We are pleased to welcome all returning students to Autumn Quarter 2020 with a remote series designed to encourage your re-engagement with your academic pursuits at the University of Chicago and beyond. Join us during weeks one and three to learn more about what it means to move from student to scholar by pursuing knowledge through academic research and taking your inquiry to the next level. You will also learn more about how nationally competitive fellowships can advance your efforts beyond UChicago, helping you to pursue your academic and post-graduate ambitions. We are also offering two sessions on how to engage in successful research and learning in our current remote environment. Find more information about the series and RSVP here.
Getting involved in research as an undergraduate is a great way to put your knowledge of physics to practical use. Your experiences will also help you decide what career path you want to pursue post-college. The CCRF (College Center for Research and Fellowships) holds a number of info sessions in the Fall Quarter to help guide students through the process of looking for research opportunities at UChicago, getting research grant funding, and applying to summer research programs. We list here the sessions directly relevant to physics majors (a comprehensive list of CCRF Webinars can be found here.
In addition to the following workshops, we also recommend checking out the Barry Goldwater Fellowship and DAAD RISE program information sessions.
Monday, October 12: 12:30-1:30 PM
Wednesday, October 21: 3:30-4:30 PM
Friday, November 6: 2:30-3:30 PM
Undergraduate Research Information Session
Tuesday, October 27: 3:30-4:30 PM
Undergraduate Research Grant Funding: Information Session
Friday, October 30: 12:30-1:30 PM
Monday, November 16: 12:30-1:30 PM
Tuesday, February 9: 12:30-1:30 PM
Thursday, February 11: 3:30-4:30 PM
Preparing an effective Curriculum Vitae (CV)
Wednesday, November 18: 3:30-4:30 PM
Friday, December 4: 12:30-1:30 PM
Planning for Summer Research
This event is aimed at students of all levels. Undergraduate attendees will be able to submit specific questions they want addressed in advance. The panel discussion brings recent physics graduates, particularly from UChicago, and career professionals in the Chicago area and beyond to the department to discuss job opportunities for physics degree-holders. These discussions will be focused on industry careers, not academia. Discussion topics may include timelines for industry applications, motivations for going into industry, how a physics background gets used in day-to-day work, and the transition from academia to industry. The majority of panelists and the companies they represent will be specifically interested in physics bachelors-degree holders. The panelists or company’s contact information will be distributed afterwards to students for follow-up questions and discussions. This event will also advertise other campus units and resources that help students locate and apply for jobs.
Date: Tuesday, May 25
Find more info here.
Current UChicago physics graduate students will talk about what graduate school is like. Undergraduate attendees will be able to submit questions in advance. Graduate students will share their experiences, their reasons for attending graduate school, their career hopes after graduate school, and material on other relevant topics. The panel will also address taking a gap year after college; when possible, at least one panelist will have taken a gap year. At the end of the panel, panelists will briefly outline a timeline for applying to graduate programs and will introduce some typical criteria that can be used to select which programs a student wants to apply to.
Date: TBD