BHSU to host Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics Jan. 17-19

Group of women pointing and talking about a bulletin board

Nearly 100 undergraduate physics majors from throughout the U.S. will be on campus at Black Hills State University Jan. 17-19 for the Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CUWiP). The conference is held in collaboration with the Sanford Underground Research Facility (Sanford Lab).

Nearly 100 undergraduate physics majors from throughout the U.S. will be on campus at Black Hills State University Jan. 17-19 for the Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CUWiP). The conference is held in collaboration with the Sanford Underground Research Facility (Sanford Lab).

Dr. Brianna Mount, assistant professor of physics at BHSU, said BHSU is one of 13 universities hosting the conference by the American Physical Society this year.

“Black Hills State is hosting a regional CUWiP conference, along with Yale and Carnegie Mellon,” said Mount. “The goal is to help undergraduate women continue in their pursuit of a degree in physics.”

Physics is the study of the structure of matter and its movement through space and time. Physics majors at BHSU have unique research opportunities on campus and at the nearby Sanford Lab, where Mount directs the BHSU Underground Campus. Conference attendees will visit Sanford Lab as a part of the conference. Sanford Lab is the deepest underground laboratory in the U.S. and houses multiple experiments in areas such as dark matter and neutrino physics reseach.

Mount says women face barriers in completing science degrees and progressing in scientific careers. The Conference provides undergraduate women information about graduate school and professions in physics, along with a network of women in physics of all ages to share experiences, advice, and ideas.

“Often female physics students are the only females in their university classes. This conference is a great opportunity for female students from across the region to see that they are not alone, and to be surrounded by and network with many other women in physics,” says Mount.

The BHSU CUWiP targets undergraduate women in physics from eight states in the region: Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming.

This year, a group of 30 students from Puerto Rico will also be attending the conference in Spearfish.

The CUWiP conferences are supported in part by the National Science Foundation (PH-1346627) and by the Department of Energy Office of Science (DE-SC0011076).

Further details are available on the American Physical Society conference website.

For more information, contact Mount at 605-642-6094 or Brianna.Mount@BHSU.edu


About Physics at Black Hills State University

Physics at BHSU is part of the School of Natural Sciences that includes Biology, Chemistry, and Physical Science. The close association of all these disciplines in a single department makes for a vibrant scientific community with strong interdisciplinary interactions. The physics degree at BHSU is dedicated to giving students enriching research opportunities. BHSU scientists are involved in collaborations with physicist from prestigious institutions from throughout the U.S. and the world to study neutrinos and dark matter.

Watch a video about BHSU physics major Erika Redinger’s research experience at the BHSU Underground Campus at Sanford Lab.