Physical Revue!!!

The 2016 Physical Revue will take place today, December 2nd, at 7PM in the ARC Multipurpose Room 6!
If you are a student, make sure to bring your student ID to get into the ARC. For everyone else, there will be a physics graduate student at the entrance to show you how to get to the room.

GEO Info Session

On Dec 1st, GEO will be holding an info session (lunch provided) to promote member representation in the physics department and to hear what graduate students want in the new labor contracts. 

When: Thursday, Dec 1st 12-1 pm

What: Informational luncheon 

Where: Loomis 276

More Info: The GEO is the union that represents the graduate employees on campus and negotiates labor contracts for them with the university. This coming academic year is particularly important because in Spring 2017, the contracts are set to be renewed via bargaining by the GEO. Before the contract bargaining starts, the GEO has to prove that it's a representative body. Physics is a department that has a lot of TAs that are currently non members and therefore we need to increase our participation.

PGSA Multicultural Potluck

Dear Physics Phoodies,

Your palate is cordially invited to a journey around the world in our very own Interaction Room! Come join the PGSA on Wednesday, November 16^th from 12:30PM-1:30PM for a multicultural potluck. See you there!

PGSA Happy Hour & Board Game Night!!!

The PGSA is having a happy hour this Friday, Nov. 4th, at 7pm at Riggs Beer Company, a brewery in southern Urbana. We will provide free Papa Del's deep dish pizza. There will also be board games, for anyone interested!

PGSA (Actual) Happy Hour

Join us for another happy hour at an actual happy hour time! It will be at Firehaus on 10/21 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. That's right: TWO actual happy hours for the activation energy of one!

Apple/Pumpkin Picking Trip

The PGSA and GPS are organizing an apple/pumpkin picking trip to Curtis Orchard & Pumpkin Patch on Saturday 10/22, departing from the Loomis Parking lot at 2pm. If you enjoy apple cider, making jack-o-lanterns, and all the usual fall festivities, then this trip is for you!

Trip to Harvest Moon Twin Drive-in Theater

The PGSA hosted a trip to the Harvest Moon Twin Drive-in Theater in Gibson City on Sunday, 10/9 from 5:30-10:30pm. The drive-in held its final showing of the season, which served as a fundraiser for the Vet Med Wildlife Clinic. The two screens showed Zootopia and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. PGSA members enjoyed an evening of thrilling magical realism and various topological manifolds of fried dough (which were, at times, difficult to distinguish)!

October PGSA Meeting

We will meet in the Interaction Room on Wednesday 10/5 at 1 pm to discuss potential fall events. If you are interested in getting more involved in the PGSA, this is a great time to start! We are also looking for an outreach coordinator. If you are interested in taking on this leadership role, you should attend this meeting.

PGSA Happy Hour: Quality

The PGSA is having a happy hour on Friday (9/2) at Quality in downtown Champaign. It will start at 9:00PM.

Wild Bohrs seek new players

Our Physics department softball team, the Wild Bohrs, seeks new players for the fall season. Though the Bohrs didn’t manage to win any games this summer, a keen observer of the sport might say that they had a winning attitude. Isn’t that what counts? Anyone interested in joining the team should email the coaches!

Got Hobbies?

Two groups of physics grad students meet on Thursdays to practice their respective hobbies: board games and knitting! Please ask us for time/location details if you're interested in joining.

And if there is another hobby that you would like to share with fellow physics grad students, you are welcome to start a group of your own! Please contact us if you would like organizational assistance.

Clinton Lake Trip on 8/13

Summer is nearly over, so time is running out to spend a nice day at the beach or take a nice walk in the woods. To facilitate just that, the PGSA is organizing a trip to Clinton Lake State Recreation Area on Saturday August 13th. The park is about 40 minutes away and offers hiking, swimming, and a nice sandy beach. We'll drive there sometime in the morning; keep an eye out for more detailed logistics!

PGSA wants YOU to become a mentor!

The brand new Graduate Peer Mentoring Group seeks volunteers LIKE YOU to mentor incoming physics graduate students. As a peer mentor, you would provide advice to 1-2 incoming students on topics like research, courses, and grad life. 

Think back to your first days as a grad student -- did you have lingering questions after orientation? Were you unsure where to turn for answers? This group will help ensure a smooth transition for the incoming physics grad students, and YOU can be a part of it!

(If this opportunity appeals to you, then you may also be interested in Illinois GPS, an organization that connects physics undergrads with grad mentors.)

New PGSA Officers

We are pleased to announce the new PGSA officers! These dedicated individuals have accepted the responsibility of supporting physics graduate student life during the next year, and they will surely do an amazing job.

Co-Presidents: Alex Cote and Sam Rubeck

Treasurer: Eli Chertkov

Webmaster: Alina Kononov

Historian: Davneet Kaur

Goat Farm Trip on 7/10

Don't let your summer slip away without visiting the Prairie Fruits Farm & Creamery. They have goats... For all those who want a ride, we'll be leaving from the Loomis parking lot on Sunday 7/10 at 11am.

PGSA Happy Hour: 9pm on 6/10 at Sipyard

PGSA will be having happy hour at the Sipyard beer garden in downtown Urbana.  We will meet up starting at 9:00pm.  Sipyard closes at midnight, so interested revelers can move to a different location.  See you all there!

PGSA Meeting 6/6 10am

Summer's here but it's already slipping away fast -- help PGSA make the most of it while it lasts! Come to the Interaction Room at 10 AM on Monday if you want to help make plans for the next few months. It should be chill (no Phys. Rev. or Grad Visit Weekend on the horizon), but topics to discuss should include:

• More Mixers
• Impending Happy Hours
• Lunch/Ice Cream Socials
• Anything you want to add we haven't thought of already! (Hiking trip? We have the means to organize car rides! Or maybe we can just find a beach...)

Anyway, if you've been thinking about getting involved but just haven't had the chance yet, now is the time to come and have your thoughts (or grievances) aired!

PGSA Happy Hour: IGS Mixer

The PGSA is partnering with the newly minted Interdisciplinary Graduate Society (IGS) to participate in a mixer with departments from all around campus. Here is more information from IGS:

The Interdisciplinary Graduate Society will organize its first inter-departmental graduate student mixer this semester. We want to provide a space where graduate students from different departments can get to know each other. This is an opportunity to meet people from other fields you might not interact with in the course of specialized research, and to have some fun after a long week.

Time: Friday, April 15th at 7:00PM
Location: Quality Bar, Downtown Champaign (will overflow to the Blind Pig Brewery if needed)

You are encouraged (though absolutely not required) to wear your home department/organization's t-shirt.

Interdisciplinary Graduate Society (IGS) is a new organization founded to create interdisciplinary community and collaborative work among graduate students from different disciplines. IGS focuses on joining historically unrelated departments to create unconventional opportunities and connections. 

For more information and to subscribe to our event list:
http://interdisciplinarygrads.com/
https://www.facebook.com/interdisciplinarygrads/

Ice Skating on 4/30

We've rented the Ice Arena on Saturday, April 30th from 5-7pm! You are welcome to skate your heart out, stand on the sidelines and take pictures, or just drink hot chocolate.

Prospective Student Visiting Weekend 3/11-3/12

Welcome, prospective graduate students! In addition to the official departmental events, the PGSA will be organizing several informal activities to help you get acquainted with both the physics graduate student community here at UIUC and campus and the surrounding area. Please join us for any or all of these events! If you need help with directions, please see the map below.

Friday

• 9:00 pm - ?: Bar Night at Guido’s Bar & Grill (2 E Main St, Champaign, IL)

After the Department reception at the Alumni Center, the PGSA invites you to join us at Guido’s Bar & Grill in Champaign. Department-funded taxis can shuttle to the bar instead of back to the hotel. Another option is to take the 12/120W Teal bus from Krannert to the Illinois Terminal (Amtrak Station) before walking north to Guido’s. (The Teal line is free when starting on-campus and $1 otherwise.)

• 9:00 pm - ?: Board Game Night at 403 W Illinois St, Urbana, IL

If the bar scene isn’t your thing, or if you just love board games, the PGSA will also be hosting a board game night after the Department reception. A great way to hang out with current grad students.

Saturday

• 11:30 am - 12:30 pm: Walking Tour of Campus by PGSA members, starting south of the Illini Union

Join Sam, Alexandra, Sean, and Eli for a walking tour of campus. This is a great chance to see the other parts of campus and hear some general trivia about the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The tour will start at the south entrance to the Illini Union.

• 12:45 pm - ~3:00 pm: Meet and Greet Current Grad Students, meeting at Illini Union Lobby

Take a moment to get to know what the Champaign-Urbana graduate experience is like from the grad students themselves -- no professors allowed. Hang out in small groups of 4-6 and talk about what life in Champaign-Urbana is really like. Meet in the North Lobby (the one with fish tanks).

• 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm: BBQ at 702 W Nevada St, Urbana, IL

This is a great chance to decompress and ask any last questions you have about life at UIUC. Food and drink will be provided courtesy of the PGSA.

 

                A: Hampton Inn           B: Loomis/MRL            C: Alumni Center           D: Guido's

                E: Illini Union                F: BBQ Location          G: Game Night location

Board Game Night on 2/18 at 7pm

Get excited! The first board game night of the year will be this Thursday at 7pm in the interaction room (Loomis 204). If you have friends who might be interested, please bring them along too!

And remember -- Physics is like playing a board game: sure, it may give some practical results, but that's not why we do it.

Valentine's Day Sweets

Valentine's Day is this Sunday, and to celebrate, the PGSA will be offering delicious cupcakes, cookies and other sweets. Drop by the Interaction Room (204 Loomis) on Friday 2/12 from 1:30 to 2:30pm for a piece of the action. And who knows, maybe you'll see that special someone in time to make some romantic plans!

PGSA (Actual) Happy Hour

Effective July 15, 2015, Public Act 99-0046 legalized happy hour specials in Illinois for the first time since 1989. To celebrate (albeit belatedly) this newfound freedom, we shall gather at Murphy's Pub (map) on Friday 2/12 at 5:00pm. Happy hour runs 5-7pm and features $1.50 pints of Hamm's or High Life and other drinks. So come unwind from your stressful week with good company and good prices!

PGSA Happy Hour: New Year, New Bar

We're going to the newly opened and surprisingly woody Barrelhouse 34 this Friday 1/22 at 9:00pm. So hit the gym, chew some Nicorette, delete your Clash of Clans empire, or whatever you need to bolster your (hopefully not) doomed resolution and join in!

Just a note: Barrelhouse is so new that they may not have a sign yet. If you think you've walked below-deck of an 18th century schooner, then you're in the right place!

PGSA Meeting 1/20 at 1pm

The PGSA will be having it's FIRST MEETING of the new semester this Wednesday at 1pm in the Interaction Room. We will discuss plans for the upcoming semester, including visitation weekend and a possible ice skating excursion.

If you are interested in getting more involved in the PGSA, this is a great time to start! Fresh ideas and points of view are extremely valuable!

Illinois GPS (Guidance for Physics Students)

Illinois GPS is currently seeking graduate mentors. The goal of the organization is to improve contact and collaboration between undergraduate and graduate students through activities like peer advising. No previous mentorship experience is expected, and the time commitment is fairly modest and flexible. The undergrads are looking for advice on what it’s like to be a graduate student, major research areas, the application process, etc., as well as a community that shares their interest in the physical world. You can make a big difference to them! The application can be accessed here.