Undergraduate Program

2021 CU2MiP Program Agenda

Friday, January 8, 2021

  • 2:00 pm Conference Welcome
    Overview from Conference Organizers
    • Donna Hammer, Director of Education, Physics Department, University of Maryland
    • Angela Hight Walker, Senior Scientist, National Institute of Standards and Technology
    • Landry Horimbere, Graduate Student, UMD
  • 2:15 pm Opening Remarks
    • Steve Rolston, Professor and Physics Department Chair, University of Maryland
    • Walter G. Copan, PhD. Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology, Director, National Institute of Standards and Technology
  • 3:00 pm Networking Activity: Shared Experiences
    • Angel Torres, UMD Physics Undergraduate Student
  • 4:00 pm Honored Plenary Speaker
    • Darryll Pines, President of the University of Maryland and Glenn L. Martin Professor Aerospace Engineering
  • 5:00 pm Quantum Showcase Panel
    With the next “quantum revolution” upon us that will have a significant impact on new developments in science, finance, optimization, and computing, there is a growing demand for qualified scientists to build up the quantum industry. For starters, what is quantum? And what would a qualified quantum scientist even mean? What will they do? Which skills and experience will be the most useful for the future workforce? And where will these qualified scientists work?  In academia, research labs, large companies, or startups? Join a panel of diverse and leading experts in the quantum field to find out their perspectives and how they view the impact of quantum on our world. 
    • Ana Maria Rey, Theoretical Physicist, NIST/JILA & Associate Professor, UC Boulder
    • Thomas Searles, Associate Professor, Howard University
    • Charles Robinson, Public Sector Leader, IBM Quantum
    • Charles Brown, Postdoctoral Researcher, UC Berkeley
    • Moderator: Steve Rolston, Professor and Physics Department Chair, UMD
  • 7:00 pm Society of Physics Students Evening Event
    Join the UMD SPS social event to meet other physics majors and play physics themed games of sketchful.io (online Pictionary) in breakout rooms!
    • Welcome from SPS President, Jorge Ramirez and Outreach Chair, Ela Rockafellow

Saturday, January 9, 2021

  • 9:30 am Day 2 Conference Welcome and Overview
    • Donna Hammer, Director of Education, Physics Department, University of Maryland
    • Angela Hight Walker, Senior Scientist, National Institute of Standards and Technology
    • Steve Rolston, Professor and Physics Department Chair, University of Maryland
  • 9:45 am Day 2 Conference Opening Remarks
    • Amitabh Varshney, Professor and Dean, College of Computer, Mathematical, & Natural Sciences, University of Maryland
  • 10:00 am Morning Plenary Speaker: Thomas Searles, Associate Professor, Howard University
    •  Study of Vibranium-like Materials for Building a Diverse, Quantum Smart Workforce

Parallel Sessions (Choose one at 11:00 am)

  • 11:00 am What Areas of Physics Research are Right for You? 
    This panel explores diverse areas of physics research. Experts share their work in condensed matter, AMO, biophysics, high energy physics, and more. 
    • Wendell Hill, Professor, UMD
    • William Ratcliff, Physicist, NIST
    • Narbe Kalantarians, Assistant Professor, Virginia Union University
    • Joel Coley, Assistant Professor, Howard University 
    • Moderator: Lourdes Salamanca-Riba, Professor, UMD
  • 11:00 am Career Options for Physics Graduates Workshop
    This workshop will focus on the career options available to physics students as they enter the job market with a bachelor’s degree in physics. This interactive session will focus on identifying your knowledge and skills, understanding the employment landscape, and developing a job search strategy. We’ll end with  a hard look at resumes and how to negotiate a starting salary.
    • Brad Conrad, Director, Society of Physics Students and Sigma Pi Sigma, American Institute of Physics
  • 12:00 pm Mentors Available to Chat
  • 1:00 pm Honored Plenary Speaker: Tabbetha Dobbins, Professor, Interim Vice President for Research, Dean of the Graduate School, Rowan University 
    • Seizing the Power to Define: What is at stake when we are not active in defining our future.

Parallel Sessions (Choose one at 2:00 pm )

  • 2:00 pm Resources to Support Your Success in Physics Panel
    • Arlene Modeste Knowles, TEAM UP Diversity Project Manager, AIP
    • Christopher Gutierrez, Assistant Professor, UCLA 
    • Elaine Lalanne, NSBP Treasurer 
    • Moderator: Angela Hight Walker, Senior Scientist, NIST
  • 2:00 pm Thriving and Building Inclusion in STEM Workshop
    Science is often lauded as an enterprise in which all people are free to participate and advance the collective knowledge. But all one has to do is look around a scientific classroom/lab to see that factors like gender, race, and socioeconomic class play a huge role. In this workshop we will discuss strategies for handling and thriving in these scientific settings and how we can work to make them more equitable and inclusive.
    • Delilah Gates, Graduate Student, Harvard University
  • 3:00 pm View Lab Tour Videos Available

Parallel Sessions (Choose one at 4:00 pm)

  • 4:00 pm Graduate Student Life Panel
    • Landry Horimbere, Graduate Student, UMD
    • Pheona Williams, Graduate Student, Howard University
    • Michael Williams, Applications Scientist, Boston Electronics
    • Delilah Gates, Graduate Student, Harvard University 
    • Moderator: Albert Rigosi, Physicist, NIST
  • 4:00 pm Research and Internship Experiences Panel & Small Group Discussions 
    • Dina Michel, Graduate Student, University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign
    • Sean McLaughlin, Manager, Northrop Grumman Corporation
    • Vanessa Espinoza, Graduate Student, Rice University
    • Moderator: Angela Hight Walker, Senior Scientist at NIST
  • 5:30 pm Fireside Chat with Honored Physicist Jim Gates
    • S. James Gates, Jr., Brown Theoretical Physics Center Director, Ford Foundation Professor of Physics, Affiliate Professor of Mathematics, and Watson Institute for International Studies & Public Affairs Faculty Fellow, Department of Physics, Brown University, College Park Professor (Emeritus), Department of Physics, UMD, President-Elect, APS 
  • 7:00 pm Poster Session

    Sunday, January 10, 2021
  • 9:30 am Day 3 Conference Welcome and Overview
    • Angela Hight Walker, Senior Scientist, National Institute of Standards and Technology

Parallel Sessions (Choose one at 10:00 am )

  • 10:00 am Applying to Graduate School Workshop
    Many students are more than often not aware of the in’s and outs of how to apply to graduate school. Join LaNell on January 10 to talk about what goes into the graduate school applications and how to apply successfully. 
    • LaNell Williams, Graduate Student, Harvard University
  • 10:00 am Navigating a Career in STEM as a Member of the LGBTQ+ Community Roundtable
    • Ayush Gupta, Research Associate Professor, UMD
    • Aaron Piña, AAAS Policy Fellow at NASA
    • Sergio Smith, Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology, Barbados
  • 11:00 am Plenary Speaker: Willie Rockward, Professor and Department Chair, Morgan State University
  • 12:00 pm Mentors Available to Chat

Parallel Sessions (Choose one at 1:00 pm )

  • 1:00 pm Career Paths in Physics: Where your Physics Degree Can Take You: Panel A
    • Jorge Gómez Tejeda Zañudo, Postdoctoral Researcher, Cancer Program of the Broad Institute of MIT & Harvard
    • Julio Dagraca, Managing Director, Citibank
    • Elaine Lalanne, Instrument Engineer, NASA Goddard 
    • Luis Alejandro Royo, Physics/Math Teacher, Cristo Rey Jesuit High School Baltimore
    • Moderator: Peter Shawhan, Professor, UMD
  • 1:00 pm Career Paths in Physics: Where your Physics Degree Can take You: Panel B
    • Darius Morris, Analytical Chemist, Albemarle Corporation
    • Ana Laura Elias, Assistant Professor, Binghamton University
    • Eric Seabron, Postdoctoral Scholar, Naval Research Laboratory
    • Darwin Mendevil, Bowie High School Physics Teacher, PGCPS
    • Moderator: Thomas Searles, Professor, Howard University
  • 2:00 pm Plenary Speaker: Taharee Jackson, Diversity, Equity, and Belonging Officer, American Institute of Physics
  • 3:00 pm Highlighting Minority Physics Role Models: Rostros Físicos Video Screening and Discussion
    How does having the right role models impact our success as Physicists? Join us for a screening of the upcoming Latinx multimedia outreach project, Rostros Físicos, which is a YouTube series that focuses on the experiences, backgrounds, and expertise of many Latinx Physicists from all stages of the academic path. In this workshop we will screen pre-selected miniclips from the series, with topics ranging from the interviewee’s career path and goals, to a summary of their technical expertise. Attendees will engage in discussion about these videos, and how the representation of role models in projects such as Rostros Físicos can positively impact future Physicists.
    • Jorge Ramirez Ortiz, Undergraduate Student, UMD
    • Daniel Serrano, Senior Faculty Specialist, UMD
  • 4:00 pm Conference Wrap Up and Resources