Fall 2020 Schedule
Meeting Times: Every other Tuesday, 2:30-3:30
Upcoming Events
We’re done for the year, check back in the spring!
Previous Events
Session 1: Learn to Build Your Own Website
When and Where: September 19, 2019; 2:30pm-3:30pm; Room 5310, Chamberlin Hall
Overview: The first PGSC Professional Development Session! We will briefly outline the topics for the semester. There will be a step-by-step walkthrough to create a free, easy-to-use personal website. By the end, everyone will be online!
Prerequisites: Make an account on GitHub before the session.
View the slides for this session here!
Session 2: Where Physics Ph.D.s Work and How to Get There
When and Where: October 10, 2019; 2:30pm-3:30pm; Room 5310, Chamberlin Hall
Overview: We will take a data-driven look at the job landscape for graduating physics Ph.D.s. The talk will discuss positions in academia, at national laboratories, and in the private sector. We will also discuss the typical skill set and track record of people in those positions.
View the slides for this session here!
Session 3: Your Resume: From Good to Great
When and Where: October 17, 2019; 2:30pm-3:30pm; Room 5310, Chamberlin Hall
Overview: In this workshop we will begin with the basics and talk through strategies and steps to create a winning resume. Good resume’s don’t get you jobs but great ones do! From the various parts of a resume to the fine details that really matter, this workshop will include a 10 point checklist to ensure you focus on what really matters. After this workshop you will have the skills, tools, and know how to update your existing resume or start from scratch if you don’t have one yet. Feel free to bring any resume related questions to the workshop. (Speaker Michelle Holland)
View the slides for this session here!
Session 4: Professional Headshots
When and Where: October 30, 2019; 3:20pm-5:20pm; Room 2116, Chamberlin Hall
Overview: Free professional headshots for all graduate students!
Session 5: Faculty and Postdoc Career Advice Panel
When and Where: November 13, 2019; 2:30pm-3:30pm; Room B343, Sterling Hall
Overview: Faculty and postdocs in the department will share their experiences and answer your questions. Ask the experts how they navigated the academic job landscape! If you would like to submit a question anonymously, please do so here.
Panel Members: Lisa Everett, Kim Palladino, Shimon Kolkowitz, Lars Aalsma, Ross Cawthon
Session 6: Physicists at Google
When and Where: December 5, 2019; 2:30pm-3:30pm; Room 5310, Chamberlin Hall
RSVP: Fill in this form for some free Google merch
Overview: Join us in welcoming recent Ph.D. graduate and now Google employee Homer Wolfmeister back to the department! Homer will speak about what it is like working at Google after obtaining a Ph.D. in physics and how to get there. After the talk, Homer will be available for individual meetings. Please sign up here if you are interested in meeting Homer: Link to Google Form
Abstract: Running a planet-scale computer requires innovation for delivering storage, data processing, and ML computation at scale. Homer will describe some of Google’s present challenges, and how teams at the Madison office have contributed unique solutions to meet those challenges. He’ll also cover what it’s like to interview for Google, and how research experience in research Physics is valued and applicable to a wide variety of ongoing work at Google.
Speaker Bio: Homer Wolfmeister received his Ph.D. in Experimental Particle Physics from the University of Wisconsin, Madison on ZEUS under Prof. Wesley Smith. Since leaving for industry, he’s worked in machine learning for data analysis, real-time fraud-detection in payment security systems, and real-time anomaly detection in enterprise computing infrastructure. Since joining Google in 2018, he’s focused on distributed caching for providing high data throughput. His experience in research physics was beneficial for all these positions.
Session 7: How to Get the Most out of Academic Articles
When and Where: February 21, 2020; 2:30pm-3:30pm; Room 5280, Chamberlin Hall
Overview: Getting all the information out of a dense academic article is a challenge no matter what point you’re at in your physics career. Even if you’re reading a paper very close to your field, language, figures, and presentation style can act as barriers to understanding the take-home message of the work. I’ll cover strategies for approaching articles geared towards overcoming these barriers. You’ll improve your research efficiency by being able to interpret the motivations, methods, results, and implications of an article after a 5-minute read.
Speaker: Alex Pizzuto
View the slides for this session here!
Session 8: Vroom Vroom How to Make Your Code Fast
When and Where: March 6, 2020; 2:30pm-3:30pm; Room 5280, Chamberlin Hall
Overview: Knowing how to write efficient code can make your life much easier, but also will make you a more attractive job candidate. We’ll discuss what makes code slow, how to profile your code, parallelization, and modules for speeding up your workflow.
Speaker: Rob Morgan
View the materials for this session here!
Session 9: Version Control: How to Git Good
When and Where: April 10, 2020; 11:00am-12:00pm; REMOTE
Overview: Version control is a great method for documenting your progress while avoiding mistakes and backing up your work.
We’ll focus mainly on git, and you’ll learn the essentials for maintaining code repositories, tracking changes in papers, and more all while avoiding the dense and scary stuff.
Speaker: Greg Holdman
View the materials for this session here!
Session 10: Fellowship Proposals: A Faculty and Writing Center Panel
When and Where: September 22, 2020; 2:30pm-3:30pm; https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82686938703
Overview: Tips and tricks for writing successful fellowship proposals. The Writing Center will give a short presentation on the components of and strategies for grant and proposal writing. Examples of successful graduate research proposals will be analyzed and discussed. Afterward, there will be a physics-specific discussion with professors in the department to tailor the tips to the specific funding agencies you may deal with.
Speakers: Angela Zito (from the UW Writing Center), Justin Vandenbroucke, Uwe Bergmann
View the materials for this session here!
Session 11: LinkedIn
When and Where: October 6, 2020; 2:30pm-3:30pm; https://uwmadison.zoom.us/j/91878538384
Overview: Having an outstanding LinkedIn profile may be just the thing that gets you the job.
Learn the latest tips and tricks to take your job search presence on LinkedIn to the next level.
Join us for an interactive workshop and plan to spend some time polishing your LinkedIn profile.
When your dream job comes up, you will be all set and ready to go!
Speaker: Michelle Holland, Graduate Program Coordinator
View the materials for this session here!
Session 12: Tell Me About Your Research!
When and Where: October 20, 2020; 2:30pm-3:30pm; https://uwmadison.zoom.us/j/95360759836
Overview: Effectively communicating and publicizing your work is essential for advancing your career. In this professional development seminar, two science communication professionals from the Physics Department will join us to share their experiences. We’ll discuss the most successful ways of communicating your research to non-expert and non-science audiences. Learn tips and tricks for presenting what you do to anyone in the world.
Speakers: Sarah Perdue and Madeleine O’Keefe
View the materials for this session here! ___
Session 13: How to Go from Physics to Industry
When and Where: November 17, 2020; 2:30pm-3:30pm; https://uwmadison.zoom.us/j/93446409919
Overview: A panel of recent UW-Madison Physics alumni will answer all your questions about deciding if industry is the right path for you. We’ll also discuss tips and tricks for landing an industry job. Bring your questions and the panel will share their experiences!
If you would like to submit an anonymous question for the panel to answer, you can use this Google Form: https://forms.gle/zW8qs1ssMSeJAnhS6
Speakers: Adam Frees, Matthew Beck, Jonathan Koliner, Dan Minette, Chris Greiveldinger
View the materials for this session here!
Session 14: Okay, Google: Help Me with My Resume
When and Where: December 8, 2020; 2:30pm-3:30pm; https://uwmadison.zoom.us/j/97345770481
Overview: Crafting an attractive resume is a skill that takes practice to develop, but the process becomes much easier once you know what search committees are looking for. Sharing his experience screening Google applicants, Homer Wolfmeister will overview the components of a strong resume for typical industry careers. He will also lead a resume review excercise where you will become the reviewer, and learn to craft the perfect resume by critically analyzing sample resumes.
Speaker: Homer Wolfmeister
View the materials for this session here!
Backup: Professional Websites REMIX
When and Where: TBD
Overview: Professional websites are a great way to promote yourself and your work. We will go through a step-by-step walkthrough of how to create your own free, easy to maintain website to make your research available to the world. Templates will be provided and there will be time to hack on your website at the end of the seminar.
Prerequisites: Make an account on GitHub before the session. You will get the most out of the seminar if you bring a laptop.