Schedule

All events listed are in Eastern Standard Time (EST).

Most events will take place in David Rittenhouse Laboratory (DRL) located on 33rd and Walnut St.

Snow day Friday – please go to the hotel.  We look forward to seeing you on Saturday morning!

Saturday

8am

Walk from Warwick Hotel (220 S 17th St) to DRL (209 S 33rd St).
Time: 25 minutes. Distance 1.2 miles.

Wear a hat and gloves – it will be chilly.

SEPTA Bus 21 and 42 run along Walnut Street from 17th St to 33rd St. You can pay the $2.50 fare with a debit or credit card (swipe)

8am

Registration opens (DRL main lobby)

8am-9am

Breakfast (DRL main lobby)

9am-10am & 
10am-11am

 

Each parallel workshop is available twice! Once from 9-10am and again from 10am-11am

(1) Careers in Data Science (DRL room 2C8)

(2) Careers in Medical Physics (DRL room 2C4)

(3) Research in Condensed Matter and Biophysics (DRL room A2)

(4) Research in Particle Physics and Astronomy (DRL A8)

(5) How to get involved in undergraduate research? (DRL room 2C6)

(6) How to excel at outreach (DRL room A4)

(7) Career skills: How to apply to grad school? (DRL room A6)

(8) Workshop for LGBTQ+ students and allies (DRL room 3C2)

11:00am-11:30am

Coffee (DRL main lobby) and chance to chat with workshop panelists

11:30am-12:30pm

Career Fair (DRL room A5 and nearby lobby)

Come for plenty of networking opportunities and career fair tables presented by:

  • UPenn Physics
  • Princeton University
  • Ursinus College
  • Nevis Labs @ Columbia
  • Drexel University
  • Spherix Inc
  • Thorlabs
  • The George Washington University
  • UPenn Medical Physics Graduate Program
  • Kent State University
  • Rowan University
  • Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
  • UPenn Mathematics
  • Swarthmore / Brynn Mawr / Haverford
  • East Stroudsburg University

12:30pm-1:45pm

Lunch (DRL main lobby and Singh Center third floor)

12:30pm!

Welcome and plenary talk (DRL room A1)

Elizabeth Mann (National Science Foundation and Kent State University)

A scenic journey through soft materials 

Abstract: Soft materials, or squishy things that you can touch, are all around us, from in the kitchen to in your body.  You might not think that such everyday things still have a lot of physics to teach us, but their other name, “complex fluids”, hints that they do.  This talk will guide you along a personal journey exploring soft materials, especially at surfaces. It will focus on the mentors, students, and collaborators (with some people fulfilling all three roles) along the way.

Bio: Dr. Elizabeth K. Mann is Professor of Physics at Kent State University, which she joined in 1998, and is currently on a temporary (rotator) assignment in the Condensed Matter Physics program in the Division of Material Research at the National Science Foundation. She received her B.S. degree in physics from Case Western Reserve University and completed her Ph.D. in soft matter physics at the Ecole Normal Supérieure in Paris (graduating from the Université Pierre et Marie Curie.) She went on to do post-doctoral work both in France (the Institut Charles Sadron and the Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, in Strasbourg) and in Switzerland (Federal Institute of Technology-Zurich), bridging laboratories of macromolecular science, odontology, and environmental engineering. Her research interests center on liquid crystalline, lipid, and (bio)macromolecular films at interfaces: from the organization of complex molecules by a surface to pattern formation and surface hydrodynamics. She served the American Physical Society as Member-at-Large of DSOFT and as a member of the Committee on the Status of Women in Physics of the American Physical Society.

2pm-3:30pm

2024 Millie Dresselhaus CUWiP National Keynote (DRL room A1)

Jocelyn Bell Burnell (University of Oxford)

Jocelyn Bell Burnell inadvertently discovered pulsars as a graduate student in radio astronomy in Cambridge, opening up a new branch of astrophysics, work recognised by the award of a Nobel Prize to her supervisor.

She has subsequently worked in many roles in many branches of astronomy, working part-time while raising a family. She is now a visiting academic in Oxford and the chancellor of the University of Dundee, Scotland. She has been president of the UK’s Royal Astronomical Society, in 2008 became the first female president of the Institute of Physics for the UK and Ireland, and in 2014 the first female president of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. She was one of the small group of women scientists that set up the Athena SWAN scheme.

She has received many honors, including a $3 million Breakthrough Prize in 2018. The public appreciation and understanding of science have always been important to her, and she is much in demand as a speaker and broadcaster. In her spare time, she gardens, listens to choral music, and is active in the Quakers. She has co-edited an anthology of poetry with an astronomical theme, Dark Matter; Poems of Space.

3:30pm-4pm

Coffee (DRL main lobby)

4pm-5pm

Poster session (DRL rooms 2C2, 2C4, 2C6, 2C8, 3C2, 3C4, 3C6, 3C8)

5pm-6pm

Plenary talk (DRL room A1)

Lisa Rivalin (Meta)

Integrating Worlds: A Journey Through Physics, Statistics, and Data Science

In this talk, I will share my interdisciplinary journey through physics, with a focus on energy simulation, statistics, particularly in uncertainty quantification, and building AI models within data science. My path, which has taken me from a dual role as a PhD research engineer at Engie, a leading energy company in Europe, and a PhD student at Mines ParisTech, to a technical lead role in the physical modeling team at Meta in the USA, underscores the importance of integrating diverse scientific disciplines and being adaptable both personally and scientifically. Throughout my career, I have navigated the academic and industry realms across different cultural environments, constantly switching between physics and statistics. This presentation aims to inspire upcoming physicists to actively craft their career paths, emphasizing adaptability, mentorship, and the value of interdisciplinary approaches.

Bio: Lisa Rivalin is a Research Scientist for the data center physical modeling team at Meta, focusing on bridging the gap between the physical and digital worlds. Her current projects involve data center modeling, from chip to region, leveraging physics-based models and machine learning to optimize design and operations, contributing to Meta’s sustainability goals.

Before joining Meta, Lisa was a Lead Research Scientist and Project Manager at Engie, where she developed new energy performance contracts using innovative statistical methods and implemented smart building technologies. She also served as an Affiliate Research Scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, working on predictive modeling for the built environment.

Lisa holds a PhD in Applied Statistics and Energy from Mines ParisTech, a Master of Science in Engineering from the University of Poitiers, and a Master of Arts in History and Philosophy of Science from Paris Diderot University.

 

6pm-8pm

Dinner (Houston Hall of Flags)

8pm-10pm

Social program

  • Movie night (DRL A1). Join fellow movie enthusiasts to watch physics movies. 
  • Physics challenges (DRL A2). Consider different worlds or modified laws of physics to solve atypical physics problems without a defined solution.
  • Stories by the (screen) fire (DRL A4). Bond with fellow CUWiP attendees by sharing stories and interests.  Ice breakers will be provided to start the conversation.
  • Classic physics games (DRL A5). Play classic games with a physics twist, such as physics taboo, physics pictionary, and physics in action!
  • Scavenger hunt (DRL A6). Search David Rittenhouse Laboratory to find all items on the list.
  • Karaoke night (DRL A8). Join us to sing your favorite songs!
  • Stargazing (Meet at the registration desk) Take a 10 minute walk with us to gaze at the stars at Cira Green rooftop garden. Please check discord for updates.

8pm-11pm

Shuttle bus operates in continuous loop from 3418 Spruce (the Gates entrance to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania) and DRL front entrance (209 S 33rd St) to Warwick Hotel (220 S 17th St)

Sunday

8am

Walk from Warwick Hotel (220 S 17th St) to DRL (209 S 33rd St).
Time: 25 minutes. Distance 1.2 miles.

8am-9am

Breakfast (DRL main lobby)

9am-10am & 
10am-11am

 

Each parallel workshop is available twice EXCEPT for 16 & 17! Once from 9-10am and again from 10am-11am

(10) Careers in Engineering, Government, Policy, Law, Science Communication (DRL room A4)

(11) Careers in Education (DRL room A2)

(12) Research in Mathematical & Computational Physics (DRL room 2C8)

(13) Career skills: how to apply for internships and industry positions? (DRL room A8)

(14) Career skills: speaking (DRL room 2C4)

(15) How to thrive: physics and life balance (DRL room A6)

(16) *10AM only* How to self-advocate: understanding and mitigating bias and harassment (DRL room 2C6)

(17) *10AM only* Workshop for International students (DRL room 3C4)

    11:00am-11:30am

    Coffee (DRL main lobby) and chance to chat with workshop panelists

    11:30am-12:30pm

    Plenary talk (DRL room A1)

    Michele Kim (Assistant Professor, Penn Medicine)

    Physics is relevant in all aspects of our lives and that includes the field of medicine. Medical physics pertains to the application of physics techniques to be used in medicine. There are different branches of medical physics including radiation therapy physics, diagnostic imaging physics, nuclear physics, and health physics that are direct uses of physics concepts to ensure safety and to help patients receive treatment and imaging. This talk will focus on the personal discovery of medical physics exploring clinical work and research and finding a passion for all the different and unique aspects of the job. I will highlight the mentors, students, and collaborators that I have collected on my journey.

    Bio: Dr. Michele Kim is an Assistant Professor and medical physicist in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. She earned her BA in Physics and Biophysics as well as her MS and PhD in Physics and Certificate in Medical Physics from the University of Pennsylvania and is certified by the American Board of Radiology. Her research interests include Proton FLASH radiation dosimetry and instrumentation, small animal radiobiological studies, and photodynamic therapy dosimetry.

    12:30pm-1:00pm

    Post-conference survey and closing remarks (DRL room A1)

    1pm-2pm

    Lunch (DRL main lobby for grab-and-go)