Illinois GPS: Apply Now for Fall '17!

Illinois GPS (Guidance for Physics Students) is a mentoring group intended to bridge the undergraduate and graduate physics communities at UIUC. Undergraduates and graduates are matched for one-on-one peer mentoring and provided with open (optional) group-wide community activities, either social, academic, or in between.  
 
GPS currently seeks new graduate mentors!

No previous mentorship experience is necessary, 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, and the graduate school application process. They're also looking for a community that shares their interest in the physical world. You can make a big difference to them!

You can get a feel for the group on its Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/IllinoisGPS
 
If you are ready to apply, you can do so here: https://goo.gl/forms/VSgGbGv2iEiPX8NW2 (If you're already a member of GPS, you do not need to apply again.)
 
Thanks, and spread the word if you know anyone else in physics who would be good for the program!

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.)

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

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.

PGSA Weekly Update April 9, 2014

Here is a short list of PGSA activities and other social events for the week of April 9-April 15.  If you would like an activity to be included in future PGSA weekly updates, email them to huemill2@illinois.edu.

Wed April 9

8:00 - 9:30 Weekly Movie night in the Interaction Room
Inside Llewyn Davis. 105 minutes. Pizza. Interaction Room.
        "Friends, tonight we'll be screening Inside Llewyn Davis, the 2013 Coen brothers production about a week in the life of the titular Llewyn Davis, a folk singer in 1961 New York. Davis, played by Oscar Isaac, is a capital-A-artist, an uncompromising auteur whose latest album bombs, leaving the itinerant Davis to couch-surf his way through the Village with nothing but his guitar, some clothes, and a newfound feline hanger-on. Along the way, we run into the likes of Justin Timberlake, Carey Mulligan, Adam Driver, and John Goodman, with John Goodman hamming it up in full-on "John Goodman in a Coen brothers film" style. A languid and melancholy film, Llewyn Davis is an uncannily accurate depiction of 1960's New York, complete with period-appropriate music and a lovingly desaturated glimpse of the dingy Gotham streets. The Coens have an unusual, sometimes disjointed expressiveness to their films, and Llewyn Davis is yet another idiosyncratic addition to their repertoire, a rich, meandering look at the sadsack folk singer's life the way James Joyce's prose might wander through a sad Irish slice-of-life tale (hell, the cat inLlewyn Davis is even named Ulysses)."

Thur April 10

5:15 - sunset  Games 2 and 3 for the Majorana Meatballs
Games are at the corner of Florida and Lincoln in Urbana, just off the Teal bus line.
What to bring:

• Red Shirt
• Water
• Soccer or Football Cleats (optional)
• A Great Attitude   

Everyone is welcome no matter the level of experience.  We can teach you everything you need to know to be a contributing member of the Majorana Meatballs.

Friday April 11

10:30 - 11:00 Snacks and meet and greet with Joel Strand

11:00 - 12:00 Career Seminar in the Interaction Room:
"Academic Research on an Industrial Scale: Working in an R&D Lab at a Defense Contractor"
        -by Joel Strand
"Working for a government contractor can be a great way to work on exciting large-scale projects that are still definitely cutting-edge research. I will talk about my research in the superconducting electronics group at Northrop Grumman, how I got there, what it’s like to work at a large defense corporation, and whatever advice I can give to current students."

12:00 -12:45 1:00-2:00 PGSA Pizza Social in the Interaction Room:
Come take a break from research and teaching to hang out with fellow grad students while taking advantage of the best deal on campus: 2 slices of pizza and a can of Soda for $1.

Tues April 15

12:30 - 4:00 am Viewing of the Total Lunar Eclipse with the Astronomy Department
"The Astronomy Department and UIAS will be hosting a viewing of a total lunar eclipse at the Observatory in the very early morning hours of April 15th. The eclipse starts just before 1 am, with the total eclipse phase starting just after 2 am and mid-eclipse occurring at 2:46 am. There will be telescopes set up on the lawn of the Observatory to view the the eclipse, as well as the historic 12" telescope in the Observatory dome (weather permitting)."

5:15 pm - sunset Games 4 and 5 for the Majorana Meatballs
Games are at the corner of Florida and Lincoln in Urbana, just off the Teal bus line.
What to bring:

• Red Shirt 
• Water 
• Soccer or Football Cleats (optional) 
• A Great Attitude 

Everyone is welcome no matter the level of experience. We can teach you everything you need to know to be a contributing member of the Majorana Meatballs.