This award provides funding for the Seventh Annual Conferences for Undergraduate Women in Physics and the collection and analysis of data on the impact of these meetings on undergraduate women in physics. Six regional conferences will take place January 13-15, 2012, simultaneously at Stanford University, the University of Washington, Texas A&M University, Yale University, the University of Tennessee, and Case Western Reserve University. Data analysis will be centered at Indiana University.
The conferences have two overarching goals: 1) To give undergraduate women the resources, motivation, and confidence to apply to graduate school and to successfully complete a Ph.D. in physics or a related discipline; and 2) To increase awareness by undergraduate women in physics of the wide range of career opportunities available to them. Regional conferences are held simultaneously to maximize student attendance by minimizing travel, to increase the excitement of the participants in a joint national venture, and to allow the interactive simulcast of a keynote address. The conference goals are achieved by providing a series of inspiring talks by female physicists, panel discussions on graduate school and physics careers, student presentation sessions, and ample opportunity for networking and informal mentoring. The success of these goals will be measured by surveys given to students before and after the conferences, as well as by longitudinal studies following the student's post-graduation paths and comparing them with female student cohorts who did not attend the conferences.
Outcome Statements for Collaborative Research: Conferences for Undergraduate Women in Physics On January 13-15, 2012, the seventh annual Conferences for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CUWiP) simultaneously occurred at six different conference sites in the United States. The sites included Stanford University, University of Washington, Texas A&M University, Yale University, the University of Tennessee and Case Western Reserve University. The evaluation site for these conferences was Indiana University Bloomington. A total of 654 students attended these conferences. The attendance at the various sites was as follows: Stanford University (150), University of Washington (80), Texas A&M University (50), Yale University (140), the University of Tennessee (114) and Case Western Reserve University (120). Among those participants that submitted pre-surveys, 476 had not previously attended this conference series, 76 had attended once before, 15 had attended twice before, 5 had attended three times before, and 1 student was attending for the fourth time. The participants were from at least[i] 167 different institutions of higher education. Among these were 14 two-year/community colleges, 30 liberal-arts colleges, 3 institutions with a student population fewer than 2000, 43 institutions with a student population of 2000-15000, and 77 institutions with a student population greater than 15000. The following outcome statements reflect the series of conferences overall. 1. The participants were satisfied with the conferences overall. When asked on the post-conference survey if the conferences met their expectations, 95% of the respondents answered "yes". An overwhelming majority of the written comments in this category were positive. Of the participants expressing some level of dissatisfaction, a significant minority noted an overemphasis on being a woman and not enough on physics and a lack of time to network. A few participants noted lack of emphasis on careers that don’t require a Ph.D. The focus on graduate school and women’s issues generated a significant amount of disagreement. 2. A significant (or approaching significant) difference in the students’ confidence to succeed both in higher education and future careers in physics was found. 86% of the 2012 respondents believed the conferences positively influenced their confidence to succeed in graduate school. The students noted that hearing from women that overcame real obstacles and are now successfully working in physics increased their own confidence. Participants from all focus-groups also noted that the conferences had a positive influence (increase or reinforcement) on their ideas about graduate studies in physics. However, the level of discussion on this influence was minimal. 3. Overall, a majority of the participants noted an increase in their knowledge of careers and graduate schools. 90% of them stated the conferences influenced their understanding of careers in physics. However, there were some mixed responses in regards to the quality or satisfaction with the level of increase. Some students noted a desire for more information on physics careers that don’t require a Ph.D. Others noted a desire for information on more graduate schools. Some expressed a desire for more information on opportunities during graduate school. No particular area was emphasized as lacking for the conferences overall (seemingly dependent on conference site and student goals). 4. The attendees noted that they did make connections to physicists and other physics majors. The importance of this aspect of the conference was revealed by the large number of comments in regards to its importance. However, a substantial number of students from across the conference sites noted that the degree of connection was mild. Many students attributed this to the lack of time to network during the conferences. 5. The most common reason for attending the conference was to network with physicists and other physics majors. Several participants also noted they came to learn more about physics. Subsequently, the most noted gains from attending were expanded networks and resources. All focus-groups noted a need for more time to network. 6. Most of the attendees came after being encouraged by other students or faculty members. 7. Although most of the conference activities were noted to be valuable to some, the field trips/tours and the minority women socials were agreed to be extremely valuable. 8. Participants had several suggestions for improvements. These included more choice among different activities, more topics of discussion for senior level students, more information on careers that do not require graduate study, more discussion on minority women’s issues, and more breaks throughout the conference. [i] Note all students provided the actual name of their institution.
