Department News and Notices
Don't go to bed hungry
Don’t go to bed hungry, there’s help available! If you are a student who is struggling with finances, unaware of how to access resources, or don’t have enough time to buy and cook your food, visit https://doingwell.mit.edu/foodandfinancial/ for support!
Physics Events/Resources for Undergrads
Physics Coffee Chats
UWiP is once again starting up our Physics Coffee Chats! In a coffee chat, we will pair you with a group of other undergraduates and reimburse $10 per person to go out for coffee or lunch together!
To sign up for a coffee chat, just fill out this form telling us a bit about yourself, and who you’d like to be (or not like to be) matched with. Open to all students regardless of class year, gender identity, or group affiliation!
Apply for Virtual APS March or April Meeting
Interested in conference experiences open to undergraduates? Register for the upcoming APS March or April meetings to learn about research in your field, present your work, and network with scientists across the country.
Both conferences are offering virtual versions this year as a low-cost option, so submit your registration soon (early bird registration ends February 28th and March 6th for March and April, respectively). Discounted rates for APS members!
(Note: If you are an official SPS National member, you may already be an APS member.)
For more questions about funding opportunities and support, reach out to uwip-exec@mit.edu.
Communic.8: Physics Department Piazza
Have you ever wanted to ask a question about the department and your major but didn’t know who to ask? Through this Piazza, you can: ask for information (e.g., about department matters, physics requirements), get advice, start discussions relevant to the physics community, etc.
UROP Guide
The Ultimate UROP Guide is finally here! This guide aims to demystify the UROP process from finding a supervisor to developing a mentor-mentee relationship. It should be most useful to freshmen and sophomores so please help us in spreading the word to them.
In the next edition, we will add Student Spotlights, blogs highlighting the varied research experiences of Course 8 students. Look out for more updates!
SPS: Course 8 Discord
With every new semester comes a whole new roster of class group chats on Messenger and Discord. If you are in any (or if you have made one yourself), please add invite links to this spreadsheet: COURSE 8 GROUP CHATS. This serves to make it easier for everyone to find the group chats they need. Plugging some other helpful resources: Course 8 Discord (has channels for some classes) / Communic8 Physics Dept Piazza / UROP Guide. NOTE: The Physics Department is not responsible for the content of the Course 8 Discord channel.
Graduate Student Appreciation Week (April 3-9)
This April 3 - 9, MIT will celebrate Graduate & Professional Student Appreciation Week with a calendar of fun, stress-relieving experiences and giveaways. Registration is now open for all sign-up events!
Events for the week include:
- Free coffee at Area Four
- Chair massages!
- Photo contest with prizes
- Plant your own “Lucky Bamboo”
- Paint Night
- GradSupport open house
- Walking tours of Boston
- Raffle for families
Please find the full schedule online and a flyer attached.
Started in 1993 by the National Association of Graduate-Professional Students, this week gives us a great reason to demonstrate our gratitude for the contributions, impact and value of our grad students. You inspire us every day with your passionate curiosity, visionary research, and bold innovations.
Latest Physics news
COLLOQUIA & SEMINARS THIS WEEK
Monday, March 27, 2023 at 12:00pm ET in Duboc Room (4-331)
"Axion optical control of antiferromagnetic order"
Suyang Xu, Harvard University
Tuesday, March 28, 2023 at 4:00pm ET - Harvard Jefferson 250
"Qubit by Qubit: Leveraging a quantum education nonprofit’s infrastructure and programming to sustainably engage in local quantum education"
Ali Warshay, Amir Karamlou, MIT
Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at 3:00pm ET - *Hybrid MD 119*
"Materials Development of Carbon Nanotubes for Quantum Devices"
Eric Seabron, Howard
Tuesday, March 28, 2023 at 1:00pm ET - NW17-218 Hybrid
"GET-ART project: an alternative novel method to measure DT fusion power in magnetic confinement fusion based on detection of 17 MeV gamma rays"
Marco Tardocchi, Instituto per la Scienza e Tecnologia dei Plasmi (ISTP)
For Zoom link: info@psfc.mit
Friday, March 31, 2023 at 10:00am ET - NW17-218 Hybrid
"Development of plasma facing materials and components at the Max-Planck-Institute for Plasma Physics"
Johann Riesch, Max-Planck-Institute for Plasma Physics
For Zoom link: info@psfc.mit
UPCOMING EVENTS
SPring Fest
Who: Graduate Students
When: Saturday, March 25, 2023 from 2 - 4pm ET
Where: Sidney-Pacific Multipurpose room
Celebrate the beginning of spring with us on Saturday March 25 from 2 - 4pm in the Sidney-Pacific Multipurpose room! Check out our petting zoo, get something made by our balloon twister, have your fortune told by our tarot reader, and more. As always, snacks (some themed around some herbs that were grown during the SPring Planting event we had, or maybe even some you are growing yourselves) will be provided so come have some fun and fill your bellies too!
We will also be holding a plant show at the event. Whether it's a small seedling or large houseplant, come bring your flora to show off! Residents who participate in the plant show will be entered into a drawing for over $100+ in prizes. If you don't yet have a plant, you can join us this Saturday March 11 from 5 - 7pm in the Seminar room to get one of your own!
Harvard Physics Colloquium
Who: All Students
When: Monday, March 27, 2023 at 4:30 PM ET
Where: Jefferson 250/Online
"Neutrino Astronomy: From Dream to Reality"
Naoko Neilson, Associate Professor of Physics, Drexel University
Zoom
Harvard Mathematical Picture Language Seminar
Who: All Students
When: Tuesday, March 28, 2023 at 9:30 AM ET
Where: Virtual
“Non-positive sequences in analytic number theory and the Landau-Siegel zero”
Yitang Zhang, UC Santa Barbara
Zoom
Brandeis University Eisenbud Lecture Series
Who: All Students
When: Tuesday, March 28, 2023 at 4:00 PM ET
Where: Abelson 131/Online
“The Accelerating Universe and Rigid Einstein Manifolds”
Eva M. Silverstein, Stanford University
Zoom
UMass Boston Physics Colloquium
Who: All Students
When: Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at 12:00 PM ET
Where: ISC-1200
"Geometric Squeezing and Crystallization of Bosonic Quantum Hall States"
Martin Zwierlein, MIT
UMass Lowell Physics Colloquium
Who: All Students
When: Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at 4:00 PM ET
Where: Olsen 102
"Exploring Heliophysics in Our Solar System and Beyond: From Stellar Coronae to (Exo)Planetary Atmospheres"
Chuanfei Dong, Boston University
Mental health and developmental challenges common in Grad students & Postdocs
Who: Graduate Students and Postdocs
When: Thursday, April 6, 2023, 3:00pm to 4:30pm ET
Where: Virtual
CAPD speaker Dr. Lloyd will discuss issues of depression, anxiety, and relational challenges inherent to the graduate student/postdoc experience from a developmental perspective. Dr. Lloyd will take a clinical approach to the topic, use examples and draw from his experience of working with graduate students at MIT. He will also discuss effective ways of managing these commonly occurring challenges and, finally, will discuss mental health treatment offered at the MIT Student Mental Health and Counseling Services.
Registration required via Handshake. This CAPD event is open to MIT graduate students & postdocs. Hosted by CAPD
“Just Atoms and Molecules? Or Something More?” Screening and discussion of Searching: Our Quest for Meaning in the Age of Science
Who: All Students
When: Wednesday, April 12, 2023 at 5:00pm to 7:00pm ET
Where: 10-250
Join us for a screening of clips from “SEARCHING: Our Quest for Meaning in the Age of Science” and comments from MIT’s Alan Lightman, Nancy Kawisher, Kieran Setiya producer/director Geoff Haines-Stiles (Carl Sagan’s COSMOS)…and YOU!
Lightman, MIT Professor of the Practice of the Humanities and host of the new public television mini-series “SEARCHING: Our Quest for Meaning in the Age of Science”, will be joined by series director/producer Haines-Stiles to present a 45-minute selection of key scenes, followed by a panel discussion with MIT faculty and students, and then open-mic Q&A with the audience.
The series explores the philosophical, ethical, and theological implications of cutting-edge science (distant galaxies, gravitational waves, particle physics, brain science, Al, computers, and more) and asks such questions as: “How do we humans fit in the grand scheme of things?” and “How do complex human experiences such as consciousness and falling in love arise from a material brain composed of atoms and molecules?”
IDSS Celebration
Who: All Students
When: Thursday, April 13 and Friday, April 14, 2023
Where: E15 MIT Media Lab
This celebratory event reflects on the impact in research and education the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society has had since its launch in 2015 and explores future opportunities with thought leaders and policy experts. In panels and plenary talks, we will discuss the impact of research areas utilizing the available massive data, in-depth understanding of underlying social and engineering systems, and the investigation of social and institutional behavior to provide answers to critical and complex challenges.
Colloquium on the Brain and Cognition with Adrienne Fairhall
Who: All Students
When: Thursday, April 20, 2023 at 4:00pm to 6:00pm ET
Where: Building 46, Singleton
Talk Title TBA
Adrienne Fairhall, Associate Professor Physiology & Biophysics, UWashington
ChemE Dept. Seminar Series: Sujit S. Datta
Who: All Students
When: Friday, April 21, 2023 at 3:00pm to 4:00pm ET
Where: 66-110
"Life in a Tight Spot: How Bacteria Navigate Crowded Spaces"
Sujit S. Datta, Princeton
FELLOWSHIPS/GRANTS
Eloranta Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships
Who: Undergraduate Students
Deadline: Friday, April 7, 2023
Posted: 3/3/2023
The Peter J. Eloranta Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships ($7,000!) are awarded each spring to MIT undergraduates who submit proposals for novel research projects and/or further development of innovative ideas, devices, prototypes, etc.
Deadline to apply: Friday, April 7, 2023. Learn more here!
Paid Teaching Fellowship Abroad for STEM PhDs
Who: Graduate Students
Deadline: April 15, 2023
Posted: 3/3/2023
Are you a recent or soon-to-be PhD graduate? Would you like to spend up to six months making a difference by developing and teaching science curriculum abroad?
Science Corps offers fully paid fellowships to upcoming and recent PhD graduates (up to four years after graduation) to help build science capacity at one of our host locations in the Philippines, Morocco, Bangladesh, and India. We are also currently developing new site partnerships, and are open to a fellow interested in working on site development.
Fellows travel to partner institutions to develop science curriculum, teach in secondary school classrooms, train teachers, and build community-based research projects. In addition to building science capacity at these host locations, we also aim to offer fellows a life-changing experience. They are given the opportunity to spend time in beautiful locations, immerse themselves in different cultures, and learn from their host educators–all while making positive contributions to these communities. Should travel continue to be restricted, fellows will have the opportunity to visit the host site they work with once it is safe to do so.
We are presently interested in recruiting immediately for fellowships starting within the next year. The deadline for this application round is April 15th, but we still encourage you to contact us if you would like to be considered for a later appointment.
To find out more about us and apply, please go to https://science-corps.org
OPPORTUNITIES
Nominate someone or yourself for the RISE Awards
Who: All Students
Deadline: Wednesday, April 3, 2023
Posted: 3/24/2023
Intercultural Engagement (i.e), LBGTQ+ Services, the Institute Community and Equity Office (ICEO), the Office of Graduate Education (OGE) and the Office of Minority Education (OME) warmly invite you to actively show your appreciation for those truly making a difference in our community!
Be a part of the celebration! Help us recognize outstanding members of the MIT community for their dedicated efforts toward promoting equity and diversity by nominating them for an MIT RISE awards! Let us take a moment to recognize the individuals who are contributing greatly to making MIT a more equitable and inclusive community. The Office of Multicultural Programs (OMP), LBGTQ+ Services, the Institute Community and Equity Office (ICEO), the Office of Graduate Education (OGE) and the Office of Minority Education (OME) are excited to invite you to honor those making an exceptional impact in our community!
Don't miss this chance - act quickly and submit your nominations by Wednesday, April 3! Nominations should be at least one (1) page long (about 250 words double-spaced), and no more than two (2) pages long. Let's recognize our colleagues and peers whose tireless work promotes equity and diversity at MIT!
Nominate an MIT faculty, staff or students: <https://mit.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_72JWohrunPVd8zk?jfefe=new>.
To see previous winners: <https://studentlife.mit.edu/ixe/signature-programs-and-events/rise-awards>.
Below are the awards. For award descriptions: <https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ah4a7wKhS_pdVX1bFjSx-IHD-lnvzC2c/view>.
* Emerging Leader Award
* Engineering Community Award
* Excellence in Programming Award
* Dr. Robbin Chapman Excellence through Adversity Award
* Staff Award for Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion
* Faculty Ambassador Award
* Mens et Manus Award
* Organization of the Year
* Unsung Hero Award
* John S.W. Kellett '47 Award
* Office of Graduate Education Service Award
Winners will be notified via email. Winners and invited guests will be invited to celebrate at a reception on Tuesday, April 25th at noon.
Office of Sustainability is hiring for summer students
Who: All Students
Deadline: ASAP
Posted: 3/17/2023
The MIT Office of Sustainability is hiring student researchers for 10-week, full time summer positions. We have 5, hourly paid positions for graduate and undergraduate MIT students. This is an opportunity to get directly involved with campus sustainability efforts and to contribute to Fast Forward: MIT’s Climate Action Plan for the Decade.
Open Positions
- Carbon Markets Student Researcher
- Climate Change Data Analyst
- Climate Resiliency and Adaptation Planning Researcher
- Design out Waste Student Researcher
- Environmental Justice Student Researcher
To apply: Send a resume and cover letter to mitosjobs@mit.edu with the name of the position in the subject line. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Send inquires to mitosjobs@mit.edu.
Find more information on our current fellows here
Submit a poster for the upcoming SERC Symposium
Who: All Students
Deadline: Tuesday, March 29, 2023
Posted: 3/24/2023
Bringing together social scientists and humanists with engineers and computer scientists, the Social and Ethical Responsibilities of Computing (SERC) within the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing, is hosting its inaugural symposium that will showcase the work of MIT faculty, postdocs, and students advancing education and research in this domain. Please see the speakers, and schedule here.
Paper/Submission Guidelines
- The poster can be in any field of in Social and Ethical Responsibilities in Computing.
- The poster must be submitted electronically as a PDF file
- Files should be named according to the format: 23SERCSym_ (Author Last Names) _ (Title of Poster)
Eligibility
- The poster must be written by current undergrad/grad students, either as an individual, or a group of students.
Examples of potential formats
- A proposal for a new business/research/social model for addressing an ethical issue.
- A policy brief for a lawmaker proposing a new policy to address an ethical issue.
- A video, board, or card game (or a design for one) related to an ethical issue (e.g., perhaps to form part of a new kind of ethics training for scientists or engineers?)
- A visual or performance art project related to an ethical issue (e.g., perhaps intended for public education?)
- A lesson plan for teaching this issue to a K-12 or early college audience.
If you have any questions, email Cory Harris (serc@mit.edu)
Intention to Poster due: Tuesday, March 29th
Poster due: Tuesday, April 12th
STEMVAULT: Student Video Competition - Call for Submissions!
Who: All Students
Deadline: Friday, March 31, 2023
Posted: 2/24/2023
Help make STEM exciting, understandable, and fun for middle school audiences! Film a video for STEMVAULT: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Videos for Accessible Understanding of "Locked" Topics
ALL participants will receive $50 in TechCash!
How it works:
- Current MIT undergraduate and graduate students are invited to film a 30-60 second video on a STEM topic of your choosing.
- Explain the topic and why it is exciting and important in a way that can be understood by middle school students.
- Submissions are due at the link below by Friday March 31.
- Everyone who submits a video is invited to the first STEMVAULT Symposium on Saturday April 8th at 9am - 1pm (details to follow).
- Winners will be awarded a STEM grant to give to a middle school of their choosing. The first place winner will receive a $3,000 STEM grant and the second place winner will receive a $2,000 STEM grant.
- Over $5,000 in additional grants will be awarded to support STEM education at middle schools, including local Boston/Cambridge area schools.
- Every MIT student who submits a video for consideration will receive
$50 in TechCash!
Video submission form
All MIT students, faculty, and staff are also welcome to participate as judges. Learn more and apply to be a judge at the Judge Application Form.
Remote Summer Volunteer Opportunity for MIT Students!
Who: All Students
Deadline: April 9, 2023
Posted: 3/17/2023
Looking for a fun volunteer opportunity? Teach a course with connectinplace.org, where college students teach free courses ranging from “The Art of Thinking Like a Computer" to “Minecraft: Intro to Architecture & Team Building" to "The History of Rock and Roll!" Connect in Place has taught 500+ classes to a community of 5,000+ students in 45 countries, and wants to continue making education more accessible + engaging this summer!
Apply for Summer Session 1 (June 19th - July 14th) and Session 2 (July 24th - August 18th) below. https://tinyurl.com/CIPInstuctor2023 *Interviews end April 9*
VDSP Summer Academy on Matter Waves
Who: All Students
Deadline: FRI 28 April 2023, 23:59 CET
Posted: 3/3/2023
VDSP Summer Academy on Matter Waves
A comprehensive introduction: from electrons, over atoms and molecules to nanoparticles
Where: University of Vienna, Faculty of Physics, Austria
When: 17-28 July 2023
Lecturers: Markus Arndt, Philipp Haslinger, Thomas Juffmann
Target Audience: Advanced bachelor and master students who consider doing research in this field
In 2023 we are going to celebrate the centenary of Louis de Broglie’s revolutionary idea that all massive matter must be described by quantum waves. This idea inspired Erwin Schrödinger to formulate his wave equation and it is at the heart of matter-wave research with systems as diverse as electrons, neutrons, atoms, degenerate atomic clouds, molecules, clusters, and nanoparticles.
Modern matter-wave physics addresses the foundations of physics as well as applications in inertial sensing, precision measurement, quantum imaging, quantum measurement, and the explorations of the interface of quantum physics with gravity theory, chemistry, or biology.
The VDSP Summer Academy wants to celebrate these achievements by introducing advanced bachelor and master students from all over the world to this timely topic.
There are no registration fees.
We can offer limited travel support to a subset of students.
The number of participants is limited to 60 students.
Application Deadline: FRI 28 April 2023, 23:59 CET
Register and further info: https://vds-physics.univie.ac.at/academy-2023/
Summer '23 Social Impact Internships
Who: Undergraduate Students
Deadline: ASAP
Posted: 3/10/2023
Looking for a way to make an impact this Summer? Apply for a funded Social Impact Internship through the PKG Center! You're eligible to apply if you're an undergraduate returning to campus for Fall 2023 with US work authorization. Remote, hybrid, and in-person opportunities are available! We encourage you to apply ASAP, as employers are reviewing applications on a rolling basis.
Find all of our open opportunities here: https://bit.ly/PKGinternships
Join PKG Social Impact Living Learning (SILL) Community
Who: Undergraduate Students
Deadline: March 31, 2023
Posted: 3/24/2023
PKG is launching a new Social Impact Living Learning (SILL) community this summer for undergraduate MIT students engaged in internships, UROPs focused on creating positive social change, and PKG Fellows. Participants in the program will receive MIT housing and funding to help cover their living expenses.
This competitive opportunity will provide a great community of likeminded people who want to serve the community. We are calling for applications! The deadline is March 31! Apply here - https://airtable.com/shrrup6MOAZPUXyg1
Program info: https://pkgcenter.mit.edu/programs/pkg-social-impact-living-learning-sill-community/
Research opportunity with the Center for Computational Astrophysics in NYC
Who: Undergraduate Students
Deadline: April 15, 2023
Posted: 3/10/2023
The Center for Computational Astrophysics (CCA) at the Simons Foundation’s Flatiron Institute seeks temporary full-time research analysts as part of its Pre-Doctoral Program.
For further details about the program and a full list of mentors’ potential projects and descriptions of broad research interests, please click here.
Interested students can apply here. Applications due by April 15th.
Physics students needed for GSC DEI committee
Who: Graduate Students
Deadline: ASAP
Posted: 3/10/2023
Are you interested in a low time commitment position to help promote diversity, equity, and inclusion at MIT?
The GSC DEI committee is currently rebuilding a network of grad students from all different departments. These positions are called department conduits and you’d be representing the Physics department while helping improve life for grad students at MIT.
Conduits are graduate student representatives who are interested in diversity, inclusion, and equity efforts in their department. They provide a grassroots view of the diversity and inclusion status on campus and inform the diversity, inclusion, and equity priorities supported by the GSC. Together, we work to define MITwide best practices related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Conduits from all departments meet 1-2 times per semester at conduit assemblies, where they:
● Share and institutionalize knowledge and best practices related to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts across MIT.
● Create a community of students interested in and working toward improved diversity, inclusion, and equity on campus who can share their experiences and support each other.
● Identify common challenges and opportunities across departments that could be supported by the GSC.
Depending on their bandwidth and interest level, conduits may also:
● Implement existing initiatives from other departments in their home department (e.g. application assistance programs)
● Initiate new initiatives in their departments with the support of GSC and the other conduits
● Contribute to GSC diversity-related efforts which cut across multiple departments (e.g. MITwide diversity and climate survey)
If you are interested, please reach out to Evelyne Ringoot eringoot@mit.edu!
Harvard Physics Job Opening for Lecturer and Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies (ADUS)
Who: Graduate Students
Deadline: ASAP
Posted: 3/3/2023
The Department of Physics at Harvard is looking for a new Lecturer and Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies (ADUS). The position would be an exciting opportunity for those who are interested in a career that combines college-level physics teaching, advising, and administration, in an R1 university setting.
The position involves teaching and developing undergraduate-level physics courses, at both introductory and advanced levels, as well as co-leading the undergraduate physics program and its 200 physics concentrators, among other responsibilities. The ADUS role is very important to the department, and the successful candidate would be an important member of both our teaching mission and of our academic team. The position is not time-limited – it's an indefinite appointment, with periodic reviews.
For more details,: http://bit.ly/3kYpb9k
Questions: despina_bokios@fas.harvard.edu
TRISEP-2023: TRI-Institute Summer School on Elementary Particles
Who: Graduate Students
Deadline: May 19, 2023
Posted: 3/17/2023
TRISEP-2023 is an exciting annual summer school on high-energy physics in its broadest sense: including particle physics, gravity and cosmology. We are writing to ask for your help in drawing it to the attention of interested graduate students. This year the school will take place at Perimeter Institute, during the two weeks of June 19-30. For info and to register: https://events.perimeterinstitute.ca/event/42/overview
The program is intended for graduate students of all levels, who are already familiar with the basics of quantum field theory.
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