The Physics Graduate Community
Student News: Evolution of the Physics Graduate Community
By Hoda Akl
Although the first year of the physics PhD program is arguably the toughest year, it is also perhaps the most social. In the first-floor offices of the New Physics Building, with brains spiked on caffeine and hands covered in chalk, first-year students bond over a seemingly never-ending gauntlet of homework deadlines and teaching assignments. Before they know it, the year is over and they transition into separate permanent offices. Solitary research replaces the collaborative brainstorming sessions from the year prior.
Isolation creeps in swiftly after that point. In an effort to reunite the scattered students, Adamya Goyal and Suzanne Rosenzweig dreamed up a volunteer mentorship program for physics graduate students. By the fall of 2018, Alex Schachtner and Jake Rosenzweig joined the team to form the Physics Graduate Mentorship Program (PGMP). Together, they developed a framework in which students could maintain meaningful connection through mentorship and student gatherings. Physics grad students witnessed how valuable this group was to the department, and the program gained traction. Their activities expanded as new members joined. This expansion warranted a new name for the organization: The Physics Graduate Community (PGC).
On the last Friday of every month, the outside courtyard buzzes with music and laughter where graduate students relax at a “Grad Gathering” to enjoy food delivered by the PGC. On Tuesdays, the PGC hosts the Graduate Student and Postdoc Seminar, where students and postdocs give research presentations to learn from their peers while enjoying pizza. Throughout the pandemic, the PGC held weekly virtual lunch hours, where a PGC member hosted a discussion about topics ranging from academic development to favorite fiction books. Moreover, virtual writing hours were held to provide a space for students to work on their qualifying papers or dissertations in silent unity. Looking ahead, the PGC envisions hosting a Life-After-Grad-School Panel, where UF physics alumni will interact with students and pass down advice about industry and academia, as well as designing a readily accessible resource repository for all physics graduate students.
All of these activities are made possible through financial support, encouragement, and guidance from the Department of Physics. This united effort contributes to a warmer and more inclusive atmosphere in the physics department.
