#cuwip

8/??? coming home from cuwip, trapped at the airport (shocker), a week of classes over, finished my japan paperwork, and this blog is actually active?

2018

The 2018 conferences will be held Friday, January 12 through Sunday afternoon, January 14, 2018.

Arizona State University

Cal Poly Pomona/Pomona College/Harvey Mudd College

Columbia University

George Washington University

Iowa State University

Rochester Institute of Technology

Queen’s University (Canada)

University of Kansas

University of North Florida

University of Oregon

University of Toledo

University of Virginia

The goal of APS CUWiP is to help undergraduate women continue in physics by providing them with the opportunity to experience a professional conference, information about graduate school and professions in physics, and access to other women in physics of all ages with whom they can share experiences, advice, and ideas.

A typical program will include research talks by faculty, panel discussions about graduate school and careers in physics, presentations and discussions about women in physics, laboratory tours, student research talks, a student poster session, and several meals during which presenters and students interact with each other.

Applications are now being accepted. Deadline: October 13, 2017

Applications are now being accepted. Deadline: October 13, 2017

Conference: Friday, January 12 - Sunday, January 14, 2018 Twelve locations throughout the U.S. and Canada APS Conferences for Undergraduate Women in Physics will provide you with information, resources, and motivation to support your pursuit of a physics major and a career in physics. The conferences will offer inspirational talks by women in physics, student poster or presentation sessions, workshops, and panel discussions on topics such as summer research, grad school, physics careers, and professional development, as well as opportunities for networking and informal mentoring.

Free APS Membership

If you are not already a member, you are eligible for a free APS student membership! You'll be signed up automatically, unless you opt-out on the application.

Learn More About APS Benefits

Application Information

Priority will be given to those who are (1) undergraduate physics majors, (2) have never attended APS CUWiP, and (3) are applying to attend the conference site that is geographically closest to their location.

In order for your application to be considered, please:

Complete all parts of the application before the deadline (October 13)

Write a thoughtful Applicant Statement

Indicate the site that is geographically closest to your location at the time of the conference

Applications Close October 13, 2017 at 11:59 p.m. EDT

Accepted applicants will be notified via email in early-November. At that time, you will be asked to register for the conference and to pay a $45 registration fee. In cases of need, a registration fee waiver form is available. The link to a waiver form will be provided in the registration.

For Non-Undergraduates

Attendance of non-undergraduates (graduate students, faculty, advisors) is up to each site, and there is no formal application. Please reach out to the organizers at your regional conference.

For Students Attending Universities Outside of the United States and Canada

Due to funding constraints, we are unable to pay for students attending universities outside of the United States and Canada and we will not accept your application through our system. However, we welcome your attendance at CUWiP. If you do not attend a university in the United States or Canada, please email the site organizers at the address listed on their website to ask about attendance.  

Travel Information

Food and accommodation are provided by the conferences. In order to ensure that these conferences remain accessible to all students, we encourage you to ask your department for travel funding for transportation to the conference.  If you are unsure about who to ask for funding, you might ask an academic advisor, faculty member you know, or other mentor for guidance. If your department is unable to provide full funding for transportation, travel support is available from the CUWiP sites.

CUWiP Sites

For those of you who don’t know me, I’m halfway through my junior year of double majoring in meteorology and astrophysics, two predominantly male fields. Over the past few weeks I’ve attended the Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CuWiP) and the Women’s march on Washington. These events have not only opened my eyes to realize what I’m really going through as a woman in STEM, they’ve inspired me to start speaking out about my experiences. So, here’s a few things I deal with every day in my fields:

1. Imposter syndrome:  a concept describing high-achieving individuals who are marked by an inability to internalize their accomplishments and a persistent fear of being exposed as a “fraud”.

Everything that happens to go right is by chance. Aced that exam? I got lucky. Answered a question correctly in class? Probably will never happen again. Whenever someone thinks I know what is going on in a class or how to solve a problem I think, “Surely they must be misunderstood. There is no way I know more than them, therefore if I answer their question it will be wrong and hinder them.” So I don’t even try to answer. I just say, “I don’t know” and move on. Every time someone asks to see my homework solutions I hand them over saying, “They’re probably wrong.” I genuinely don’t understand how I’ve gotten this far in my double major, and every time I look back I see a history of pure luck, not hard work. Every time I write an application, all I can think is “They will see through your facade. Your resume is fake. You’re making false claims in your essay. Even if they do accept you, once you start the program they will see right through you and be disappointed. If they accept you, they’ve made a mistake.” These thoughts are constantly swirling through my head, to the point where I’ve lost motivation to pay attention in class, since I shouldn’t be there anyway. I shouldn’t even try on my homework because I’ll always fail in the end. Which brings me to my next hardship:

2. Stereotype threat: “a situational predicament in which people are or feel themselves to be at risk of conforming to stereotypes about their social group. If negative stereotypes are present regarding a specific group, group members are likely to become anxious about their performance, which may hinder their ability to perform at their maximum level.”

This is a new concept to me that really hit home when I heard about it at CuWiP. On countless occasions I’ve avoided joining predominantly male study sessions/homework sessions (even with my closest friends) because I was afraid I would appear stupid and not know anything, which of course must be true because I am a woman. This has most definitely affected my test scores and overall course grades over the past few years.  Going back to focusing in class and working on homework; there are days when I literally can’t hear the professor speaking because my brain repeats on-end “you are a failure”. Whenever I sit down in front of my homework it’s “you don’t know this, you will never know this. Give up now”. Every day my motivation dwindles down a bit further. If so few women have made it this far then it’s only a matter of time before I’m discovered as a fraud and drop out too.

3) Subconsciously sexist friends and classmates.

Most of my friends are male. That’s just how it works when 70-90% of the people in your classes are male. Most of my friends are also sexist. I know they don’t mean it and they certainly don’t notice it, but they treat me drastically different from the rest of the crew. I am left out of personal projects because it’s assumed I wouldn’t be interested in helping out. I’m excluded from group study invitations. I’m ignored in academic conversations and receive surprised expressions when I actually chime in. When I point out concerns for being a woman in STEM all I get in return is silence. Occasionally I’ll even have my questions blatantly ignored. It’s assumed I don’t notice when they only make fun of female tv meteorologists, claiming they don’t know any meteorology and are only hired for their attractive looks and hot bodies when I’ve never heard them make fun of a male tv meteorologist.

4) Being the only woman in the room

I realize this doesn’t seem like it should be a big issue, and it certainly isn’t for some of my fellow women in STEM, but I notice it every damn time. A piece of me falls every damn time. I do not feel safe in a room surrounded by men. Not because I’m afraid of being assaulted or harassed, but because these moments are when the imposter syndrome and stereotype threat run strongest in my already belittled mind. And it happens all. the. time. I’ve stopped hanging out in certain areas, such as the astro lounge, because I know if I go there I will most likely be the only woman. I also know that being in any closed area with a large percentage of men holds a higher chance of hearing a derogatory comment (about women in general), being ignored, and  hearing inappropriate conversations about things such as sexual assault (you know, “locker room talk”).

so CUWiP and hanging out in cambridge for four days was awesome!