Conference of Undergraduate Women in Physics @ Caltech
Recently, I was able to guide tours to various labs as part of the Conference of Undergraduate Women in Physics hosted by Caltech. It was my first time giving tours of any type on campus, so it was a pleasant new experience! We went to several quantum labs as well as ones related to space and the other branches of physics. The other undergraduates also attended several days of seminars and presentations, as well as an optional tour of JPL the next day. At the end, we watched "Ph.D. Comics: The Movie" (starring many Caltech-affiliated students/profs) in Feynman Lecture Hall. I made some new friends and look forward to being a tour guide on campus starting this summer!
^ The NuSTAR control room, with several monitors prominently displaying data being imported from the satellite. More information on NuSTAR can be found here: http://www.nustar.caltech.edu/
^ Taking refreshment breaks between the two lab tour sessions. Many women had come from the same schools, yet others met with people going to other colleges on a day where they celebrated their common interests.
^ Poster presentation contest. There were about 40 projects competing and the top presenters were given prizes. This reminded me of my days in high school (nostalgia!) when I would eagerly prepare to give Science Fair presentations on my hard-worked-on research. Some things never change!