Category Archives: All

Women in STEM webinars

All, Events, Uncategorized

Women in STEM: The Power to Persist and Pursue

Join special guests Dr. Amanda Goodson, Aurora Martinez, and Dr. Becky Moening for the publisher Wiley’s latest educational webinars. This August we’re taking an inside look at the gender equity gap in STEM with a two-part panel discussion where we’ll bring together women studying and working in STEM to share their thoughts and experiences as well as advice for how we can each do our part to support the growth of women in STEM.

  • Student Voices: A Discussion of Gender Equity in STEM Education
    August 9, 2021 at 1 PM EST      REGISTER NOW

    • In session 1, author and former NASA Aerospace Engineer, Dr. Amanda Goodson and Wiley’s resident Math Specialist Dr. Becky Moening, Ed.D will lead a panel discussion with female STEM students to discuss what led them to choose a STEM career path, their experience to date as a woman in STEM, and how they see the world of STEM changing for women as they enter the workforce.
  • Women’s Equality Day: A Discussion of Gender Equity in the STEM Community August 26, 2021 at 1 PM EST   REGISTER NOW
    • In session two, Dr. Goodson will be joined by Wiley’s VP and General Manager of Math and Science Foundations, Aurora Martinez, along with a dynamic group of professional women working in STEM careers as they share what drove them to choose a STEM career, their experience to date and how they have achieved success despite the gender gap, and their suggestions for how more women can persist and pursue in STEM careers.

See other webinars by Wiley on a range of subjects including equity and inclusion

University of Chicago Rising Stars Symposia (due August 15)

All, Events

Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows: The University of Chicago Rising Stars Symposia 2021 offer a platform for exceptional early-career scientists in the broad field of physics to present their work. The symposia are intended to promote early-career development of researchers working in exciting new directions in soft and biological matter, quantum science and technology, and experimental particle physics. Another goal is to increase the diversity of researchers in these fields; we particularly welcome applications for the symposia from researchers who come from under-represented groups. Those selected to participate in the symposia will receive an honorarium.

Dates:

  •      Rising Stars in Experimental Particle Physics: September 22-23, 2021
  •      Rising Stars in Soft and Biological Matter: September 23-24, 2021
  •      Quantum Creators Prize Symposium: September 29-30, 2021

Application

Rowland Fellowship (Aug 20th)

All, Opportunities, Postdoctoral fellowships

The Rowland Institute at Harvard is seeking applications for RowlandcFellowships for the 2022 Academic year. We seek the best young experimentalists in all fields of science and engineering. The Rowland Fellowship provides an opportunity to work in the rich intellectual environment at Harvard and the surrounding area, while establishing an independent program. We welcome applications from candidates with newly awarded doctorates or with up to three years postdoctoral experience.

The Rowland Fellowship provides an excellent opportunity to pursue new research ideas. The pursuit of new ideas is facilitated by a flexible and agile environment. The Fellowship provides laboratory space, funding for equipment, personnel, and general operations. Staff scientists and engineers work with the Rowland Fellows to design and fabricate new experimental set-ups. Additional shared facilities are also available through Harvard.

The application deadline is Aug. 20, 2021. The selection process will be completed in October 2021 after a symposium series of talks by finalists in September/October 2021. Detailed application information is available at   https://www.rowland.harvard.edu/apply.

Inclusive Graduate Education Network (IGEN) conference (Jun 14-16)

All, Events, Graduate research

Registration is now open at this link!

2021 IGEN National Meeting

A Virtual Experience from June 14 – 16

Recruit, Learn, Share

The IGEN National Meeting provides an opportunity for organizations and individuals dedicated to advancing equity for Black, Latinx and Indigenous students in STEM graduate education to share ideas, learn together and develop/strengthen their networks.

Graduate students will be able to:

  • Develop personal and professional skills that will drive forward future academic and professional endeavors
  •   Share research findings with the IGEN scholarly community
  • Exchange experiences with peers and potential employers (i.e. personal and professional networking)
  • Increase exposure to academic/professional opportunities

Educators and Employers will be able to:

  • Learn about evidence-based inclusive practices (i.e. culturally responsive mentoring, advising, etc.)
  • Develop skills to lead equity efforts and facilitate organizational change
  • Increase their awareness of the racialized & gendered nature of research and academic spaces
  • Exchange experiences with cross-organizational leaders

Learn more about the program!

Physics & Astronomy Statement on Anti-Asian Racism

All, Events

Dear colleagues,

Like so many of you, I have been horrified and angry to hear increasing reports of violence against members of the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, including the most recent murders in Georgia of eight people, six of whom were Asian American women.

Our department unequivocally condemns anti-Asian racism, and denounces these acts of violence and the ongoing racism and misogyny behind them. We recognize the anxiety and fear that these acts cause in the personal and professional lives of our AAPI colleagues; a situation that has become even clearer to me in recent days in heartbreaking discussions with a number of you.

Such harassment, intimidation, and violence, directed against our AAPI colleagues, deeply affects us all as a collective community. We stand in solidarity with all AAPI faculty, staff, postdocs, and students, and we are committed to ensuring that our department is one where everyone may strive to learn, to contribute to the search for new knowledge, and to make the most of their talents.

I would like to remind you that if you would like to speak to anyone within the department about these issues, you are welcome at any time to contact me, our Graduate Chair (Prof. Josh Klein), our Undergraduate Chair (Prof. Masao Sako), our Diversity Coordinator (Prof. Evelyn Thomson), or any other member of the faculty. We all stand with you, and are ready to help in any way we can.

Mark Trodden

Chair, Department of Physics and Astronomy

 

List of resources from particle physics US LHC Users Association [thanks to Bo Jayatilaka and Toyoko Orimoto]

How to Be An Ally: 

History: 

 

Anti-Racism: 

 

IRIS-HEP fellowships for summer 2021 (by April 18th)

All, Opportunities, Undergraduate research

Hi All,

The Institute for Research and Innovation in Software for High Energy
Physics (IRIS-HEP) is now accepting proposals for IRIS-HEP student Fellows
for Summer 2021.

** Please circulate this email to students that may be interested **
**    in this opportunity for Summer 2021 research activities.    **

People are the key to successful software. IRIS-HEP aims to promote
the development of advanced research software skills by providing
opportunities for undergraduate and some graduate students to connect
with mentors within the larger High Energy Physics (HEP) and
Computational/Data Science community. At the same time, we aim to
promote software as a collaborative activity and encourage
collaborations which engage individuals in ways that maximize their
potential and their potential impact on the community. To accomplish
these goals, IRIS-HEP has created a Fellows program. IRIS-HEP Fellows
will spend some number of months working closely with a mentor on an
R&D topic relevant to the Institute.

Who should apply to the Fellows program? – Are you reasonably
comfortable with basic programming through skills acquired (for
example) from coursework or dedicated training activities? Are you
interested in building on those skills to gain experience through
contributions to cutting edge open source research software projects?
Then the IRIS-HEP Fellows program could be for you. Prior physics
knowledge is helpful, but not required. Applications from women and
members of underrepresented groups in STEM activities are particularly
encouraged.

For Summer 2021 we are happy to accept proposals for IRIS-HEP Fellows
from undergraduate students and graduate students that do not have
a research assistantship (e.g. Masters students). Due to COVID-19
restrictions, no travel or subsistence payments can currently be
paid to support co-location of either Fellows with mentors. Fellows
will in general work remotely at a distance with their mentors,
unless they happen to be at the same institution. Applicant students
should be associated with a US university.

Duration of fellowship and total stipend: An IRIS-HEP fellowship
will pay up to 3 FTE-months (full time equivalent) at $2000/month
during Summer 2021. We have some flexibility to accommodate different
summer schedules and lengths.

Full information on the program can be found here:

https://iris-hep.org/fellows.html

You will find examples of former Fellows and their projects, current
project ideas for Summer 2021 (including how you can propose your
own ideas) and information on how to apply.  Questions about any
aspect of the program (including possible projects, help finding
mentors, etc.) should be sent to fellows@iris-hep.org.

Applications from women and members of underrepresented groups in
STEM activities are particular encouraged to apply.

IRIS-HEP Fellow positions will be awarded in a rolling fashion based
on submitted project proposals. All proposals submitted by Sunday,
18 April, 2021, will receive full consideration.

best regards,
Peter

Annual lecture on Diversity in STEM fields March 31st

All, Events, Uncategorized

 

Diversity and Inclusion in Physics (DIP) invites you to our annual lecture on diversity in STEM fields, which is open to all members of the Penn community. The lecture will take place at 3:30 pm, Wednesday March 31st on Zoom.

Our speaker this year is Dr. Gina Quan from the department of Physics and Astronomy at San José State University (https://ginaquan.com/). Dr Quan’s research works towards improving equity and justice within undergraduate STEM education by improving understanding of culture, community and identity.

Talk title and abstract (flyer attached):

Cultivating Equity-Focused Institutional Change in University STEM Departments

Discipline-based education research has made great strides in understanding how to foster more equitable and effective teaching in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). However, there still has yet to be widespread adoption of reforms in university STEM departments. Our project seeks to understand how departments can implement sustainable, large-scale changes to undergraduate education. While these changes take many forms, they are grounded in six core principles, including upholding a commitment to equity, inclusion, and justice. We facilitate Departmental Action Teams (DATs), teams of faculty, students, and staff within a single STEM department working on some issue related to undergraduate education. During this talk, I will present an overview of the DAT model and the principles which guide our work. I will then present some empirical research discussing how to meaningfully develop student-staff-faculty partnerships while implementing departmental changes. Finally, I will discuss the multifaceted nature of complex equity-focused changes. 

At 3:00 pm on Thursday, April 1, there will be an opportunity for grad students and post docs to join a discussion with Dr Quan. The discussion will use the same zoom link as the lecture.

Please contact us, penn.dip@gmail.com with any questions.

Best,

DIP Leaders

 

Summer 2021 DIANA Undergraduate Fellowship Opportunities

All, Opportunities, Uncategorized, Undergraduate research

For the summer of 2021, several projects have been proposed and we invite applications from undergraduate students at U.S. universities. Each of these projects has been designed for a three month period, starting in May or June according to the student’s academic calendar. Participation will be remote. The stipend level will be $2000/month. Several of these projects are particularly well-suited to Computer Science or Computer Engineering students. Others are particularly well-suited to Physics students. All students with appropriate experience (as described in the individual project descriptions) are encouraged to apply, regardless of nominal major. Veterans, women, and members of other traditionally under-represented groups are especially encouraged to apply.

The due dates are March 21 and March 28, see here for more details

http://diana-hep.org/pages/fellows.html