APS CUWiP 2024 @ UArizona
The APS Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CUWiP) 2024 (http://cuwip.arizona.edu/), hosted by the UA Department of Physics and Department of Astronomy, was held successfully at the beautiful Biosphere 2 on January 19 - 21. The Local Organizing Committee was led by Prof. Vasilis Paschalidis, Prof. Kate Alexander, and Prof. Ken Johns. This conference attracted about 100 participants from nearby states, with an especially engaging parallel program covering careers in academia, teaching, industry, life-work balance, navigating STEM as LGBTQIA+, applying to graduate school, finding a mentor, undergraduate research, outreach, imposter syndrome, as well as practical workshops on personal statements and cover letters. Students also gave poster presentation as well as research talks.
Dean Carmala Garzione shared her personal story in her welcome remarks, and offered helpful advice to students: establish a trusted mentoring network, don’t be afraid to pursue high risk, believe in yourself, be kind to yourself, failures are valuable for improving, try to put fear and anxiety to work for you, focus on the things you are grateful for, and pursue balance. The after-dinner talk by Prof. Marcia Rieke covered not only the science of infrared astronomy, but also her exciting journey into the James Webb telescope, and showcased contributions from many wonderful female scientists towards the success of this project. The night-time social activities were led by our enthusiastic PIE members Anna Roche and Brianna Billingsley with a lot of pies and fun.
Many thanks to our LOC team, panelists, and volunteers to make this happen!
