Physics Professor Lance Cooper
Dear Paul, Sydnee, Isaac, Jongwon, Katie, Oliver, Nicolas, Sri, Edrick, and others involved in last night's fantastic 2026 Physical Revue (AB-BA)!
Yet again, all of you, along with many other members of the Illinois Physics PGSA, pulled off another outstanding Physical Revue on Saturday night! As you know, you had a record attendance of more than 300 students and faculty—requiring an expansion of the ballroom into the South Lounge area of the Illini Union for the first time—as well as a record number of terrific performing acts. In spite of the size of the event and the large audience, you did a remarkable job organizing and running this event smoothly. You and other students also spent weeks working after hours on the wonderful decorations for this event. As in the past, I was amazed at not only the incredible musical and comedic talents of our graduate students, but also your creativity and resourcefulness organizing and running this event. Your clever AB-BA theme for this year's Physical Revue was particularly clever and fun. Finally, your live and silent auctions raised an impressive ~$2200 for the Daily Bread Soup Kitchen in Champaign, demonstrating that you can create a highly entertaining event that is not only social, but socially conscious. Many first-time students and faculty attendees (and even a parent in attendance) told me how impressed they were at the high level of organization, entertainment, and talent on display last night.
The Illinois Physics Physical Revue is a unique, nearly 35-year tradition that is important not only because it provides an opportunity for our graduate students to demonstrate their creativity and many impressive talents outside of physics, but also because it helps maintain the wonderful community we have in the department. All of us at Illinois Physics owe you tremendous thanks for the many activities you and other physics graduate students do to sustain not only our vibrant and collegial departmental community, but also our department's teaching and research!
Thanks once again for all you do for our department!
Best wishes,
Lance