More than a hundred people converged on campus last weekend to discuss the growing role of undergraduate women in physics. Syracuse was one of nine institutions around the country that simultaneously participated in the “Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics" (CUWiP). Sponsored by the American Physical Society (APS), the program included talks, panel discussions, lab tours, and student research presentations.

The theme of the Syracuse conference was “Allies Across Difference,” exploring intersections of race, disability, and sexual orientation within a scientific and sociological framework. Its objective was two-fold: to provide undergraduate women an opportunity to experience a professional conference and to enable them to meet and interact with other female physicists (of all ages), with whom they can share information.

According to APS, the number of women earning bachelor’s degrees in physics peaked about 10 years ago (approximately 23 percent of all enrolled students), while the number of women pursuing Ph.D. and postdoctoral opportunities in the field has climbed steadily over the past four decades.

Watch below to hear reflections on CUWiP from this year's organizers and participants: