Diversity & Community

Inaugural Undergraduate Research Expo showcases innovative research

Anonymous — Thu, 25 Apr 2024 20:09:47 +0000

Inaugural Undergraduate Research Expo showcases innovative research Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 04/25/2024 - 14:09

Despite a late

spring snow storm prompting a change in venue, almost 100 students, faculty, and staff attended the inaugural Undergraduate Research Expo on Saturday, April 20, 2024! Researchers from several departments including physics, astrophysical & planetary sciences, and mathematics presented their findings during the poster session. The event included a keynote address by Nobel laureate and professor adjoint of physics, Eric Cornell, and a presentation on resources for finding research opportunities.

The expo was funded by a successful proposal to the Arts & Sciences Dean's Innovation Grant, submitted by a team of undergraduate and graduate students, staff and faculty. The team hopes this will become an annual event to improve access to research for undergraduate students.

Best Poster Awards

Nicholas Golden, Physics
Delaney Lee-Bellows, Astrophysical & Planetary Sciences
Emmett Fitz, Mathematics

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CU ��«��Ƶ Physics and JILA to host 2025 Conference for Undergraduate Women and Gender Minorities in Physics

Anonymous — Thu, 04 Apr 2024 22:52:48 +0000

CU ��«��Ƶ Physics and JILA to host 2025 Conference for Undergraduate Women and Gender Minorities in Physics Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 04/04/2024 - 16:52

Kirsten Apodaca

Attendees from the 2017 Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics hosted at CU ��«��Ƶ.

Building on efforts to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in physics, CU ��«��Ƶ’s Department of Physics and JILA will host a Conference for Undergraduate Women and Gender Minorities in Physics (CU*iP) in January 2025. The conference will bring approximately 150 students from the Midwest region to ��«��Ƶ.

The three-day regional conferences are sponsored by the American Physical Society (APS) and held annually at select institutions around the country. They are designed to provide professional development opportunities for undergraduate women and gender minorities through networking, keynote speakers, career advice, and graduate school sessions.

“CU*iP conferences have been transformational for many women in STEM careers, and we are thrilled to be able to bring these experiences to our local undergraduate students,” said Bethany Wilcox, assistant professor of physics and chair of the local organizing committee. “In addition to supporting the next, diverse generation of physicists, this conference also provides community to the women and gender minorities already contributing to STEM fields and brings attention to the unique challenges these individuals face within the field while also providing practical tools and strategies for overcoming them.”

The conference in ��«��Ƶ will be co-hosted by the Department of Physics and JILA, a joint institute between CU ��«��Ƶ and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Highlighting CU ��«��Ƶ’s close partnerships with national laboratories and local industry, the conference will connect attendees with all the area has to offer.

“It’s wonderful that CU ��«��Ƶ has been selected by the American Physical Society to host the 2025 CU*iP conference, following a successful conference here in 2017,” said Tobin Munsat, professor and chair of physics. “This is a terrific opportunity for professional development and networking for undergraduate women and gender minorities. Members of the local organizing committee are putting in an extraordinary amount of work to make the conference an engaging and valuable experience, and the Department of Physics is proud to be a part of it.”

The local organizing committee includes a highly motivated and dedicated group of undergraduate students, graduate students, postdocs, staff, and faculty. The committee is planning a variety of activities including plenary talks, facilitated discussions, social gatherings, poster sessions, and tours of local research institutions.

Several members of the local organizing committee attended CU*iP as an undergraduate and found it to be a very impactful experience. After attending CU*iP as an undergrad, physics graduate student Iona Binnie was inspired to improve access for underrepresented students through departmental initiatives and outreach. Binnie is now serving as a member of the local organizing committee for the 2025 CU*iP in ��«��Ƶ.

“CU*iP played a large role in my undergraduate career in physics and in my decision to attend grad school,” said Binnie. “As a first-year undergrad, CU*iP was an opportunity to connect with female role models in physics and see a path for myself through a challenging major. The conference gave me the confidence and inspiration to continue with physics and connected me with a larger world of research that would have been hard to access otherwise.”

CU*iP conferences began as a grassroots effort at the University of Southern California in 2006. Since 2012, the American Physical Society has provided organizational support and the conferences are now hosted at more than ten institutions each year, providing opportunities for students around the country to attend. CU ��«��Ƶ previously hosted a CU*iP conference in January 2017 which was well-attended by approximately 150 students.

Applications for the 2025 Conference for Undergraduate Women and Gender Minorities in Physics will open in October 2024.

Interested in supporting the 2025 Conference for Undergraduate Women and Gender Minorities in Physics? Contact Professor Bethany Wilcox or contribute directly to the CU ��«��Ƶ CU*iP fund.

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Physics team awarded $38k from Dean’s Innovation Fund to improve undergraduate research access

Anonymous — Wed, 27 Mar 2024 15:44:22 +0000

Physics team awarded $38k from Dean’s Innovation Fund to improve undergraduate research access Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 03/27/2024 - 09:44

Kirsten Apodaca

A group of seven physics students, staff, and faculty were recently awarded funding from the College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Innovation Fund for their proposal to improve undergraduate research for underrepresented and minority groups in STEM disciplines. The grant will support two key initiatives including an undergraduate research expo and a research fellowship fund.

This is the second year of the Dean’s Innovation Fund, initiated by Dean Glen Krutz. The Dean’s request for proposals focused on several strategic priorities including cross-disciplinary projects, supporting justice, equity, diversity and inclusion efforts, and improving retention. Eight projects were awarded funding this year and Dean Krutz noted they received an “overwhelming response, with applications from across the college.”

The innovative group receiving the award from physics is comprised of student leaders from several departmental student groups, staff, and faculty:

Maeve Anderson, graduate student, CU-Prime organizer
Aaron Barrios, undergraduate student, president of COSMOS
Luke Coffman, undergraduate student, Society of Physics Students co-president
Owen Grimes, undergraduate student, Society of Physics Students co-president
Tyler McMaken, graduate student, CU-Prime organizer
Michael Schefferstein, physics lab coordinator
Bethany Wilcox, assistant professor of physics

Addressing barriers to undergraduate research for students from underrepresented groups is the central focus for this grant. By providing community building, connections to research opportunities, and funding for a research fellowship, the group hopes this support will help students from all backgrounds engage in undergraduate research.

The Undergraduate Research Expo will be held on Saturday, April 20, 2024, in UMC 235 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and will feature a poster session and a keynote address from Nobel Laureate and professor adjoint of physics, Eric Cornell. The expo will include researchers from several departments including physics, astrophysical and planetary sciences, and mathematics. Researchers are invited to apply to present a poster at this event by April 5.

Aaron Barrios, an undergraduate majoring in physics, math, and astrophysics, and president of COSMOS, has experienced the difficulties in obtaining research as an undergraduate student. He hopes this initiative will be transformative for other students. “I believe this event will help underrepresented and minority students start their research journey earlier, give undergraduates an accessible opportunity to present their research, and highlight the amazing research conducted in the physics, astrophysical and planetary sciences, and math departments.”

After building connections at the Undergraduate Research Expo, students will be invited to apply for research fellowships that will provide funding for their research experience. Students are sometimes faced with a choice between maintaining a job or engaging in research. By providing funding, students will have more time and financial flexibility to pursue research interests.

Tobin Munsat, professor and chair of physics, said “I’m thrilled to see this proposal funded by Dean Krutz. The team leading this effort has an incredible drive to improve access for undergraduate research that will greatly benefit our students.”

Anonymous — Fri, 10 Jan 2020 00:20:32 +0000

President’s Diversity Award goes to Physics' R-Cubed Committee Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 01/09/2020 - 17:20 Sarah Wise

An innovative Physics Department committee made up of students, postdocs, staff and faculty with diverse backgrounds and life experiences has earned a President’s Diversity Award for the CU System. The awards, which were announced Dec. 6, are given to a handful of units and individuals annually and come with a $2000 prize.

The Representation, Recruitment and Retention (R-Cubed) Committee originated with an NSF-funded Departmental Action Team (DAT), which was externally facilitated by then-postdoctoral fellows Joel Corbo and Dan Reinholz from 2014-2016. To date, the DAT project has created 12 DATs at CU and 6 at CSU. They are currently funded through a partnership between NSF, OIT, and the Colleges of Arts and Sciences and Engineering.

The work of the R-Cubed Committee has given rise to many departmental changes, including creating inclusive departmental promotional materials, hosting events to welcome admitted students, and coordinating equity and inclusion trainings. R-Cubed created a popular seminar series about diversity: Equity, Inclusion and Cookies (EIC), which is attended by a broad cross-section of the department.

The group also initiated efforts to improve access to faculty assistance in all levels of classes, and to restructure Physics majors’ introductory course sequences, to create a stronger sense of community within the major.

R-Cubed chose innovative projects by collecting departmental feedback and analyzing institutional data. They summarized their findings to define what Inclusive Excellence means for the Physics Department, made recommendations to other departmental committees, and supported individuals who have had experiences of being excluded. The group coordinated with Women in Physics and CU Prime recruit and support women and underrepresented students, and with Facilities Management to create gender neutral bathrooms.

The Physics department has been growing in recent years, but before this effort began, the fraction of women in physics had been declining in line with national trends. “Coincident with the efforts of the Physics DAT and R-Cubed, the fraction of women in Physics has been increasing,” says Noah Finkelstein, a professor of physics education research. The fractions of Latina/o, Black, and Native students in the Physics department have also risen dramatically in recent years.

"It’s rare for a departmental committee to receive recognition at the CU System level. “The R-Cubed Committee stands as a role model for making sustainable changes around diversity and inclusion. We frequently describe their work to DATs we currently advise,” said Sarah Wise, a Departmental Action Team facilitator. “Their example will be important as CU ��«��Ƶ starts implementing the IDEA Plan.”

For more information about the Representation, Recruitment and Retention Committee, contact: Loren Hough, loren.hough@colorado.edu
For more information about the Departmental Action Teams project, contact: Joel Corbo, joel.corbo@colorado.edu

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