{"id":479,"date":"2021-04-15T10:18:07","date_gmt":"2021-04-15T09:18:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mub.eps.manchester.ac.uk\/physics\/?p=479"},"modified":"2021-09-30T15:31:45","modified_gmt":"2021-09-30T14:31:45","slug":"cuwip-women-in-physics-conference-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mub.eps.manchester.ac.uk\/physics\/2021\/04\/15\/cuwip-women-in-physics-conference-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"CUWiP \u2013 Women in Physics Conference 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this blog post, second year Physics with Astrophysics<\/a> undergraduate Louisa Mason discusses her experience of the 2021 CUWiP<\/a> (Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics) and the inspirational presentations delivered at this year’s event.<\/em><\/p>\n

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This year, coronavirus has affected the way our lives operate, and conferences have been no exception. The perfect conference to attend if you are a female undergraduate physics student is CUWiP<\/a> (Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics); around 100 students attend each year, with different universities hosting the conference. This year, the conference was organised by the University of Southampton. Having never been to a conference before, I found the experience empowering and inspirational.<\/p>\n

There were two organised lab tours, which through the power of Zoom enabled students to travel across the globe. My first tour took place at ATLAS (part of CERN<\/a> – European Organization for Nuclear Research – a particle accelerator spanning across the Swiss-French border). There was something magical about walking around the cavern in real time, rather than googling an image of the detector. Our tour guide was Dr Clara Nellist, a graduate who completed her degree and PhD at the University of Manchester. It was brilliant to see how far students from our university can go after their degree.<\/p>\n

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Figure 1 – The Muon Detector in ATLAS, CERN.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A key part of any conference is networking with speakers and peers. Being online posed a challenge to the social aspect of the conference, so I think Gather Town (an online virtual environment) is impressive! You can talk to fellow students as well as presenting research posters, hosting discussions and meeting speakers in a more informal virtual setting.<\/p>\n

All participants were invited to produce and present a poster during the conference, either highlighting their own research or a notable woman in physics. The two winners each received \u00a3100 (quite a good prize!) and the posters presented spanned from supernova to brain research.<\/p>\n

The aim of the conference is to empower and encourage female physics undergraduates into research, industry and management roles. In 2021, there is still a difference in the number of males and females in STEM related fields, and the challenges facing female students relate to having the confidence to pursue their careers and finding role models to be inspired and encouraged by. The conference showcases the work of many women in a variety of fields, and I would like to share with you their top advice:<\/p>\n