Application to Host a Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics

Applications for future host institutions open in January each year for conferences to be hosted over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend in mid-January of following years. If you are interested in applying to host a conference, please read this information carefully; if you have questions, please direct them to women@aps.org.

Conference Overview 

The primary goal of the Conferences for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CUWiP) is to increase recruitment and retention of undergraduate women in physics by

1. communicating the breadth of education and career paths open to physics majors;
   
2. disseminating information and advice on applying for summer research, graduate school and professional employment;
   
3. providing opportunities to share experiences, advice and ideas with women at different stages of their education or career paths.
   

The conferences are typically a mix of presentations, workshops, panels, poster session, tours and social events designed to maximize participation and interaction among women in physics. In the past, some programs have included targeted outreach and other special elements (e.g., recruitment of or programs for high school, community college or underrepresented minority (URM) students; tours of national labs or industry facilities); if you plan to host such a program, please include information on this in your proposal. All conferences include in their schedule a keynote address that is webcast from one of the host institutions. The conferences provide an opportunity for undergraduates, graduate students and postdocs at the host institution to participate in the organization of a conference.

Although the CUWiP are primarily aimed at declared physics majors, recruitment of physics majors is fostered by energizing and equipping CUWiP participants to be ambassadors for the major when they return to their home institution, and by recruiting participants who may otherwise not be aware of the opportunities that a physics major provides (e.g., community college students in STEM fields who are interested in transferring to a four-year college, or first-generation college-going students). 

Please see the APS CUWiP website for sample programs, FAQ pages, etc., from previous conferences in the series. 
Sample Budget

Selection Criteria  

Preference will be given to a location that demonstrates clear commitment to the goals of the CUWiP program on the part of the institution and the student members of the local organizing committee.  

Preference will be given to sites that have a broad recruitment plan that supports the APS vision of increasing the participation of underrepresented groups in physics.  

Preference will be given to a location that has not recently hosted a CUWiP.  

The selection committee will consider geographic coverage when selecting conference sites.  

Timeline  

Online applications open January 2. The deadline for applications is February 15.  

The site selection committee will notify applicants by March 15. Selected sites will have until April 1 to confirm that they will host the conference.