Accelerating the Power of Women in Physics

By Grace Collins '22, February 3, 2023

2023 Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics co-hosted by Ithaca College and Cornell University.

Faculty and students from Ithaca College and Cornell University attend the 2023 American Physical Society Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics. (Photo submitted)

For most undergraduate women studying physics, they’ll likely experience being one of just a few women—if not the only one—in the classroom. Faculty and student leaders from the physics departments at Ithaca College and Cornell University recently joined forces to host the 2023 American Physical Society (APS) Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CUWiP), designed to inspire and empower the next generation of female physicists.

According to the APS, while the number of female-identifying students earning bachelor’s degrees in STEM programs has been steadily on the rise, just 25 percent of physics degrees conferred in 2020 went to female students — the smallest percentage of any of the physical science fields.

To combat this underrepresentation, CUWiP was established at the University of Southern California in 2006. In the years since, APS took national ownership of the program and the conference has evolved to provide female-identifying undergraduate physics students with the opportunity to network with successful female physicists, attend panel discussions on life in the industry and plenary talks on cutting-edge research, present poster presentations of their research, and connect with peers from other institutions.

Held simultaneously at regional sites around the country the weekend of January 20–22, the Ithaca area CUWiP encompassed both the Ithaca College and Cornell University campuses. Programming took place at Cornell on Friday and Saturday, and the conference culminated on South Hill on Sunday. Through lab tours, professional development workshops, and alumni speakers, the conference also served as a chance to highlight Ithaca College’s physics and astronomy department to the 150 undergraduate students who attended from around New York State.

Ithaca College Physics alumna Sam Weeks ’20, now a software engineer at Ursa Space Systems, and Dr. Frann Shore (Boeing) field questions about careers in the industry. (Photo submitted)

Leading the charge on the local organizing committee was Kelley Sullivan, associate professor of physics and astronomy. Sullivan collaborated with physics faculty and student leaders from both IC and Cornell to bring the conference to life.

“About a year ago, Cornell’s team reached out to us and said they had the application in process and we would love to have us collaborate in some capacity. Myself, Colleen Countryman [assistant professor, physics and astronomy], and Beth Ellen Clark Joseph [professor, physics and astronomy] met with them and let them know we’d like to be co-hosts, and they graciously agreed,” said Sullivan. “This was exciting because small colleges don’t usually get to host these types of events; they’re typically hosted by major research universities that have more lab facilities and a bigger size and scope. It was a unique opportunity for us.”

Sullivan emphasized the importance of creating spaces like CUWiP for female physics students to connect with one another and spoke about the experience of being a woman working in a male-dominated field.

“I have taught in classrooms where I was the only woman in the room,” she said. “I’m hoping that our students leave feeling a stronger sense of belonging in the field of physics and like they saw how much potential there is to have a very diverse set of careers. I also hope they leave feeling more confident in themselves and generally just excited and ready to keep going.”

The opportunity to get involved also extended to student leaders — of the six Ithaca College physics students who attended CUWiP, two of them also served on the local organizing committee and assisted in behind-the-scenes planning and coordination to make the weekend a success.

“I have taught in classrooms where I was the only woman in the room. I’m hoping that our students leave feeling a stronger sense of belonging in the field of physics and like they saw how much potential there is to have a very diverse set of careers. I also hope they leave feeling more confident in themselves and generally just excited and ready to keep going.”

Kelley Sullivan, associate professor of physics and astronomy

For physics major Izzy Mahoney ’25, this wasn’t the first time she had participated in CUWiP. After attending a virtual conference hosted by Brown University, she was eager to remain involved with the community. When Sullivan asked her about joining the organizing committee for CUWiP at Cornell and IC, the answer was an easy yes.

Mahoney’s role included coordinating volunteers and conducting outreach to different departments at both institutions to find people interested in helping for the weekend.

“It was very rewarding to see all our hard work come together. Between staff, faculty, and undergrads, we put so much work into the conference,” she said. “It was so nice to see everything run smoothly, and I really think that it couldn’t have gone any better.”

She also spoke of her personal takeaways from participating in the conference as an attendee, specifically the lessons she learned from hearing other women speak about their experiences working in physics.

“We already have such an inclusive department, but there can be little things that come up or areas to improve on,” said Mahoney. “It was nice to hear how other people have worked through the struggles of being a woman in STEM, and to be able to relate to them and their experiences. It was also very nice to have the conference here in Ithaca. Our department is small but so great, so it was cool to be able to show what we do to other students.”

Emily Leach ’24 has a physics minor and attended her first CUWiP while also working as a student leader on the organizing committee. Her primary roles were to develop ideas for workshops and content sessions and to create content for the Ithaca area’s CUWiP social media channels to generate interest and excitement ahead of the conference.

“I hadn’t heard of CUWiP before, but Kelley [Sullivan] approached me and asked if I wanted to be a part of it. I had to go look it up. But after I saw what it was, I knew I had to be a part of it because I think it’s such an important issue,” Leach said.

CUWiP was also a chance for IC alumni to return to South Hill and share their wisdom and insights with current undergraduates. Leach, who plans on entering a career in teaching, also attended a panel on K–12 physics education that featured Ithaca College graduate Andrea Santiago Boyd ’17.

“Our physics department is really such a supportive program and a close community, so it’s nice to be able to connect with other physics communities and celebrate things like diversity and supporting women,” said Leach. “After CUWiP, I felt a lot more reassured that I could succeed as a teacher in physics. I used to think it would be an isolated field, but the speakers told us about lots of groups and resources we can connect with throughout our career.”

A Community Affair

Several members of the IC campus community lent their time and talents to make CUWiP a success.

Andrea Santiago Boyd ’17, physics
Beth Ellen Clark Joseph, professor of physics and astronomy
Colleen Countryman, assistant professor of physics and astronomy
Emily Leach ’24
Izzy Mahoney ’25
Joslyn Brenton, associate professor of sociology
Kelley Sullivan, associate professor of physics and astronomy
Luke Keller, professor of physics and astronomy
Sam Weeks ’20, physics
Suki Hall, former Center for Counseling and Psychological Services counselor

Andrea Santiago Boyd, who graduated from the Ithaca College physics program in 2017, taught STEM classes at a Rochester charter school before deciding to work in data science at Bridgeton Research Group, where she is currently head of operations. She spoke on three panels throughout the weekend, covering topics such as diverse careers after a physics degree, data science, and K–12 education.

Santiago Boyd said she wanted to come back to campus to engage with current students and share the lessons she had learned in her time since graduation. During her panel discussions, she spoke about her career journey, her experiences as a woman in physics, and the strong foundation that her IC education built for her to pave her own path forward.

“For every single woman at that conference, there really is that shared experience of being a woman in physics,” said Santiago Boyd. “But at the same time, I wanted to make sure they knew that they don’t boil down to just being a woman. It’s great to network and find mentors and make all these connections, but at the end of the day they already have the skill set they need to be successful in whatever they want to be successful in.”

She also reflected fondly on her time on campus, calling the physics department a “small family.” The first thing she did upon arriving at the conference was give Kelley Sullivan, her former thesis advisor and lasting mentor, a hug.

“It was so incredible to see so many IC physics students representing the department at CUWiP. I wish I had gotten involved in things like this during college,” she said.

Before the attendees departed South Hill on Sunday, there was one final event for them to enjoy.

“We already have such an inclusive department, but there can be little things that come up or areas to improve on,” said Mahoney. “It was nice to hear how other people have worked through the struggles of being a woman in STEM, and to be able to relate to them and their experiences."

Izzy Mahoney ’25

Luke Keller, Ithaca College professor of physics and astronomy, has spent the past several years developing The Effects of Gravity along with poet David González and guitarist Álvaro Domene. An hour-long multi-media performance combining visual animations, music, education, and storytelling, Effects of Gravity explores the intersection of science and art. The show made its inaugural performance on January 22 in the Whalen Center for Music’s Hockett Family Recital Hall.

“It was a real honor to offer our debut performance at Ithaca College for a general public audience including the attendees of the Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics,” said Keller. “This was our first performance for a live audience, and what a thrill to have it at IC!”

Following the performance, Sullivan took to the stage to present awards for poster presentations and encourage the audience to continue to take advantage of opportunities through their newfound APS and CUWiP networks.

“To sum it all up,” she said, “this whole conference is about networking—having women see other successful women, showing them cool science, helping them learn how to navigate spaces as a woman, and just supporting and encouraging undergraduate women in physics.”