For 60 years the Canadian Undergraduate Physics Conference (CUPC) has provided undergraduate students the opportunity to network and collaborate with their peers and industry professionals.
Why is this important? 
In addition to highlighting up and coming research and exciting questions the community is tackling; it celebrates the research accomplishments of budding physicists across Canada. Allowing them to share their work with the community via oral and poster presentations.
This year five of our undergraduate students had the opportunity to attend and present at CUPC 2024 at The University of British Columbia, Madeleine Berube, Zeest Fatima, Gabriel Lamonica-Sleczkowski, Akshay Ramasubramanian and Ariel Olivia Broderick. We asked these 3rd and 4th year students what physics means to them and why they chose this field of study.
Madeleine: “Physics to me is a way to engage in life with a problem-solving mindset. It encourages me to be curious and critical of the world around me. I enjoy the hands-on aspect of experimental physics, the critical thinking part of data analysis, and the satisfaction of solving a coding problem. These are what encouraged me to pursue my degree in Physics.”
Ariel: “I was interested in physics since I was a kid since it combined my two favourite subjects: math and science. I liked how it could describe the world around me and allowed me to even gather an understanding of the things I couldn't see or get close to, like far away space objects.”
Gabriel: “For me, physics has always been the cutting edge of our knowledge about the universe. I have always been fascinated by the beauty and complexity of this world, and how we can understand the systems that define it.”
When asked to describe their experience at the CUPC and whether they would participate again, our students enthusiastically praised the conference.
Gabriel: “CUPC was electric. Every talk was interesting, every new face was welcoming, and it was a real chance to talk physics with people your own age! Not only do I want to do it again next year, but I'm planning to invite friends to come with me!”
Ariel: “I met a lot of new people with similar interests and got exposed to a lot of interesting research in the same field as me and in different fields.”
Madeleine: “This was my fourth time attending CUPC, and it is always an exciting and rewarding experience - this year was no different. Each day is filled with interesting keynotes, workshops, panels, and social events. Not only do I get to discover new research at universities across the country, but I also have the chance to meet other passionate physics students. The networking aspect of CUPC is one of my favourite parts, along with the student presentations. I would highly recommend this conference to others. If I had more years of undergrad, I would definitely attend CUPC again.”
We would like to thank our ungraduate students that attended this year and encourage more students to seek opportunities such as these in the future.
