The Conference of Undergraduate Women in Physics (CUWIP) was held at Stony Brook University in New York from 16-19 January 2014. The American Physical Society (APS) organized this conference. The meeting included a full day at the Brookhaven National Laboratory, as well as many research talks by faculty, student presentations, and discussions regarding women in physics. The goal of the conference, according to the APS, “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.” We were able to receive valuable advice from female experts in different fields of physics and the wide range of career opportunities as well as challenges women faced in physics. We were able to tour cutting edge facilities including the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) as well as the STAR and Pheonix detectors located within RHIC and the National Synchrotron Light Source II. Seeing all these huge devices in action was exciting and exposed us to the reality of current high energy physics research.
Several of the women in the TCNJ Physics Department had the opportunity to attend CUWIP at Stony Brook University in Long Island, NY. The attendees from TCNJ at the conference included: Sanaa Mansoor (Senior), Raha Ghassemi (Senior), Ariel Omiunu (Junior), Marianna Caruso-Gilbert (Junior), and Kellie Olear (Sophomore). “The Physics Department is very proud of our many excellent women alumnae and students and I’m pleased so many current students were able to attend CUWIP this year. I hope they will be inspired to continue their studies of physics after graduating from TCNJ”, said Dr. Paul Wiita, Department Chair.
“The privilege of attending this Undergraduate Women in Physics conference was a once in a lifetime opportunity. To be surrounded by women colleagues your own age and to have meaningful discussions with them opened our imagination to so many new ideas. It was an exhilarating experience.” said Sanaa Mansoor.