FAQ

Any undergraduate student with an interest in physics may apply to attend a CUWiP.  For the last decade, Conferences for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CUWiP) has helped undergraduate women thrive in physics by providing them with a unique opportunity to engage with and learn from other women in physics at all stages of their physics careers. At CUWiP, budding physicists will experience a professional conference, learn about graduate school and professions in physics, and share invaluable experiences, advice, and ideas with other women. Undergraduate students are eligible to apply and register for the conference, and we encourage non-undergraduate students or interested faculty/mentors to email tamu.cuwip@gmail.com for details about attendance and participation.

Most people say “Cue-Wip”.

Any undergraduate student attending a US college/university may apply. However, it is very important to complete all parts of the application and to write a thoughtful Applicant Statement. If conferences are oversubscribed, priority will be given to applicants who:

1. Are undergraduate physics or engineering physics majors
2. Have never attended an APS CUWiP
3. Are applying to attend the conference that is geographically closest to their expected location January 17 – 19, 2020.

There is no formal application or registration process for non-undergraduate students and interested faculty/mentors. We encourage you to email tamu.cuwip@gmail.com for details about attendance and participation.

No. You apply to attend a CUWiP conference (the one closest to you), and you are accepted, wait-listed or declined according to the priorities listed above. Application is free, and the deadline is Friday, October 11, 2020 at midnight ET.

After you have been accepted, you then register to attend the conference to which you have been accepted (you may be assigned to a different conference depending on the number of applications) to confirm that you will actually be attending. There is a one-time registration fee of $45, which helps offset some of the cost of the conference, including all lodging and meals.

Please see the APS CUWiP map. If you do not apply to the site that you will be geographically closest to at the time of the conference, your application may be denied.

As CUWiP is so popular, we need to carefully balance the loads across the sites to minimize travel costs and maximize the number of students who can attend CUWiP. We will aim to follow the distribution described by the APS CUWiP map (see home page), but we many need to deviate from that, so please do not book travel until you receive an acceptance email from, and complete registration for, a specific site.

No, but you should have an estimate of the cost. If you are traveling by air, or long distance train or bus, and your travel cost is not covered by your department, your travel agenda and cost must be approved by the conference organizers before you book your travel. Email us at tamu.cuwip@gmail.com for approval. Due to the limited nature of our travel funds, we ask that you find the most economical means of transportation to and from the conference. For example, reach out to others in your department and see if carpooling is an option.

First, make sure you submit your application by the deadline. Second, make sure you put some thought into why you want to attend and what you want to get out of the conference. Please answer all questions on the application fully and honestly. Offering to present a talk or a poster will not affect your chances of being selected to attend.

Yes, fee waivers are possible, if necessary. To request a fee waiver, please contact women@aps.org.

Students who are accepted to attend the conference must pay a one-time registration fee of $45, which helps offset some of the cost of the conference, including all lodging and meals. If you cannot afford the registration fee and your department/college is unable to help, you may request a fee waiver by submitting a statement attesting to your financial need and verifying that department or university funds are not available.  Further details will be provided when you are invited to register for the conference. You must request a fee waiver at least two days in advance of registering.

Lodging (for non-local students) and food will be covered by the conference; you do not need to pay for your hotel room or food at the conference.  We expect that your travel expenses will be covered by your home department or college. However, if they are not able to cover these expenses, travel funding is available (please, see Travel and Accommodations for details).

Please talk to your department chair, manager, or director of undergraduate studies before registering for CUWiP. You might ask an academic advisor, faculty member you know, or other mentor for guidance about who to ask if you are unsure.  You can also contact us if you would like guidance in asking your department for travel funds.

No. While we encourage you to present a talk or a poster if you have been involved in research, you are welcome just to attend the conference and participate in the activities.

The content of this year’s conference will not be exactly the same as last year’s, and you are welcome to apply to attend again. However, if more students apply than we can accommodate, preference will be given to students who have never attended a CUWiP.

Yes, all attendees must register by the deadline.

Because of the high demand of students and travel costs of those who are not in our region, we will only be able to accept students who will be in the region at the time of the conference. This conference is not intended to be a graduate school visit.

Students from Mexico are encouraged to apply to the Texas A&M University. However, Mexican students accepted to U.S. site are not eligible for reimbursement of travel expenses from the conference or for waiver of the registration fee. Lodging will be provided for limited number of students.

Students from Canada are encouraged to apply to the Canadian site at the University of Toronto. Students from Canada may apply to closer U.S. sites if desired. However, Canadian students accepted to U.S. sites are not eligible for reimbursement of travel expenses from the conference or for waiver of the registration fee.

APS is only able to fund students attending universities in the U.S. We welcome students attending non-U.S. institutions to email our site at tamu.cuwip@gmail.com or another CUWiP site to ask if you can apply to attend. CUWiP sites will not be able to reimburse students attending non-U.S. institutions for accommodations or travel.

Yes, undergraduate students at any U.S. college or university may apply!

Only undergraduate students who will be over 18 at the time of the conference may apply to CUWiP. Mentors, faculty members, graduate students, postdocs and/or accompanying non-undergraduate students wishing to attend the CUWiP at TAMU should contact us at tamu.cuwip@gmail.com.

Yes, students of all genders are welcome to attend this conference. If you have questions or concerns about the housing for this conference, please contact us at tamu.cuwip@gmail.com.

Students are responsible for arranging their own travel to the conference.  We encourage students to coordinate with other attendees from their institution.  Please be in communication with your local chair or faculty member if your department is reimbursing you for travel costs.  If your department cannot fund your travel, please communicate with Prof. Robert Webb (co-Chair of the Local Organizing Committee) for plane ticket approval before purchase.

Because your travel costs are reimbursable, it is expected that you will attend all of the conference events as scheduled. If you have special circumstances, please contact us to discuss them.

Students will be accommodated at Calvary Court. Please visit our Travel & Accommodation page for more information. Do not make your own hotel reservations. In general, roommates will be assigned randomly to promote new interactions. Students will be two to a room with each student having her own bed. If you wish to be paired up with another participant, please note that in your response when you finalize your registration to the conference in November 2019.

Ground Shuttle services to Houston/Austin are available which can pick up from the Calvary Court hotel. If flying out of College Station (CLL), the hotel has a shuttle service which can be used. Transportation from Texas A&M University to CLL will be arranged by organized shuttles or by pointing you to commercial services. If you plan to fly, please contact us before making your reservation.

Lodging and meals will be provided by the conference as long as you have been approved as an attendee. In addition, if you have been granted approval for reimbursement by the conference (rather than by your department): after the conference, you can submit the reimbursement form that will be provided to you. Reimbursement will be mailed to you within 6 weeks. For more details please contact us at tamu.cuwip@gmail.com.

We will request dietary restriction information on the registration form. If you believe your dietary needs are unusual, please contact us and we will work to accommodate you.

The conference has no dress code and we encourage students to be comfortable. You may wish to look at photos of previous conferences to see what students typically wear.

January weather in College Station is relatively mild. Daily high temperatures are around 63°F, rarely falling below 59°F or exceeding 75°F. We recommend looking up the forcasted weather for College Station, TX, when packing for the conference. Conference room temperatures can fluctuate, so please dress in layers.

We will request information on disability status on the registration form.  Please contact us in advance if you have unusual requirements, and we will work to accommodate you. Please review Campus Accessibility by clicking on “Accessible Entrances” on the Aggie Map for general information.

Student posters should be no larger than 4 feet wide by 3 feet tall or 3 feet tall by 4 feet wide. Larger posters will be difficult to mount to the boards for the poster session. Please see our Poster Guidelines for more information.

Yes! We have set up a Facebook page.

Please contact us if you are comfortable so we are aware. We will encourage you to try your best during the networking opportunities, but if you need to be paired up with someone you know (either in rooming or meals), please let us know so we can try to accommodate you. We hope that you will be able to comfortably attend the conference and get something from it, but we understand that everyone needs to go at their own pace.

Please contact us to discuss your needs.

A “preferred pronoun” is the pronoun that a person chooses to use for themselves. For example: If Xena’s preferred pronouns are she, her, and hers, you could say “Xena ate her food because she was hungry.”

She, her, hers and he, him, his are common examples of pronouns. Some people call these “female/feminine” and “male/masculine” pronouns, but many avoid these labels because, for example, not everyone who uses he feels like a “male” or “masculine.”

There are also lots of gender-neutral pronouns in use. Here are a few you might hear:

• They, them, theirs (Xena ate their food because they were hungry.) This is a pretty common gender-neutral pronoun…. And yes, it can in fact be used in the singular.
• Ze, hir (Xena ate hir food because ze was hungry.) Ze is pronounced like “zee” can also be spelled zie or xe, and replaces she/he/they. Hir is pronounced like “here” and replaces her/hers/him/his/they/theirs.
• Just my name please! (Xena ate Xena’s food because Xena was hungry) Some people prefer not to use pronouns at all, using their name as a pronoun instead.
• Never, ever refer to a person as “it” or “he-she” (unless they specifically ask you to.) These are often used as offensive slurs.

Based on the information here and resources linked therein.

CUWiP seeks to be a safe space for all participants.  By asking for preferred pronouns, we are ensuring that we don’t accidentally misgender any of our participants or make harmful assumptions based off of appearance. Even if you have never considered this in relation to yourself, by including your preferred pronouns on your name badge you can help to make other CUWiP participants comfortable. We hope you will consider this.