|
for All Students |
|
for All Undergraduates |
|
for All Graduate Students and/or Postdocs |
DEPARTMENT NEWS AND NOTICES
Latest Physics news
COURSE ANNOUNCEMENTS
[SPRING] LEAPS Leadership training courses
We’re happy to announce that our award-winning LEAPS Leadership training courses will run again this Spring!
TL;DR:
LEAPS provides a broad array of leadership training and practice that will support and enhance your STEM career — no matter what your long-term career goals are. Full details can be found here: https://physics.mit.edu/academic-programs/subjects/mitleaps/
If you haven’t taken a LEAPS course yet, please register! Everyone is welcome, and we’re excited to work with you!
Student registration:
Leading Yourself and Others (Feb-March): register for one of these: 5.962, 8.397, 9.982, 12.397, 18.897
Leadership through Professional Strategies & Skills (Apr/May): register for one of these: 5.961, 8.396, 9.981, 12.396, 18.896
Postdoc registration: https://forms.gle/kDsDCRzEh9YRskcs7
Let me know at mitleaps@gmail.com if you have any questions or comments!
[SPRING] 8.006 Exploring Physics Using Python
Can coding help you learn physics? Can physics help you learn coding?
8.006 Exploring Physics Using Python (at an introductory level)
Now offered in spring semester
Curious about coding or physics?
- Discover a different way of engaging with physics as we apply computational modeling & simple algorithms/techniques to physical systems in hands-on, interactive classes
- Great for students considering a Course 6 or Course 8 major but are interested in an interdisciplinary approach or career
- Become more competitive for UROPs
- To be taken with or after 6.100L or 6.100A (or demonstrate equivalent knowledge)
- Meets 2 hours per week, 1 Problem Set per semester, Pass/D/F, no Final Exam
Double dip: When taken simultaneously with 6.100L, the 8.006 Problem Set also counts as one 6.100L PSet
Please reach out to Matt Heine (mheine@mit.edu) with any questions!
UPCOMING COLLOQUIA & SEMINARS
Friday, January 31, 2025 at 12:00pm ET in Duboc Room (4-331)
"Twisted trilayer graphene under the microscope"
Ben Feldman, Stanford University
Monday, February 3, 2025 at 2:00pm ET - Cosman Room (6C-442)
"Pi in the Sky: Axion Condensation in Neutron Stars"
Mia Kumamoto, University of Washington
Monday, February 3, 2025 at 4:00pm ET - Kolker Room (26-414) and Zoom
"Innovating Triggers and Triggering Innovation: Illuminating New Physics at the Energy Frontier"
Kiley Kennedy
Tuesday, February 4, 2025 at 12:00pm ET - Kolker Room (26-414) and Zoom
"Quantum Search Sensing"
Soonwon Choi, MIT
Tuesday, February 4, 2025 at 2:30pm ET at Tufts
"Optimal reconstruction of the Hellings and Downs correlation"
Bruce Allen, Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics / Albert Einstein Institute
Tuesday, February 25, 2025 at 4:00pm ET at Marlar Lounge (37-252) and Zoom
TBA
Kathryne Daniel, University of Arizona
Tuesday, February 11, 2025 at 4:00pm ET - Harvard
TBA
Kang-Kuen Ni
Tuesday, February 4, 2025 at 10:45am ET - Duboc Room (4-331)
"Towards Unification of Artificial Intelligence and Science"
Ziming Liu, MIT
Wednesday, February 5, 2025 at 3:00-4:30pm ET - Cosman Room (6C-442)
"DSSYK_{\infty}, de Sitter space and a parallel with QCD"
Leonard Susskind, Stanford
Thursday, February 13, 2025 at 12:00pm ET - CUA Room (26-214)
"Tunable phase transitions in Rydberg-based quantum simulators"
Natalia Chepiga, TU Delft
Thursday, February 6, 2025 at 4:00pm ET - 10-250
"Black hole accretion and growth in the Time Domain and Multi-Messenger Era"
Erin Kara , MIT
Friday, February 14, 2025 at 2:00pm–3:00pm ET - Kolker Room (26-414)
"Collide and compress: building robust embedding spaces to simplify new physics searches at the LHC"
Sam Bright-Thonney, Postdoctoral Fellow, IAIFI
UPCOMING EVENTS
2025 Harvard Loeb Lectures in Physics - Steven Kivelson
Who: All Students
When: February 3, 5, & 6, 2025
Where: Harvard Jefferson 250
2025 Morris Loeb Lectures in Physics
Steven Kivelson, Prabhu Goel Family Professor, Stanford University
All lectures will be held in Jefferson 250 (17 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA)
and streamed live through zoom (https://harvard.zoom.us/j/98584570726?pwd=
AqcgurKUC8rNOtIeCuv4MGaacjjxZO.1 Passcode:167967)
Monday, February 3, 4:30pm - Colloquium
"Theory of superconductivity in the cuprate “high temperature superconductors” A progress report"
Wednesday, February 5, 4:30pm - Seminar #1
"Intertwined Orders” and the complex phase diagrams of highly correlated electronic systems"
Thursday, February 6, 4:30pm - Seminar #2
"Emergent granularity near the superconductor-to-metal transition in overdoped cuprates"
Lunar New Year
Who: All Students
When: Saturday, February 8, 2025 | 2pm to 4pm ET
Where: MIT Welcome Center
Welcome the Year of the Snake with hands-on crafts, face painting, treats and hot drinks, and entertainment!
Presented in collaboration with our friends in MIT's Graduate Tower at Site 4.
Consciousness & Reality (C&R) Colloquium 2024-25 Series
Who: All Students
When: Wednesday, February 12, 2025 | 1pm ET
Where: VIRTUAL
"QUANTUM PROCESSING IN THE BRAIN?"
MATTHEW FISHER, Professor of Physics, University of California Santa Barbara
The endeavor to construct a laboratory quantum computer has evolved into a multi-billion-dollar undertaking. However, an intriguing question arises: could we ourselves be quantum computers? While maintaining quantum coherence on macroscopic time scales is exceedingly unlikely in the warm wet brain, there is one exception: Nuclear spins. Our strategy is one of reverse engineering, seeking to pinpoint the biochemical substrate and mechanisms that might underpin the hypothetical quantum processing involving nuclear spins. Seemingly, a specific neural qubit and a unique collection of ions, molecules and organelles can be identified. I will present an overview of our (largely experimental) ongoing efforts to delve into this captivating realm of exploration.
https://zoom.us/j/99505485799?pwd=fYOUh2gCTEuDgP8JlEq3ey2dvTr9Ip.1
NE GWiSE Winter Retreat: Careers in Science Policy
Who: Graduate Students (Graduate students of all genders are welcome!)
When: Sunday, February 16, 2025 | 10:30am to 3pm ET
Where: Rajen Kilachand Center (610 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215), room 101
RSVP
Join the members of New England Graduate Women in Science and Engineering (NE GWiSE) at our Winter Retreat! This is an event where we connect with members of our community and discuss career paths in the field of science policy. Come and meet graduate students (and postdocs!) from other universities as we embark on a day of learning, sharing, and networking to foster collaborations and friendships across the greater Boston area!
This year's retreat will focus on the myriad ways that people can get involved in science policy. As funding for science continues to decrease, it is important now more than ever to make our science count and strengthen the connection between academia, government policy, and the general public. We are thrilled to announce our keynote speaker, Dr. Melody Burkins, the current UArctic Chair in Science Diplomacy and Inclusion at Dartmouth and a ISC Steering Committee member of the Fourth International Arctic Research Planning Conference. Our panelists will include the keynote speaker, as well as Dr. Molly Bird, a Health Science Policy Analyst for the NIH, and Dr. Janelle Knox-Hayes, a Lister Brothers Professor of Economic Geography and Planning in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning.
Navigate your way to a career in semiconductors
Who: All Students
When: Tuesday, February 25, 2025 | 4pm to 7pm ET
Where: MIT Media Lab (Building E14, 6th floor)
Navigate your way to a career in semiconductors
A panel discussion and networking opportunity presented by MIT.nano with the GSA WLI.
>> REGISTER
MEET REPRESENTATIVES FROM:
- AMD
- Cadence
- GlobalFoundries
- Meta
- Teradyne
- STMicroelectronics
AGENDA:
4:15 PM – 5:00 PM
Panel Discussion—Driving Innovation: Key technologies shaping the future of semiconductors and AI
5:00 PM – 5:45 PM
Panel Discussion—Building the future: The power of diverse perspectives and talent in semiconductor innovation
5:45 PM – 7:00 PM
Networking with industry leaders
More details to be announced. Check the GSA WLI webpage for the latest updates.
FELLOWSHIPS/GRANTS
MGH Undergraduate Fellowship Program in Medical Physics
Who: Undergraduate Students
Deadline: March 1, 2025
Posted: 1/10/2025
The Radiation Oncology Physics Division at Mass General Brigham is recruiting TWO undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds for a 10-week summer fellowship program in medical physics. The selected candidates will work with a Harvard faculty Physicist on a research and development project that is designed to motivate the students to continue to pursue a career in medical physics. The student will also have opportunities to get didactic and hands-on experiences in radiation therapy. A stipend of $6,000 will be paid to the fellows in two installments, one in the midpoint and the other upon completion of the fellowship.
Racial/ethnic minorities, women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and persons with disability are strongly encouraged to apply.
Eligibility:
- Completed at least 2 years of undergraduate studies and have declared (or are eligible to declare) a major in physics, engineering, or other sciences.
- United States (US) citizen or permanent US resident
- Have NOT previously participated in the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) DREAM Summer Fellowship.
How to apply:
- Complete the online application form with the following by March 1, 2025:
- Statement of interest (1000-word limit)
- Official transcripts
- Letter of reference (optional but strongly encouraged)
Copies of your official transcripts and letter of reference can be emailed to MGHMedPhys@mgh.harvard.edu with “2025 Undergraduate Fellowship” in the subject.
If you have any questions, please contact Yi Wang, PhD.
OTHER OPPORTUNITIES
Teach for Splash 2025!
Who: All Students
Deadline: February 7, 2025, 11:59PM ET
Posted: 12/13/2025
tl;dr: Teach a class on anything to middle and high school students on the weekend of March 15-16! Register at esp.mit.edu/teachfrogs25 by Feb 7!
Looking for a fun weekend activity? Want to be part of one of MIT’s most iconic events? This spring, teach anything at Splash, brought to you by the Educational Studies Program.
ESP is pleased to announce this year’s Splash will be in the spring, on the weekend of March 15-16, fully in person on MIT’s campus! Reflecting our decision to merge Spark and Splash for the 2024-2025 school year, the program will be catered towards students from 7th to 12th grade.
At Splash, you’ll join hundreds of other MIT students to teach thousands of motivated and curious middle and high school students anything you want in any length or style. Past classes include Sword/Lightsaber Spinning Workshop, Learning to Crochet, How to Build a Self-Driving Car, and more! Most classes are taught by small groups of MIT students, so spread the word to your friends. Join a community of new and past Splash teachers in a weekend-long celebration of teaching and learning!
As a teacher at our program, you’ll also receive free meals (for the whole weekend) and a t-shirt! You can read more about the ESP teacher experience in past teachers’ blogs. Sign up to teach by February 7, 11:59 ET.
Check out our website for more information, or email us at splash@mit.edu with any questions. We hope to see you soon!
Call for Essays- SERC 10K Prize Essay contest: Envisioning the Future of Computing
Who: All Students
Deadline: February 9, 2025, 11:59PM
Posted: 12/13/2025
The Social and Ethical Responsibilities of Computing (SERC), a cross-cutting initiative within the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing, in collaboration with the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, invites MIT students to envision the future of computing.
Tell us your ideas, aspirations, and vision for what you think the future holds. The winning entry of the Envisioning the Future of Computing Prize competition will be awarded a grand prize of $10K. In addition, we will recognize two runner ups with $5K each, and up to 12 honorable mentions with $1,000 each.
Submissions are due by midnight on February 9, 2025, 11:59PM.
Prizes
The following prizes will be awarded:
- $10K to the winning entry
- $5K each to two runner ups
- $1,000 each to up to 12 honorable mentions
Undergraduates will receive their money just prior to graduation.
Siegel Writing Prize Now Open - $1250 Prize
Who: All Students
Deadline: Friday, February 21st, 2025 until midnight
Posted: 12/20/2025
The Benjamin Siegel Prize of $1250 is awarded to two students, one undergraduate and one graduate student, at MIT for submitting the best written work on issues in science, technology, and society. The prize is open to all undergraduate and graduate students from any school or department of the Institute.
Submission Requirements
- Graduates: Submit a PDF of your sole-authored work of 50 pages or less written in the last two academic years.
- Undergraduates: Submit a PDF of your sole-authored work of 25 pages or less written in the last two academic years.
- Include a cover page with author identification, complete contact information, year, and program of study.
- Do not include any identifiers within the body of the work.
Email Submissions to: Mina Hadley at wihadley@mit.edu
Submission Deadline: Friday, February 21st, 2025 until midnight
Summer Student Program 2025 in Dresden
Who: Undergraduate Students
Deadline: February 23, 2025
Posted: 1/10/2025
About HZDR
The Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) belongs to the Helmholtz Association, Germany’s largest research organization. It houses ten research institutes as well as large-scale facilities. Students joining the summer program will have the opportunity to learn about scientific work in the fields of
- physics
- chemistry
- biology/medicine
- computer science
- geoscience
- engineering
Projects and lectures
Summer students will work on individual projects submitted by HZDR research groups. Once applications are received and participants are selected, a matching process is conducted. The work in the research groups is complemented by a series of lectures designed to provide an insight into the research in the various areas of the HZDR.
Financial support
HZDR provides summer students with free accommodation, a stipend to cover daily living expenses, insurance (health, accident, third-part-liability) and local bus tickets.
Who can apply?
Master´s / Diploma or advanced undergraduate students in physics, life sciences, engineering or related areas.
How to apply?
For more information on the application process, please visit our website: www.hzdr.de/summer
Deadline for applications
Students should apply before 23 February 2025 Notification of acceptance by mid April 2025
Contact: summer@hzdr.de
Harvard Preceptor in Physics
Who: Graduate Students and Postdocs
Deadline: April 15, 2025
Posted: 1/10/2025
The Department of Physics at Harvard University seeks applications for a Preceptor in Physics. Working closely with faculty and staff in the Department of Physics, the preceptor will oversee all aspects of small-group instruction in the laboratory component of essential introductory and advanced physics courses, targeted to a wide range of students.
Science preceptors supervise and train teaching fellows and play a leading role in the laboratory support team. They collaborate with faculty to develop innovative course materials including hands-on learning activities and independent student projects.
The position, starting July 1, 2025, is for an initial appointment of one year, with the possibility of reappointment on a yearly basis for up to a maximum of eight years total (within the eligibility guidelines of the FAS). Reappointment is contingent upon performance, enrollments, curricular need, position availability, and divisional dean approval.
Basic Qualifications: Candidates should have an advanced degree in physics or a closely allied field or should be on track to complete the degree by the start of the appointment. Candidates are required to have teaching experience in physics or a closely allied field.
Additional Qualifications: Candidates should have excellent organizational, written, and interpersonal communication skills and demonstrated ability to lead and train teaching assistants. Experience setting up, managing, and directing student laboratory sessions is strongly preferred. A strong doctoral record is preferred.
To apply: Please submit the following materials directly to the Harvard Academic Positions site at https://academicpositions.harvard.edu/postings/14555
- Cover letter
- A teaching statement, including a description of your teaching/advising philosophy and practices as well as your approach to creating a learning environment in which every student is encouraged to ask questions and share their ideas.
- CV.
Please also ask 3 to 5 referees to submit their letter to your file at the link above. Three letters of recommendation are required, and the application is complete only when all three letters have been submitted. Review of applications will be on a rolling basis, ending April 15, 2025.
|
