Category Archives: Uncategorized

Week of December 4th, 2023

Hello Everyone! We’re wishing you good luck as we finish out the semester! SPS will host our final meeting of the semester Monday from 5:30 to 6:30pm in SSB G1.310. Join us to hang out, review, and relax before finals. We look forward to seeing you next semester!

Announcements

  • SPS now has official membership requirements. Attend two or more meetings or SPS events this academic year in order to be a 2023-24 SPS member. Membership begins by filling out this google form!
  • If you’d like to get a jump on next semester’s colloquia, find the schedule here.

Special Announcement

  • Abstract submissions are open for the APS’s April 2024 meeting: Quarks to Cosmos. Submissions are open until January 5th. Click here to learn more.

Opportunities

  • Now that winter break is approaching, its a good time to work on applying for opportunities that interest you. Please review the opportunities that we’ve laid out over the past weeks and search here to find some of your own.
  • Check out Summer REU’s! “Research Experiences for Undergraduates” (REU) are great for gaining research experience, especially if you’re interested in graduate school. They involve doing research under some professor at another school for about 10 weeks of the summer. These are largely targeted at rising juniors and seniors. REU’s can be confusing, so please be sure to ask questions at meetings or in the discord! Here is the list of REU’s for physics.

Meme of the Week

Week of November 27th, 2023

Hello Everyone! We hope you all have a great Fall break! After break, SPS will host our annual safety meeting (for real this time) from 5:30 to 6:30pm in SSB G1.310. The following announcements are also relevant to the week of the 27th, after break.

Announcements

  • SPS now has official membership requirements. Attend two or more meetings or SPS events this academic year in order to be a 2023-24 SPS member. Membership begins by filling out this google form!
  • Tuesday at 5:30pm in PMA 15.216B, ASA will host Prof. Steven Finkelstein.
  • Thursday at 6:00pm in PMA 15.216B, GMiP will meet as usual.
  • Friday at 12:00pm in the Student Union, SPS will host “phlunch” for SPS members to socialize and grab a bite to eat.
  • There are no more Pizza Seminars scheduled for this semester.
  • The last Physics Colloquium of the semester will be November 29th at 4pm in PMA 4.102, the speaker is still TBA.

Special Announcement

Abstract submissions are open for the APS’s April 2024 meeting: Quarks to Cosmos. Submissions are open until January 5th. Click here to learn more.

Opportunities

  • [Old] Learning Assistant Applications are now open! Please refer to Dr. Perry’s announcement on the Physics Undergraduates Canvas course for more details.
  • [Old] Summer REU’s are opening up! “Research Experiences for Undergraduates” (REU) are great for gaining research experience, especially if you’re interested in graduate school. They involve doing research under some professor at another school for about 10 weeks of the summer. These are largely targeted at rising juniors and seniors. If you are currently a sophomore or junior, its a great idea to start looking for schools now so you can begin applying over Thanksgiving and Winter Break. REU’s can be confusing, so please be sure to ask questions at meetings or in the discord! Here is the list of REU’s for physics.
  • SFI Undergraduate Complexity Research (UCR) program
    • This is a 10 week program where “Students can select from a menu of projects, or develop a project in collaboration with their mentor(s).” It’s open to anyone graduating after December 2024, so I highly encourage anyone who’s interested to consider applying. Accepted applicants who are not US citizens will receive assistance with visa sponsorship as applicable!

Meme of the Week

Week of November 13th, 2023

Hello Everyone! We hope you’re holding in for our last week before break! This Monday from 5:30 to 6:30pm in SSB G1.310, SPS will host our annual safety meeting/social.

Announcements

  • SPS now has official membership requirements. Attend two or more meetings or SPS events this academic year in order to be a 2023-24 SPS member. Membership begins by filling out this google form!
  • Tuesday at 5:30pm in PMA 15.216B, ASA will meet as usual.
  • Thursday at 6:00pm in PMA 15.216B, GMiP will meet as usual.
  • Friday at 11:30am in the Student Union, SPS will host “phlunch” for SPS members to socialize and grab a bite to eat.
  • There are no more Pizza Seminars schedueled for this semester.
  • The second to last Physics Colloquium of the semester will be November 15th, will be the “Showcase of the Texas Mindset Initiative (TxMI) Physics teaching program” at 4pm in PMA 4.102.

Opportunities

  • [From last week] Learning Assistant Applications are now open! Please refer to Dr. Perry’s announcement on the Physics Undergraduates Canvas course for more details.
  • [From last week] Summer REU’s are opening up! “Research Experiences for Undergraduates” (REU) are great for gaining research experience, especially if you’re interested in graduate school. They involve doing research under some professor at another school for about 10 weeks of the summer. These are largely targeted at rising juniors and seniors. If you are currently a sophomore or junior, its a great idea to start looking for schools now so you can begin applying over Thanksgiving and Winter Break. REU’s can be confusing, so please be sure to ask questions at meetings or in the discord! Here is the list of REU’s for physics.
  • SR-EIP – Summer Research Early Identification Program
    • “SR-EIP” is a program run by the “Leadership” Alliance which is a group of 32 institutions of higher learning “aiming to develop underrepresented students into outstanding leaders and role models.” This is a 8-10 week summer program, but unlike other programs, here you select three institutions to apply to based on your area of interest. This seems like an interesting program similar to an REU and is only available to current sophomores and juniors.

Meme of the Week

Week of November 6th, 2023

Hello Everyone! We hope you’re all doing well going into the final stretch of the semester! This Monday from 5:30 to 6:30pm in SSB G1.310, SPS will host Dr. Nick Hunter-Jones, an Assistant Professor of Physics and Computer Science here at UT Austin. Dr. Hunter-Jones’ research is focused on quantum information theory, quantum computing, and quantum many-body physics.

Please note, below announcements we’ve begun to include some opportunities for physics students to consider.

Announcements

  • SPS now has official membership requirements. Attend two or more meetings or SPS events this academic year in order to be a 2023-24 SPS member. Membership begins by filling out this google form!
  • Tuesday at 5:30pm in PMA 15.216B, ASA will meet as usual.
  • Thursday at 6:00pm in PMA 15.216B, GMiP will meet as usual.
  • Friday at 11:30am in the Student Union, SPS will host “phlunch” for SPS members to socialize and grab a bite to eat.
  • The final Pizza Seminar of the semester will be November 7th, presented by Dr. Adam Drobot at 5pm in PMA 6.104.
  • The seventh Physics Colloquium of the semester will be November 8th, presented by 2022 Nobel Laureate Dr. John F. Clauser in Physics at 4pm in PMA 4.102.

Opportunities

  • Learning Assistant Applications are now open! Please refer to Dr. Perry’s announcement on the Physics Undergraduates Canvas course for more details.
  • Summer REU’s are opening up! “Research Experiences for Undergraduates” (REU) are great for gaining research experience, especially if you’re interested in graduate school. They involve doing research under some professor at another school for about 10 weeks of the summer. These are largely targeted at rising juniors and seniors. If you are currently a sophomore or junior, its a great idea to start looking for schools now so you can begin applying over Thanksgiving and Winter Break. REU’s can be confusing, so please be sure to ask questions at meetings or in the discord! Here is the list of REU’s for physics.
  • DREAM – Diversity Recruitment through Education and Mentoring Program (AAPM)
    • “DREAM” is a 10 week summer program designed to increase the number of women and racially underrepresented groups in medical physics. Click here for more information.
  • Summer Undergraduate Fellowship Program (AAPM)
    • 10-week summer program designed to provide opportunities for undergraduate university students to gain experience in medical physics. Click here for more information.

There are way too many opportunities for physics students to list here. We encourage you to spend time looking for those that interest you as we continue to highlight some here. Here‘s a decent looking starting point :)

Meme of the Week

Week of October 30th, 2023

Hello Everyone! Happy Halloween! This Monday from 5:30 to 6:30pm in SSB G1.310, SPS will host a spooky social with food.

Announcements

  • SPS now has official membership requirements. Attend two or more meetings or SPS events this academic year in order to be a 2023-24 SPS member. Membership begins by filling out this google form!
  • Tuesday at 5:30pm in PMA 15.216B, ASA will meet as usual.
  • Thursday at 6:00pm in PMA 15.216B, GMiP will meet as usual.
  • Friday at 11:30am in the Student Union, SPS will host “phlunch” for SPS members to socialize and grab a bite to eat.
  • The seventh Pizza Seminar of the semester will be October 31st, presented by Prof. Deepa Thomas at 5pm in PMA 6.104.
  • There is no Physics Colloquium scheduled for this week.

Meme of the Week

Week of October 23rd, 2023

Hello Everyone! We hope you’re all doing well. This Monday from 1:00 to 2:30pm between the ECJ and PMA, SPS will host a liquid nitrogen ice cream sale. Be sure to stop by to support the org and pick up some ice cream.

Announcements

  • SPS now has official membership requirements. Attend two or more meetings or SPS events this academic year in order to be a 2023-24 SPS member. Membership begins by filling out this google form!
  • Saturday (10/21), GMiP will host a Study Social at the Austin Central Public Library. Check their discord for more details.
  • Also Saturday (10/21) from 7-9pm, ASA will host a star party on the PMA lawn to celebrate International Observe the Moon Night with food, drinks, music, and telescope(s).
  • Tuesday at 5:30pm in PMA 15.216B, ASA will meet as usual.
  • Thursday at 6:00pm in PMA 15.216B, GMiP will meet as usual.
  • Friday at 11:30am in the Student Union, SPS will host “phlunch” for SPS members to socialize and grab a bite to eat.
  • There is no Pizza Seminar scheduled for this week.
  • The sixth Physics Colloquium of the semester will be October 25th, presented by our own Prof. Keji Lai at 4pm in PMA 4.102.

Meme of the Week

Week of October 16th, 2023

Hello Everyone! Hopefully you’ve all had a break from exams by this point. This Monday from 5:30 to 6:30pm in SSB G1.310, SPS will host our Spring 24 registration meeting. We’ll discuss the course schedule for next semester and give upperclassmen an opportunity to share advice with underclassmen!

Announcements

  • SPS now has official membership requirements. Attend two or more meetings or SPS events this academic year in order to be a 2023-24 SPS member. Membership begins by filling out this google form!
  • Saturday (10/14) from 10am to 2pm, SPS will participate in the Partial Eclipse Celebration on the main mall. Stop by for free liquid nitrogen ice cream! Optimal viewing time for the eclipse is 11:54am!
  • Tuesday at 5:30pm in PMA 15.216B, ASA will meet as usual.
  • Thursday at 6:00pm in PMA 15.216B, GMiP will meet as usual.
  • Friday at 11:30am in the Student Union, SPS will host “phlunch” for SPS members to socialize and grab a bite to eat.
  • The sixth Pizza Seminar of the semester will be October 17rd, presented by Scott Abel at 5pm in PMA 6.104.
  • The fifth Physics Colloquium of the semester will be October 18th, presented by Prof. Zhi-Xun Shen of Stanford at 4pm in PMA 4.102.

Meme of the Week