ABOUT
The APS Conferences for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CUWiP) are three-day regional conferences for undergraduate physics majors.
The 2024 conferences will be held January 19-21, 2024. 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. The national and local organizing committees of APS CUWiP strive to create a welcoming environment for all, including undergraduate women and gender minorities.
The 2024 program at Tulane University will include research talks, panel discussions about graduate school and careers in physics, workshops and discussions about women in physics, student research talks and poster sessions, and laboratory tours.
Any undergraduate student with an interest in physics may apply to attend a CUWiP. Undergraduate students are eligible to apply and register for the conference, and we encourage non-undergraduate students or interested faculty/mentors to email Dr. Jessica Graber (jgraber@tulane.edu) for details about attendance and participation.
ELIGIBILITY
The content of this year’s conference will not be exactly the same as the previous year’s, and you are welcome to apply to attend again. However, if more students apply than we can accommodate, preference will be given to students who have never attended a CUWiP.
Yes, all attendees must register by the deadline, Monday, October 23, 2023 at 5:00pm ET.
We don’t know! Please contact APS because they have not told us what to do.
Yes, undergraduate students at any U.S. college or university are strongly encouraged to apply.
Only undergraduate students who will be over 18 at the time of the conference may apply to CUWiP.
Yes, students of all genders are welcome to attend this conference. In fact, the person making this website is non-binary. We’re everywhere. If you have questions, or concerns about the housing for this conference, please contact us at jgraber@tulane.edu.
APPLICATION & REGISTRATION
Any undergraduate student attending a U.S college/university may apply. You must be over the age of 18 at the time of the conference. High school students are not permitted to apply.
It is very important to complete all parts of the application and to write a thoughtful Applicant Statement. If conferences are oversubscribed, priority will be given to applicants who:
- Are undergraduate physics or engineering physics majors.
- Have never attended an APS CUWiP
There is no formal application or registration process for non-undergraduate students and interested faculty and mentors. We encourage you to email jgraber@tulane.edu for details about attendance and participation.
You apply to attend a CUWiP conference, the CUWiP leadership directs you to a site, the site reviews your application and you are accepted or declined according to the priorities listed above. The application is free and the deadline to apply is Monday, October 23, 2023 at 5:00pm ET.
After you have been accepted, you will register for your accepted site to confirm that you will actually be attending, and provide specifics, such as special accommodations and dietary restrictions. There is a one-time registration fee of $45, which helps offset some of the cost of the conference. The conference provides all lodging and meals. If necessary, the registration fee can be waived. To request a fee waiver, please contact women@aps.org.
As CUWiP is so popular, we need to carefully balance the loads across the sites to minimize travel costs and maximize the number of students who can attend CUWiP. Please do not book travel until you receive an acceptance email and complete registration for a specific site.
First, make sure you submit your application by the deadline.
Second, make sure you put some thought into why you want to attend and what you want to get out of the conference. Please answer all questions on the application fully and honestly. Offering to present a talk or a poster, or indicating interest in travel support, will not affect your chances of being selected to attend.
COST & FUNDING
Students who are accepted to attend the conference must pay a one-time registration fee of $45, which helps offset some of the cost of the conference, including all lodging and meals. Lodging (for non-local students) and food will be covered by the conference; you do not need to pay for your hotel room or food at the conference. We expect that your travel expenses will be covered by your home department or college. However, if they are not able to cover these expenses, travel funding is available. FILL IN TRAVEL FUNDING
If you cannot afford the registration fee and your department/college is unable to help, you may request a fee waiver by emailing women@aps.org for the appropriate form. The request takes approximately 48 hours to review. You must request a fee waiver before registering. The deadline to request a fee waiver is on Monday, December 11, 2023 at 5:00 PM ET. Please do not wait until the last minute to request the waiver and/or to register. For more information on fee waivers, contact women@aps.org.
Please note that the deadline for students to cancel registration and receive a refund is on Tuesday, January 2, 2024 5:00 p.m. ET. Any cancellations beyond that date are non-refundable.
Please talk to your department chair, manager, or director of undergraduate studies before registering for CUWiP. You might ask an academic advisor, faculty member you know, or other mentor for guidance about who to ask if you are unsure. You can also contact us if you would like guidance in asking your department for travel funds.
We offer a payment option for departments who would like a secure way to pay for their students. The request takes approximately 48 hours to review and process. Please contact women@aps.org for more information.
Payment requests must be submitted by Thursday, December 7, 2023 at 5:00pm ET.
TRAVEL & HOTEL
Because your travel costs are reimbursable, it is expected that you will attend all of the conference events as scheduled. If you have special circumstances, please contact us to discuss them. <site email>
MISCELLANEOUS
The conference has no dress code, and we encourage students to be comfortable. There will be a plated banquet on Saturday evening <substitute site details>, and many students enjoy dressing up for this event. You may wish to look at photos of previous conferences to see what students typically wear. <Indicate if good walking shoes or clothes for bad weather are needed>
Please see our Presentation Guidelines for more information.
Yes! We have set up a Facebook/Twitter page <substitute local information>
Please contact us to discuss your needs at <site email>.
A gender pronoun is the pronoun that a person chooses to use for themselves. For example, if Xena’s preferred pronouns are she, her, and hers, you could say “Xena ate her food because she was hungry.” She, her, hers and he, him, his are common examples of pronouns. Some people call these “female/feminine” and “male/masculine” pronouns, but many avoid these labels because, for example, not everyone who uses he feels like a “male” or “masculine.”
Some people use multiple sets of pronouns. For example, if Xena uses she/they pronouns, then Xena is comfortable being referred to using she/her pronouns or they/them pronouns. Some people place their more preferred pronoun first: if Xena said that they use they/she pronouns, then they prefer they/them, but are also comfortable with she/her.
There are also lots of gender-neutral pronouns in use. Here are a few you might hear:
* They, them, theirs (Xena ate their food because they were hungry.) This is a pretty common gender-neutral pronoun…. And yes, it can in fact be used in the singular.
* Ze, hir (Xena ate hir food because ze was hungry.)
Ze is pronounced like “zee” can also be spelled zie or xe, and replaces she/he/they. Hir is pronounced like “here” and replaces her/hers/him/his/they/theirs.
* Just my name please! (Xena ate Xena’s food because Xena was hungry) Some people prefer not to use pronouns at all, using their name as a pronoun instead.
* Never, ever refer to a person as “it” or “he-she” (unless they specifically ask you to.) These are often used as offensive slurs.
CUWiP seeks to be a safe space for all participants. By asking for preferred pronouns, we are ensuring that we don’t accidentally misgender any of our participants or make harmful assumptions based on appearance. Even if you have never considered this in relation to yourself, by including your preferred pronouns on your name badge you can help to make other CUWiP participants comfortable. We hope you will consider this.
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