Paving the way for the next generation of female physicists

Opportunities: they’re at the forefront of conversation when fourth-year Physics student Emma Shouldice talks about the 3rd Annual Canadian Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CCUWiP), taking place at Dalhousie from January 8-10.

“The premise of the conference is to encourage undergraduate women in physics and related fields to get engaged in the conference atmosphere and presenting research,” explains Shouldice.

Shouldice and fellow fourth-year Physics student Lina Rotermund are working with a committee of female physics students to plan and run the national conference at Dal — the first time it’s been held in Atlantic Canada.

At $35, the registration fee covers all conference activities, food and even accommodations. This makes the overall fees roughly $300 less than a typical conference.

“This conference is all about giving opportunities to females at every level of undergrad,” says Shouldice, explaining that research grants tend to cover conference costs so a lower registration fee allows students who aren’t yet involved in research at their university to attend and benefit from an academic conference.

“Most of the women coming have decided 'I really like physics and I’m going to stick with it,’” says Rotermund, chair of the CCUWiP committee at Dal. “But [the conference] will really help them decide if they’re going to go into academia, industry, or government because our speakers come from all three."

Shouldice is working on her honours degree in Physics with a minor in Mathematics and Rotermund is completing a combined honours in Physics and Oceanography with a minor in Mathematics. Alongside this, the two are working around the clock to plan the conference. Their committees raise money required for the conference, land expert speakers, and support the conference’s guests with travel tips, fundraising advice and more.

'Even out the number gap'

Ultimately, Shouldice and Rotermund are proud to be a part of a conference that supports and encourages young women to pursue the study of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) subjects.

“Often times at bigger conferences, the speakers are mostly male,” says Rotermund.  “I want to see more women in physics to even out the number gap.”

Speakers at this year’s CCUWiP are all women, including Dalhousie’s  Kimberly Hall, a Canada Research Chair in Ultrafast Science, and Simona Verga, a defence scientist with Defence Research and Development Canada.

“[Women] are very much underrepresented in physics,” adds Shouldice. “We’re also planning to invite female high school students to some of the plenary sessions, to reach that younger group and show that physics is an option, too.”

Shouldice takes a moment to reflect on what she finds so fascinating about the subjects that might scare off younger students in high school.

“It’s kind of elegant in a way,” says Shouldice. “Sometimes the most complicated problem gets simplified down through math and you just get this simple solution to something that seemed baffling before.”

If you’re interested in learning more about the conference, please visit the CCUWiP-Dal website.