What do the t-shirts look like?
I am a faculty adviser/mentor, can I attend with my students?
Fill out the online application, tell us whether you are “student”, “faculty” or “other”. We won’t be able to cover your hotel room, but we can book a room for you at the reduced rate. We can also cover your meals.
I am interested in presenting a poster for the Women in Physics Conference in January, how do I sign up for the poster session?
http://go.physics.illinois.edu/cuwip2013apply. When you apply, there is a place on the application to indicate that you would like to participate in the poster session.
Are conference participants required to present a poster?
Conference participants are not expected to present posters since we realize that not all of our attendees have had research opportunities yet. However, we very much encourage participants to present posters if they are able to!
Can you please clarify what the poster session is about and is about and explain how I can prepare for it?
Our poster session is going to be like any typical physics research poster session. We were planning on breaking for lunch and then transitioning into a poster session that will last somewhere between 30-60 minutes. The session will basically consist of multiple students presenting posters on their research. Assuming you have a poster, the best way to prepare for the poster session would probably be to practice explaining the main points of your research in 2-5 minutes. Since many people present at once during poster sessions, it is convenient for those attending to be able hear the overall gist of your research in a brief amount of time so that they can view many different posters during the session.
Of course, you may choose to present however you want and some people will probably have questions that will require you to go into further detail, but as a personal suggestion, I’d say that the best way to prepare would be to figure out how to explain the most important points of your poster as briefly as possible! (It would probably also help to practice talking about your research conversationally with friends and maybe making some notes ahead of time).
Recommended poster size is 33.1″ X 46.8″ (A0 paper size) or smaller. (View example of a poster)
My department is planning to send a group of students (in multiple vehicles) to the conference. The application asks for estimated cost of travel to the conference. Should the drivers estimate the travel cost and the passengers estimate $0?
The drivers should list the cost and everybody else should put zero. The two who list the driving cost can put a note on the application that the cost you are listing actually covers 4 people.
Can you send me an electronic and hard copy of the conference poster?
Sure just send us your e-mail and snail mail address.
What do I wear to the conference?
The dress attire for this conference is business casual. Also, please bring comfortable shoes, since attendees will be walking to various locations for scheduled events.
I saw a poster for the 6th annual Midwest Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics and I am very interested in attending this conference; however, I just signed up for this major and I haven’t taken many physics classes yet. I was wondering whether it would be constructive to attend the conference regardless of my limited knowledge or would it be best to wait until next year to apply?
Welcome to the world of physics! We are so glad that you are interested in attending the conference and want to assure you that no prior experience is needed to attend! There will be attendees at every different level in their physics careers, so don’t worry about not fitting in. 🙂 We believe that this conference would be a great experience for beginners. We hope to see you in January!
I am new faculty and the only female in my department. I want to attend the conference to talk with students and faculty on ways to encourage our women in physics group to be more active, and to participate in the community at large. The application is geared toward undergraduates. How should I sign up?
Yes, we are happy to have faculty attend. You are right that the application is geared toward students. Just answer the questions as best you can (or skip ones that are irrelevant). We would be very glad to have you at the conference.