Welcome to the UA Women in Physics & Astronomy group! We welcome all undergraduate and graduate students, postdocs, and faculty in physics, astronomy, and related fields. Our goals are:
- to encourage the participation, recruitment, and retention of women in physics;
- to foster connections between undergraduates and female physicists at all career stages;
- to explore opportunities for physicists in academia, K-12 education, and industry.
The faculty members involved in WiPA are
- Dawn Williams – drwilliams3@ua.edu
- Claudia Mewes – cmewes@mint.ua.edu
- Preethi Nair – preethi.nair@ua.edu
- Adam Hauser – ahauser@ua.edu
We encourage undergraduate and graduate women to become active participants and organizers of WiPA meetings.
WiPA normally meets once a month. This semester we will meet on Tuesdays from 5:00–6:00 p.m. Other meetings and informal gatherings are scheduled based on student feedback and requests. The schedule for meetings for the current academic year is included below.
Schedule for 2019 – 2020
Meeting time: 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. on Tuesdays unless otherwise noted.
Room: GL 223 unless otherwise noted.
Refreshments including coffee, tea and snacks will be served.
Spring 2020
| Date | Topics/Agenda | Speaker(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1/31 @4:00 p.m. GL 227 |
Careers in and out of academia – Career Panel | Dr. Boxton Miles (industry), Sarah Tarbox (Teacher, UA alumna), TBA |
| 03/25 @5:30 p.m. | Cancelled: Applying for an NSF graduate fellowship | GL 227 |
| 04/22 @5:30 p.m. | Applying for an NSF graduate fellowship | GL 227 |
Fall 2019
| Date | Topics/Agenda | Speaker(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 9/03 @5:30 p.m. GL 227 |
Plasma Physics, Nuclear Fusion and Internship Opportunities at the Princeton Plasma Physics Lab | Alexandra P. LeViness |
| 9/04 @5:30 p.m. GL 227 |
Joint Women in Physics and Astronomy (WiPA) and Association of Women in Science (AWIS) Ice Cream Social |
|
| 10/23 | Lunch with visiting speaker | Dr. Tatiana Allen |
| 10/26 | Homecoming — activities on the quad | |
| 11/06 @5:30 p.m. in GL223 | CV/Resume workshop – crafting CVs for internships, REUs, grad school and non-academic careers. | Appie Millsaps, J.D., Career Consultant |
Archive of previous WiPA meetings
No archive of the 2018-2019 WiPA webpage exists as all meetings were geared towards organizing the Jan 2019 UA APS Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CUWiP).
Resources for Women in Physics
American Physical Society – Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics
APS CUWiP are three-day regional conferences for undergraduate physics majors. 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.
The meetings take place every MLK weekend at 10 locations simultaneously across the US and Canada.
UA Women in STEM Experience (WiSE)
WiSE (Women in STEM Experience) is an initiative that seeks to support women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) through mentorship and networking in the hopes of narrowing the existing gender gap in STEM studies and careers. Through WiSE, students studying science and math related fields have the opportunity to network with peers, faculty, alumni, and professionals. These connections are designed to help students develop skills in professionalism and build confidence in their career pursuits.
4000 Years of Women in Science
Did you know? Science is a traditional role for women. Dr. Deborah Crocker at The University of Alabama and Dr. Sethanne Howard retired from the US Naval Observatory are chronicling the contributions of all the wonderful women of our past at 4000 Years of Women in Science
20th Century Women in Physics (CWP)
For information on noted female physicists of the 20th century please visit UCLA’s CWP library.