The Conferences for Undergraduate Women in Physics Will Welcome Students Online in 2021

“We’re hoping to have the same size conference as we usually do to make sure we’re still able to offer high-quality networking, which is a big part of these conferences” says Renee Michelle Goertzen, Assistant Director of Programs at APS. “With networking platforms, we hope to give attendees chances to make connections.”

In addition to ample networking opportunities, the virtual CUWiP will offer a slate of workshops on navigating different aspects of physics, from graduate school to alternative careers in physics and much more. CUWiP will also feature talks from inspiring women in physics, with a keynote presentation by Mary James, Professor of Physics at Reed College and the Dean for Institutional Diversity.

While most years the specific workshops and speakers are selected by each site, the 2021 CUWiP will serve as a pilot program for a newly formed student advisory council to help guide what content is included in the conference.

“Usually each site has input from students as they plan, but for the virtual CUWiP, we came up with a student advisory council to help plan the conference,” says Kai Wright, Senior Coordinator at APS. “This is something we want to continue moving forward with CUWiP, to have student voices in the national organizing committee.”

The formation of a student advisory council will help ensure CUWiP’s activities are useful for student attendees and will add additional perspectives to the planning process.

“The student advisory council was selected in part based on groups we are looking to reach with the CUWiP conference,” says Goertzen. “We also want this council to amplify diverse voices—we want everyone to feel welcome coming to a CUWiP conference.”

Another change to CUWiP being piloted by the 2021 conference is a new date: Usually CUWiP has been held over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, but organizers are experimenting with shifting the conference date to see if it better accommodates students.

“We’re experimenting with this change to make CUWiP more accessible,” says Goertzen. “We want students to be able to attend CUWiP but also be able to take part in MLK weekend and Day of Service activities.”

Since its inception in 2006 at the University of Southern California, CUWiP has become a hallmark event for undergraduate women in physics, reaching almost every woman in the US who is pursuing a physics degree, according to a recent CUWiP impact report. Funding to support CUWiP and provide an important experience for women seeking physics degrees comes from the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, the Heising-Simons foundation, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

Applications for the 2021 CUWiP conference open September 8 and will close on October 30. The application is available on the CUWiP website.