The Spring 2024 Undergraduate Research Fair will be held on Thursday, January 18th from 4:30-6:00pm at the Stanley Hall B1 Atrium. This will be our first IN-PERSON fair!
Learn more about:
- The Physics Directed Reading Program
- Opportunities for Summer Research
- Strategies to Land your First Research Position
And meet Physics faculty researchers, postdoctoral scholars and graduate students so you can learn more about their science. Chair Siddiqi will say a few opening words at 4:40pm and the rest of the time is reserved for you to interact with student groups and researchers.
Directions: Enter Stanley Hall and proceed to the stairwell at the back of the first floor Atrium and head downstairs to the B1 level Atrium.
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Here is a recording of the first half-hour portion of the SP23 fair where we presented tips and reminders for undergraduates seeking experience in research. The URAP website is the other structured means by which you can learn about formal physics research opportunities available. If you were unable to attend the fair and/or if you do not obtain a position this semester, we recommend that you:
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Explore our Physics Research and Faculty website to learn more about faculty areas of research and the kind of science you might be interested in. Consider cold emailing faculty, postdocs, and/or grad students from a particular lab to see if there are any research positions available this spring or fall. (Tips for how to cold-email can be found here (Cal workshop), and through online resources (example 1, example 2).
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Explore our Physics Undergraduate Research webpage and Physics Research Opportunities Board to learn more about research wisdom and opportunities from the physics community.
More about our physics research fairs:
On the first Thursday after the start of classes each semester, the Physics Department has been hosting an undergraduate research fair. The Virtual Physics Undergraduate Research Fair is organized by student leaders in the department with support from department staff.
This fair is targeted at undergraduates from all years looking to join a physics research group or who might be just looking to learn more about physics research generally. Students who have never done research are particularly encouraged to attend. At the fair, there will be a Zoom room where attendees can ask students questions about their research experiences.
The fair starts with a presentation about resources available to help students learn more about research. After the conclusion of the presentation, attendees will be invited to join the Zoom rooms set up by each lab that is present. Some, but not all, Physics faculty attend, and share about their research and available research positions (if applicable). In some cases, faculty may offer in-person lab tours or office hours so students can follow up with them. After the event, students can apply to available research positions via URAP and/or GoogleForm application that will be sent to all research fair participants.
Stay tuned in early August and in December/January each year for information on how to attend the next Virtual Physics Undergraduate Research Fair!