Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics at USD a Huge Success

Over 200 attendees came to the University of San Diego to participate in the Conferences for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CUWiP). Conference participants, undergraduates interested in physics and invested in improving the culture of physics for women and gender minorities, listened to research talks by award-winning physicists, connected with their peers during meals and roundtable discussions, attended workshops on careers, presented their research at a poster session and were guided on how to build up their support network to make their own path in physics. Coordinating this three-day conference was Assistant Professor of Physics & Biophysics Maren Mossman, PhD, with the help of many other faculty, staff and students in USD's Department of Physics & Biophysics.

Attendees were captivated by keynote presentations from renowned physicists each day of the conference. On Saturday evening, UCLA Professor of Physics and Astronomy Andrea Ghez, PhD, the fourth woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics, discussed her work on studying supermassive blackholes to an audience in the KIPJ Theater. Professor Ghez also dined and chatted with undergraduate students during her time at USD. On Saturday morning, attendees listened to a talk from astrophysicist Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell, PhD, which was simultaneously live streamed to the many CUWiP regional sites across the country. Dr. Bell Burnell discussed her path through astrophysics and how she was the first to discover radio pulsars. Other keynote speakers were Jill Pestana, a battery scientist and science communicator, and CSU San Bernardino Assistant Professor Katy Rodriguez Wimberly, PhD, who studies galaxy formation and works to improve the astronomical community for all.

In between talks, attendees participated in many workshops and information sessions. Students heard from experts and professionals about building a support network, how to maintain work-life balance, life as a graduate student, career options for physicists, finding research opportunities, navigating identity in physics as an LGBTQ+ individual, building a resume and much more. Attendees also had time to tour the USD campus, visit labs in the Department of Physics & Biophysics, play physics-themed trivia, enjoy a planetarium show and meet new friends over meals and games.

The CUWiP conferences are supported by the American Physical Society and funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy. The USD CUWiP site also received support from numerous organizations and individuals, including the Provost's Office, the College of Arts and Sciences at USD and companies such as General Atomics, Google and Thorlabs. 

The great success of this CUWiP conference was the result of months of planning as well as the lively engagement and participation of the undergraduate student attendees who demonstrated their commitment to making physics more inclusive. While the USD CUWiP event wrapped up this past Sunday, Dr. Mossman will continue her work to improve physics for women and gender minorities as the chair of the Southern California Consortium for CUWiP, making sure that this region continues to host successful CUWiP sites.